ALL ABOUT AMPA

- Editorial Insight from Canadian Geographic Editor Feb 2 & 3

- Get Your Grammar On with Frances Peck Feb 14 & 15

- Achievement Awards Nominations Due Jan 31

EVENTS

- Understanding Alberta's Unique Marketplace (MRIA Event) Feb 7 & 9

- Social Media for Writers (Writing Works Course) Feb 11

- Building Great B2B (Magazines Canada Webinar) Feb 29

AWARDS/CALLS FOR SUBMISSIONS

- Kenneth R. Wilson Awards for Business Press Feb 3

ALBERTA MAGAZINES BLOG

- DesignThinkers Inspires UPPERCASE Publisher Dec 22

- New Design for Alberta Venture Magazine Jan 10

- Calling All Hosers! Avenue Edmonton's SCTV Petition Jan 18

- The Latest AMPA Gossip: Water-Cooler Update Jan 23

JOBS

- Sales & Circulation / Traffic Coordinator, St. Joseph Media Feb 3

- Account Executive, Venture Publishing

ALL ABOUT AMPA

Feature news, events and updates from the

Editorial Insight from Canadian Geographic Editor

AMPA presents Crafting the Perfect Pitch (webinar) and Feature Writing: An Editor’s Perspective (seminars) with the managing editor of Canadian Geographic, Dan Rubinstein:

Crafting the Perfect Pitch

Tips and strategies on how to sell stories to magazines, from an editor at a national magazine who still freelances from time to time — and now knows what mistakes he made over the years.

February 2, 10:00-11:00am, online

Register online for Editorial Insight events

Feature Writing: An Editor’s Perspective

Crash course in how to craft compelling long-form stories from a veteran editor who knows what it’s like on the other side of the desk (i.e., freelancing) and believes that the only way to make great magazines is to work closely with writers to produce engaging and inventive stories.

Calgary
February 2, 1:30-3:00pm, Memorial Park Library

Edmonton
February 3, 9:30-11:00am, Stanley Milner Library (6 flr, Rm 7)

Register online for Editorial Insight events

Get Your Grammar On with Frances Peck

AMPA, in partnership with the EAC—Prairie Provinces Branch, presents Grammar Boot Camp (webinar) and Sentences with Style (seminars) with renowned editor, author and speaker Frances Peck:

Grammar Boot Camp

Runs through the top five grammar and punctuation errors in Canadian publications, teaching you to spot the gaffes and banish them from your publications.

February 14, 10:00-11:00am, online

Register online for Get Your Grammar On events

Sentences with Style

We all know rearranging a sentence can make it sharper and stronger. Here’s a chance to brush up on that skill. Dust off the most intriguing old-school syntax techniques and explore how they can punch up your copy.

Calgary
February 14, 1:30-3:00pm, Memorial Park Library

Edmonton
February 15, 9:30-11:00am, Stanley Milner Library (6 flr, Rm 7)

Register online for Get Your Grammar On events

Achievement Awards: Nominations Due January 31!

Recognize individuals and publications that have contributed significantly to Alberta's magazine publishing industry! Nominations them for an Alberta Magazine Achievement Awards.

Nominees must be current residents of Alberta and do not have to be AMPA members.

There are four Achievement Awards categories for individuals/magazines:

• Achievement in Publishing
• Editor of the Year
• Volunteer of the Year
• Best New Magazine

** Please note that we cannot accept any awards materials sent via email; nominations must be submitted through the online entry form.

Deadline for nominations is NOON, January 31, 2012 (no extensions).

Questions should be directed to Rebecca Lesser.

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EVENTS

Understanding Alberta's Unique Marketplace: MRIA Event  February 7 & 9, Edmonton & Calgary  

Equip yourself with insights and the latest information to maximize your hiring, marketing, research, and business plans with the MRIA's February luncheon event featuring Kristen Cumming. 

You will learn:

• New profile of Alberta and the people who live here
• The unique characteristics of each of the major cities and towns in Alberta.
• How the demographics in Alberta will have an influence on everything from employment, access to and availability of services, education and communication.

This luncheon will be of interest to marketers, researchers, communicators, and human resource professionals who are developing strategies and communications in targeting Alberta's diverse population.

Edmonton

February 7, 11:15 - 1:45, Hotel MacDonald    

Registration deadline: Thursday, February 2, 2012.  

Questions? Please call Sandra Johnston 780.637.2878.

Calgary:

February 9, 11:15 - 1:45, Palliser Hotel (Marquee Room)
Registration deadline: Monday, February 6, 2012 

Questions? Please call Tracy Thompson 403.229.3500

MRIA members: $50** / Non members: $60/ Students: $25

REGISTER TODAY via the MRIA Portal.

**The discounted rate has been extended to AMPA Members! Enter the code ALBAMPA

Click here for more information on this event.

Social Media for Writers: Writing Works Course      
February 11, Edmonton

You are a writer. Your ideas can hardly be encapsulated in 140 characters, your message is far deeper than a status update, and the connections you make have nothing to do with LinkedIn. Everyone says you should be using social media, but why? And how?

This course will explore how other writers use social media and how you can, too. It will look at how social media allows you to connect with your audience and spread your work to new audiences. And it will give you some management techniques to ensure you don’t waste your valuable writing time.

WRIT 0253-OP01, Instructor: Karen Unland

Time: 9:30 am – 4:30 pm

Cost: $154, noncredit

Contact: 780.497.5000 to register.

Building Great B2B Events: Magazines Canada Webinar

February 29, online, 2:00 p.m. EST

Join the team from Halifax's Progress Media Group as they share their insights for creating must-attend B2B events.

Their Face to Face conference attracts more than 100 entrepreneurs and business leaders annually. Their other events include the Best Places to Work Awards Luncheon, the TOP 101 Companies Networking Tour, and the Fastest Growing Companies Awards & Roundtable--all events that draw the region's business leaders, support and highlight key magazine editorial, and foster stronger ties between the Progress team and their business audiences.

Find out how they make it all come together in this one-hour Magazines Canada webinar. 

Magazines Canada Members $25

Non-Members $35.

Register online.   

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AWARDS

Kenneth R. Wilson Awards for Business Press
Deadline for entries: February 3, 2012

The Kenneth R. Wilson (KRW) Awards, co-produced by the Canadian Business Press and Magazines Canada, is searching for Canada’s best in business press from the year 2011. Submissions will be accepted in 22 categories for Gold and Silver Awards, to be presented at the 58th annual KRW Awards on June 7, 2012 at the Carlu in Toronto.

The KRW Awards program is open to all specialized business-to-business media written and produced in Canada in either English and/or French, regardless of association membership. All written categories are now open to both print and digital submissions. Please see the Guidelines for more information on eligibility, as there are several changes this year.

The deadline for all submissions is February 3, 2012. Submit by January 27 at 5pm for the early bird discount. Membership in a business-press association is not required for entry.

To submit your entries, click here.

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ALBERTA MAGAZINES BLOG

Some of the recent industry news, events, profiles and insight that we regularly delve into on the Alberta Magazines blog:

DesignThinkers Inspires UPPERCASE Publisher

(posted December 22, by Janine Vangool)

Having heard great reviews of DesignThinkers conference over the years, I finally got to experience it firsthand this year thanks to a bursary from AMPA. With an eclectic variety of speakers, presenters were from a graphic design background...

New Design for Alberta Venture Magazine
(posted January 10, by Colleen Seto)
When I got my first issue of Alberta Venture (AV) for the New Year, I noticed right away that there was a completely different look and feel to the magazine. Not only has the masthead changed, no longer giving Alberta and Venture equal weight, the cover paper stock is also slicker and glossier...

Calling all Hosers! Avenue Edmonton's SCTV Petition

(posted January 18, by Shauna MacDonald)

Coo roo coo coo coo coo coo coooo! Calling all hosers!  Do you remember SCTV (originally "Second City TV")?  Did you know that at one time it was filmed in Edmonton? Edmonton’s Avenue magazine is doing its part to ensure that the pop culture significance of SCTV is not forgotten...

The Latest AMPA Gossip: Water-Cooler Update
(posted January 23, by Colleen Seto)

The cold-snap may be behind us, but there's no denying that it's still winter out there. So why not warm up with a cuppa joe and catch up on the latest chatter in the Alberta magazine world?

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JOBS

Sales & Circulation/Traffic Coordinator, St. Joseph Media   

Deadline to apply: February 3, 2012

The Sales & Circulation/Traffic Coordinator will coordinate distribution/circulation of all printed materials produced by St. Joseph Media (Calgary) as directed by the publisher. The candidate will coordinate entry of all sales contracts into billing system and local sales reporting system while working closely with sales, accounting, and the publisher...

Read the full job posting online.

Account Executive, Venture Publishing

The primary responsibility is to build relationships and serve the needs of advertising clients for both Alberta Venture and Alberta Oil. Venture is a fast-paced magazine publishing company offering challenging work, competitive compensation and a great work environment...

Read the full job posting online.

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