Brick Weekly: Thirty Days Dead and Gone
November 20, 2007
Time is a funny thing. If you watch enough Oprah Winfrey and play enough online poker, a month can seem like a blur of disconnected days. It’s hard to believe that four weeks have passed since I stumbled out of 300 East Franklin Street with all my stuff in cardboard boxes.
The time away has been refreshing. And as much as it’s become a cliché for political outcasts and disgraced CEOs, leaving work to spend more time with the family is just swell. If you want to put life in perspective, nothing compares to carpet time with a one year old and a bag of alphabet blocks.
But I’ve been so caught up in my idyllic days of house-husbandry and freelance wordsmithery that I realize I may have left behind a few loose ends. I never got the chance to give my last word on Brick. I never got what professionals call “closure.”
Forgive me for wasting valuable virtual space on such personal business and please allow me the temporary delusion that anybody cares. I’d like to take this opportunity to clear up a few things because I still find myself fielding questions about “the great corporate injustice.”
Is it true that they escorted you out of the building in a Hannibal Lecter-style stretcher and face mask? Did the HR Department perform a full cavity search before letting you leave? Did you cry? What really happened with Brick?
Contrary to some reports, I was not removed from my position. My departure was voluntary, so I can’t really play the squashed-under-the-boot-heel-of-The-Man card. It’s important for people to know that I’m not a victim any more than the crazy guy from that grizzly movie who was torn into beef jerky. I knew what I was getting into and I figured it was going to end messy.
In the spring of 2006, I got an offer from the Richmond Times-Dispatch to create and edit a free weekly publication meant to target a growing segment… “non-readers” of the daily newspaper. The weekly was meant to be an alternative to the Times-Dispatch. It was supposed to be hipper, more-opinionated and decidedly younger-skewing in terms of demographics.
In searching for a guru of “cool and edgy” they thought it best to pursue a bald, doughy white dude who was creeping up on 40. Go figure.
I accepted the position. I had edited a weekly paper before and was curious to find out what it was like to do the job without worrying if the lights were going to be shut off or the paychecks were going to bounce. In some ways I saw it as a corporately-funded second chance. But mostly I took the job because of my ego.
They stroked it and stroked it good. It felt good to be picked for something new. I was promised creative space, creative freedom and the journalistic equivalents of diplomatic immunity and a license to kill. Throw in a few important lunch meetings and lots of compliments and before you know it I started to believe my own bullshit.
Brick launched in August 2006 and its limitations became quickly apparent. We started with a full-time staff of two, a squad of regular freelancers and one-half of a part-time salesperson. The paper chugged along for 13 months with some highs and lows, but mostly it limped along in the middle of the road. (Anything else I could say about the paper’s lifespan would just sound whiny and redundant so I’ll spare everyone the details.)
After a seemingly endless series of secret meetings, “reader studies” and coin-flipping, the fate of Brick was decided. People who got paid more than me chose the new direction and made the bold decisions. Those decisions didn’t thrill me so I let them know that I wasn’t keen on going along for the ride. In their words, I “opted out.” I wasn’t fired and I didn’t exactly quit. I just pulled the dingy cord on the bus and asked to be let off at the next stop.
In keeping with a prior agreement, the higher-ups offered me another position within the company. It wasn’t exactly what I was looking for, so I politely declined and decided to ride out my remaining weeks as the lame-duck-dead-man-walking editor of Brick.
One day, my remaining two weeks magically transformed into two hours.
If you’ve ever had last call sneak up on you, you know how I felt. One minute you’re drinking and laughing and chatting up your friends and then the music stops and the lights come on. You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here. It was a pleasure doing business with you. Leave your badge on my desk.
Sadly, my premature departure prevented a farewell issue rife with profanity, obscene photos and anti-corporate sentiment. Which is a real bummer because I had already picked a cartoon Calvin peeing on the Media General logo for the last cover. Alas, some things were never meant to be.
Am I bitter? Not really. I’m disappointed. But not by my sudden lack of employment or the eerie feeling that the paper has gone on without me. I’m disappointed by the lost opportunities. I’m disappointed that my time inside the corporate belly of Media General left me feeling like “The Office” and “Office Space” work much better as documentaries. I’m disappointed that things worked out exactly the way the cynical pessimist inside me thought they would turn out.
But as I said before, I wasn’t that surprised. The grizzly man got eaten because no matter how cute bears look they’re still wild carnivores who crave blood. In the end, the Richmond Times-Dispatch is still going to act like a multi-million dollar media outlet in search of revenue. Even when it vows to be innovative, bold and risk-taking, the company is still going to look at Richmonders as consumers and demographics. They will still use terms like “product,” “content” and “cross-promotion.” Every day will be business as usual: The cart will pull the horse, the tail will wag the dog and right after we eat we’ll all be rubbing our bellies wondering why we’re still hungry.
18 Responses to “Brick Weekly: Thirty Days Dead and Gone”
1. John says:
Thanks for the closure, Pete (and RVANews). We needed it, too. Hopefully, there were moments ensconced in your basement office on East Grace Street when you set down the can of Redi-Whip, realized you were wearing your flesh-colored body suit to work again and had a good laugh.
on November 20th, 2007 at 9:00 am
2. Malfred says:
As satisfying as a “they-killed-kenny-those-bastards” story would be, it’s actually nice to hear that things were so communicative and voluntary. We grow older, mellower, and alphabet blocks become fun again. Bonus. Meanwhile, if you ever publish something that costs cash money, I’ll buy it.
on November 20th, 2007 at 11:08 am
3. Christian Detres says:
I once had the honor of working with Pete on the last, greatest and most fondly remembered alt-weekly this city can claim - Punchline. I was as excited as anyone can be when I heard he was starting a new weekly (even if Dick Cheney, I mean, Media General was funding it.) Even though I work for what some would consider a competing outfit, I’ve never wanted anything more than Brick to be what Punchline once was, a full, fleshy moon taunting the blazer and bowtie set Richmond calls it cultural wardens.
I consider my time at Punchline to be the beginning of my independent pursuits in publishing. Pete was my role model and is still an inspiration. Walking into that office Wednesday mornings to see him and Jon Goldberg stumbling about like autistic zombies (pulling a 24-hour deadline workday) was a testament to dedication I’ll never forget. He taught me that complaining about there being nothing cool in Richmond is the lazy mans’ mantra. If you want it to happen, work your ass off and make it happen. I’ve learned a lot from this man.
It’s shameful that this city can’t support a talent like Pete Humes. I wish Pete the best in everything and God willing, one day we’ll be able to afford to print his words in RVA.
Christian Detres
RVA Magazine
on November 20th, 2007 at 11:53 am
4. F.T. Rea says:
Pete,
Thanks for the glimpse inside the beast’s belly.
– Terry
on November 20th, 2007 at 12:49 pm
5. The Fan District Hub » Blog Archive » Humes on last days at Brick says:
[...] here to read the rest of Humes’ humorous and classy piece at [...]
on November 20th, 2007 at 1:06 pm
6. J’s Notes » Blog Archive says:
[...] Pete Hume reflects on his departure from Brick Weekly a month ago. Am I bitter? Not really. I’m disappointed. But not by my sudden lack of employment or the eerie feeling that the paper has gone on without me. I’m disappointed by the lost opportunities. I’m disappointed that my time inside the corporate belly of Media General left me feeling like “The Office” and “Office Space” work much better as documentaries. I’m disappointed that things worked out exactly the way the cynical pessimist inside me thought they would turn out. [...]
on November 20th, 2007 at 6:20 pm
7. Mary Ellin says:
Welcome to the I-used-to-work-for-Media-General club, Pete. Sorry it had to end that way for you.
on December 2nd, 2007 at 5:59 pm
8. Tyler Bass says:
Sad. I will pay for anything this man writes. Ever again.
on December 3rd, 2007 at 5:00 pm
9. Colin Bailey says:
Ehh, you just bravely crossed the bridge to which every person who’s art has to pay the bills will one day inexorably come. You made it out alive and you’re wiser for it. it’s just too bad you don’t have an issue with Calvin pissing on the media general’s logo framed on your wall.
on December 5th, 2007 at 2:09 am
10. Mopsa says:
Cool, smart people can’t stay at Media General for long. I’m glad you’re outta there! You’re much too talented for that big, square box. Now you can go on to bigger and better opportunities. Your fans await
on December 5th, 2007 at 11:45 am
11. Pauline Hood says:
This doesn’t really tell us much at all. What stories did Humes try to do that were stopped by Media General? What’s an example of something they spiked? If there had been no evil corporate interference, what would a free to be Pete and Pete Brick look like? What stories would it have told? And don’t say something vague and unreal like “better ones.” There’s a big difference between a journal of what you’re thinking and what you’re laughing about with your friends and a newspaper. Newspapers by their very nature have to have a broader appeal to readers and yes, those evil advertisers. What efforts did you make to produce an alt-newspaper and how did Media General stop it? That’s the story. Otherwise, this does sound like a whinefest of someone who went in without a vision. Crowned king despite yourself and reigned without vision over a soon defeated kingdom. And you’re shocked? I’d love to read a better story about what really happened if you have one. Do you? Or is this it? Because if this is it, you wasted a year of our time and struck another nail in the coffin of niche journalism.
on December 16th, 2007 at 10:51 am
12. current MG employee says:
damn Pete, If I had known that you were leaving I would have given you heads-up about how the last two weeks are dealt with at MG. You are out at lunch or taking a smoke break and … BAM!, next thing you know you are unable to log into your workstation and your escorts arrive for your exit.
hate to see ya go
12+ year MG employee
on December 17th, 2007 at 8:19 pm
13. Dobey says:
Fixed your post, dear.
on December 29th, 2007 at 3:17 pm
14. Annie Tobey says:
Pete, I’d love to chat with you sometime about your experiences and philosophies and plans for the future! Drop me an e-mail when your house-husbandry and freelance wordsmithery schedule allow, at atobey@vmagazineforwomen.com.
on December 30th, 2007 at 9:22 am
15. Chef Salad says:
Pete,
I never believed you were working for the RTD anyway. At some point you will let us all know about your covert operations creating pro-democracy cartoons for infiltration into terror cells around the world.
Can we finally eat some grilled foods and catch up on the finer points of giving up on battling the bulge? Drop me an email.
c
on January 2nd, 2008 at 12:16 pm
16. How the Times-Dispatch done me dirty | RVANews says:
[...] now I’m back off the wagon. Since I have the added emotional baggage of feeling like a woman scorned, I can really feel the hate flowing through me. I can feel it flowing from all the other haters [...]
on February 1st, 2008 at 9:09 am
17. Victoria Marinelli says:
That was curiously beautiful. Thank you for sharing it.
on April 13th, 2008 at 11:57 am
18. Happy birthday, RVANews! | RVANews says:
[...] world, Pete Humes was bidding Brick a great big PEACE OUT. He gave us the 30-day post-exit lowdown here. And then we swooped in and convinced him to write for us for essentially no money. That, my [...]
on October 31st, 2008 at 8:01 am