I have said this time and time again — PLSN isn’t about us, it is all about you and the fantastic work that you do. The news, the Production Profiles, Road Tests — every aspect of PLSN is written with you in mind. We aim to keep you informed of what is happing in and around our industry. Whenever I meet our readers, I always get asked, “Why don’t you cover this?” Or, “there is a really cool event happening here.” My automatic response is “Tell me more — it would be great to see it in the magazine.” PLSN isn’t just about the big tours and big names in the industry. There is also a lot of good stuff happening with smaller events. And while our job is to keep our readers informed, we also reach out to readers to learn about these events.
Show Off in Showtime
Right on the home page of PLSN.com, you’ll find a link (on the upper right) called Submissions. Click it, and you’ll see “Showtime Submission” as one of the options. Along with crew and gear info, you can submit a high-res photo, 24/7, and a short time later you’re likely to see that same submission appear one of the events featured in our Showtime section.
Story Ideas
Reader input drives many of the other articles appearing in PLSN every month. Click on the “Submissions” link again from the home page and you’ll find the link called “Editorial Submissions.” Like the email address used for press materials, pr@plsn.com, these submissions get automatically forwarded to everyone on the PLSN editorial staff.
Tips & Tricks
Say you have a neat little workaround for a given task — one of those “why didn’t someone think about that sooner?” kind of solutions to a vexing industry problem. Or maybe you’ve been noticing some unsafe work practices needlessly putting backstage workers at risk. We encourage everyone to share those ideas and alerts. The direct link to our Tips & Tricks submission form is here: www.plsn.com/tips-and-tricks-submission.html.
Women of the Industry
Along with Tips & Tricks and Showtime submissions, we rely upon our readers for input that can range from a quick news story tip to a polished bylined article on a complex topic that gets featured as a Guest Editorial. Right now we are working on an article showcasing the leading women in the industry — those individuals who have led, changed and helped to shape our industry into what it currently is.
With our Sept. 30, 2013 newsletter, we asked for suggestions from the magazine’s readership on the women in our industry who have made a difference in how we do things. If you know someone that should make the list, please take a moment and tell us who they are and what they’ve achieved here: www.plsn.com/leading-women.html.
Promos and Giveaways
Everyone likes a good contest and free swag, right? We seem to always be announcing random promotions and giveaways on our Facebook Page, (www.facebook.com/PLSNonline), our social networking site (www.ProLightingSpace.com), or on our twitter account, (www.twitter.com/PLSNmagazine). We get that not everyone is into the social networking hoopla, too. If that’s you, just pop on over to the PLSN.com page for editorial submissions and you’ll find our lastest freebie offers there as well. Once again, it’s on our Submissions page, www.plsn.com/submissions.html.
If All Else Fails
Web forms are great for gathering random details and organizing them in a structured fashion, but sometimes the structure of a web form can be a barrier to effective communication, too. If you have information that’s a bit “out of the boxes,” you can break free from the tyranny of the structured web form questionnaire by simply sending me an email.
My digital inbox is always open and ready to store your story ideas, suggestions, love/hate mail, or just a quick update on what you are currently up to. I may get more than the average amount of email a day, but I always make time to read and respond to our readers.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. you are what makes this industry what it is. Same goes for PLSN. Without your amazing work and stories to tell, we would be some other kind of magazine. Keep up the great work and, from all of us at PLSN, thanks for all your insights and suggestions!
Reach Justin anytime at jlang@plsn.com.
