Bill Marcil, JR
Publisher
Bill Marcil Jr. grew up in Fargo, N.D., and is the fifth generation of his family to be publisher of The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead, North Dakota’s largest daily newspaper and the flagship of his family’s 130-year-old company, Forum Communications, a print, TV, radio and digital company based in Fargo. Bill went to work for the newspaper in 1992 in various departments before being named publisher in 2010 when his father stepped down after 43 years as publisher. In December 2012, Bill was named chief operating officer of Forum Communications Co. He also sits on the board of directors of Forum Communications Co., the Forum Communications Foundation and the William and Jane Marcil Family Foundation. He has gone on to promote a culture of creativity as the regional news climate continues to grow and change.
Over the last 20 years Bill has served on numerous boards and committees, including the Fargo Moorhead Advertising Federation, the YMCA, the Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber of Commerce, the North Dakota Committee to Prevent Child Abuse, North Dakota 2020 and Beyond and, thanks to his deep and abiding love of the arts, the Trollwood Performing Arts School, the Rourke Art Museum and the Plains Art Museum. In 2002, Bill and his business partner, Maggie Soboil, started the film production company Opal Films. “Myron’s Movie,” their first feature film, was accepted at numerous film festivals, including Cinequest, one of the top 10 in the world.
Bill Marcil, the proud father of four children ranging in age from 9 months to 22 years, enjoys the lifelong process of learning and exploring, of how to be a better father, husband and CEO.
Michael Azerrad
Managing Editor
Michael Azerrad is a veteran music journalist, the author of two acclaimed, best-selling books: “Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana (Doubleday/Main Street)” and “Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground 1981-1991 (Little, Brown).” He has written for Rolling Stone, where he is a former contributing editor, the New York Times, MTV News, the Wall Street Journal, the New Yorker and many other publications. He is a frequent commentator on music for the BBC, VH1, CBC, CNN, MTV and NPR, as well as in numerous documentaries, and has spoken at music conferences on four continents. From 2004 through 2007, he was editor-in-chief of music download service eMusic and from 2012 through 2016 he was editor-in-chief of the Talkhouse.
Cris Linnares
Creative Consultant
An internationally published author and renowned psychotherapist, Brazilian-born Cris Linnares is one of America’s most passionate advocates for women’s empowerment. Her life story and pioneering work have been featured in Shape, Marie Claire, Women’s Health, FOX, and ABC, and you can find her fun yet powerful message shared at TEDxYouth Hollywood and TEDxFargo.
After getting married to her “midwest Prince Charming” (FAR publisher Bill Marcil, Jr.) and moving from the tropics of Brazil to the tundra of Fargo, N.D., Cris created the acclaimed wellness program Diva Dance®, which has inspired women across the world. In 2011, she founded the nonprofit Women’s Impact (Womensimpact.org) to create opportunities for women to connect with and empower each other. It offers a supportive online community and events where women from many walks of life can experience the power of connection to provoke change in their own lives, families, businesses and communities. In 2015, Cris’ work with Women’s Impact received the “Hometown Hero” honor from Glamour magazine.
In August 2016, Cris gained her biggest blessing yet when she gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, William. Today, she continues to work to empower others through workshops and exclusive online videos and courses.
Chris Flynn
Content Producer
Chris Flynn is a video producer at Forum Communications Co. He earned a degree in journalism at Minnesota State University Moorhead. His collaborative work with Forum Communications journalists has received North Dakota Newspaper Association awards several times for local stories in Fargo and the region. His work also includes making commercials and business profiles for clients.
Cody Rogness
Content Producer
Cody is a cultured world traveler, having visited 16 countries (so far) and 35 of the 50 states in the U.S.. He’s also a bit of a renaissance man: an expert videographer with a creative eye, finding the perfect perspectives, angles and light to bring his subjects to life, a proficient musician with the chops to play guitar, bass, drums and “a tad of piano,” as well as an experienced travel photographer, capturing moments of life abroad through a wide-angle lens. Cody is a 2016 National Edward R. Murrow Award-winning photographer/editor for his work on the documentary “Trafficked.” He has been nominated for four Midwest Emmys and has experience shooting and editing television news, documentaries, commercials, TV shows and many other specialty projects. His shooting adventures have taken him across the country for many assignments, from National Football League championship coverage in Texas to covering President Obama in Washington, D.C.
Dave Samson
Photographer
Dave Samson has been a photographer for Forum Communications since 2005 and before that worked as the staff photographer at the West Fargo Pioneer newspaper beginning in 1981. Samson grew up on a horse farm and graduated with a degree in commercial art from Minnesota State Community and Technical College in Moorhead and a degree in mass communications from Minnesota State University Moorhead. His favorite subjects to shoot are sports and covering the national acts that perform at the Fargodome. He lives in West Fargo with his wife, Andrea.
Alex Garcia
Photographer
As a Chicago commercial photographer and photojournalist, I’ve been telling stories through some 6,000 assignments to date. Along the way, I’ve received a Pulitzer Prize, a World Press Photo award and several other accolades, leading HarperCollins to call me “one of the world’s leading photojournalists.” Most recently I was part of a project that won a Titanium Lion in the 2017 Cannes Lion Festival of Creativity. Find out more at alexandergarcia.com.
Jim Manney
Media Editor
Jim moved to Los Angeles to become an actor, but quickly realized that he loved being behind the camera as much as being in front of it. He became obsessed with film and TV production and spent his free time on sets across town absorbing as much knowledge as possible. Jim’s obsession grew into co-founding an audio/video editing company, which eventually brought him to Forum Content Studios. He has a curious sensibility with a creative eye — the ideal combination for creating engaging content. Jim’s curiosity comes through in his ideal project: a series of documentary shorts that uncover what makes successful people tick.
Carol Candeloro
Producer for Chicago
Carol Candeloro is a Peabody Award-winning news writer, producer and line producer who has covered music, politics and history for MTV News, Other Music, PBS and numerous cable networks and websites. Her work in the music industry includes booking bands, managing musicians and overseeing various aspects of such festivals as Pitchfork and the Renegade Craft Fairs.
Aaron Cohen
Writer
Aaron Cohen teaches English at City Colleges of Chicago and covers the arts for several publications, including the Chicago Tribune, DownBeat and ToneAudio. He has written the forthcoming social history “Move On Up: Chicago Soul Music and Black Cultural Power (University of Chicago Press)” and also wrote “Aretha Franklin’s Amazing Grace (33 1/3; Bloomsbury).” Cohen has been a National Endowment for the Humanities Public Scholar and a two-time recipient of the Deems Taylor Award for music writing from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.
Dan Epstein
Writer
Dan Epstein is the author of the acclaimed 1970s baseball histories “Big Hair and Plastic Grass (St. Martin’s Griffin)” and “Stars and Strikes (St. Martin’s Griffin).” He also writes about music, baseball, food and pop culture for a variety of magazines and websites, including Rolling Stone, October, and Revolver. Dan grew up in Chicago and recently relocated there after living for two decades in Southern California. He is delighted with the move.
Leor Galil
Writer
Leor Galil is a music writer for the Chicago Reader, the city’s long-running alternative newsweekly. His writing has also appeared in The Washington Post, Pitchfork, MTV News, the A.V. Club, Washington City Paper, Boston Phoenix, Consequence of Sound and more. Leor is a former contributor to Forbes.com and a freelancer for Red Bull Music Academy Radio.
Bob Gendron
Writer
Bob Gendron is a longtime contributor to the Chicago Tribune and the music editor of ToneAudio. He authored the 33 1/3 Series book on the Afghan Whigs’ “Gentlemen” and co-authored “Nirvana: The Complete Illustrated History (Voyageur Press).” His has also written for DownBeat, Rolling Stone and other outlets. In his spare time, he loves visiting craft breweries and sampling local flavors. He enjoys playing hockey and having a Harley-Davidson to ride. An avid fan of the White Sox and the Blackhawks, he lives in his hometown of Chicago in a historic-certified bungalow with his wife and two dogs.
Fred Goodman
Writer
Fred Goodman’s books on music and the record business include “The Mansion on the Hill,” Fortune’s Fool” and most recently “Allen Klein: The Man Who Bailed Out the Beatles, Made the Stones, and Transformed Rock & Roll.” He lives in New York and is available for babysitting after 5 p.m.
Jon Langford
Writer
Jon Langford is a co-founder of the beloved first-wave English punk band the Mekons, who have released more than 20 albums and EPs since their formation in 1977. Langford has also been a member of: the Three Johns, the Waco Brothers, Pine Valley Cosmonauts, Skull Orchard, Men of Gwent and Bad Luck Jonathan, and recorded many solo albums. He is also a widely respected visual artist, specializing in portraits of early country music stars. His artwork is available from the Yard Dog Art Gallery in Austin, Texas. Langford moved to Chicago in 1992 and has long since become a linchpin of the city’s music scene.