Thank you to all our loyal followers of 20/20 CE and Pro to Pro. I am dedicating my column in this 50th anniversary issue to former 20/20 Editor-in-Chief James Spina. It was James who identified the value that Continuing Education courses would bring to the readers of 20/20. When James and I recently spoke, he shared his inspiration for CE in 20/20. He also talked about his motivation to have one of the industry’s best educators, Mark Mattison Shupnick, bring his vision for 20/20 CE to life. (See my interview with Mark in this issue.) The following is what James had to say about CE and 20/20:

“There had always been some talk about somehow including CE in 20/20 even when I first became Editor-in-Chief, but publishing always thought it should be in a special once or twice a year special edition. Back in the late ’90s, I was going to numerous trade shows including the lab focused OLA and the SECO show in Atlanta. I was desperate for more action than just reviewing frames, lenses and lab equipment. Since I was usually at these shows for three days, I started spending an increased amount of time sitting in on the classroom/speaker education courses, meeting both the speakers and the attendees. The interactions were very energetic and highly creative. I was convinced this sort of interaction could have a positive place in 20/20 as an edit component and also realized it might be a way to enliven the back of the magazine with both edit and advertising interest.

“When it came time to finally downsize 20/20 from a tabloid to a magazine format, I had the thought that CE could function quite well in the back of the book if we structured it as if it were a sort of Sports section in a daily newspaper. I envisioned a new monthly course from one of the educators I met at the shows, which the editors at 20/20 would refine to be “reader” friendly. We devised an engaging answer sheet and structured the whole CE delivery so it could be easily picked up in our new digital presentations, which were brand new to our publishing and communications scenario at the time.

“The structure and the ‘sports section-like’ presentation worked perfectly from the onset, and we eventually supplemented the CE presence with a front of the book format Pro to Pro section, where our educators got a chance to take some editorial stances. To this day, both CE and Pro to Pro thrive in both their print and digital personas, and both were initiated as powerful editorial concepts equally at home when it came to sponsored opportunities. Shortly after its inception, then Publisher/CEO Marc Ferrara asked edit to put together a list of potential CE instructors for consideration as edit team coordinators that would be on staff to guide and partner with edit (and advertising) on building the identity of 20/20 CE. Only one name appeared on both the edit and the publishing list... Mark Mattison-Shupnick.

“I had met Mark in the debut of a special eyewear initiative from Safilo called Enigma, and I was very aware of his previous experiences within lens companies. I had also secretly sat in on a course he had delivered at a trade show, and felt his manner and delivery was totally captivating. I also knew from friends that he was a master at the history of eyewear and a wonderful collector of eyewear artifacts.

“I sent him an email asking if he might be interested in a part-time position pulling together CE courses and CE teachers for the courses in 20/20. He actually misunderstood my inquiry and accepted the position before it was fully offered. With that in mind, Marc Ferrara and I met him at a Vision Expo East for an initial interview, and there was never any doubt for both edit and publishing that Shupnick was our choice.”

Thank you, James, for sharing fun facts behind 20/20’s CE conception and inception in the magazine.

• Deborah Kotob
Pro to Pro Director
[email protected]