Friday, January 2, 2009

Save JPG


JPG Your World in Pictures


I was checking my email this morning and was sad to discover that jpgmag.com was to be no more.  I am posting the email I recieved from the Editor in Chief, Laura Brunow Miner, with the hopes of rousing some potential investors to save this exraordinary photography magazine.


Today is a particularly sad day for all of us at JPG and 8020 Media.

We've spent the last few months trying to make the business behind JPG sustain itself, and we've reached the end of the line. We all deeply believe in everything JPG represents, but we just weren't able to raise the money needed to keep JPG alive in these extraordinary economic times. We sought out buyers, spoke with numerous potential investors, and pitched several last-ditch creative efforts, all without success. As a result, jpgmag.com will shut down on Monday, January 5, 2009.

The one thing we've been the most proud of: your amazing talent. We feel honored and humbled to have been able to share 
jpgmag.comwith such a dynamic, warm, and wonderful community of nearly 200,000 photographers. The photography on the website and in the magazine was adored by many, leaving no doubt that this community created work of the highest caliber. The kindness, generosity, and support shared among members made it a community in the truest sense of the word, and one that we have loved being a part of for these past two years.

We wish we could have found a way to leave the site running for the benefit of the amazing folks who have made JPG what it is, and we have spent sleepless nights trying to figure something out, all to no avail. Some things you may want to do before the site closes:

- Download the PDFs of back issues, outtakes, and photo challenge selections. We'll always have the memories!  
www.jpgmag.com/downloads/archives.html
- Make note of your favorite photographers. You may want to flip through your favorites list and jot down names and URLs of some of the people you'd like to stay in touch with. You may even want to cut and paste your contacts page into a personal record.
- Catch up with your fellow members. Our roots are in this humble flickr forum and we recommend going back to find fellow members, discuss the situation, or participate in another great photo community. 
www.flickr.com/groups/jpgmag/
- Keep in touch. This has always been much more than just a job to each of us, and we'll miss you guys! We'll be checking the account
jpgletters@gmail.com in our free time going forward. We can't promise to reply to every email (since we'll be busy tuning up our resumes) but we'd love to hear from you.
- Stay posted. Although the magazine is ceasing publication, we'll be updating you on what's happening with your subscription early next week.

We're soggy-eyed messes, but it is what it is. At that, JPGers, we bid you goodbye, and good luck in 2009 and the future.

Laura Brunow Miner
Editor in Chief


UPDATE:
As of January 1, 2009, JPG and 8020 Media are no longer operating and
we are no longer able to receive or answer support emails.

The magazine is ceasing publication and we'll be updating jpgmag.com
early next week with information on what's happening with your
subscriptions.

We also want to just say thanks to all the members of the JPG
community for making the past two years such an amazing experience.
JPG was so more than a job to us, and we feel so privileged to have
been a part of your lives.

If you want to stay in touch with any of the former JPG staff, please
feel free send a note to jpgletters@gmail.com. We'll try to check in
with that email in our spare, personal time.

Best wishes,

Team JPG