TORONTO, April 09, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lisa Whittington-Hill, Publisher of This Magazine, has been named Magazines Canada’s Volunteer of the Year for 2017, Magazines Canada announced today.
A generous and tireless volunteer, Lisa Whittington-Hill has for many years focused on supporting Canada’s small and independent magazines. She in fact began her career at This Magazine in 2001 as a volunteer, where she did everything from fact checking to circulation management. Lisa is a mentor to magazines across the country—in addition to consulting on circulation and marketing for small magazines, she is also a fundraising consultant for Magazines Canada's Travelling Consultants Program. She has served as a director on the Magazines Canada Board and chaired the association’s Consumer Marketing committee, and regularly lends her time and expertise to professional development like MagNet: Canada’s Magazine Conference. She currently serves on the boards of the National Magazine Awards and CWILA (Canadian Women in the Literary Arts).
"I can’t think of anyone more deserving of this recognition," said Matthew Holmes, CEO of Magazines Canada. "In addition to her day- (and night-) job at This Magazine, Lisa for years has contributed her time as an advisor and mentor to others. She does a lot of work behind the scenes to mobilize our community and respond to industry needs and challenges. She is a constant champion of our small-but-mighty Canadian magazines."
Lisa Whittington-Hill is the publisher of This Magazine, Canada’s leading progressive magazine of politics, arts and culture. Prior to becoming publisher in 2005, she was the small magazines project manager for Magazines Canada. Lisa works as a circulation and marketing consultant for small magazines, and teaches magazine marketing at Centennial College in the school's Book and Magazine Publishing program. Her writing about arts, pop culture, feminism and why we should all be nicer to Courtney Love has appeared in a variety of Canadian magazines. She is currently working on a book about the Canadian band Cub to be published by Invisible Publishing in October 2019.
The Magazines Canada Volunteer of the Year Award is awarded annually to an individual whose outstanding volunteer contributions have had a national impact on the Canadian magazine industry.
Four other volunteers are being recognized for their outstanding contributions and accomplishments by regional magazine associations: BC’s Joanne Rajotte, Alberta’s Allan Lacey, Ontario’s Craig Sweetman and Quebec’s Michel Nivischiuk.
MagsBC Volunteer of the Year: Joanne Rajotte
Joanne Rajotte is the Manager, Records Management and Privacy at Langara College. For three years, Joanne has trained other volunteers and practicum students in records management and sorted through files every few weeks, giving MagsBC hundreds of hours of her time. Joanne has guided the association in rationalizing and tracking its files, reports and archives from the last 20+ years. Joanne has also done most of the work in paring down records to only the most essential information and documentation the organization needs, and in recommending retention policies and disposal timelines for all files. “We have been very privileged to have her,” said Sylvia Skene, Executive Director of MagsBC.
Alberta Magazine Publishers Association Volunteer of the Year: Allan Lacey
A certified accountant with a CPA, CMA designation, Allan Lacey has managed finances in Calgary for 20 years and is currently the corporate controller for RHS Canada. It takes a financial expert to oversee AMPA’s annual audit each year, and an exceptional individual to stand up at the AGM and patiently explain the results of that audit to a room full of publishing professionals. Allan Lacey did that each year from 2005 to 2017, during his term as AMPA’s volunteer treasurer. AMPA treasurer is usually a two-year term position; Lacey held the spot for a dozen years, attending board meetings, signing cheques, overseeing annual budgets, reporting, auditing and business planning. He has been instrumental in AMPA’s evolution to its current financial stability. He is a tireless supporter of the periodical industry in Alberta (and almost certainly knows more about publishing than he ever expected to), and everyone who works in magazines is better off as a result.
Magazines Ontario Volunteer of the Year: Craig Sweetman
Craig Sweetman is the owner and founder of CRS Media Consulting. Craig has been a pivotal force in the recent foundation of the Industry Action Group, which advocates for a strong presence at and enjoyment of magazines at retail. As part of this work to find creative and positive solutions for growth in today’s newsstand industry, he was also a key advisor on a new national study of shoppers and retailers conducted by BrandSpark International for Magazines Canada that makes a compelling business case for magazines at retail. Craig has over 38 years of experience in retail circulation and consumer marketing. He was Eastern Canadian Manager for Conde Nast Publications for 15 years; in 2000 Craig took over the role of Retail Sales Manager – Canada, and then moved to Coast to Coast as Director of Canadian Agency Relations. Since starting his own consultancy he has launched Canadian Traveller, Inside Fitness Women & Specials, Ignition Magazine & Specials and also re-launched Outdoor Canada in a SIP-only format.
Magazines du Quebec Volunteer of the Year: Michel Nivischiuk
Michel Nivischiuk is the newsstand marketing and banner partnerships manager for TVA Publications. Involved in the world of Quebec magazines since 1992, Michel is at the heart of decisions about distribution and newsstand marketing at TVA Publications. He develops strategies and advises publishers and brand directors on how to win market share through premiums, promotions, charity participation, and more—everything planned to boost newsstand sales and give TVA Publications a place in the list of the best-selling magazines in Quebec. In 2015, he actively participated in the revival of the AQEM (Quebec Association of Magazine Publishers). A volunteer within the organization, he has served as vice-chair, secretariat and more recently, the administration of the vital area of membership and membership recruitment. His passion, marketing skills and deep knowledge of the industry make Michel a key player in the association. His contribution to the industry is recognized and respected by all in Quebec.
On behalf of Canadian magazines from across the country, Magazines Canada thanks these volunteers for their hard work and dedication to the industry in 2017.
Lisa Whittington-Hill and the four regional volunteers will receive their awards at the Magazines Canada reception, sponsored by Inovva, on Wednesday, April 25, 2018 at MagNet: Canada’s Magazine Conference at the Courtyard Toronto Downtown at 475 Yonge St. in Toronto.
About Magazines Canada
Magazines Canada is the national trade association representing Canadian-owned, Canadian-content consumer, cultural, specialty, professional and business media magazines. French and English member titles offer a wide range of topics including business, professional, news, politics, sports, arts and culture, leisure, lifestyle, women and youth, made available on multiple platforms. The association focuses on government affairs, services to the advertising trade, circulation marketing and the development of career skills for and the recognition of excellence among the people who work in Canada's magazine media. Visit magazinescanada.ca.