History
We believe in the power of the arts to bring people together. From our first issue, published in May 2005, we have featured the work of a local artist on every cover. In April 2006 we held the first Second Saturday art show in Natomas, featuring the work of all 12 of our past year's cover artists. Our Cover Artists' Show has become an annual event. Our gift to the community is our annual summer concert in Natomas Oaks Park. Thousands of people have come together over the years for these events.
We mail N magazine free every month to more than 25,000 homes and businesses in Natomas, and have a growing list of subscribers outside Natomas who want to keep track of what's going on here.
Even to us, all this seems like a lot for five people to do. But then, Natomas is a high energy place to be!
Marni Leger
Karen Wilson
founders of N magazine
A Little History
When we started planning N magazine in 2004, we knew a lot about Natomas, and not much at all about how to put out a magazine. But we knew Natomas was growing faster than the official projections said it would, to more than 70,000 people today, on the way to 125,000 at buildout. We had more than 18 years between us of reviewing development plans as board members of the Natomas Community Association. And the more of our new neighbors we met, the more convinced we were that they needed and wanted to know more about the community plan guiding the explosive growth going on around them. They also wanted a sense of community, and a way to plug in. We wanted N magazine to help build the fabric of that new community.
We talked to the people most active in the community about our idea to feature what's going right in Natomas, and where there are challenges, offer ways to get involved and make things better. We got advice from Judy Tretheway, who with her husband, now Councilmember Ray Tretheway, built a Natomas community newspaper and ran it successfully for more than 20 years. "Grow organically," she said, which should surprise no one who knows the Tretheways. What she meant was, start small and grow when you can afford it. We talked to bankers, who told us what they tell every small start-up business: we'll loan you your own money, but not ours. We took our business plan to SCORE, the Small Business Administration's advice service for small businesses, and met with two veterans of the publishing business. They told us we would go broke within six months, and that when that happened, we should quit right away. Then they talked a lot about why they loved the publishing business.
Walking out into the bright sunshine of that morning in 2004, we were all smiles. We weren't even in it yet, and we loved the publishing business. Clearly, you can tell a publisher when you meet one; you just can't tell her much.
How it works
Necessity has made us inventive. Most of our operation is virtual. We meet online more often than we do in person. We exchange files online, design and proof our magazine online and use Macintosh laptops and production computers with the latest publication software.
We are four people who are in our sixth year of working together to put out a magazine that shows off the positive stories of the people in this region. Our strengths, creativity and new technology allow our micro business to do much more with much less, It has helped our enterprise grow while maintaining a positive and human contact with our readers.
Dennis Spear, Publisher | Creative Consultant
Dennis Spear is a national and international award-winning design director and visual marketing director. During his years at KVIE TV, his visual communications and marketing skills helped to make it one of the ten most-watched public television stations in the United States. Dennis' micro-business, S Studio, focuses on the emerging world of HDTV, multimedia, digital broadcast design, digital print, interactivity and nonprofit marketing. He designed and produced animated opens for a range of clients including Bechtel Engineering, the Field Museum in Chicago, and the Federal Reserve Board. Dennis continues to offer his expertise to good causes in Natomas, and was head of the Public Curriculum Committee for Natomas High School when it was being built. For his efforts in education, he received the Outstanding Community Advocates award.
Marni Leger, Publisher Emeritus | Sales
Marni chose to plant her roots in Natomas 18 years ago. A Minnesota native, her first career was as a registered nurse with emergency room duties. A yen to see the world took her to TWA as an International Service Manager/Flight Attendant. She acquired language skills at schools in Florence, Madrid, Paris and Prien, Germany. She has a law degree from the University of New York at Albany, and practiced law in Sacramento. A dedicated volunteer, she is a board member of the Natomas Chamber of Commerce and Natomas Community Foundation. She was the founder and volunteer coordinator of the Natomas Rose Garden, an all-volunteer community garden. She dedicates her work there to her mother, who loved roses. For fun, she dances Argentine tango, plays soccer, kayaks, skis, bicycles, and spends as much time as she can with her two daughters and five grandchildren, who live in Natomas.
Karen Wilson, Consulting Editor
Karen brings more than 25 years experience as a communications professional to N magazine. Her 17-year career with the Sacramento County Environmental Management Department and the Air Quality Management District included 10 years as a division manager. Her duties included community education, strategic planning, and intergovernmental affairs. Her experience also includes consulting work for Valley Vision, SMUD, and the California Dental Association. At KVIE, she produced the "Arts Alive" show for four years, and won an Emmy award for a documentary on child safety. She was a reporter for KOVR TV, and at KSAT TV in her hometown of San Antonio, TX. She has two daughters, was a Girl Scout troop leader for seven years, and still treasures her dunk bag and sit-upon.
Patte Cardosa, Senior Sales Consultant
Patte is a Natomas resident who believed so strongly in N magazine, she became our sales associate within our first six months of publication. She has been a human resources analyst and benefits coordinator for the Sacramento Suburban Water District, and has had a career in administration and accounting in the private sector in San Francisco and St. Louis. More than 80-percent of Patte's N magazine clients renew their advertising.
Heinz Ludke, Sales Consultant
Heinz Ludke has joined N magazine's advertising sales team. Ludke brings more than 30 years' sales and marketing experience in the communications industry, and is a past Executive Director of the Natomas Chamber of Commerce. An active community volunteer for more than 20 years, Ludke recently served as a core volunteer on the Celebrate Natomas Festival Committee and the rebuilding of the Fort Natomas playground.
Carl Schultz, Sales Consultant