Even though Terriann Saulino Bish studied advertising, writing, and computer science at New York University, it’s dog training and photography that draw her creative energy in her free time these days. Bish, a full-time graphic artist for the Hudson Reporter newspapers, won Employee of the Month this month. Bish grew up in Hoboken and still lives in the Bloomfield Street building once owned by her parents, who have since passed away. She graduated from St. Ann’s School in Hoboken and Sacred Heart Academy before attending NYU. After college, she worked as an art director at a graphics firm in New York City. When work was slow, her bosses asked her to work with the photographer in his studio. That was when she developed her love of photography. “I thought, ‘I could do that,’ she said last week.
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“I married the boy next door, but he was 300 miles away.” – Terriann Saulino Bish
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Bish began taking photos and has since become a finalist three times in a prestigious annual contest, the “Best of Photography,” sponsored by Photographer’s Forum Magazine. One of those times, they built a website for her as a prize. Her favorite subjects to photograph are kids and dogs, she says. She lives with two of each: Two daughters and two German shepherds. She spends some of her free time training the dogs. “German shepherds have the intelligence of a two and a half year old human,” she said, “so they can learn quite a bit. Their intelligence amazes me.” She has taught Saber and Corona to fetch objects on other floors of the house, to be careful not to push her younger daughter, who is now 6, and to shut and open doors in the house. She said her daughter Ronni thinks the dogs are “rather large teddy bears.”
True love Bish spent all of her life in Hoboken, but somehow met her husband in northwestern Pennsylvania, on a farm an hour north of Pittsburgh. How did that happen? The story goes like this: Bish’s maternal grandmother lived on a 600-acre farm out there. After Bish’s great-grandparents sold it, Bish’s parents wanted to find another farm close by. So they bought one. Bish spent a lot of time there and liked her new neighbors. After many years, she met the neighbors’ son, who had been away a lot because he was a sergeant in the Air Force. The pair began traveling 600 miles round-trip each weekend to see each other. “Essentially, I married the boy next door, but he was 300 miles away,” Bish said. She joked, “I wanted to put on our wedding invitations, ‘Life’s a Bish, and then you marry one,’ but I didn’t think his family would like that.” She said that she wouldn’t mind moving to that area someday. “I’m either going to live in the country and own horses, or I’ll live in the city,” she said. “I wouldn’t want to live in the suburbs.”
Positive attitude Two years ago, Bish decided to get a job close to her home in Hoboken, since her father was ill and she had a young daughter. So she came to work at the
Reporter. Bish is responsible for designing the covers of several of the
Reporter’s weekly newspapers, as well as the inside pages. She also helps work on the inserts and magazines. She also has taken some photos, and frequently photographs our employees of the month. Her knowledge of grammar and writing has saved many a reporter from embarrassment when she happened to catch their errors on the pages. And one salesperson noted that she “always finds a way to get in my late ads.” Bish handles her work with a positive attitude and calm demeanor. “A wonderful colleague with an incredible talent for graphic design,” wrote one co-worker. “She is perpetually pleasant, hard-working, and an exceptional artist,” wrote another. “Terri is wonderful to work with and a total professional,” wrote someone else. “A great sense of humor and is approachable. Has helped during the tough times.” “Whether inside the office or not, she always has a kind word and offers creative opinions. A true team player,” wrote another colleague. Bish seemed humbled by the honor. “I don’t like to be put in the spotlight,” she said, “but it feels good to have your peers acknowledge you.” Reporter Art Director Jennifer Merrick said, “I new immediately when I first interviewed Terri that I wanted to her to be a part of the Reporter team. However, at the time it wasn’t feasible for her. One year later I decided on a whim to contact her again and offer another position. She fortunately accepted. It is a true pleasure to work with Terri. She is highly creative and brings positive energy to the office and our publications.”