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July 11, 2006

For the last several months, we've been marking the days on the calendar that commemorate the starting date of each of the members of the Hammock Publishing crew. Today, we caught Patrick Ragsdale at the single-serving coffee maker, again, and asked him about his first year with Hammock. We wish him many more...

1. July 11 is Hammock Day for you. How long have you been with Hammock Publishing? 1 short year.

2. What do you remember most about your first day at Hammock? The single-serving coffee machine. We've spent many minutes together since that first day.

3. If you didn't work at Hammock Publishing, what do you think you would be doing? I would probably be working at a large company like Dell and traveling a lot for their sales department. I had great interviews with both Dell and Hammock. Choosing Hammock was pretty much a no-brainer.

4. What is your favorite movie of all time? That would be toss up between the narrated version of Blade Runner and Zentropa. The directors cut of Blade Runner removed Harrison Ford's narration, which was a mistake. Zentropa was the first Lars von Trier film that I saw. It's a very cool film. Multiple languages and interesting exchanges between cinematography and graphic arts.

5. If you could own a sports team, which one would it be? I'd like to own the Nashville Predators but still have plenty of money to spare. That way I could subsidize the high cost of tickets for the fans.

6. What was your most memorable day at Hammock? Out of all the great days I've had at Hammock, the one that stands out as the most memorable here would be the day you all held that baby shower for Lorraine and me. We hadn't been in town very long and you all were so thoughtful with your gifts. We really felt welcomed and overwhelmed. I can't imagine having a more memorable day at any job I've had!

7. What is the last musical act/group you saw live? This is pathetic. I can't remember the band's name since they were mediocre, but I enjoyed the last venue I was at. It was The Middle East Restaurant and Night Club in Cambridge, Mass., on Mass. Ave. Great place.

8. If you were to win the lottery this week, what is the first purchase you would make? I'd probably buy a bottle of wine on the way home. There's this $25 bottle of Ravenswood Merlot that I think is great.

9. What is your favorite summertime vacation destination? Holden's Beach, N.C. Lorraine and I have been going there since childhood.

10. If you could switch places with any other Hammock employee for one day, who would it be and why? I enjoy what I do so much that the thought never occurred to me before.

15-minute pause.

I think it would be nice to have the ability to do Natalie's work since she knows so much about contracts and business law. So, if I were to switch places with someone, would that mean that I gained their knowledge permanently or just for that one day?

Posted by Summer Huggins on July 11, 2006 1:07 PM | | Comments (2)

July 5, 2006

LauraC.jpgHappy Hammock Day, Laura! We'll be lighting up the extra fireworks today to celebrate your 12 years with Hammock.

1. July 5 is Hammock Day for you. How long have you been with Hammock Publishing? I started working at Hammock July 5, 1994. There is what I've taken to calling my dot-com sabbatical ﾐ from January 2000 to May of 2001, when several other Hammock employees and I created a separate company to build smallbusiness.com. But the whole time I've worked for Rex.

2. What do you remember most about your first day at Hammock? It was a long time ago, but I do remember that I was sunburned from canoeing on the Harpeth River on the Fourth of July, the day before I started.

3. What is your favorite movie of all time? I try to hide my sappy side, but here's where it comes out. Major. These three have to top the list:



  • Roman Holiday



  • The American President



  • You've Got Mail



I really can't count how many times I've seen those three films.

4. If you could own a sports team, which one would it be? Easy, the St. Louis Cardinals. Except, I think they're already doing a pretty bang-up job of running the team, so I don't want to mess with that. The Cardinals even financed construction of the new stadium themselves, instead of pushing that off on the public. Bless them.

5. What was your most memorable day at Hammock? This is the hardest question to answer. I have been here so long, and there are so many, but it's hard to say that any one stands out above the crowd. Can I say the best thing about working here instead? I love working with such smart coworkers and clients. I feel like I'm constantly challenged to do my best. Maybe I'm being sappy again (don't let that get around) but it keeps me happy.

6. What is the last musical act/group you saw live? You think I have a social life? What a nice compliment. However, one night last year, I went with a friend of mine to the Bluebird Cafe to see her friend Lari White in the round with Amy Grant, Ashley Cleveland and Leslie Satcher. And Vince Gill sat in.

7. If you were to win the lottery this week, what is the first purchase you would make? I keep promising myself that it would be a big donation to my church. Of course, I also keep not entering the lottery.

8. If you didn't work at Hammock Publishing, what do you think you would be doing? It depends. Have I won the lottery yet? Yes: I would just be a full-time volunteer. No: I would own a little boutique. Come to think of it, that also might require lottery winnings for financing.

9. Knowing you love to cook, what would you consider your signature dish, your favorite to prepare? That's probably two different dishes. The thing I'm most known for is Cheese Krispies. These little cheese wafers of cheddar cheese, butter, flour, Rice Krispies. They are delicious. But I have made them so much that I could do it in my sleep, and although I don't dislike making them, I wouldn't say I love it.

I really enjoy making desserts. I like complex ones especially, lots of steps. I like making candy at Christmas. Peanut brittle is fun because it's so easy to get it wrong; I guess you'd say I love anything that's a challenge.

10. If you could switch places with any other Hammock employee for one day, who would it be and why? Well frankly I love my own job. And we all know I'd be particularly rotten at a couple of folks' ﾐ like Julia's. No one is ever going to let me near the books and we're all the better for it. So I'll say, Susie Garland, our creative director. She touches everything we do in some way, and she's fabulously creative in every way.

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Posted by Summer Huggins on July 5, 2006 11:07 AM |

July 1, 2006

semper fi coverWarning. What you're about to read is filled with pride. It is an unabashed and completely shameless exercise in self-promotional shout-outs. But forgive me: I am very proud of some folks at Hammock Publishing and, well, I've warned you.

There's a saying that if you want something done, give it to a busy person. When we recently got the opportunity to revamp and relaunch a magazine for a new client, The Marine Corps League (founded in 1923 and the only federally chartered Marine veterans organization), I "volunteered" several already busy people: an editorial team led by Bill Hudgins and creative director Susie Garland. Designer Kerri Davis (and the rest of the design squad: Lynne Boyer, Carrie Wakeford and Sandy Mueller Shelstad) charged into the project, as well. Also, intern Matt Kelley -- a recent Vanderbit graduate -- was drafted into service when we learned that he'd spent a year in Navy ROTC and has an encyclopedic knowledge of military history. (John Lavey and I we're cheerleaders from the peanut gallery.) The team produced the first issue of the magazine in just seven weeks, from creative presentation to rolling off the presses.

semper fi spreadI can't say enough about how extraordinarily helpful Mike Blum, the League's Executive Director, was. He repeatedly spent all the time with us we requested in helping us understand what the League is all about, and, more critical, to school us on the Marine Corps and Marines. Collaborating with Mike and sitting down with Marine Corps League members was critical to the process. Mike also challenged us with a healthy dose of skepticism -- a not unfamiliar skepticism we often greet with new clients. He didn't think a bunch of non-Marine publisher-types could ever "get it" enough to produce a magazine that would ring true with League members. Especially, this fast. I kept telling him that the key to producing a great magazine was for us to listen and absorb and listen more -- and then not only "get it," but, more importantly, to get out of the way of the conversation taking place among the only folks who matter: the members of the Marine Corps League.

mcl magazine cover

(Left: The "before" magazine.)

Within moments of our first meeting with officials at the League, we heard the expression we've heards hundreds of time since: "Once a Marine, Always a Marine." The more we listened and learned, the more we saw that the League and its programs embody that. Bill Hudgins and I mentioned the project and that motto to a number of veterans from services other than the Marines. Every one of them said something like, "You are a Marine for life. I wish we had something like that." After that initial meeting, the crucial question in our minds and in Mike's was how we could get out of the way of that message, one of pride and loyalty that knows no bounds.

Our mission had several objectives: Transition from the current publisher, increase frequency, revamp the editorial mix, redesign the publication. We also made a recommendation to do something rather radical: to rename the magazine Semper Fi, the Magazine of the Marine Corps League," after the Corpsﾕ motto, Semper Fidelis -- "always faithful." Mike, who uses the expression in all correspondence and to end each conversation, was supportive of the recommendation and helped us tweak the exact wording of the title. He also guided our incorporation of "Once a Marine, Always a Marine" into a theme expressed throughout the magazine.

semper fi spread 2A highlight of the process was Mike's approval of our attempts to "get it" in our meeting to present him our recommendations. After seeing our ideas, he declared: "Welcome aboard and OOORAH!" ﾑ- an exclamation not often given non-Marines. We were humbled. We were also highly ﾉ motivated. Our press date was only seven weeks away, and we had three other magazines and a host of newsletters moving through at the same time. It was truly all-hands on deck! The Hammock team burned a lot of midnight and weekend fluorescent during those seven weeks. Colleagues from other projects pitched in to help when they had spare time. Editors and writers roughed in some layouts to make it easier for the real designers to work with accurately trimmed copy. Our ace circulation and office management staff juggled multiple circulation and distribution challenges. The production team solved numerous printing and production issues, and pre-pressed the layouts into shipshape files that would require minimum if any tweaking at the printer.

Despite the pressure not only to meet deadlines but to refine designs on the fly and polish copy until it shone like a pair of boots at inspection (I apologize for the military metaphors). Despite the tension that always accompanies the launch of a magazine -- and despite the inevitable glitches and computer hiccups -- everyone worked in close harmony. Challenges arose and the team here met them head-on. They thought we were busy before, but they fit Semper Fi into our workflow brilliantly.

Mike Blum gave us another "Oorah!" when he saw his first copy, and as the issues arrive at members home, we're hearing from them, too. Mike spent a lot of time and effort alerting members to the change, and from the early feed-back, it is a welcome change. It makes us proud to now be a tiny part of the history of this storied fighting force and to be exploring its rich traditions and extraordinary camaraderie.

And it makes me proud to work with such a great group of folks.

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Posted on July 1, 2006 4:07 PM |

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