The Story behind the Stories
By Kate Bartlett
Have you ever wondered what is behind the stories you read here every week and how they all come together? Jeanine Zimmer is the maker of this magic. She is the founder, publisher, editor, creator, artist and designer of The Villager, and the woman behind the curtain so to speak.
A college student with a dream, she envisioned becoming an artist and publisher, and she made it happen. She has been publishing for 22 years and founded The Villager17 years ago. The story of how The Villagercame to be can be an inspiration for us all.
While studying Communications at the University at Buffalo, Jeanine found her passion for arts and publishing through her first internship at Nightlife Magazine in Buffalo, NY. This hands-on experience gave her the first steps in design and print as well as offered her opportunities to write; she conducted interviews with musicians such as Rob Buck of the 10,000 Maniacs and Levon Helm of The Band (who even met up with her for a cup of coffee at The Tralf in Buffalo before his show). She also had an interview over coffee on the Elmwood strip with poet and then UB professor, Robert Creeley at that time; little did she know, how many more fascinating people she would have the opportunity to meet.
Jeanine, captivated by these opportunities, wanted to grow more, so she reached out to Artvoice, a publication covering arts, business and general editorial news in Buffalo, and was granted an unpaid internship. “I wanted to learn everything I could, so I worked for free. I was their gopher; I did anything and everything from fetching coffee to learning how to layout advertising.” Besides running to get the designers’ coffee, they threw her a few ad designs to work on – they never made it to print but her mind was expanding. She decided when she graduated in 2001, she would set out to start her own publication. And that she did.
In July 2001 she printed her first publication. It was all black and white and 12 pages. It was going to be a monthly arts journal, ar’te-fakt magazinewas its name. The word “ar’te-fakt” literally means “something created by humans for a practical reason.” With this publication, she merged her love for arts with journalism. She was able to feature her own and other artists’ artwork on the cover, and began by selling advertising door-to-door down Elmwood Avenue in the city of Buffalo to keep the magazine running.
Jeanine single-handedly distributed these magazines to all the shops along Elmwood Avenue in Buffalo, bars in Fredonia, restaurants in Jamestown and all the hotels and colleges along the way. By January 2003, the publication was gloss and full color and into the Warren and Erie markets as well. And yes, she was still doing all the distribution nearly single-handedly. In September 2004, she expanded west into Cleveland and east into the Finger Lakes. She even relocated to Cleveland and made this her hub and hired distributers. ar’te-fakt magazinehad a good run for five years and by this time it was full gloss and 30 pages.
Throughout those years, she was honored through the University at Buffalo to be a keynote speaker at a conference for graduate students in Cleveland. Her painting “Jam Session” commemorating “10 Years of Rock” was selected and on display in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Her work was also acknowledged on the cover of the arts section of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, in 2005 and as “One to Watch” in Cleveland’s Inside Businessmagazine, 2005. She worked tirelessly doing what she loved, feeling the flow and riding the wave of success.
In 2005, Jeanine started The Villager, a weekly publication in Ellicottville to promote people, places and events with no politics involved. After one year of managing both publications, with the encouragement of Brain McFadden from the Ellicottville Chamber and the local community, she decided to put ar’te-faktto rest to focus solely on the newspaper.
As a Bemus Point resident, Jeanine also started The Lakeside Ledgerin the Chautauqua region to promote tourism and a stronger sense of community amongst residents and businesses located there. In 2020, with the onset of the Covid pandemic, she merged the two newspapers into one publication, as The Villager, a weekly publication covering events in the Ellicottville, Cattaraugus and Chautauqua regions. Full editions are available in print and online at www.thevillagerny.com.
Jeanine’s right-hand girl, Jessica Shultz is the office manager, and they operate as a well-oiled team. The Villagercurrently boasts 15 freelance writers who are very familiar with the term “Teamwork makes the dreamwork!” Always complimentary, Jeanine guides her writers and is proud of their hard work and dedication. Not a week goes by without praise for a job well done to her writers, and vice-versa. She would also be amiss not to mention their best-dressed distributer of the full 17 years, Jack Little, aka Ben Franklin and the untiring support of her family. Most recently another close friend was added to the team – enter Jon Elder Productions.
“We’re always trying and always growing. Our goal is to bring the community together and lift each other up. We work closely with the Ellicottville Chamber of Commerce and local businesses and always encourage reader involvement. The more people involved the stronger the paper will be.”
A true testament to do what you love; Jeanine works diligently and relishes in her finished product. “It’s like putting together a puzzle every week. I love laying out the articles and finding the perfect picture to bring the words to life. The articles are so full of flavor, I just love bringing them all together and getting them to flow.”
The Villageris something we all look forward to reading every week and has become a part of our community’s lifestyle. The published articles remind us of the importance of community and lifting each other up. No politics, no drama, just people promoting people. Doing good, feels good, and reading about it is even better.
If you’d like to become a part of the story, don’t hesitate to contact Jeanine. An artist by nature, she’s always looking for new ideas and fresh perspectives, as well as adding writers to her team.
Personally, becoming a part of The Villagerhas changed my life. I’ve discovered a passion for writing, interviewing, and sharing stories. We all have a story, and I’m honored to be able to share them with you every week. Jeanine has been my inspiration as well as my mentor. Let her remind us all to do what makes you feel alive, follow your passion, and live the life you love.