Let’s Turn the Tables on Make a Scene Media!
Contributed by Randi Perlman
Back in ancient times, circa 2007, a young man with great vision made the Mat-Su his new home. He was courteous and soft-spoken, with a slight southern drawl, a talented singer-songwriter in his own right determined to help other local talent gain recognition and reach an audience. So, he made a scene and created MAKE A SCENE Magazine, a small grass-roots newspaper of sorts, showcasing fellow musicians and other artists trying to make a name for themselves. He pounded the pavement, seeking advertisers to fund his vision, getting to know all the fine individuals, companies, and organizations that populated his new Valley home.
His initial brainstorm steadily gathered steam as the townsfolk grew to know, admire, and trust him, and lo & behold, The People’s Paper was born! A FREE newspaper, BY the people/FOR the people, with no paid staff writers, with all content submitted by community members, and with the beloved MAKE A SCENE Magazine now an insert lovingly tucked inside. Several years later, 95.5 The Pass KNLT-FM was added to his expanding business offerings, and it is one of the few radio stations to include the work of local musicians in its regular rotation.
Ever since Josh Fryfogle left Mississippi and found his way to the Mat-Su Valley, his business acumen, kind spirit, and genuine concern for others have enabled countless nonprofit organizations to expand their reach, have produced wonderful music events at various venues, have boosted sales and visibility for countless businesses (including my own!), and have created meaningful partnerships throughout our community. Josh and his team, particularly Bryce Burkhart who has been Josh’s right-hand man behind the scenes since the early days, have given folks an actual voice in shaping that community and have helped the Mat-Su remain the fastest growing borough in Alaska.
MAKE A SCENE Media now offers a full range of services and an array of digital and print platforms. By combining print, radio, and social media, MAKE A SCENE has been helping Alaskans get the word out for over 18 years! They provide a wide variety of unique, affordable, and creative marketing opportunities and event management options. AND they know EVERYBODY In town so they are familiar with everyone you and your business would like to connect with.
This all might sound like an advertisement for MAKE A SCENE Media, but I assure you, it is not! OR, and maybe it kind of is…! This is Randi Perlman, longtime Valley resident, former local business owner, and great admirer of Josh Fryfogle, his team, and his vision, reaching out to YOU, Valley residents, readers of and contributors to The People’s Paper and fans of 95.5 The Pass, asking for your help to celebrate what MAKE A SCENE Media has brought to the Valley. The MAKE A SCENE team has done so much to help our community grow, and they are approaching almost 20 years of doing all that, so I think it’s time to turn the tables on them and show them some major love & appreciation for many jobs well done! If you have something [nice] you’d like to say about the paper, the radio station, the crew, or any of their services, in whatever format feels right to you, please share it and let’s hear it!
EDITORS NOTE: As MAKE A SCENE Media and The People’s Paper approach 20 years in business, we’re inviting community members to share their own stories of how local media, advertising, and community connection have made a difference. If you have a similar experience with MAKE A SCENE Media (home of The People’s Paper, Make A Scene Magazine, and 95.5 The Pass KNLT-FM) — whether it’s an ad campaign that helped your business, an event we hosted, an article or community announcement you submitted, music or creative work you shared, a fundraiser we helped promote, or any other way we’ve worked together — we’d love to hear from you as we gather reflections and plan our 20th anniversary celebration. Want to share your story? Send it to contact@thepeoplespaper.news.
Bryce, the paragraph below appeared in my original draft, before the 3 of us met at the studio, so some of it is obsolete. But if there is anything in it that makes sense to use, particularly in the last 2 sentences, use it! I want people to understand that they can share a past experience of something that worked OR create a new one for the occasion, like write a new song to celebrate the anniversary (which Hope Cassity mentioned wanting to do), or any other new, creative submission they choose. Anything in RED is something I’m not sure of or unclear about.
Send your submission to me, Randi Perlman, at ____________ or contact me at 907______________ and I will compile them for inclusion in the People’s Paper over the next several months (year, whatever makes sense). An article, testimonial, compliment, poem, song, words of thanks, any way you’d like to express your appreciation for what you feel MAKE A SCENE Media has brought to our community or how they have bettered your life is what I’m looking for. This is not the place for complaints or criticism – if they exist, please take that directly to them. This is a celebration of 20 years of letting our voices be heard all around our enormous borough, of learning and sharing and exchanging ideas, of becoming the vision a young man brought forward in the most positive and thoughtful way to help us be the best we can all be. Thank you for sharing your harmonious voices!