Charles Apple

Doug Jessmer is out of journalism.

For now, anyway.

Doug Jessmer
—

Some of you know his story. For those who don’t: Doug is a talented visual journalist who worked design and graphics for six newspapers — most recently The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, The Sarasota Herald-Tribune and The Detroit News.

Many of you know him from his participation in the forums here at VizEds or from his blog. Others will recall him and his pal Jim McBee — now of Fayetteville, N.C.’s SmartNews — as hosts of “The Swamp,” a party room at SND/Houston. Photographic evidence suggests damn near everyone in Houston dropped by at some point.

But Doug left Detroit seven months ago and has spent much of the time since then looking for a new job. And, as you know, opportunities have been scarce this year.

Tomorrow, however, Doug begins his new career: Creating a design department at Adco Printing, in Tampa, Fla.

I’m the first hire. As the workload grows, as we are sure it will, we plan to hire additional designers. It’s my responsibility to “grow” the department.

Responsibilities include hands-on design as well as design direction and consulting. I’ll be working closely with press and pre-press people in our direct-to-plate environment.

My title is still a little up in the air, but it’ll likely either be “design director” or “creative director.” Either way, it’s fine with me.

During his unemployment, Doug was a bit low-key about what he was doing. That’s not quite like him, Doug admits:

There aren’t many people who know what I’ve been doing since I left Detroit, and I kinda wanted it to stay that way. But I might as well admit — I was totally unemployed for six months, collecting the pittance that is Michigan’s unemployment benefits. I was looking for opportunities in print journalism close to the Tampa Bay area, and the closest gig was Daytona Beach, which froze the position for which I interviewed.

In the meantime, after the unemployment ran out, I started selling Dodges, which is something I joked about, but it was starting to look better all the time.

So as of Monday, Doug is back in visual communication. He’s just not in the newspaper field.

Doug agreed to answer a few questions for us:

Q. So you’re out of journalism now, for the time being. Is that a good thing? Or are you disappointed?

A. I think it’s a good thing, considering the volatility of the industry right now.

Newspapers have always depended on profits to survive, and those profits got pretty fat. But as the media landscape changes, profits are shrinking. In their infinite wisdom, the Powers That Be in our industry are making up for those slimmer profits by cutting capital, mostly in the form of payroll. It’s all about the money now, and I think it’s going to bite the industry hard when the suits see the vicious cycle they’ve gotten themselves into.

You can’t cut newsgathering staff too much, or quality suffers, and readers will surely turn elsewhere. You also need to have the old hands around a newsroom, because while newspapers can get by cheaper with younger staffers, they don’t have the knowhow or experience — or the institutional memory — of some of the older folks.

Somehow, I consider myself an older one now (scratching head).

The other thing is that the Internet sites newspapers aren’t making the money they should, for all the attention they’re getting, which means the investment still needs to be made in the printed newspaper — investment in figuring out what readers really want and need now, for one.

I say it’s in microzoning by interest, not by geography, and using the overall newspaper’s name as a franchise. (That idea, incidentally, is copyrighted by me, so if your paper decides to do it, fork over that check, buddy!)

Newspapers need to reconcieve themselves — from scratch, with new ideas based on modern reader demands. There’s demand, but the supply is many times off target.

When I saw the latest Design magazine, I was frustrated. Knight Ridder had all these ground-breaking ideas that would’ve saved the industry from the crap it faces right now, but they were TOO far out on the cutting edge, and the company’s beancounters pulled the plug far too soon. I liken them to American Motors, which had the right cars, just a decade too early for the market.

That sort of thinking should be encouraged and rewarded, and it’s not because it isn’t able to turn a profit more quickly.

Thing is, I didn’t leave newspaper journalism — newspaper journalism tried to leave me, as well as many other talented people, some of whom I’m surprised to hear aren’t in a newsroom right now. I don’t see myself as leaving the business.

And I’m still available to consult small-market and mid-size newspapers on design, especially on color and typography. Damn, I love the smell of ink as much as I love the smell of jet fuel — they’re both the smell of freedom, if you ask me.

Q. Do you see yourself ever getting back into the business again? When?

A. Yes, I do. Like I say, I don’t think I left the business. I will still keep my hand in it, but from a different angle.

I have experience with small- and mid-market newspapers, as well as metros, and I understand the challenges they face when it comes to design and redesign, so my slate is out as a consultant. What I can’t offer as a consultant, I have associates who can. At some point, it’s entirely possible that I’ll make a re-entry, but it’ll likely be as a design manager.

I’m also thinking about writing a book or two, not to sound too much like a few other folks who’ve left the newsroom. Not the great-American novel, or anything like that, but I was thinking about something slightly autobiographical, and also something related to how car salesmen aren’t slimy hucksters in loud plaid jackets, and how that industry is so much more respectful of consumers these days — but no one realizes it. Whether anyone would really read either title is beyond me, though.

Since I’m talking like I’m retiring, and that’s a little creepy, I might as well say this will give me the ability to get back to flying more often. As you know I “play Air Force” on the weekends, as an officer in Civil Air Patrol, the Air Force’s uniformed civilian volunteer auxiliary. I’m a public affairs officer covering two counties in the Tampa Bay area, plus I fly. It’s always been a little funny for me to be in front of the camera, and not behind it, but I’m getting used to it. Heh.

Q. Any regrets?

A. I regret moving to Detroit!

Seriously, though, Detroit was fun until the snow flew, or until I pulled into the parking lot at work. All that American iron on the streets, especially during the Woodward Dream Cruise, was awe-inspiring for someone who grew up around cars.

Hanging out at the Anchor Bar, or working on Tigers pages or advance pages, and working with some great people at The News. The Tigers’ World Series run last year really put me in mind of my beloved Indians during the 1990s.

Plus, the time I got to spend with our CAP units up there, most of that time at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, north of town, was rewarding.

A friend of mine from my Ohio days said to me that you shouldn’t regret anything. I don’t regret the opportunities I’ve had, though there were times I probably could’ve handled things a little differently. Newsrooms can be very territorial sometimes, and I sometimes had issues with those sorts of egos — funny, since I could be territorial if someone was sitting at my desk, now that I think of it…

I do regret that there’ve been times over the last nearly-20-years-or-so when I could’ve taken things a little more seriously. But that’s part of growing up, right?

Q. You’re one of VizEds’ more prominent voices, via the forums and your blog. Do you plan to continue commenting on journalism and visual journalism?

A. Absolutely. I think my angle will change a bit, though — I’ll see things as a reader more than an insider, but the skills I have as a journalist will give me the insight a layman doesn’t have.

I’ll still see the challenges a designer faces, especially a designer on deadline, and I’ll be able to dispassionately say something did or did not work with the eye of a reader, not with one foot still on the newsroom floor making excuses for not having time or resources.

Q. You sold Dodges for a while this summer. How did that go? You have natural sales talent; seems like you’d be good at that.

A. Natural sales talent? Whoa, that’s what the managers at the store said Friday when I presented my resignation letter!

Actually, they said I was just hitting my stride. We have one sales consultant at the dealer who makes a quarter-million dollars annually, so the money’s there. But the hours are long, the weekends are tied up, and there’s a lot of time spent standing around, waiting.

I have to be doing something, otherwise I get into trouble. And it’s torture standing around all that metal, just waiting for me to punch the gas pedal down and shred a new set of Goodyears, especially with a 505-hp Viper in the showroom. (Hey, if you want a new car, just go down to AutoWay Dodge, U.S. 19 in Clearwater, Fla., and say I sent you. You’ll get the best deal anywhere.)

AutoWay Dodge in Clearwater, Fla., where Doug sold four vehicles in about four weeks on the floor — a pretty decent performance. “The dealer is part of AutoNation, and its staff was extremely supportive of newbies like me,” Doug says. “I’m proud to say I worked with some great sales professionals, and while I couldn’t find a good way to say ‘I have to leave,’ I hope I contributed in return.”
—

That natural sales talent was something I used to write headlines, but also on newspaper marketing campaigns. Too bad it didn’t help me with a few job interviews (laughing)…

Q. What the hell IS a hemi, anyway? And why is a hemi so cool?

A: The classic Hemi-head Chrysler engine had cylinder heads with hemispherical shapes at the top of each cylinder.

It helped performance greatly, and the legendary 1960s and 1970s Hemis, like Don Johnson’s Plymouth Barracuda on Nash Bridges, are very desirable.

“Hemi?” “Of course!” The Fantastic Four’s new
vehicle is a Dodge — according to the movie.
—

The modern Hemi incorporates that shape with two spark plugs per cylinder for cleaner burns and more power, plus the engine has the ability to shut cylinders down to save fuel. It’s available in the full-size Dodges (Magnum wagon and Charger, and the ‘09 Challenger coupe) and the Ram pickups.

And in a Charger, punch that gas pedal and the Hemi will lay you back in your seat like you just took off on a Space Shuttle launch, it’s that potent. I’d get into serious trouble if I had one under foot on a regular basis. (That’s a helluva endorsement from a Ford guy, isn’t it?)

Q. So if folks in the visual news business need a print job — business cards, greeting cards, flyers, etc. — should they come to you? Will you be doing long-distance business over the ‘net?

A: Adco Printing does long-distance business over the Web now. If you need design work done, we can now do it; if you have “camera-ready” art that you just need printed, we can do that, too. The prices are extremely competitive, and the quality is very good.

We do a lot of ultraviolet coating on our products, and the free business card offer we have on the Web site (250 for free) is, I believe, full CMYK color on both sides plus UV coating on one side.

As my role evolves, we’ll hopefully be taking on more high-end design and graphics work, including corporate identity and advertising campaigns. That’s where the real fun will be.

There will always be a need for printed communication, whatever its form. I don’t think I’m leaving newspapers, just taking a side route to further develop existing skills and grow as a visual editor and leader.

Check out a few examples of Dougie’s work:

Find the rest of Doug’s portfolio here.

Sounds terrific, Doug. I know you’ve had a rough ride this year. Best wishes in your new job!

This entry was posted on Sunday, August 12th, 2007 at 12:43 pm and is filed under Industry woes, Job changes, News design, Newspapers, Visual Editors, VizEds Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.