“It’s like everyone tells a story about
themselves inside their own head.
Always. All the time. That story
makes you what you are. We build
ourselves out of that story.”
— Patrick Rothfuss, author
Insight Publications has been in the business of telling our region’s story for the past 15 years. As a lifelong writer and resident of Northeast Wisconsin, I can attest that it’s a pretty amazing story to tell.
As author Patrick Rothfuss alludes, we become the stories we tell. This is why Insight has always told the stories of brilliant business leaders and entrepreneurs, community advocates and innovators, doers and disruptors. These are the stories to which we aspire — who doesn’t want to be a little more like them?
As our team began deciding how to honor Insight’s 15th year, we looked back over all that has been featured within the magazine’s pages since it started in 2008. It became evident that the New North is a place that is unafraid of hard work and welcomes great transformation.
In this spirit of tenacity, we decided to go big this month, practically doubling the number of pages we normally produce in a regular issue. We opened the archives to create the centerpiece of this gargantuan 15th anniversary edition — a retrospective featuring every one of Insight’s covers, with photography and design that has brought the region’s stories to life in inspiring, and sometimes unexpected, ways.
We interviewed contributors past and present — editors, designers, photographers, freelancers and stylists — about their most memorable covers and stories. One thing that stood out to me was how many (if not all) of them referenced the friendships they forged doing this work — how those they interviewed and photographed for Insight have become mentors, allies and friends.
From its start, Insight has been about connection. Connecting business leaders and entrepreneurs to learn from each other. Connecting minds by providing a platform for community conversation. Connecting the dots on important issues and how they impact Northeast Wisconsin. Connecting the stories that create the intricate tapestry of our regional identity.
This focus on connection will continue to guide Insight into the future, in the stories we tell and through the many exciting events — both old and new — that will provide more opportunities than ever to connect beyond the magazine’s pages. While it might be Insight’s birthday, without our readers, advertisers and event attendees there would be no “us.” So we want to take this opportunity to raise a glass to you.
Cheers to our New North region and the stories you have entrusted Insight to tell — past, present and future.
