Tell me about your business or specialty.
I am the editor of Rural Intelligence, a digital “lifestyle” magazine that covers the Berkshires in Massachusetts, Columbia and Dutchess counties in New York, and Northwest Connecticut. We update our content weekly and issue two newsletters a week. Last June we produced our first print magazine, a summer issue that covered the latest and greatest things happening in our region. We will be producing another one this June.
Rural Intelligence was created in 2008 by two ex-New York Times and New York Magazine journalists, Dan Shaw and Marilyn Bethany, and was acquired by Chronogram Media Inc. in 2018. Although I am supported by the team at Chronogram Media, there’s just me behind the curtain. I generate all the story ideas, assign a few of them to freelancers, edit everything, and write all the rest — features, the Rural We columns, the real estate section, events listings, and the newsletters. I also do all the pagination.
How'd you get to where you are now?
How did a nice Jewish girl from the Midwest end up in Pittsfield, Mass. editing and writing for a digital publication? A lot of moving around, for sure! I majored in journalism at the University of Minnesota and started my career as a fashion writer at Dayton’s, the former department store chain. But my dream was to move to New York City to be a writer, which I did after three years at Dayton’s. I had an image of myself with hat and gloves (never mind this was the 80s, gloves had been long gone), walking into Condé Nast with my portfolio in hand. I never got hired at Condé Nast, but I did end up as a freelance writer producing marketing materials and articles for a lot of magazines (most no longer exist). And I did do a lot of walking around with my portfolio.
From New York I moved to South Florida with my husband, who accepted a job in Boca Raton. I was fortunate to work at The Palm Beach Post as the senior writer in the marketing department for nearly 13 years. One of my daily responsibilities was to attend the editorial meetings and watch the editors make their front-page decisions every day. I’m quite sure being a fly on the wall of the news decision-making process has enabled me to make similar judgments as I edit Rural Intelligence. After 18 years I’d had enough of Florida and convinced my husband to move back north, and I couldn’t be happier. I met the founding editors of Rural Intelligence, worked with them as their admin person, and took over the editorship in 2014.
As any editor will attest, the most challenging part is coming up with story ideas that haven’t been done a million times. What makes Rural Intelligence stand out from other local or regional publications is both our content and tone. We strive to find places of interest for people to explore in our region — quirky, under-the-radar, or unexpected sites, shops, events that they wouldn’t hear about anywhere else. Our presentation, or tone of voice, is distinctive —sophisticated but warm, breezy and conversational. I like to say that it’s heart centered. Since we’re not a hard news publication, we write about what makes this region such a wonderful place to live. You’ll only find positivity in Rural Intelligence, and I think our readers appreciate that.
What surprises you in your work, now or in the past?
It’s been a fascinating ride watching and being part of the media as it transitioned from print to digital. I was lucky to experience the heyday of print newspapers and magazines, and it has broken my heart to see the dissolution of so many legacy newspapers. I could not have predicted that happening when I was a cub copywriter typing away on a big old manual typewriter. Personally, what surprises me about myself is my ability to connect with people I’m interviewing or taking pictures of people at an event I’m covering. As an introvert, I’ve had to stretch my skills and it has delighted me to find that I really enjoy the exchanges.
How has the Covid crisis affected your work or business? Any new ideas or approaches…or lessons learned?
The pandemic introduced two major changes in my work. First, what little freelance help I relied on was taken away due to budget, so I had to figure out how to put out the magazine completely on my own. Second, all the events we cover came to a screeching halt, and the challenge became searching for stories and for things people could do— as well as maintaining a positive outlook without ignoring the overwhelming angst before us. I learned to lean heavily on the public libraries and nonprofit organizations, who were (and still are) creating magnificent virtual programming. They allowed me to introduce our readers to fun things happening around the region that they could do from home.
What drives you crazy?
Technology, especially when it doesn’t work. Having to learn new applications frequently. Posting on social media. And, of course, endlessly scrolling all that social media for story ideas.
Who inspires you? (it can be anybody you know, or don't know)
The incredible people in our region who I profile in Rural Intelligence each week. I’ve met such fascinating people. Artists, writers, entrepreneurs…they’re all doing amazing things and I get inspired by their life stories and enthusiasm for their projects. Talking to people about their passions is invigorating for my own soul.
You're a trailblazer - what are some career highlights to date?
At The Palm Beach Post, I was the head writer for an extensive marketing campaign, “Ask a Local.” We featured readers who had inspiring stories to tell about how the newspaper impacted their lives. I interviewed every single one of them and integrated them into the campaign. Yes, the campaign won lots of advertising awards, but interacting with the readers and — especially — working with an immensely talented team at the paper made it a career highlight. More recently, it is putting out a new issue of Rural Intelligence every week, growing our audience and subscriber list, and running a semi-annual reader appeal campaign that raises thousands of dollars each time to keep Rural Intelligence publishing.
Words of wisdom or advice...final thoughts?
When an opportunity comes your way, say yes even if you’re not sure you can do it. You’ll figure it out. And be kind.
---------
Lisa Green has been editor of Rural Intelligence since 2014, which gives her the permission to call people in the Rural Intelligence region and say “tell me about your” [life, business, nonprofit organization and favorite brunch spot]. With a degree in journalism, she has hopscotched between the editorial and marketing industries her entire career. For nearly 13 years she worked at The Palm Beach Post, where she promoted the newspaper’s coverage of hanging chads, terrorists who lived a block away from her, anthrax at the nearby National Enquirer, and too many hurricanes. Prior to moving to Florida, she was a freelance writer in New York where she produced marketing materials and articles for magazines and newspaper such as ELLE, Savvy, YM, Butterick and The New York Times, She lives in the Berkshires with her husband, a professional clarinetist, and their dog, Kasha.
Lisa Green on LinkedIn
ruralintelligence.com
(published 2023)
