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~ Florida Women Magazine ~ Celebrating our One Year Anniversary! “I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels.” — Maya Angelou FM Florida Women Magazine (FWM) is a publication of BH Media, Inc, which was founded by Jet Hall. FWM is celebrating our dia,f one year anniversary this month and we thought what better way to celebrate than to interview in our founder. Jen Wead became Jet’s business partner in January J of this year. The two have a great friendship f i d hi and d Jen J had h been wanting to tell Jet’s story for a long time. Jet said no. They argued about this for a while and one day, many months ago, Jet agreed to let Jen interview her for the anniversary issue. It should be noted that the two got together at Jet’s home to chat, and they shared wine and snacks in their pajamas, just like two girlfriends. The result of that afternoon is presented to you now. This is how we began and the woman that got it all started. �� drinking wine in the middle of the day instead of coffee. Jet: It’s true. Jen: I like it. We should work it into our regular boardroom… Jet interrupts: It should be a once an afternoon hay day… Jen interrupts: Oh, every day? �� - gles.) JET HALL Founder of FWM Jet: Like you know how some have tea in the afternoon. Jen: Well, every day that isn’t on deadline week. The two quickly sober remembering deadline for a moment. Then, both break into giggles again. Jet: Ok. (Begrudgingly) Let’s hear your damn questions. Jen clears her throat and tries to lower her voice and sound like a newscaster. Jen: I want to thank you for seeing me today. �� they need to get it together. Jet: Alright, alright. (clears throat) I promise not to lie and do the best I can. Jen: Well, if you’re going to lie, at least make it creative, make �� Jen: First, I would like to talk a little bit about your history in the industry. Sometimes, when we are talking, you refer back to a women’s magazine that you used to work for back in the day and your typesetting business. Take me back to the beginning of your career. Jet: I’ll tell you how I got started in the industry. When I was in high school I worked for a retail store. One of my jobs in the �� local newspaper. Their rep, an older man named Art Wierz, I’ll never forget him, always dressed like Columbo, with the hat and trench coat, carrying a brief case, taught me how to write ad copy and how to properly mark-up text for the copy department at the paper. Headline, body text, price, etc. The standard who, what, where, why info. Jen: And, how old were you again? Jet: 17. That was it, I got the bug! I really loved that end of the job. A few years went by, the store closed and I ended up getting a job working for a typesetter because of my experience. Typesetting came after the hot metal type. I didn’t know anything about �� giggle), no lie, (giggles) but now I can type 90 words per minute. So, anyway, they hired me and taught me the typesetting business. I learned about layout, design, how to “spec” type. We worked on magazines, brochures, book design for publishers. We provided type for the local printers. It wasn’t just the type, it was getting everything in position, ready to go to press. “Camera Ready” we called it. In those days, type was in “galley” form, in other words, long sheets of text. The typesetting machines photographed the individual letters onto a photographic paper, which we would have to run thru chemical baths to process. The exposure had to be just right. Black, not blurry, high dpi. Then those galley sheets were put thru a waxer, cut and pasted into mechanicals. Layouts were done by hand. Everything was in black and white. It was the printer that added the color. Camera ready now is a complete, full color image, as oppose to camera ready being black and white for the printer. It’s a fascinating history from hot metal type to what is current today. Now everything is so automated. The art is gone. Jen: Was it a national company or... Jet: No, no, it was in the local town I grew up in, Stamford, CT. Yeah, it’s so different now. Computers were larger than refrigerators then. Then the owner of the company retired and closed it down. All of the customers were asking me, “where are ya going?” I said, “well, I don’t know,” and they said, “well, why don’t you start your own?” Jen: So, now by this time you were how old? Jet: It was the early 80s. Jen: So you were married? Jet: Yes, I was married, and I had Melanie Jet’s oldest daughter by then, and, I said (in a high pitched voice) “Okay!” So, I talk- ��- ditioned” equipment. I put it in my dining room. I bought myself a used chemical bath processor and opened my doors. First day in business I did $500 and just kept going. During that time no one �� had a full time business in my house. It was really cool. Well, as we grew we had two or three typesetters, my sister came to work for me and did my books, my mother worked for us answering the telephone and making coffee for the customers. Jen: Love it. Wait, you would see customers in your home? Jet: Yeah, they would bring their jobs to me or I would go and pick them up. It was mixed. And, my father did some of my deliveries. (she giggles) Now, my mother and my father were divorced. They didn’t talk each other. (both are giggling now) But, my older sister Laura calls my dad and says, ‘you know, your daughter needs some help,’ so my father came through. We were busy. We did work for all the local printers. We did work for IBM, Exxon, Mobil, Texasgulf, even government work. My husband, Mike at the time, helped me with display pieces. He would build big 6’ x 10’ wall displays (gestures wide with both arms and then tall) for IBM on which we mounted photographic collages for promotional �� Jen: Wow �� 6 • MAY/JUNE 2019 813.682.9364 ��