Editor Profile: Patrick Walsh

There are many things that make magazines an amazing industry, but it's the people who make it a community I am proud to belong to. In celebration of the hardworking editors who put together the pages of our favourite publications, I am launching this Editor Profile series. Every other Thursday on Dream Job TK, a top editor will share a little bit about him/herself along with a few thoughts on editing. It is my hope that this series helps us all get to know each other a little better, and perhaps even present new editors with a few role models. I hope you enjoy it, and please let me know what you think and if there's an editor whom you would like to see featured.

PS – A special thank you to my first subject, Patrick Walsh, who has provided me with a fabulous kick-off to the series.

THE BIO
WHO: Patrick Walsh, editor-in-chief and brand manager, Outdoor Canada

WENT TO SCHOOL FOR: Print Journalism, Centennial College

FIRST MAGAZINE JOB: Assistant Editor, Muskoka Life magazine, in his hometown of Bracebridge, Ont. "It was 1983, and it was a paying job for my final term work placement."

SUBSCRIBES TO: Esquire, Field & Stream, Ontario Out of Doors, Outdoor Life. "I wish I had time for more. I'm now resigned to picking up the odd copy of other titles at the newsstand."

WHAT ELSE SHOULD WE KNOW ABOUT YOU, PATRICK?
I'm married to another magazine editor, Jackie Kovacs, who is deputy editor of Today's Parent. Our three children (ages 9, 13 and 15) accordingly share our penchant for editing poor grammar and punctuation in roadside signs.

What Wired.com's Evan Hansen Looks for in a Web Editor

"On the web, you want people who are very flexible, who can wear a lot of hats. It's a very flat organization (at least ours is). Everybody does everything. So you don't want to have prima donnas who won't put a photo into a blog post because it's 'not their job.' You have to have people who are good at moving quickly, who can get the copy out."

– Evan Hansen, Editor-in-Chief, Wired.com, on what qualities he looks for in a web editor, responding to a question from the audience at MagNet 2011's marquee session, "Welcome to the (Digital) Jungle"