Meet Chelsey Dequaine-jerabek | Editorial Director & Outdoors Advocate

We had the good fortune of connecting with Chelsey Dequaine-jerabek and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chelsey, have you ever found yourself in a spot where you had to decide whether to give up or keep going? How did you make the choice?
Working in journalism is incredibly challenging. It’s an evolving industry that is confronted with constant tech updates (don’t get me started on Google updates) and attention for readers’ eyeballs. Your storytelling, topics, website, format, social media presence, newsletters, and everything in between needs to constantly evolve with how readers are consuming news, or you will be left behind. We strive to find a balance between sharing the news our editorial team feels should be shared, and the stories our readers are telling us they want told.

But when you do evolve – when you see the reader’s response to the changes you implement or the topics you cover – it’s a beautiful feeling.

Knowing that you can be a resource for your community keeps me going. Knowing that there are always stories to tell keeps me going. Knowing how to reach audiences and where keeps me going. Being able to shine a light on the people and businesses and highs and lows of a community, and being able to inform readers about everything from a new coffee shop to what’s happening with our environment keeps me going. Readers may never have just one go-to source, but I want our publications to be one of their go-to sources.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’ve had a career of firsts so far in digital journalism and social media marketing: For News Link in 2012, I started the communication company’s Facebook page; for designCraft Advertising in 2016, I was the ad agency’s first social media employee, and went on to be its first director of social media strategy; for Isthmus in 2018, I was the alt-weekly’s first social media director; and for The Capital Times in 2020, I was the paper’s first audience strategist and went on to be its first director of marketing and social media. All the while I continued freelance writing about the arts, music, coffee and the outdoors.

Working on the development of those new roles and the growth of those businesses are experiences I’ll never take for granted. Every stepping stone has shaped me to be where I am and who I am today. In between all that I spoke on countless panels about social media marketing and audience development. I was, and still am, very hungry. I’m eager to take on challenges, network, and attend conferences or events, just to see what I can learn or who I can learn from.

I believe that’s how we evolve – by never standing still and being humble enough to understand that you can always learn more. You can always adapt feedback to the task at hand. You can learn something from a team member at any level of the company, and all voices of different ages, backgrounds, and cultures need a seat at the table.

Especially in digital journalism, we can’t stand still. The landscape changes so fast and you have to change with it. I feel like newspapers were just catching up to meet social media audiences where they are on platforms like Facebook and Instagram, and now audiences want information on so many different and new platforms in so many formats, it’s daunting. And for small, scrappy newsrooms who are just trying to stay afloat, it can be deflating.

Of course, that’s not the only challenge. Technology is evolving rapidly. AI is coming in fast.

Something I’ve always felt proud about myself is my ability to remain optimistic. To keep my team thinking about audience growth, development, analysis, tech, social media, or anything in a forward-thinking, optimistic manner. Setting a strategy gets me very excited. I like to dive in and try new things and see what results come out of it, and from there making pivots to make us stronger. I love sharing wins. I love sharing losses and share what changes we’ll make to turn those into wins. I love that as long as people love to read stories, there is always going to be a place for news in our communities. Journalists cannot be replaced by influencers, but we can work with influencers to help expand our reach. Journalists will not be replaced by AI, but we can research ways we can use AI to work smarter –– faster –– that doesn’t conflict with our integrity. We can be skeptical and careful, but we don’t have to see everything as the enemy. That’s the sort of mentality I like to have.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Oh, I love this question because we get visitors so often in Denver, so I’m always keeping a running list of my go-to spots I want to show them. And the more I discover in Denver and Colorado, the more this list changes.

Lately, our first stop after an airport pickup is grabbing a drink at Thin Man Tavern. Mainly because I live so close to it, but also because it’s a unique, cozy bar. Then we might swing over to Cerebral Brewing for a Rare Trait IPA. That and Ratio Beerwork’s Sparks Fly IPA are my top two favorite beers in Denver (both of these beer spots have fantastic patios). And heading to Ratio also gets you into RiNo Arts District, which is a spot you at least have to stop by when someone visits so you can have them admire all those creative murals.

For brunch, we’ve been frequenting Fox Run on Colfax, or Jelly in Cap Hill. These are both pretty close to our house, so if we go a little further out we like Fox and the Hen. Delicious breakfast and coffee. If we are just looking to grab coffee before we head to the mountains, then we’ll just swing by Queen City. Best coffee in Denver.

To get our visitors outside, we’ll typically head out to Boulder or Golden for hikes. Golden Gate Canyon State Park has been a favorite this summer. We’ve also spotted moose there every single time. And we’ve got to head up to Rocky Mountain National Park. It’s too close and too beautiful to not take a visitor there if they haven’t been. This summer we hiked Bear Lake, Nymph Lake, Dream Lake, Emerald Lake, and Lake Haiyaha. That trail immediately jumped up in my top five favorite hikes in Colorado. (That Gatorade blue water – if you know, you know.)

Getting outside is my favorite part of showing of Denver and Colorado. I find solace in nature. Hiking and being amongst the trees is my meditation. It’s my reset. It all started on land in northern Wisconsin, and I’m so grateful I can now hike the trails in Colorado right in my backyard. Just 20-30 minutes in the car and I’m in the mountains. Anywhere out there is my favorite spot to be, truly.

We also live close to Cheesman Park and City Park, so we like to take people on walks to those parks. The swans lit up at night at City Park are a gem that not many Denverites seem to be aware of.

I know I mentioned beer before, but I saved my favorite food for last and it comes with a brewery. We’ve been to Music City Hot Chicken inside Trve Brewing so often I’ve lost count. It’s my favorite food in Denver. My order is three strips with Nashville hot and hot, and mac and cheese. You won’t regret it, and you will likely have a strip left over for the next day.

Okay, I guess I could go on and on here, so feel free to stop me. I don’t want to forget to mention Rooftop Tavern in Morrison. I love that spot. I’ve already had so many great conversations with visiting friends and family on that roof, surrounded by rolling foothills. It’s a perfect spot if you are out that way anyway for a show at Red Rocks, which you also have to do when you are in town. A requirement.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
When I think about where I am in my career, a lot of people come to mind. As far back as I can remember I was writing stories about adventures and fantasy. I entered a story writing competition in the fifth grade and won first place. That might have been the first time I won an award for anything, and I remember feeling incredibly surprised that I had won it for writing. And then to my surprise, I entered the contest again the following year and won. It was like a fire was lit and I was getting confirmation that storytelling was my path.

I grew up in northern Wisconsin in a small town called Champion, about 15 minutes from Green Bay. I was raised on about 40 acres of land, with a good-sized woods just behind our house. We had horses, chickens, goats, cats, dogs, pet turkeys –– you name it. I spent my summers walking the woods with my German Shepherd, just exploring. I often worked that adventure into my storytelling growing up. And then at some point in middle school, I read “Abarat” by Clive Barker. I was transported into a fantasy world. I loved this idea of stumbling into another world where anything was possible. Reflecting on this time of my life, I am thankful for my parents and two brothers for always fueling my adventurous, weird side. I grew up with a lot of creative people around me. One brother is a talented artist, one a great writer, and my mom is a graphic designer.

In high school, I joined the newspaper staff, and by my junior year, I was editor-in-chief. I never entertained the idea of working for a newspaper before (much less being someone in a leadership role), but here was this opportunity to share the stories of the people around me and have an impact on my community. I was listening to my classmates about what stories and topics they wanted to read more about, and developing my writing skills. My teachers and advisors always supported me and apparently saw something in me I didn’t see in myself.

After college, I had a journalism degree and entered a field that was paying something like $27,000 a year. It was scary. But I found community and lifelong friends in the last place I expected – Lincoln, Nebraska. These friends are still some of my closest friends today. They support me and push me forward.

Even during these early career years, I had my family to call and talk to and ask questions and relieve my doubts. My oldest brother, Justin, has had a huge impact on my life. He’s about 10 years older than me, was in the Navy (both my brothers were), and lived in San Diego at the time. I called him way too often to vent about my challenges and ask for his advice. He always kept me going, and I’m not sure he really knows how much of an impact he’s had on my life. I’m so thankful for his support.

Today, I wouldn’t be where I am without the support of my husband, Jordan. For the last decade, he has been my foundation. During the pandemic, I was getting restless. I wanted a new chapter, a new adventure, beyond Wisconsin. I craved being closer to mountains, trails, and the endless outdoors. I craved a new challenge. I knew I was ready for the next step in my career, and Jordan was all in and so supportive of where my career was taking me. And here we are today in Denver. We’ll be here two years in January.

Website: https://www.westword.com/author/chelsey-dequaine-jerabek

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