Compliments and Endorsements

Gleaned From LinkedIn, MediaBistro and Personal Notes

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Journalism Testimonials
From LinkedIn
(except where noted):

“Gary has a keen eye for detail, honing stories and problem-solving. I’ve worked with him at two publications and for more than 15 years and found him to be a huge asset in averting errors and finding smart solutions in a busy newsroom. Gary brings an experienced eye to everything he does and readily dives into new challenges.” — Brian Cochrane, Assistant Managing Editor, Variety

“Gary is the most meticulous editor I’ve ever worked with. He sees everything — catching errors big and small, and always keeping an eye not merely on individual pieces but the page in its entirety. He’s a true multitasker, always willing to help out whenever and wherever needed. And his great wit, warmth and good humor would be an asset to any work environment.” — Justin Chang, Copy Editor/Film Critic, Variety

“I hope you know how many of us admired your mastery of style, attention to detail and terrific editing skills — you are the best! ... Gary, you were a joy to work with, and you helped make my years at Variety a time I will always cherish.” — Alys Marshall, Copy Editor/Theater-Film Reviews Section Editor, Variety (stated in an unsolicited email)

“Gary North is a conscientious hard-working editor. He has a great command of grammar, punctuation and can be depended on to edit in a timely fashion. Anyone who hires him will be lucky.” — Shalini Dore, Senior News Editor, Variety

“It is without fear of hyperbole that I say Gary North is probably the most relentlessly conscientious, keen-eyed person I’ve ever worked with. Those qualities make him a monster of a copy-editor, and his hawklike attention to detail will serve him well in whatever position or business in which he wishes to work. And he’s an extraordinarily nice guy, as well.” — Andrew Barker, Associate Editor, Features, Variety

“A knowledgeable and reliable copy editor, Gary North caught the things that writers often miss, and was a pleasure to work with.” — Anne Thompson, Deputy Editor/Columnist, Variety.com

“I had the privilege of working with Gary at Variety. He’s the go-to person who’s always informative and reliable. He’s a great mentor. A pleasant colleague.” — Martha Hernandez, Art Director, Variety.com

“Gary is a smart, well-organized journalist with the ability to stay cool and on target in even the most disruptive situations. He is able to maintain focus on both the quality of his work and the humanity of his co-workers. I would love to work with him again and recommend him to anyone lucky enough to attract his attention.” — Tom Tapp, Managing Editor, Variety / Founding Editor, V Life

“I worked with Gary North for several years at Variety and found him to be a hard-working, responsible and effective editor. He’s reliable, efficient and knowledgeable, and to top it all, an extremely nice guy. I would not hesitate a moment to nab him for my team.” ― Chere Coen, Copy Editor, Variety

“In the deadline-driven, last-minute insanity that is today’s newsroom, Gary North has always been a pillar of stability and reliability. Beyond his excellent skills and ethics in the trenches, he somehow also finds the time to assist and educate the current and future generation of journalists. His knowledge of the craft runs as deep and he’s one of the most genuinely nice people to have on your team. It would be my great pleasure to work with him again someday.” — Tom Sorensen, Photographer/Graphic Designer, Variety

“I enjoyed working with Gary at Variety. He was very interested in the digital process and was quick and eager to adapt. He is highly knowledgeable and is always happy to share his insights. I look forward to working with him again in the future.” — Sunita Surajan, Senior Manager, Content Strategy, Editorial, Variety ─ Reed Business Interactive

“Gary’s meticulous attention to detail and sunny disposition made him such a great workmate at Variety.” — Anna Marie De La Fuente, Chief Latin America Writer, Variety

“Gary North displayed the utmost professionalism at Variety, always helping at every turn when asked whether it was online, with a story’s progression, styles and grammatical nuances, general brainstorming, etc. His breadth of knowledge and attention to detail should be a welcome addition to anyone wishing to hire an experienced, dedicated and just plain nice person.” —Jevon Phillips, Special Reports Editor, Variety.com

“Gary was one of the best people I worked with at Variety. He was patient, had amazing attention to detail, and an encyclopedia recall of anything he’d ever read. He was also full of good ideas and not adverse to trying a new suggestion or a new solution. Overall, we had a good working relationship and he also happened to be a pleasant, funny fellow. Great combo.” — Travis Smith, Editor, Variety.com, Reed Elsevier

“Gary North is, quite simply, a pleasure to work with. Dedicated to the art and craft of copy editing, kind and patient under deadline pressure, hard-working and engaged, with a breadth of knowledge and experience that would make him a valuable addition to any team.” — Lisa Horowitz, Senior Section Editor, Variety

“During my time at Variety, I felt that Gary was one of the most efficient, knowledgeable and personable people I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. His organizational skills are without comparison and his good-natured approach to his daily duties made everyone’s job much more pleasant. He is an excellent worker who exhibits a silent proficiency in his attention to detail. Gary has multitasking down to a science and could always be relied upon to ably assist in any area of editorial production.” — Jude Bradley, Editor/Writer, Variety/Reed Business Information

“Gary is a tirelessly conscientious copy editor who gets both the big picture and the small picture. I watched with great admiration as Gary’s job description evolved over time at Variety and he repeatedly adapted to fast-changing circumstances and new job duties.” — Carmel Dagan, Copy Chief, Variety

“Gary was an excellent proofreader who checked our artwork and graphics, asked salient questions about info we placed on charts, and often spotted inconsistencies between what the graphics said vs. what accompanying stories said. Plus he’s super to work with.” — Judy Patterson, Assistant Art Director, Variety

“Gary North is a fine journalist. He is a true professional who employs great attention to detail, patience for good research, and a general sense of wonder into every project he undertakes. He takes nothing for granted and can be counted upon when you need him the most. Gary is a good man to have in crunch time; he’ll get the job done calmly and completely, no matter how tough the pressure points may be. And after the deadline project is published, he’ll quietly sit down afterward and ask you: ‘Now what have you learned from all of this?’” Chris Preimesberger, Editor/Writer, eWeek/Ziff Davis

“Every Friday, I leave here and think, ‘Ooh, I have to remember to tell Gary on Monday what a great job he’s doing,’ and every Monday I forget. Anyway, you have one of the hardest jobs here, and you get it done with no fuss and maximum efficiency. And we all notice, and we all say so behind your back, but I think we all forget to tell you.” — Tim Gray, Editor, Variety, in an email

“You completely transformed this department.” — Steven Gaydos, Executive Editor – Features, in a meeting with other top editors discussing how I had streamlined the workflow and improved story quality/accuracy

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Teaching Endorsements
From MediaBistro website
and its automated anonymous feedback system

From the website (except where noted):

“Gary was an exceptional instructor. In addition to being insightful and passionate about the field, he was always courteous to everyone in class. I was especially impressed with the efforts he made to email us supplemental material, and his willingness to help his students outside of the course.” — Andrew Wisot

“Gary was fantastic. He asked each of us about our goals as it pertained to the class, and if he sensed an interest in a particular topic, he delved into further detail. He handled questions and class participation with agility and patience.” — Christine Podbielski

“Gary is a wonderful teacher, and his instruction helped me to refocus my work habits and provided an excellent reminder that copy editing can be fun.” — Joyce Pennell

“Gary is an extremely knowledgeable instructor and role model. He is easy to approach with questions and encourages comments, explaining topics and answering questions thoroughly.”— Candice Ota

“I feel lucky to have taken this course. I learned a lot about the craft of editing. I’m a stronger editor now and I look forward to applying all the things I learned in this class in the near future.” — Tim Crowley

“The class had valuable information that I hadn’t been able to acquire elsewhere. All the handouts were relevant and useful, and included an extensive list of online resources for employable copy editors that I’ll start using immediately.” — Lynette M. Smith

“Gary was very knowledgeable, articulate, easy to follow, and perhaps most important, he really respected the craft and communicated the importance of doing the job well.” — Odin Ozdil

“Gary went that extra mile to make sure we all got what we needed from the class. He offered to help each of us in the future and I fully plan to take him up on that.” — Gail Wichert

“I learned so many valuable skills that I will carry with me throughout my career. Gary’s enthusiasm for copy editing and kind demeanor made every class a pleasure.” — Angela Salazar

“I am grateful to have been a part of a course as informative as this one, and I would gladly take another course.” — Patricia Lawrence

“Before I took this class I respected copy editors. Now I worship the ground they walk on. Gary has such vast knowledge and he was so enthusiastic about sharing it. I especially enjoyed and learned from all his anecdotes. This was an excellent course.” — Lee Alexander

“I got much more than I expected out of the course. Gary is a wonderful teacher and is very knowledgeable and passionate about his work!” — Julia Kataoka

“Gary’s insights into copy editing were both entertaining and informative. The time flew by. ... Gary’s MediaBistro copyediting class is more than just a great crash course in editing for print and interactive media. His insights into where the business of writing is heading are invaluable for any writer interested in working in new media.” —Tom Owens (in MediaBistro comment and from LinkedIn)

“I was one of your students in a one-evening seminar, Copy Editing Essentials, back in July. I never properly thanked you in writing for a great class (not an easy feat in one evening; I know, being a former teacher!). I especially appreciated your thought-provoking professional insights, your availability and willingness to communicate with students beyond the class session, and your very thorough follow-up emails.” — Anna Santos, in an email

From automated anonymous feedback system (on file at MediaBistro):

“Gary was great! Very informative and friendly. Extremely gracious in giving out his contact info for future reference. ... For the price, the length of the class is perfect. Just want to say thanks for the time, instruction and advice given. So glad I took the class!”

“He was great. Very passionate and knowledgeable about the subject! Related everything to the reality of actually working as a copy editor. Went beyond what he needed to do, even though we were such a small class. Would email us extra information, and set up a visit to the LA Times. This was my first copy editing course, and I feel as though I have a good overview now of what the profession is like!”

“Gary is a natural teacher. Along with that talent he is very knowledgable about the business. ... I am grateful to have been a part of a course as informative as this one, and I would gladly take another course.”

“Gary North was fantastic. I’ve been to many classes in which the instructor only wanted to talk about the subject matter within his or her pre-determined bounds with little concern for students’ needs. But Mr. North asked each of us about our goals as it pertained to the class, and if he sensed an interest in a particular topic, delved into further detail. He handled questions and class participation with agility and patience. ... He was great. Obviously very knowledgeable without being pompous about it.”

“This course was very educational and interesting! I not only learned a lot about what copy editing is, but learned so much about the copy editing profession as a whole. I got much more than I expected out of the course. Gary North is a wonderful teacher, very knowledgeable and passionate about his work!”

“He was personable, informative and generous. The instructor took the time to target the content to the students in the class and he delivered as promised.”

“He was great. Very engaging instructor with a complete grasp on the subject, imparting his knowledge and responsive to the group’s questions. His handouts were also very helpful.”

“Gary was informative and had a good sense of humor. He really knows his craft and how to get the basics across.”

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