TC Jewfolk is pretty damn excited to report that after an incredibly successful fundraising campaign (thanks to Kathrine E. and Louis F. Hill, the Minneapolis Jewish Federation, the George Kaplan Memorial Foundation, and our community of amazing donors), and a hiring search across the Twin Cities and beyond, we have selected TC Jewfolk’s new Editor and Community Manager, Bradley Machov.
He’ll hit the ground running on October 1st.
Many of you will recognize the name. He’s been writing for TC Jewfolk for a while now (click here to read his awesome articles, including his joint review this weekend, with Jewfolk Media board member Emily Cornell, of “Nabucco” at the MN Opera”). You’ve probably also seen him around the TC a bit. Get ready to see him A LOT MORE.
In the meantime, before you run into Bradley at one of the Twin Cities’ many fabulous upcoming Jewy events (check out our October 2012 Events calendar to see what I mean), we thought you’d want to get a sense of who this guy is, and why we thought he was so damn special.
So we asked him a few questions.
TC Jewfolk: In 100 words or less, who are you?
Bradley Machov: I like to write. I like to write too much then edit it down. It takes me two hours to write a tweet. So I don’t tweet. I was born and raised in Minnesota. I moved away for college, then came back because New York City was too warm for me. I can’t shake the feeling that the Groucho Marx quote: “I don’t care to belong to any club that will have me as a member,” describes me perfectly. I can fly. Only one of those things is made up.
TCJ: How did you first hear about TC Jewfolk? When did you start writing for us?
Bradley Machov: My dad actually told me about TC Jewfolk. I had just graduated from college and was telling people how I wanted to be a writer. He told me about this local Jewish blog run by a lawyer he had worked with once. My first article was, “Hanukkah? It’s Greek To Me,” about the “true” story of Hanukkah, which I wrote in December 2010.
TCJ: What three things are you most excited about when it comes to working as TC Jewfolk’s new Editor/Community Manager?
Bradley Machov: I can’t wait to work with all the current writers and really get the most out of their writing talents. I want to keep finding new writers and really create a vibrant, Jewish writing community centered around TC Jewfolk that keeps finding new ways to engage our readers and keep them informed of everything that’s going on. And the fat stack of business cards I plan on printing and sticking in my wallet with my name and TC Jewfolk’s logo on the front.
TCJ: How did you first get involved in the Jewish community? Were you involved in Jewy stuff in college? High school?
Bradley Machov: Wow, how did I first get involved in the Jewish community? Well, I went to preschool at the JCC. So I’ve pretty much been involved since the beginning. I was involved generally in the Jewish community in college. In high school I was a board member of BeSTY (Bet Shalom Temple Youth) and did NFTY stuff. I also went to both Herzl and OSRUI camps as a camper and counselor throughout high school and college.
TCJ: What’s your favorite part about being Jewish?
Bradley Machov: The built-in excuse for being neurotic, noodle kugel, and getting to drop “Mazel tov” into everyday conversations.
TCJ: Who’s your favorite Jewish celebrity?
Bradley Machov: Alive? Jon Stewart. Ever? Albert Einstein. Or Moses.
TCJ: What’s your favorite part about living in the Twin Cities?
Bradley Machov: Februaries. Kidding. I used to live in New York City, and I always tell people that the Twin Cities has everything NYC has, just less of it (quantity-wise). But the Twin Cities also has nature preserves right in the middle of the city! Every inch of Central Park was planned and man-made; here you can hike through actual, unencumbered nature, right along the Mississippi River, then walk across the street to dinner and a movie. It’s just the craziest thing.
TCJ: When you aren’t working on TC Jewfolk stuff, what else will you be doing in the TC?
Bradley Machov: I spend a lot of time at HUGE Improv Theater in Uptown. It’s a theater dedicated to fully improvised, unscripted theater – kind of like “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” and kind of not. I also teach history to Bet Shalom 7th graders twice a week, I work for a website, OktoberfestHaus.com, that sells Oktoberfest party supplies to customers all over the world, and you may catch me running around Lake Calhoun.
Want to contact Bradley? Email him at [email protected].
