Editor’s Page: How About a Hand for the Crew!

A good lead singer will always make it a point to recognize their bandmates during the show. Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder goes all out. The praise he lavishes on former drummer Matt Cameron during shows borders on uncomfortably obsessive at times.

But this shout-out process isn’t reserved for arena rock acts. On a whim, my wife and I recently took the kids (eight and nine years old) to see a Taylor Swift tribute band. Apparently there are tons of Taylor Swift cover bands that cater to audiences who can’t afford/don’t want to pay Real Taylor’s ticket prices.

In between accepting bracelets from screaming children, the Taylor tribute we saw spent an inordinate amount of time praising Leo, the drummer. What is it about drummers? Does being in the back and pounding away on the skins require all the extra validation? Or, like the good employees mentioned in this issue’s cover story on page 14, are bands just extra-paranoid about losing their percussionists to a better gig? (Sidenote: Matt Cameron announced he’s leaving Pearl Jam during the production of this issue.)

But it’s what happens behind the scenes that often gets overlooked. That’s why I love when frontmen and frontwomen make it a point to highlight their road crews, the people who work tirelessly to produce the show and without whom the entire enterprise would crumble.

A trade magazine about outpatient surgery is a far cry from a rock tour (original or tribute), but the work required to keep a print and digital magazine going in today’s media landscape is an arduous task that requires so much more than the average reader realizes. To that end, let’s pretend there’s a jazzy little backbeat playing in the background while I tell you about the production staff of Outpatient Surgery Magazine, a media property that produces much, much more than a print magazine.

First up, there’s Director of Audience Development & Circulation Bob Paes, who, for all intents and purposes, became our de facto publisher after Bea Riemschneider Ebeling’s departure. Bob, a scheduling wizard and analytics savant, can tell you anything and everything about this audience. The way he breaks down data and segments the hardworking outpatient surgery leaders we reach or need to reach is a thing of beauty. Ask Bob how many 51-year-olds with “leadership titles” we reach in Ketchum, Idaho, during potato harvest season and he’s liable to say, “That’s an interesting question. How much time have you got?”

Then there’s Senior Production & Operations Specialist Lissa Reynolds, the epitome of a jack of all trades. Lissa does a little bit of everything, from managing the longstanding relationship with our printer to chasing down materials from advertisers to creating and designing marketing materials for our sales team and everything in between. She also produces our annual Big Book of Surgery entirely on her own.

Finally, there’s Manager of Audience Engagement & Digital Media David Comdico. This guy is a one-man web department, a project management guru, a master of hidden efficiencies and so much more. David is also the producer of our original podcast series (check out the latest episode on surgery for patients in recovery starring Kay Frances), and even occasionally serves as an on-site staff photographer for us. You’re going to see just how talented he is in an upcoming issue.

I can’t stress enough what a privilege it has been to work these exceptionally talented professionals. But like Fake Taylor said right before launching into “Shake It Off” — “We’re not done just yet.” OSM