New Staff
Dear Gary: I have been a reader of your mag after spending years with Home Theater and A/V Interiors magazines—neither of which can come close to the knowledge and in-depth content that your staff provides to us readers. The purpose for this letter is that I have noticed that I haven't seen anything from Perry Sun. It is like a child who is used to a teacher and then another one replaces him. Now I really don’t know about Jeffrey Kern, but he seems to have stepped up and beyond the expectations that I have had for the sound quality reviewer. And also what ever happened to Bill Hunt and Richard Hardesty? Will us loyal readers ever see a subwoofers buyers guide II with more DVDs that make your system go boom? As always, you and your staff go beyond what we expect, and you will always keep us as loyal readers.
Kamiel I. Randolph
Editor-In-Chief Gary Reber Comments:
Thank you for the praises for writing our staff. They all deserve it! Perry Sun, who served as Managing Editor for a few years has left the magazine to work for an electronics manufacturer, Extron. We will miss him. Jeffery Kern has taken over much of Perry’s work load. I am very proud of his ability to learn quickly and his competency. You’ll read a lot from Jeff in future issues. Richard Hardesty left years ago. He was an extremely knowledgeable reviewer and one day I plan on publishing a second, updated edition of the Subwoofer Special Edition. Bill Hunt, who has contributed in past years, is the founder of the Web site www.thedigitalbits.com. Associate Editor Jeffrey Kern Comments: Kamiel, thank you very much for your kind words. I’m glad that you have enjoyed my writing thus far, and I hope to educate and entertain you—as well as every other reader of Widescreen Review—for quite some time. So, you were wondering about me now, were you? Well, it would seem this would be the proper time to let you, and our readers, know a little bit about myself and how I basically came to the position of Associate Editor at Widescreen Review. I, like many others in this business who write about home theatre, started out as an enthusiast. I'm still an enthusiast at heart, but now I get the opportunity to talk about the consumer electronics industry, home theatre, and DVD to the masses through my position at Widescreen Review. As an enthusiast, my love for all things home theatre started way “back in the day” of LaserDisc. My first exposure to a home theatre came at one of those Parade Of Homes® events (you know, the new home show with all the gorgeous-looking, very expensive custom homes on display) in Denver, Colorado in 1992. Since that fateful first encounter with a top-of-the-line surround sound loudspeaker system, Runco widescreen front projection display, and a dedicated space to watch movies at home...I was hooked. Over the years, as many serious enthusiasts do, I tried to absorb as much about home theatre as I could. In the mid- to late-1990s, my enthusiasm for this “hobby” turned to a more professional one, and I started to make the transition into the business side of home theatre as a freelance writer. Then, in September 2000, I quit my “day job” and decided to write full-time. For a while it was difficult finding an outlet for what I wanted to write about as the writing positions I wanted in the business were already taken. Then, at the start of 2002, I was hired on by a now-defunct Web site called www.audiovideoforum.com (not to be confused with www.avsforum.com). I was the main DVD reviewer for the site with the task of reviewing both the video and audio portions of DVDs; writing a synopsis of the story for my reviews; as well as writing the introductions and conclusions to wrap everything up—I did it all. I also continued to attend industry events like the VSDA and CES conventions, as well as writing about what I learned at these functions. I did that for almost two years, constantly building my writing portfolio with completed reviews and event coverage. I knew that eventually by placing my work out for the public to see, I’d increase my chances of one day writing for a respected publication along the lines of Widescreen Review. By 2003, I wanted more. I wanted to take my efforts and abilities to a larger audience. I aggressively networked myself at industry events and conventions, continued to absorb all I could on the business, subscribed to as many home theatre industry publications as I could, and finally I ended up on the 2003 Home Theatre Cruise™. It was on this cruise, my wife’s and my first, that everything finally came together for me professionally. Not only was I able to attend almost all the onboard seminars (yes, I slept-in one morning), but the networking opportunities that the cruise presented me gave me a golden opportunity to meet the people that meant something in the home theatre industry...the industry I really wanted to be a part of. This is where I met Gary and the Widescreen Review staff. About a month after the cruise, through my connections I made from the Home Theatre Cruise, I was told to give Gary a call because he was looking for someone to fill the position being vacated by Perry Sun. I made the call, had some excellent conversations with Gary about Widescreen Review—and the rest, as they say, “is history.” So, Kamiel, there you have it. It’s my goal to continue to present you and all our readers with a magazine you can enjoy, and one that I am extremely proud of working for every day.
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