cover story
Story by Susan O'Connor

Five years ago, community journalism in Jonesboro changed. An exciting new medium emerged and was immediately successful in providing residents with a reputable source for social, philanthropic and cultural news and events.

That source is Jonesboro Occasions, and its publisher, Audrey Watkins, is the person stewarding the company’s success locally in the day-to-day operations of the magazine.

“I had been interested in niche publishing for several years and would pick up publications in other cities any time I went anywhere,” Watkins said. “When Jeff Hankins (Occasions CEO) approached me about starting a new publication in Jonesboro, his company had been publishing Little Rock Soiree for about a year and it had been well received. We both believed a similar publication would do well in Jonesboro and Jeff had the experience in niche publishing that I knew would be invaluable in launching a city/social magazine.”

Both Watkins and Hankins have extensive backgrounds in journalism. Hankins, an Arkansas State University alumnus and 28-year-veteran in the news and publishing industry, is president and publisher of Arkansas Business and Publishing Group. Watkins, also an ASU graduate, was a reporter for the Jonesboro Sun for nine years and served as associate editor of the Marianna Courier-Index. She has also worked as a writer for the Northeast Arkansas Tribune, and has worked as a designated stringer for the New York Times.

When the pair met with potential advertisers that first summer, the reaction from Jonesboro’s business community was extremely positive.

“I scheduled 10 sales appointments over a two-day period to test the waters, so to speak, and make sure we would have sufficient advertising support to publish a high-quality, free publication,” Hankins said. “We received commitments from eight of them, and I knew then that it would be a success. We have surpassed all of our projections and have been able to provide more coverage and 33 percent more distribution than we expected.”

In the beginning, Occasions was basically a three-person show. With Hankins in Little Rock running a large publishing group, Watkins and graphic designer Mark Reeves, along with a full-time sales manager, published the magazine.

“For the first six months, we put the magazine out from a spare bedroom in our home,” Watkins said. “My children were 10, 6 and about 18-months-old at the time, so I put in a lot of hours after everyone else went to bed. Other than the cover photograph, which was shot by Chris Rutherford, I think I wrote every word and took every photo for the first issue.”

The first cover featured Sam and Marilyn Hummelstein, a Jonesboro couple known for their work in philanthropy.

“Five years ago, Sam and I were honored to be chosen to be on the cover of the first issue of Occasions” Marilyn said. “The magazine highlights organizations that do good works in our community. By focusing attention on these organizations, philanthropy and membership are encouraged. There’s an old adage that says ‘the rising tide lifts all boats.’ We thank Occasions for playing a part in raising awareness about worthy organizations in our community.”

There were inherent frustrations in the early days, Watkins said, such as trying to explain the concept and vision of a city magazine to people as she photographed them at events.

“One of my funniest memories from those days is having someone misunderstand me when I told them the magazine would be called Jonesboro Occasions,” she said. “I wasn’t sure why the person seemed so puzzled until I realized he thought I said it would be called Jonesboro Cajuns.”

NEA Clinic’s Art Slam, held at the home of Dr. Michael and Julie Isaacson, was the first event covered by Occasions. “I did a lot of explaining that night as I visited with guests attending the fundraiser that evening to make sure each person understood why we had been asked to cover the event,” Watkins said.
“Occasions magazine has brought non-profit events to new heights over the past few years,” said Holly Acebo, executive director of NEA Clinic Charitable Foundation. “The magazine has enabled us to tell our story in a whole new way.

s a not-for-profit entity, we watch our budgets closely and guarantee that the funds we raise truly go directly to fund our programs. With the help of Occasions and our generous media partners, they help us keep that promise and help us tell our story and promote our free programs. Thanks, Occasions, and congratulations on your anniversary!”

During the past five years, Occasions Publishing Group has not only grown, but has added two more magazines — Kids’ Occasions and Jonesboro Living, a city guide produced annually in cooperation with the Jonesboro Regional Chamber of Commerce. Occasions outgrew the spare bedroom in a matter of months and relocated to office space in Southwest Business Center in 2004. Since then, the magazine’s growth has resulted in a need to again double its office space, and the full-time staff has tripled.

“Today, we typically operate with a staff of 8-10 people,” Watkins said. “In addition, we have several freelance writers and photographers who help us each month and have three individuals who help with distribution of our publications on a monthly basis. Whether they work full time or only a few hours a month, each of them plays an important role in what we are able to accomplish each month.”

More than 20,000 readers enjoy the publications each month.

“It is gratifying for me to be in a restaurant, store or office when the newest issue of Occasions comes out each month,” Watkins said. “Our readers are very loyal and they are always enthusiastic about seeing the latest issue. I think a big reason for that is because it is full of great stories and photos of people they know – positive stories about people who are making a difference.”

Most rewarding, Watkins noted, has been the exposure that Occasions has been able to give to non-profit groups in the city.

“Most of the local charitable organizations have little or no funding for advertising and promotion and many of them received little publicity before we began publishing Occasions,” she said. “The publicity that local non-profits receive from us helps them raise awareness of their cause and helps promote events that raise much needed funds to continue the important work they do in the community.”

Sherri Beatty, executive director of the Foundation of Arts, echoed Watkins thoughts about Occasions’ role in the promotion of non-profits.

“As a non-profit, we appreciate more than anyone the time, work, energy, resources, planning, etc., that goes into a fund-raising and/or awareness event,” Beatty said. “When that event is covered by Occasions, it not only serves as wonderful publicity, but it also validates our work, telling us that what we’re doing is worthwhile and valuable, so much so that Audrey sends a photographer and journalist to take pictures and report on our activities. What a tremendous shot in the arm for us!”

But also important is the sheer fun of seeing friends and family featured in a magazine.

“Our office goes through the same routine every month: one of us walks in the door with the newest edition of the magazine, and the rest of us beg to see it as soon as the first one is finished,” Beatty said. “We talk about the articles, make plans based on the calendars and marvel at how generous the Jonesboro community is to non-profit organizations and charitable causes. I know that our little ritual of ‘Guess What I’ve Got’ when we come in the door with a copy of Occasions is replayed hundreds of times throughout town. People love to read and look through Occasions; it’s accepted as a quality source of information, all the while being a great way of seeing pictures of the good work our friends are doing in the community.”

As for the future, Occasions Publishing Group is poised for unprecedented growth.

“We have been blessed with the support of the community from Day 1 and we will continue to invest our resources in producing quality publications that draw attention to the many positive aspects that make Jonesboro such a great place to live, work and raise a family,” Watkins said. “We are thankful to our readers, advertisers and the many subjects who have graciously allowed us to feature them in the magazine during the past five years. We are excited about the many opportunities for growth for both Jonesboro Occasions and Occasions Publishing Group and look forward to serving our community for many years to come.”