I’d like to take a moment and depart from the lighting-related discussion this column normally takes and share some news with you about an important editorial milestone for all of us here at architectural lighting.
On March 27, I attended the 2015 Jesse H. Neal Awards ceremony in New York City where al was up for two awards—Best Newsletter and Best Media Brand—and I am delighted to report that we won for Best Media Brand. The Neal Awards, produced by American Business Media, are business journalism’s most prestigious editorial honors. In a statement, the awards jury said, “architectural lighting offers consistent quality of content and presentation across every platform, creating a brand presence and image of superiority, taste, and intellect.” Having al be recognized for our efforts across print, digital, and social media is a tremendous honor and a significant accomplishment. It is particularly rewarding to be recognized for the quality and range of our content.
Not unlike the lighting industry, the media world is undergoing a paradigm shift from analog to digital. The change brings a number of challenges, yet at the same time it’s extremely exciting to envision new ways to prepare and deliver content to our audience. The possibilities seem endless, as we move beyond the standard print delivery and incorporate new platforms such as video and online interactives into our editorial portfolio.
We take the creation of content at al very seriously. The editorial process is highly involved, and the design process encompasses the creative and the technical much in the same way a building or a luminaire is designed and built. The majority of our articles are developed months in advance to permit time for conducting interviews, writing, editing, fact-checking, gathering images, and creating online elements for the publication’s website, archlighting.com. In fact the “design” of an article is probably more involved than it’s ever been, as we map out print and online versions from the outset and coordinate what items are needed to maximize each platform’s unique attributes.
al’s content also stems in part from the relationships we’ve formed with design firms and manufacturers. I am grateful for the time you make for al when we reach out with inquiries and requests for interviews.
I have the great privilege of being the public face of this brand, but there is a very talented team of individuals who work with me and who support me in my endeavors. I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge the members of our editorial, art, and video teams: Jen Aranyi, Alice Ashe, Hallie Busta, Alexander Cortez, Ned Cramer, Lauren Honesty, Sara Johnson, Wanda Lau, Deane Madsen, Caroline Massie, Greig O’Brien, Robb Ogle, Cyprien Roy, Kaitlyn Rossi, Jessica Rubenstein, and many others. I also want to thank the core group of freelance writers that al works with on a regular basis, including Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson, Bill Millard, Aaron Seward, and Gideon Fink Shapiro.
For the past 29 years, al has played a unique role in the lighting community—as the profession’s independent voice, at the leading edge of the lighting conversation. From print to digital to social media, al engages with a worldwide audience working in lighting design and shaping the built environment to deliver the latest information about industry issues and trends, notable projects, and new products and technologies.
We care deeply and passionately about the subject of lighting and about bringing our audience sophisticated, thought-provoking, insightful, and accurate information. We know you have choices when it comes to what you spend your time reading. I believe that your time with al is time well-spent. The Neal Award is validation of our work and a sign of our commitment to you, the lighting community.
Elizabeth Donoff
Editor-in-Chief
edonoff@hanleywood.com
