Over my past six and a half years at the Business Journal, I’ve held many titles: real estate reporter, managing editor and now editor-in-chief.
In my personal life, I’m about to add a new one to the mix: mom.
I’ll be taking the next few months off as a result.
Zane Hill, who has been a managing editor at the publication since last year, will be leading the editorial team as acting editor. He has been my right hand for a while, and I know the publication is in good hands with him. I’m so excited to see everything he and the rest of the team are able to do.
-Hannah Welk
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I have periodically contributed to LABJ Insider in my time here, and I look forward to taking stewardship of the column – and the newsroom – for the next several months. Hannah has left a strong framework for us all to work with, and I’m confident our team will continue to produce excellent editions of the Business Journal every week.
In my iterations of Insider, you can safely expect many of the usual suspects – philanthropic gifts, C-suite moves, academic studies and retirements. I also hope to stitch in notes where my personality intersects with business in L.A., such as how our myriad breweries in the area fared in the latest competition, how a piece of pop culture news resonates in our business community – and oddities such as Monsterpalooza, which last week was held in Pasadena.
The annual convention this year debuted a new piece of programming – a collaboration between Hollywood animation studio Titmouse and Gorgazma, a Westlake Village-based production collective focused on indie horror movies and the practical effects that make them. Their result was the Gorgazma Horror Shorts Video Show, a mini-film fest of sorts that kicked off convention festivities.
“We are huge fans of Spike & Mike’s Sick and Twisted Fest, Heavy Metal magazine, and ‘Love, Death & Robots,’ all platforms that showcase irreverent, art-driven, bite-sized storytelling,” Gorgazma co-founder Mark Villalobos, said in a statement. “With GHS, we’re channeling that same energy into horror, with our flavor of dark humor and gore, and a spotlight on rising talent.”
The showcase was well attended and complete with 21 shorts, ranging from 30 seconds to nearly 10 minutes. Within the genre, the films covered body horror, surreal, supernatural, exploitation, comedy and irreverent. Selections were a mix of Gorgazma-produced works, original Titmouse animations and curated selections – and all a nice showcase of locally produced and filmed works.
“Think Saturday morning cartoons got possessed by demons,” said Austin Reading, another Gorgazma co-founder. “This is horror for the hardcore, loud, weird and fully Gorgazmic.”
The remainder of Monsterpalooza of course featured the usual assortment of artist pop-ups, collectibles, makeup showcases and celebrity tables.
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We at the Business Journal all wish Hannah and her family the best as they meet and get to know their newest addition. In the meantime, please feel free to send me any story ideas, tips and commentary pieces.
