Team effort was displayed by the Hudson Reporter staff in winning the 2009 Better Newspaper contest sponsored by the New Jersey Press Association. In the annual statewide contest, the sales and graphics staff pulled in five awards for retail ads that ran in the newspapers last year.
Best ad in the state
The biggest honor came in the “Best Single Ad Any Size, Multi-Spot or Full Color” category. First place in the state went to an ad called “David vs. Goliath” that appeared in the Jersey City Reporter. The sales representative on that ad was also the Reporter’s co-publisher, David Unger. The artist was Pasquale “Pat” Spina.
The ad depicted the controversy between Bayonne Medical Center and Blue Cross, as BMC severed its contract with the insurer in order to get better rates. The ad featured a large faceless human figure (Blue Cross) stepping on a tiny figure that represented the hospital. On top, it said “David Vs. Goliath.”
“I’m proud to be part of a team that works hard and is very creative,” said Spina. “We’re very good at what we do.”
“These honors prove how talented our designers really are. Congratulations.” – Jennifer Martiak
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“I’m glad that my fellow designers and myself are recognized for all the hard work we put in,” Mitolo said.
Dillon praised Mitolo’s work. “I love his creativity and his cooperation,” she said.
The staff also won second place for “Best External Special Promotion Mailing Piece.” The piece was entitled “Health, Mind & Body” and appeared in the Hoboken Reporter. Various sales representatives worked on the flyer, which was inserted into all of the papers. It was designed by graphic artist Lisa Cuthbert.
The staff also won third place in that same category. Sales Manager Barbara Dillon and artist Lisa Cuthbert won for “Secaucus For The Holidays,” encouraging people to shop in that town.
And finally, sales representative Christine M. Youngclaus worked with Cuthbert to win third place in “Best Special Page(s), Black & White” for another shopping section, “Shop Downtown Hoboken.”
Youngclaus said, “Lisa and I are a great team when I need to put together special sections for the papers. All departments do their best to make the Hudson Reporter publications a success.”
Lisa Cuthbert, who won three prizes, said, “It’s inspiring to work with such creative people and to be recognized by your peers.”
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Reporter art director Jennifer Martiak was proud of her team of graphic artists. She noted that sometimes they have as little as a few hours to pull together an ad.
“It’s not always easy designing under time constraints,” she said. “These honors prove how talented our designers really are. Congratulations.”
Reporter Co-Publisher David Unger, who also was the sales contact on one of the ads, said, “What a great honor for our company, particularly the graphics staff. Their hard work and long hours are rarely recognized. This acknowledgement is particularly important, as it comes from industry peers in a statewide contest.”
Editor-in-Chief Caren Matzner said, “Our staff is very talented and creative, and the fact that they beat out so many competitors shows what a good job they do.”
Co-Publisher Lucha Malato said, “Our staff works very hard to put out a great looking, professional product. Winning so many awards shows they are achieving their goals. I am proud of their achievements.”