About the Publisher
Personal: My name is John ("Jack") Kretzschmar. I grew up here in the valley. Our family moved to Carol Richard Park, in Valley East, in the late 1960's. I remember going to Capreol a lot with my brother and sister when we were little kids, because they had an arena and other amenities that were lacking in Valley East back then. I played "atom" and 1st year peewee hockey on outdoor rinks until Centennial arena was built in the early '70's. It was the bitter sweet end of one era and the start of another. I remember learning to ski at the little rope tow ski hill at the Falconbridge radar base, where our father, a former air force serviceman, was a member of the Officer's Club. I also remember my mother saying how she really enjoyed her drive home from work - at Valleyview PS - or from town, saying "driving down into the valley from Valleyview Road is like going down a big, comfortable slide, and you feel like you're home at the bottom of it"! I think of her fitting analogy every time I come down that hill, because she was right about that. My father didn't live to see the completion of the four laning to Sudbury, but he would be amazed at the look of the valley now. I have lived in Edmonton, Vancouver, Seattle and London (UK) over the course of my adult life, but I have never felt more at home than I do here in the valley, where I've chosen to remain since returning a few years ago.
Professional: Since 1991 I've worked in international sports marketing, in charge of event advertising and graphic design display at major international televised sporting events including hockey, figure skating and soccer. Core clients I have worked with include IMG (International Management Group - The world's largest sports, media and entertainment production company), NHL, CHL, ISU, IIHF, Hockey Canada, Skate Canada and US Figure Skating. Television network crews I have worked alongside include CBC, CTV/TSN, ABC/ESPN, NBC, Fox and TBS. Career highlights include managing the installation of "look" graphics at the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympic Games. I also led the installation of rinkboard graphics for Dreamworks Studios on the Los Angeles set of their film "Blades of Glory". I've worked in Europe and Asia many times, but I've scaled back my travel in order to properly manage this newspaper.
The Valley Meteor: With a background in graphic design and media sales, starting up the newspaper wasn't so much a "eureka moment" as it was an "I should do this" kind of moment. For the longest time, I've always felt that the valley deserved a real, proper newspaper, with colour ink on 84 bright, 40 lb. newsprint. I always felt that a community of this size deserved it. As for the name, I wanted one with energy and local relevance. I have always been amazed at how little attention has been given to such a significant historical and geological event. Here we are, living in the second largest (known) impact crater on earth, some 1.85 billion years old, 30km x 62km x 15km deep - our beloved Sudbury Basin - and it rarely gets more than a passing mention. The projectile (a bolide or meteorid) was estimated to be up to 20 km wide, travelling at up to 20 km per second. Upon impact, it caused debris to scatter over a 1.6 million sq. km area, with some pieces flying over 800 km away to what is now Minnesota. The impact is responsible for the mineral riches and fertile soil in this region. Some scientists even believe that the impact was responsible for creating an environment condusive to spawning the earliest, most primitive, sustainable life forms on this planet. Essentially, we are all here because of that fateful impact, and all of planet earth as it appears today may have been spawned from that impact.
My goal with The Valley Meteor newspaper is to shine some light back onto the community, draw attention to where it is needed, help promote local businesses, services, schools, organizations and charities, and provide a good, truly locally-themed enjoyable read for our community's residents. Because Valley East lacks a well defined physical town centre or a central main street, I want this newspaper to become that central touchstone that creates shared experiences and generates common conversation. The tactile, soulful experience of holding and reading a newspaper can never be replaced, in the same way that experiencing the great outdoors will never be replaced, even by the most masterful, digitally created 3D CGI rendering.
I would especially like to thank Marg Totman of Capreol, for her ongoing dedicated, community-minded efforts. I would also like to thank our team of columnists, contributors and readers, without whom there would be no Valley Meteor newspaper. We are truly blessed to be providing a regular, valued service to an appreciative and enthusiastic local audience.
Thank-you for your ongoing support and encouragement, and please keep the excellent submissions coming!
I look forward to hearing from you. Together, we can make a significant impact!
Kind Regards,
John "Jack" Kretzschmar
Founder / Publisher / Editor
The Valley Meteor
Professional: Since 1991 I've worked in international sports marketing, in charge of event advertising and graphic design display at major international televised sporting events including hockey, figure skating and soccer. Core clients I have worked with include IMG (International Management Group - The world's largest sports, media and entertainment production company), NHL, CHL, ISU, IIHF, Hockey Canada, Skate Canada and US Figure Skating. Television network crews I have worked alongside include CBC, CTV/TSN, ABC/ESPN, NBC, Fox and TBS. Career highlights include managing the installation of "look" graphics at the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympic Games. I also led the installation of rinkboard graphics for Dreamworks Studios on the Los Angeles set of their film "Blades of Glory". I've worked in Europe and Asia many times, but I've scaled back my travel in order to properly manage this newspaper.
The Valley Meteor: With a background in graphic design and media sales, starting up the newspaper wasn't so much a "eureka moment" as it was an "I should do this" kind of moment. For the longest time, I've always felt that the valley deserved a real, proper newspaper, with colour ink on 84 bright, 40 lb. newsprint. I always felt that a community of this size deserved it. As for the name, I wanted one with energy and local relevance. I have always been amazed at how little attention has been given to such a significant historical and geological event. Here we are, living in the second largest (known) impact crater on earth, some 1.85 billion years old, 30km x 62km x 15km deep - our beloved Sudbury Basin - and it rarely gets more than a passing mention. The projectile (a bolide or meteorid) was estimated to be up to 20 km wide, travelling at up to 20 km per second. Upon impact, it caused debris to scatter over a 1.6 million sq. km area, with some pieces flying over 800 km away to what is now Minnesota. The impact is responsible for the mineral riches and fertile soil in this region. Some scientists even believe that the impact was responsible for creating an environment condusive to spawning the earliest, most primitive, sustainable life forms on this planet. Essentially, we are all here because of that fateful impact, and all of planet earth as it appears today may have been spawned from that impact.
My goal with The Valley Meteor newspaper is to shine some light back onto the community, draw attention to where it is needed, help promote local businesses, services, schools, organizations and charities, and provide a good, truly locally-themed enjoyable read for our community's residents. Because Valley East lacks a well defined physical town centre or a central main street, I want this newspaper to become that central touchstone that creates shared experiences and generates common conversation. The tactile, soulful experience of holding and reading a newspaper can never be replaced, in the same way that experiencing the great outdoors will never be replaced, even by the most masterful, digitally created 3D CGI rendering.
I would especially like to thank Marg Totman of Capreol, for her ongoing dedicated, community-minded efforts. I would also like to thank our team of columnists, contributors and readers, without whom there would be no Valley Meteor newspaper. We are truly blessed to be providing a regular, valued service to an appreciative and enthusiastic local audience.
Thank-you for your ongoing support and encouragement, and please keep the excellent submissions coming!
I look forward to hearing from you. Together, we can make a significant impact!
Kind Regards,
John "Jack" Kretzschmar
Founder / Publisher / Editor
The Valley Meteor
