Three years ago, I sat down in Julius Meinl with some friends and tossed around the idea of starting our own website, a place where we could write what we wanted to write, where we could talk about sports, movies, games, drinks…the skies were the limit.
Now, as we draw closer to the third anniversary of the Recorder and with a stable of 15 writers, over 400 posts, and multiple new features coming soon, we felt it was time for an upgrade.
If you’ve stopped by lately, I’m sure you’ve noticed the updated subject headings. We want all readers who visit the Addison Recorder to be able to find what they’re looking for. Before, it was a hodgepodge of articles blended together. We’ve organized everything in the hopes of allowing you, dear readers, to navigate through your interests as quickly as possible.
We’ve also got our first season of The Addison Recorded dropping this month – Meryl and Gina will be hosting a podcast discussing the premiere season of the new Netflix original series, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. We’re all quite excited for it – we hope you’re excited as well!
Sometime in May, we’re hoping to host an event in one of our local Chicago neighborhoods. This won’t be a fundraiser (what would we do with money, anyways?). Rather, it’ll be a chance to get to know the people behind the Recorder – and to enjoy an evening out in the greatest city in the country.
In addition, we’ve revamped our mission statement. When we first founded this, we were filled with whimsy and wide-ranging opinions – we also had no clue of what we were doing. Now, we’ve evolved and have a little better conception of what we’re trying to accomplish with the Recorder.
As Editor-in-Chief, I want this site to be a haven for writers – a place where writers can get their pieces out to an audience that is interested in what they have to say and wants to read their work. We want to serve as a place where you can come to learn about new cultural trends, where you can gain added insight on the latest cultural hot-topic, or where you can look back fondly on some relic of pop nostalgia.
Is the Recorder finished? No. We’re still evolving, still growing, and there’s still work to do. My long term goal is to provide a place for writers to get paid for their labor – but we’re a ways off from that lofty ambition. In the meantime, we intend to do our best to promote conversation about popular culture.
Here’s hoping you’ll join in!
Travis J. Cook
Travis J. Cook is the Editor-in-Chief and one of the original founders of the Addison Recorder. He writes about baseball, movies, and music, among other topics. He resides in a hole in the ground near Wrigley Field.
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