On August 1, 2022, I made a commitment to build and provide Walker County with the most modern and innovative news source to have ever been provided here.
That is why this feels like a betrayal, as if I am turning my back on all of you.
After being laid off by the Daily Mountain Eagle in March, I struggled to find my place. I interviewed with Starnes Publishing in Birmingham. I reached out to various contacts I’d made during my three years in media. I interviewed with WBRC Fox 6 for a part-time position. Alas, it seemed not to be.
In the back of my mind, I kept thinking – “If the digital marketplace is going to be all but abandoned, I know what I’m doing. I know I can do something special.”
I took a job at Jasper Lumber Company. Needless to say, I was miserable for that month of my life. Luckily, AT&T called me back and offered a lifeline in the form of a full time position as a retail sales consultant. It has been enjoyable, particularly the people I work with. But, I’m just not built for sales.
All the while, i kept going back to that thought about doing something special for Walker County and making a difference. Finally, I decided “If not now, when?”
I reached out to the one man I trusted to help make this work, someone whom I’ve grown to call my best friend, James Phillips.
Together we spent 2 months putting together The Community Journal. I envisioned a multimedia company that served the people of Walker County, sustained by ad revenue alone and offering readers an outlet to get their news for free. Nobody likes paywalls, right?
We’ve been rocking and rolling since we launched. Sure, a lot has gone wrong. We’ve missed a lot, but it’s only James and myself. This thing is only getting started. The vision is still very well alive.
I, however, will not be a part of that vision.
Last week I received an email from WBRC out of the blue to interview for the full-time position of digital content producer. On Thursday, I toured the studio, soaked it all in and listened to what everyone had to tell me.
For the past three days, I have mentally tortured myself over the prospect of abandoning, not just The Journal, not just James, but also the people of Walker County that have so strongly supported me over the years. I love this place.
I don’t have a college degree. I was never formally trained in anything I do. This website you’re reading this on, I taught myself how to build it. I taught myself how to write, take photos, shoot video and edit. With that said, how many times in my life am I going to be offered a position by the largest television station in the state?
It is an opportunity that I can not pass up.
The Community Journal is not going anywhere. James will continue to push this beast forward. My wife, Margaret, will continue to help do so. There is a team being put together that will carry The Journal well into the future and beyond.
Until my employment begins, I will work tirelessly to build the infrastructure to make sure this thing succeeds.
Walker County, I genuinely love you. From working on PrepZone and now Redzone, to covering Oakman and Parrish, from my very first story in 2012 covering Carbon Hill football to the SEC Championship in Atlanta, from producing Winds of Change, Left on Red and Walker Voices. I didn’t do it alone, but I helped revolutionize what news media in this county looked like.
Thank you for always believing in me even when I didn’t.
As I read this I found myself thinking of James in the here in now. With respect to you, I’m reminded of my own experiences in media–with a degree, yet long before Facebook and Twitter and the like. As I digest the gravity of your collective accomplishments (and the speed with which you were able to accomplish the establishment and publication of The Community Journal), I applaud you both. You, for your tenacity, and James for his commitment to the community and our home. I will say it here first, and again to James privately, but I want to see your project succeed. I would love to help