In the 2013 Spring issue of ZOOM, publisher Edmund Arceo wrote, “I feel that sometimes we need to be reminded that deep within our hearts, as well as just outside our doors, beauty thrives, love grows, and kindness lives.”
Those words—in the third year of ZOOM—resonate now in 2021 just as they did then. Perhaps even more keenly. During the pandemic, citizens of the Sunshine Coast stepped up with beauty, love, and kindness for each other in a time when it could have gone sideways. So in a way, it’s fitting that ZOOM’s mandate has always been to showcase the Coast’s spirit of togetherness, its beauty, and its abundance of creativity.
Although the mandate has always been the same, the ZOOM seen today started out looking a little differently. After a year of publication, Fall 2012 marked one of ZOOM’s biggest transitions: moving from a tabloid format to a glossy magazine. At the time, the magazine’s main focus was featuring bold, stunning photography and minimal editorial copy, and Edmund wasn’t sure a smaller format would do the images justice. It turned out to be the right decision. The format was a more manageable size for readers to handle, it presented better in distribution locations, and the print quality vastly improved.
As ZOOM evolved to include more editorial writing and featured the full breadth of artistic and community endeavours on the Sunshine Coast, the magazine has maintained a clean look that serves the content well. Modern and uncluttered, ZOOM itself is beautifully designed—a frame that doesn’t distract but shows off the Coast’s artistic richness and community spirit.
This is intentional on Edmund’s part; he is a graphic designer and marketer by trade. He started ZOOM as a passion project, wanting to work on something where he could call all the aesthetic shots—content, layout, and design. He wanted a magazine that would showcase beauty and quality, and coincidentally one didn’t exist yet on the Coast. He thought that even if he produced only one issue, it would be rewarding enough.
However, the idea had legs. Having reached the ten-year milestone in 2020, Edmund has much to reflect on, both about the magazine’s history and where it’s going. When asked what is most rewarding about producing it, he responds that it’s all about the people he’s met and new friends he’s made.
“I never would have made friends with such interesting people on the Sunshine Coast if not for ZOOM. When we moved to Garden Bay from downtown Vancouver, I thought it was the beginning of a hermit-like existence. As ZOOM evolves and expands its coverage beyond arts and events, so do my connections with people.”
The beauty of connection is that it can sometimes happen in unexpected ways. Such was the case with the Diego’s Den and Viewfinder sections. With Diego’s Den, Edmund needed a “space filler” in the very first issue and decided to include a picture of his beloved dog, Diego, and dogs from the neighbourhood. What started as a space filler turned into a persistent section that connects people and celebrates the Coast’s beloved pets. Every issue, Edmund invites people to send in photos of their pets. Every issue receives more photos than can fit.
“When I’m asked who is behind ZOOM, I say that it is the community that produces it. I just happen to be the one who weaves the many threads into the finished pages. I am not ZOOM — we all are.”
When Diego passed away in 2014, Edmund received emails from friends asking if he’d continue with Diego’s Den. Dr. Rick Smalley, Diego’s veterinarian, even phoned, asking him to keep the section in memory of Diego and as a tribute to all pets on the Coast. Diego’s Den hasn’t skipped an issue since the very first “accidental” one.
And how did Viewfinder start? Edmund says people were mailing copies of the magazine to their friends and family members in places around the world. Yet again, ZOOM connected people, this time globally. So Edmund asked readers if they could send photos to show where ZOOM has travelled.
“Like the pet photos, the travel photos just kept coming, and I still have many photos that didn’t make it to print,” he says. “What I find funny is that I myself keep forgetting to bring a copy of ZOOM when I travel, so I appreciate the effort that many people put into packing a copy of ZOOM and taking great souvenir ZOOM shots!”
With his design background, putting pen to paper, so-to-speak, was already in Edmund’s wheelhouse. But that doesn’t mean he hasn’t learned anything from producing ZOOM. Edmund says that the magazine has taught him valuable lessons that go beyond skillset alone, “ZOOM has taught me that if I put my mind to something, I can make it happen. It has also taught me to trust myself more, and just do what is right.”
Trusting oneself is a beautiful thing, and Edmund credits the Coast’s supportive community in allowing people like him to pursue their passions. “I’ve learned that people on the Coast recognize quality when they see it. And through ZOOM, I’ve also seen that the Sunshine Coast is an ideal place for inspiring and nurturing creativity,” he reflects.
Edmund is excited about what the future holds for ZOOM. In recent years, it has grown from a one-person team (himself) to a larger team that brings new talent, energy, and innovative ideas to the table. “ZOOM has slowly been evolving the past ten years, and I see further expansion in scope and content while staying true to its primary intention of celebrating what’s real and beautiful.”
He’s quick to add that it’s not only the expanded team at ZOOM that makes it feel like a collaborative production; it’s the community at large. It always has been.
Eight years ago, a visitor came to his office and remarked how surprised he was that Edmund was the only staff member. At the time, Edmund handled all the responsibilities, but even then, he knew it was the public who really owned it. From the artists featured, to the pet photos people send in, to the Viewfinder images people take on vacation, ZOOM is a community effort.
He explains, “When I’m asked who is behind ZOOM, I say that it is the community that produces it. I just happen to be the one who weaves the many threads into the finished pages. I am not ZOOM — we all are.”
