Available Positions Include Associate Editor,
Mktg. Mgr., Volunteer Event Correspondents
As journalists and a
pilots, we have to tell you there is no better marriage of
vocation and avocation than working as an aviation reporter and
editor. Seriously. The late musician Harry Chapin once told
ANN's Pete Combs that his biggest fear was that someday,
someone would walk up to him and say, "Harry, the jig is up. It's
time to get a real job."
Now that we do what we love, we can understand. The truth is, if
you love your work, it's like hardly working at all.
That's what working at ANN is all about.
An example: Pete Combs started out here as a volunteer
correspondent at Airventure in Oshkosh, WI, a few years back (as
did a few of our more esteemed colleagues). For him, it was a great
way to get to the big show and see all the sights. He got great
access to events and people you generally don't get to see up close
and personal as a mere spectator. ANN paid for
the transportation, lodging and meals. And, heck, he was going
to Oshkosh anyway!
There were other opportunities to "go to the show" on ANN's
ticket, see the sights and write stories: ICAS, AOPA Expo... ANN
covers all the big events and a lot of the smaller ones as
well.
Pete became the
associate editor, writing and posting stories on the weekends and
when needed to fill in during the week. That was a paying job and,
like Harry Chapin, his worst fear was that someone would find
him out. He worked just a few hours on the weekends, yet carried a
byline and a slot on the masthead for one of the most prestigious
online publications in all of aviation.
Pete, an award-winning reporter, is now the Senior
Editor at ANN, putting together everything that he's learned
in almost three decades of reporting and almost 20 years of flying
general aviation. Pete says that, "It's been a great ride and I'm
glad I climbed on board."
Here's YOUR Chance
If you're interested in either testing the water or jumping
right in, let us know. Send us an email telling me what you'd
like to do -- either act as a volunteer
correspondent for major aviation events (we're selecting
Oshkosh writers as we speak) and other occasional assignments, or
working as an associate editor primarily responsible for putting
together our weekend edition. Let us know something about your
experience and include a sample of your writing.
ANN's editorial staffing is shaping up rather nicely. With the
addition of Kevin O'Brien to handle some ANN functions as well
as the directory database compilation for the next SportPlane
Resource Guide, and some other hires that we're hoping to
undertake, things are filling out rather nicely. ANN has become
populated by a good solid FUN group of people who generally
work pretty well together (so long as we keep them away from sharp
objects). But, it's time to add more people to our staff.
Searching For ANN's Next Associate Editor
We're earnestly looking to hire two new people for paid
positions... and we know that we'll need a few more more,
thereafter, in short order. As noted above, we need an
Associate Editor to fill Juan Jimenez' immense
shoes (Juan still writes for ANN, but his full-time computer gig
has expanded a bit and he needs to devote all his resources
appropriately... believe you me, he's a TOUGH act to follow). It's
a weekend gig... needing several hours each day, on Saturday and
Sunday, on a flexible schedule. You can work from anywhere so long
as you have a good high-speed net connection and the appropriate
tools to pursue the day's stories.
The qualified respondent needs the following… SOLID
aviation/aerospace writing and journalism credentials/abilities,
SOLID photographic/graphic web smarts, Good basic web skills (light
HTML know-how and some grasp of photo-editing) and E-Mail skills, a
strong work/journalism ethic, and an ability to meet and adhere to
tight deadlines;as well as RELIABLE full-time access to a
fairly speedy Internet connection (DSL, ADSL, T1, T3, Pipeline to
the Almighty, etc...), a computer with the ability to keep up
with a number of graphic chores and editorial efforts, and the
ability to work with a very strange crew of ANN weirdoes. Since
this job is computer based, it does not matter where you live and
we are, of course, unconcerned about your workspace so long as the
job gets done (and the less info we have about someone working in
pink shorts and fuzzy bunny slippers, the better).
Searching For ANN's Marketing Manager
We have another
major staff position to fill -- and now's the time to get serious
about it. Since ANN started, we have enjoyed the amazing support of
a group of sponsors who have, by and large, been generous and
visionary. As a matter of fact, most of the sponsors you see on ANN
called us first -- leaving us little to do but to finish some
paperwork, and get them started. You have no idea how wonderful
that has been for us... leaving us (mostly) to work on the
editorial end of ANN and build it into what is generally recognized
as the Aviation World's Most Widely Read Daily News Service. Thanks
to them, we have served the aviation world aggressively and
comprehensively for five years... and an amazing sixth year is just
around the corner.
It's nice to be able to count on this kind of support... but
we're about to REALLY step up the action (and expense) here at ANN
(not that the pace hasn't always been fast and furious -- believe
you me, it IS). The next edition of the SportPlane Resource Guide
is underway, Real-Time News delivery programs and products are
ready for deployment NOW, news syndication programs are already
done and ready for distribution, and the world-renowned daily
aviation news coverage you depend on has already
shown promised increases in both quality as well as quantity
(nope... despite what your mamma told you, you CAN'T get too much
of a good thing!).
What this all means is that it's time to take our marketing
goals as seriously as we took our editorial. And that means that
someone has to take on the job of guiding and managing the
marketing and promotional growth of ANN. We're looking for a
Marketing Manager... an aggressive, ethical, honest, well-spoken,
smart, web-savvy, marketing and promotions oriented person who can
help ANN introduce a whole new generation of aviation businesses
as our partners in growing the Aviation World's Daily
News Service, as well as to brainstorm and manage a number of
promotional and industry programs that are under way, or will be,
shortly. This is going to be a busy job. It's going to require
excellent sales skills, solid marketing smarts, a solid work ethic,
a keen insight into the aviation world, a great imagination and a
TRUE communicator... someone who also GETS just how important ANN
is becoming to the aviation world, and can be counted on to help us
grow our services and abilities so that we can do EVEN MORE than we
do already. But most of all, we need a TEAM player... ANN has never
been about one person... it's been about an amazing team of people
with great goals and (truly) amazing skills doing extraordinary
things for the aviation world. If you think you have what it takes,
get in touch with us...
Please send your resume, an intro letter, and contact
information to ANN right away... as this position is ready and
waiting for the right person, right now.
And that's all you have to do! We'll be in touch!