hen we started In The Garage Media nearly three years ago, we were so amped to launch our smart device digital version on VERTIQUL’s truly unique platform. Prior to discovering the VERTIQUL experience, our past dealings with digital media were not that, well, exciting—at least as far as the print-to-electronic translation with smartphones and tablets was concerned.

VERTIQUL worked out all those previous bugs and offered an experience that seemed to surely be the future of Classic Truck Performance, Modern Rodding, and All Chevy Performance. Or was it?

Personally, I’m not a smart device (nor computer) media connoisseur … I don’t even like reading lengthy emails, to be honest. I am and likely always will be a fan of traditional printed media. So, that said, my initial thoughts about the benefits of our high-tech digital platforms—which also now includes a Zinio version—had me a bit worried as far as the future of our printed versions was concerned.

I cut my teeth in this business with a word processor and a hand-me-down Canon F-1 35mm. The Internet wasn’t even a word back then, and mobile phones were the things of videos on MTV and Miami Vice. We used red China markers to make corrections on story copy, and I literally shot 20 rolls of film on every feature (bracketing exposures way beyond the norm!) for fear of not getting those precious 8-10 shots for the magazine. There were no apps for writing/photographing—you had to know your craft from creation to publication … and if you didn’t, it showed!

Long story short, I took pride in what I did each month when the new issue(s) came out—because I worked legitimately hard to make each feature and/or tech story look and read the best it could, knowing thousands of eyes would soon be scrutinizing every word … and every picture.

Likewise, car owners cherished the printed layouts of their featured vehicles evidenced by them plastering the pages on the walls of their garages, shops, and so on. There’s a certain amount of gratification people like us get seeing the results of their hard work featured in a “printed” magazine—and that’s something I was scared of losing after dedicating the last 30 years of my life to the trade.

Well, as it seems, after nearly three years in the books for ITGM, our audience still appreciates the traditional printed format, as our subscription base continues to grow! Not only that, we’ve increased our retail outlets nationwide, so the good old days of browsing the newsstand at Barnes & Noble are not even close to being a thing of the past.

Fortunately, all of media platforms are performing beyond our initial expectations—and we have all of you to thank for that. Your continued support means we’ll be here as long as there are classic trucks, hot rods, and muscle cars to talk about. Thank you!