Austin Way Magazine - GreenGale Publishing - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/715608
18 AUSTINWAY.com PhotograPhy by ben Porter (betner); Michele golden (ching and donovan) Nothing inspires me more than spending time with those who truly love their jobs. As the relentless Austin heat takes a toll on our energy levels, our passions are what keep us going--as well as a well-timed vacation or two--through these final weeks of summer. I was lucky to spend time with some of the hard-working, dedicated women at C3 Presents, producer of the Austin City Limits Music Festival. I've attended the fest every year since it began (I still have my oversize souvenir tickets from 2003), so it was exciting to talk to senior producer Amy Corbin, festival director Lindsey Sokol, and Courtney Trucksess, director of sponsorship and marketing, about their impressive roles and all the big changes at Zilker Park this year, among the biggest in the ACL's 15-year history. As I drove away from the photo shoot at Corbin's stunning home by C3's Cambria Harkey (one of Austin's most beautiful and talented souls, Harkey has photographed every festival), I thought about how passion- ate they were about what they do, and felt lucky, once again, to have landed my own dream job. This issue marks two years of Austin Way, and I'm immensely proud of what our team has accomplished. Not only is September our anniver- sary month, but it also marks the beginning of my favorite time of year: Fall festival season. In addition to ACL, this month brings the Texas Tribune Festival and its full slate of political and issue-based programming; I'm espe- cially looking forward to the inaugural TribFeast with The New York Times' Maureen Dowd. We're also gearing up for Fantastic Fest, the largest genre film fest of its kind in the country-- and, as the Alamo Drafthouse's Tim League tells us on page 42, the most kick-ass of them all. We should all have as much as fun at our jobs and be as dedicated as League and the C3 team. Austin is a much better place because of that passion. . left to right: Austin Way's newest team member, Kelli Betner, and I enjoyed a beautiful summer sunset over Lady Bird Lake at our Art of the City party and fundraiser at the Waller Creek Boathouse; my friend Debora Rustemeyer and I met with US soccer legends Brian Ching and Landon Donovan at the Soccer Assist Soccer Social at Rock Rose Hall in June. k athy blackwell LETTER From THE EDITor-IN-CHIEF