New Board Member Spotlight: Carri Oosterbaan
New FMA Board Member: Carri Oosterbaan
Title: Account Manager, Magazine Group
Company: LSC Communications
Tell us a little about your background.
I’m so happy to be part of the publishing community in Florida. Most of my career has been spent in editorial operations, quality, and production at Time Inc and Conde Nast. About four years ago, as the industry started to shift, I was hired by LSC Communications, one of the print vendors I’d used for years at Conde. LSC is one of the leading print, logistics, and marketing solutions companies in the U.S. Spun from RRD in 2016, LSC has multiple book, magazine, and catalog plants throughout the U.S. and internationally. My position as a sales rep really uses all of the skills I’ve honed from the magazine side to help customers save money and get the best quality product in this changing marketplace.
What do you see as the biggest challenges facing Florida’s magazine printers?
The last few years have been a rocky road for both magazines and printers. In our industry post pandemic, we are at a perfect storm for publishers: Supply chain shortages raising manufacturing prices, paper scarce and expensive when you can get it, and freight/postage going through the roof. The burden is a bit easier for national publishers, but with most of Florida’s publishing community being regional and niche, it is hard to stay afloat.
Florida publishers do have great opportunities to diversify and lift the print portion of their brand. The obvious choice is the pairing of print and digital, but we’ve also seen success where titles can create subscription boxes for additional revenue, or offer their print titles in smaller quantities in other languages using digital print facilities. It pays to think out of the box these days, and technology offers so many options to pair with print for brand expansion and economic lift.
Why did you decide to join the FMA Board?
I was excited to join the FMA board primarily because I am a publishing geek. I really enjoy the industry, and working with some of the most talented publishing minds in Florida really brings me back to the craft of magazines. In my 30 years in publishing, I have never thought of it as a “job”; it’s been more like an ongoing education in a field that I love. I have been lucky to have been mentored by amazing people, and the FMA is a way of paying it forward.
I hope that we can help grow the industry by reaching out to journalism students and new hires. By showing them how much they can contribute and hone their craft, it will help print and publishing continue to thrive. That is one of the best parts of FMA: its awards that embrace and raise up journalism students with scholarships to continue their field of choice. FMA will thrive when the next generation jumps into the field, and the association is doing a great job in getting more people to take a look at magazines.
Tell us a little about what you like to do when you’re not printing magazines.
When I am not thinking about printing and publishing, I am the proud helicopter mom (as much as they hate it) of two teens, a lover of all things canine, and I recently became involved with fundraising for the Best Buddies organization.