When Time Out Chicago relaunched in print, the challenge was capturing a living, breathing city three months at a time — a long lead that demanded patience, persistence, and a lot of calls to people who weren't sure they wanted to be in a magazine yet.

Distributed to locals and tourists alike, the magazine was a celebration of what makes Chicago singular: the people who shape it, the neighborhoods that form it, and the events that animate it. With sections devoted to food, music, art, theater, and things to do, each issue worked as both a cultural guide and a checklist. We took that last part literally, ending every issue with an actual checklist of things worth doing, curated by our writers and editors.

No two issues were quite alike, which was the point. While the structure of the magazine stayed consistent, the approach kept evolving. I previewed Lollapalooza five summers in a row and found a different angle each time.

I covered music, art, and the local beverage industry regularly throughout the magazine's run, including coverage of Chicago's craft brewery boom at its peak. Beyond my own writing, I managed the full editorial process for every issue: planning stories, editing copy, approving layouts, and signing off on final pages. Getting an issue out the door meant late nights more often than not, but there's nothing quite like getting to hold something you made.