All Hail the Editor!
A Tribute to AAM Head Debra Stocker
For giving so many of us a chance to show our ‘Girl Power’
After ALL ACCESS MAGAZINE’s Editor DEBRA STOCKER approached me to be a part of her ‘Girl Power’ issue I thought, ‘This edition should be featuring the girl that brings All Access Magazine to all of us as well!’ Stocker certainly is a bona fide symbol of ‘Girl Power’ herself so writing this piece was my idea, as I, for one, is truly grateful for all she has done for me and other females out there trying to make a name for ourselves.
Over the years Stocker has made sure that All Access Magazine remains a FREE Music and Entertainment publication here in Los Angeles, where AAM is based. Wanting to reach out to a worldwide audience she made the most sensible (and cost effective) move by creating AllAccessMagazine.com on the internet. The website currently receives an average of over 2,200,000 views per month and recently hit a record 98,000 plus views in a single day.
Obviously she is doing something right! Many of her staff members have been with her since she started the magazine while more and more fabulous photographers and writers as well as honest (no-sugarcoating!) music reviewers have since jumped on board.
Born in Toronto, Canada her family relocated to L.A. and Stocker has been here ever since. As she grew up she realized her true calling was to somehow help people (and animals ~ she has several rescued dogs now living with her). Her interest in aiding indie scene artists grew during an internship she worked at for several years then a musician friend of hers suggested she start up her own magazine. That along with the tremendous support she received from her significant other John Green convinced her to take the plunge.
For the past seven years All Access Magazine has been covering everything from cutting-edge locals to national and world renowned acts always in a positive light. “I believe in keeping it ‘All About The Music’, which is our motto,” Stocker acknowledges. “We keep out the politics and religion and just let the fun roll for the whole world to enjoy!”
Besides deciding who graces her covers and staying in constant contact with her legions of readers via email, blogs, Myspace, hi5, word of mouth and cool AAM swag giveaways such as tee shirts and stickers, she also finds the time to produce several successful events such as her yearly All Access Magazine Music Awards and fundraisers for various charities including her extremely popular Toys For Tots celebration every holiday season where readers as well as famous rock stars come out in droves to help out.
“All Access Magazine enables me to meet incredibly great people and help get the word out on new bands, new music, concerts, tours and festivals,” she replies when asked what she enjoys most about asserting her ‘Girl Power’. Yes Debra it does and so many of us are indebted to you for all you and your magazine have done to further our ‘Girl Power’!
Please feel free to visit:
www.myspace.com/ALLACCESSMAGAZINE
www.myspace.com/ALLACCESSROCKS
http://allaccessmagazine.com/blog
Email Debra Stocker directly at Allaccessmgzn@aol.com
Barbra Porter
Barbra Porter Photography
Barbra Porter isn’t your usual celebrity photographer; she rocks both sides of the camera. Besides being a highly sought after photographer, she transitions seamlessly into her other life on the opposite side of the lens. As a professional violinist, Barbra Porter has performed and recorded for rock stars including U2, KISS, Madonna, Christina Aguillera, Beyonce, Fergie, Garth Brooks, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Josh Groban, Celine Dion, and Barbra Streisand.
Having performed on the prestigious Academy Awards, Grammy Awards, Emmy Awards, and other high profile telecasts, she has proved herself to be a force anywhere a camera or microphone is present. With a discography that contains over one thousand movies, television shows, albums and commercials including Pirates of the Caribbean, Matrix, and Nightmare Before Christmas, Barbra has been seen as sole principal performer on a Bayer Aspirin Commercial, and was featured in a Planter’s Peanuts and Vitamin Water spot. She is most proud of having worked with legend Frank Sinatra, and The Three Tenors; Plácido Domingo, José Carreras and Luciano Pavarotti.
Barbra’s knowledge and experience of both sides of the camera, give her unique insights in the art of finding the perfect nanosecond to trip the shutter. Invaluable, when snapping pics of Gloria Allred, Garth Brooks, Gretchen Bonaduce, Denise Ames and the multitudes of other celebrities and rock stars whose image she has captured. Currently, she is the celebrity on set photographer for FOCUS IN THE MIX with DENISE AMES.
Email: babs@babspix.com
website myspace.com/barbraporterphotography
Kim Thore
Writer, Publicist, Marketer, Rock Goddess.
Kim Thore manages to fit in all of these and emerge as a Renaissance woman known for her passion for music and all of the madness and mayhem that goes with it.
As a former model, corporate ladder climber and novelist, Kim began soaking up local music scenes in college at UNC- Chapel Hill and was baptized early on by bands such as Flat Duo Jets, Fetchin’ Bones, The Black Crowes and the Replacements. However, after seeing Janes Addiction, standing on a milk crate in a club that was exceeding fire code limits, Kim’s taste buds were awakened by a new brand of music and the rest, as they say is history. Albeit one that is a work in progress.
With a broad exposure to every style from Country to Thrash, Kim began writing for Arts and Entertainment magazines as a critic, reporter and feature writer while she kept a high profile career in the Financial Industry. Little did they know in the boardroom that the VP in the nice suit was wearing leather pants and banging her head at concerts three nights a week. Finally fed up with the constraints of Corporate America, Kim eventually started her own design firm and A&E website and became known as “Strutter on the Town”. Covering bands like Queensryche, Steve Vai, Government Mule, and Alice in Chains Kim became a much sought after music critic, journalist and photographer published widely in the South East and in Europe.
Still not satisfied, Kim realized there was more to be done and in 2000 she launched her own Arts and Entertainment Marketing firm. Kim started FRESH productions & Marketing to provide a conduit for artists to be represented with flair and ingenuity. In 2007 she launched her own annual musical event, The Tobacco Road Music Series, which brings NY performers to the South to cross pollinate. Her passion for the arts is only equaled by her passion for perfection. As a consultant, she is able to create brand identity, produce marketing strategies, negotiate publicity/ad placements, and guide clients into the success they seek finally figuring out a way to combine her corporate/business mind with her rock and roll soul.
When not being a Marketer, or a journalist, you can usually find her on the front row, stage right.
For more info go to www.freshonthenet.com or www.myspace.com/strutteronthetown
Susan Thorsen
Susan Thorsen Photography
Being bitten by the camera bug at an early age, Susan Thorsen officially declared herself a photographer at eight years old. As a young girl, her obsession with taking pictures surfaced as she was continually "posing" her then baby sister in multiple outfits and scenarios, clicking away with their father's camera until her sister cried for mercy and their dad went broke from buying and developing film. In the early 1970's, she began studying fine arts and photography during high school in Portland, Oregon, and college at Portland State University and the University of Oregon. By this time Susan was finding her photographic interests focusing on people and animals. She became both challenged and motivated by one of her school projects - to build a successful business with photography, the business not being simply a "studio". Combined with her love of music, the school project became a life-reality when she began photographing musicians that needed promotional photographs for their aspiring careers. By the 1980's, Susan's love of the "music people" had put her photography into another sphere. She had advanced to becoming one of the few women photographers allowed behind the scenes of the Portland music world. Susan spent many years photographing bands as the house photographer at several very large Portland music venues and photographing the west coast legs of tours of world renowned recording artists live in concert in huge capacity arenas.
"It was an incredible time in my life and the memories that I captured on film I'll carry with me and treasure forever. Most of the people I met and worked with during those days were so charismatically fascinating, it's no wonder they ended up as successful as they are".
Not that those days are totally over, but by the early '90's, Susan had moved her life to Denver, Colorado and a less frenzied pursuance of photographic interests. Taking a break from the world of rock stars and living life on the "other side of the clock", Susan began photographing purebred dogs for one of the largest calendar publishing companies in the world. Once again, she found herself in another area of photographic interest that pulled on her heartstrings. Susan has also recently branched out into photographing weddings on location. She plans to continue on in all aspects of what got her to where she is today - photographing the occasional concert, assisting musicians with their promotional projects and the on-going connection with nature through her purebred dog photos. Basically, anywhere there is a passion; count her in to capture the image for the memory books! And what about that baby sister??? As with most things she's taken on in her life, Susan has come full circle. She's now photographing the baby's baby who is already seven years old and showing serious indications of becoming a camera nut herself!
Christi Broekemeier
Journalist
I was born and raised in New Jersey until I was a young teenager; being an only child I had to occupy myself somehow, so I turned to music and television. I also grew up close to New York City so my parents were always taking me to plays, museums and all the other great cultural places around New York. I realized at a young age that I could remember music and artist much better than I could perform in school; so I would sit and listen to my parent’s record collection or radio for hours on end. Though I mainly like Rock; I love any genre so long as it moves me. I also remember being my friend’s music computer. If they could not remember a band or a song title, they would come and ask me. It was pretty funny sometimes sitting in class passing notes about Rolling Stones songs.
At around 14 I moved to Orange County, CA against my will I must say, and even in the new school I used my knowledge of music and entertainment to get friends and keep them entertained with my wild and crazy antics. I was a poor student; but they found it was because I was bored. Once graduating by the skin of my teeth; and having a baby, I decided I would try college. I graduated from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandise in 1990.
At 28 I got very ill with Lupus, and had to stop working in the field I so loved; so I just began writing. I wrote about everything and anything. I had no idea if it was any good. I showed no one. Finally I did show my step-mother who is a technical writer. She told me I had potential and so I just kept learning the craft. I must have filled 20+ notebooks. I love the feeling of my pen and hand hitting the paper.
Strangely, I was writing about other topics and getting ready to start submitting articles to various genres of music, when I joined My Space. I requested a few bands I loved and started blogging. Soon I started getting more and more request. I started writing at BrainGell which is a Heavy Metal online music station and magazine; Heavy Metal is not exactly my thing but I could cope. I am a Rocker Chick. After several months I submitted to All Access Magazine, just on a whim and the interviews I was doing on my blog started getting printed. This was truly a very happy surprise and love what I do. Being ill makes you look at life a bit different; I don’t feel like I have to be a superstar writer, though it would be really cool. I just know I will be writing something someplace for the rest of my life. Come Hell or High Water.
Heidi Horvath
~ Heidi Horvath Photography ~
Photography ~ IS what Heidi is all about!
Ever since she can remember, she has always loved capturing that "Split Second" Awesome Moment in Time ~ Forever. Heidi has enjoyed traveling to Europe and abroad, taking photographs wherever she goes. She embraces the many projects that come her way. It thrills Heidi deeply in her soul, to capture in the eye of the lens what so often, words cannot speak. That feeling, a look, an emotion, a rocker, smiles, nature, colors, textures, faces, animals, and people are all so truly divine to catch.
To say she is extremely passionate about Photography is certainly the truth. She appreciates and sees the beauty in most all things, even in, the not so perfect things. She finds herself constantly in awe of nature, and the complexity of this interesting world we live in.
Heidi feels very blessed to be able to meet and photograph some incredible, amazingly talented, beautiful people. Heidi is so honored and proud to be a staff Photographer for AAM. She also, occasionally takes photos for "Focus in the Mix" with Denise Ames - TV show. Her photos can be seen on many professional websites!
As her tenacious nature will surely reveal, one can only keep one’s eyes peeled for some more exciting, captivating Photos!
Please take a few minutes check out her work and picture albums. www.myspace.com/heidihorvathphotography &
www.redbubble.com/people/Scoobina2
Heidi is Available for ~ Concert Photography, Commercial/Theatrical Headshots, and Portraits. All types of Photographic Occasions and Styles. ~ For more info, Please
Contact her @ Heidi4gigz@aol.com
