Who accesses Simesite?
In view of the spectacular lack of feedback from sections posted on the Simesite, it is heartening to quote the following e-mail sent to us from former Daily Variety ad manager, Mike Malak.
Los Angeles, March 25, 2013
Take heart. The site, periodically, is cited as an authority for outside news organizations seeking information about our era and I’ve seen it referenced this way at least twice, once recently I believe. The site also keeps our very different thought processes alive. That is really the heart of things: our continued admiration and belief in Sime’s independence that has been honored on two coasts and through multiple generations. More than showbiz, that’s the real bond between everyone on both papers.
My late brother, Patrick, worked at the Daily for a brief period around the time of the 50th Anniversary. He continued to feel, long after he’d left, that he had been somewhere special and important. That wasn’t just because of the movie premiere passes. When he and Mike Silverman built the museum exhibit featuring 50 years of Daily Variety to accompany the tented party for 2,000 guests he got to see, close up, what the paper meant and how it worked over five decades. That continued to impress him until he died three years ago.
Here’s my nickel analogy: My father was on a historic WWII Navy ship, the USS Landsdowne. For legendary service in the Pacific it was called upon to ferry the Japanese surrender delegation from the shore of Tokyo Bay to the U.S.S. Missouri at anchor in the center of the Bay, and back. It was a really big deal. There were approximately 2,500 sailors who served on the Landsdowne during the War.
The survivors have published a hard copy newsletter since the War ended and I’m on their mailing list. At last count, a few weeks ago, the ship was down to 45 living men but, they all agree, by continuing to report in and “say” a piece every now and then, even if it’s just their present “commander” speaking, they’ve kept their ship alive. Sometimes there’s more to say than others and some issues have a lot of death notices.
The silly point here, one I can never express as well as you, hence this story, is that I, for one, would be sadly disappointed if our ship slipped below the waters while there’s still a few of us around who can climb the fore-mast to shout out when called for.
end