Today we’d like to introduce you to Casey Dean.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Casey. So, let’s start at the beginning, and we can move on from there.
After a year, as a photojournalist in Idaho, my wife and I moved to San Diego for her residency program. I struggled to find a full-time photography job in town, so I finally took a Production Manager position at San Diego Community Newspaper Group—which ended up being a great career move. As a small company, they taught me all the ends and outs of the publishing world.
We produced up to 200 pages a week with only a skeleton crew! Learning to be efficient and precise was mandatory. I oversaw three weekly newspapers, one monthly paper, and a few quarterly magazines which included San Diego Pets Magazine. The pets publication was struggling financially, so the publisher decided to end circulation after five years of publishing.
It was always my favorite project to work on, so without any thought, I asked if it would be possible to purchase the magazine myself. When the answer was “yes,” I realized that I was really jumping in without looking, but it was a chance of a lifetime, so I jumped.
Within two weeks, I had purchased the title, advertising contracts and started the process of opening my own s-corp (I didn’t even know what an s-corp was at the time). I had started my new career as a publisher by the end of that month.
From 2011—2014, I published 33 monthly issues. Working from a home office, I hired freelance writers, made sales calls, hand-delivered hundreds of magazine around San Diego — all while making a million friends along the way. San Diego really is the best place to own a pet in the world, I love our community.
My least favorite aspect of the magazine was selling ad space, it was not easy going, and I had a habit of giving away space to help out small businesses (not a great business model) I actually confessed during a sales call at San Diego Humane Society, that it was not my favorite thing to sell ads, and that I would love to convert the magazine into a non-profit so that I could focus on the pet-community, and not making a profit.
To my great shock, the reply was, “how would you like to come work with us?”
Fast forward a year, I accepted an offer to sell San Diego Pets Magazine to San Diego Humane Society. I closed my shop and took a full-time position as Managing Editor of the new version of the pets magazine.
This spring will be five years at the humane society already. I have never regretted letting go of the ownership, and could not be happier at SDHS. The culture here has really helped me to grow professionally, utilize my special skills, and oh yeah, there are puppies and kittens all the time! Best job ever. The magazine benefited greatly too. Now being mail delivered to the humane society constituents and poly-wrapped with San Diego Magazine four times a year.
Due to our partnership with local favorite, San Diego Magazine, the quality of each issue is wonderful and the content is top-shelve.
The result is a true dream job for me, and a fantastic community resource for the town I call home.
Has it been a smooth road?
Moving to San Diego without a job was terrifying. Just covering rent was a challenge and my wife was still in school, so I had to get started quickly before we burned thru our savings.
On top of that, I was frustrated at the time from having to leave my “dream job” to move. I had just made full-time at basically the exact job I was training for in college and to add to my dilemma, just a few days before our move, the photo editor position became available… agggg…. moving was difficult.
Graphic design and production were not my first choice. So taking the production manager job was a risk. I did not really know what it would be like at the time.
I am very grateful for that chance now. I learned many skills needed to start and run my own business there. That business experience is what prepared me for my current position. The best job, one that I truly couldn’t even dream of.
Did I mention the puppies and kittens?
So, as you know, we’re impressed with San Diego Pets Magazine – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
San Diego Pets Magazine’s unique “super-group partnership” with San Diego Magazine and San Diego Humane Society combines a magical publishing-team with our communities most knowledgeable leaders for pet wellness. My favorite part is that each issue inspires compassion.
Contact Info:
- Address: 5500 Gaines Street, San Diego, CA 92109
- Website: www.
sandiegopetsmagazine.com - Phone: 619-299-7012, ext. 2353
- Email: casey@
sandiegopetsmagazine.com - Facebook: https://www.
facebook.com/SanDiegoPets - Twitter: https://twitter.com/
SanDiegoPets - Other: https://www.sdhumane.
org/
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