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Power Hour Optometry
The Future of Eyecare Media: Anne M. Cooper on Trends, Technology, and Change
00:50:31
What stories are shaping the future of optometry, and how do we know where the industry is headed? To answer that, we turned to someone with perhaps the broadest view in eyecare today: Anne M. Cooper, Editorial Director of Vision Monday and...
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Foreign.
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Welcome to the Power Hour, Optometry's biggest and longest running show. I'm your host, Eugene Shotsman, and I'm very excited about today's guest. Ann Cooper is the editorial director of Vision Monday and 2020 magazine. And if you've been in this industry for more than five minutes, you've probably read something that her team's put out, whether it's V mail, the industry calendar, their special newsletters, you name it. Honestly, not much happens in eye care without showing up somewhere in one of their publications. And so that's exactly why I wanted to have Ann on the show. She's got this very unique perch for where for the last 18 or so months, she doesn't just kind of report on the news, she's in the news and she's analyzing the major trends. So in today's episode, we zoom way out and we talk about these meta trends that are shaping our industry. For example, what stories are resonating the most with their audience? What's surprising, even from her point of view, how are they using multiple mediums? And how do changes like technology adoption or scope expansion or even the reshaping of our major meetings signal where the profession is headed? So if you own a practice, you work in a practice, or you just want to stay ahead of what's coming, this conversation will give you some thoughtful and insights on what matters right now and what might be on the horizon. Quick reminder before we get started, make sure you're subscribed on YouTube, Spotify or Apple podcasts so that you don't miss an episode. And as always, I look forward to hearing from you. Drop me a line anytime@eugene shotsman.com and now let's dive in. Here's my conversation with Ann Cooper. Ann Cooper, welcome to the Power Hour. Excited to have you on the show.
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Hi everyone, I'm Ann Cooper. I am editorial director for Vision Monday and for 2020 magazine as well. I joined the organization in January of last year, so about a year and a half in, it's been really exciting so far to have a chance to be in this seat and really have a bird's eye view of the industry and get to know all the different moving parts and the different people and the different organizations. In terms of our publications, we have again both print and digital platforms for VM and for 2020. So a lot of people are familiar with VMail, which is our daily newsletter Monday to Friday, and then VMail weekend is our Saturday edition. And through those platforms we're reaching tens upon tens of Thousands of people every day, which when you really stop and think about it, is a little bit mind boggling to recognize how many people are actually opening up those emails every day and reading what our team is putting together. We also have 2020 in terms of their different newsletter platforms that go out promoting their website and the different newsletters promoting different features in the publication. VM Rather has also the going green and independent inewsletters that go out. We have an industry calendar that goes out on a regular basis as well. And of course you can find us across social channels, on LinkedIn, on Insta, on X. So we have significant presence across all those platforms as well.
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Yeah, and I think that's why I wanted to have this conversation with you and because quite frankly, I don't think anything happens in the industry without you guys somewhere in one of your publications or multiple reporting on it. And so that does give you a unique perch from which to I guess identify what is the kind of the meta trends? What are the meta trends? What is going on in the industry? Where are things headed? What are some of the things that people respond to the most? What do people care about the most? So let's maybe zoom out first and say if you had to summarize over the last 18 months or so, what things look like which what are the things that people care about the most? Your readers, what are the trends that appear to be at the top of the industry's mind?
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That's a great question. You know, I will say when I first started I joked that there was a little bit of drinking from the fire hose, so to speak, in that I was out in front at different meetings and events and meeting people. And I had the opportunity to get on stage at the summit last year, our Vision Expo rather, our Vision Monday Executive Summit. And my observation at that time that still holds true today is that in our roles at vision Monday in 2020, we are not just of the news, but we are in the news ourselves. We generate the news ourselves, we identify these trends, we report on these trends. And so we're in this unique position where we get to see the industry as it evolves, but we're also a part of it and we're a partner to it. And so it's really a unique position to be in. Which reminds me, I didn't bring up our summit or our Most Influential Women Luncheon that are also key events for us as well as part of the offerings for VM in 2020. But back to your question. I think that there's a Real thirst for information on technology, on the evolution of technology in the industry, the role of technology in the industry. And there's also a real curiosity about change. You know, change as part of any industry, whether it's optical or automotive or what have you, change is inevitable. So when we're doing reporting on changes or significant changes, we do see a lot of interest in that as well.
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B
Yeah. And you know, I guess you mentioned technology. What other themes have emerged that kind of related to that change?
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Sure, yeah. I think anything that delves into the use of artificial intelligence. When you think about the role of artificial intelligence and the role that it's playing kind of across the spectrum of the industry. So thinking about it closer to home in the diagnostic capabilities, thinking about it within a practice from an operational efficiency standpoint, time with the patient, ease of use, facilitating more of the administrative or the operational side of running a practice or even running a business. And then when you extrapolate that outward and you look at how it's elevating access to care and the ability to deliver care in different locations and using it as a tool to not just enhance diagnostic capability, but to enhance access, there's a tremendous interest in that technology. And that technology is going to continue to evolve. Scott Morris just wrote a really great column on this for AI and Eye Care, one of our products, where he talks through the evolution of, of AI and the role of change in our industry and our responsibilities as leaders in terms of helping to leverage that to move things forward. So there is a great interest in that technology and what it means. And I think we're continuing to see that, you know, there's also a significant interest in wearable technology. You know, we, we saw a lot of interest when we saw the approval come in for Nuance Audio and you know, that groundbreaking technology that allowed there to be an open ear hearing solution for patients and combining that in a pair of eyewear to allow some discrete solutions for people, you know, it really was a big step forward, I think, in the industry that we saw a tremendous amount of interest in, from our standpoint, from a readership standpoint, and a continued interest in that and the evolution of that sort of technology. You know, and I think it all goes hand in hand, really with what's the heart and soul of the industry is. And kind of having had, you know, a year and a half or so here kind of under my belt, so to speak. You know, I have seen that it's an industry with a lot of heart and we have all different components that come Together we have clinicians, you have, you know, you have wholesale retail manufacturing, you have eyewear, you have lenses, you have labs, you have all of these different components coming together. And while each has a unique business or a unique space in the industry, at the end of the day, the underlying goal that everybody has is to help people see through healthy eyes. And I think the desire to continue to do that well and to reach as many people as possible is what has driven a lot of this, this interest.
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B
Yeah. And, you know, I think it's kind of interesting as you're talking through it, I, I wonder if the adjacency component, so when you talk about hearing, that's a new adjacency, but of course we've talked about dry eye anesthetics, we talk about myopia management as a subspecialty. But I'd call it like an adjacency to the core comprehensive eye exam. It seems like there is constant ebbs and flows of popularity with some of that, with some of that information. I kind of get a sense that there's a thirst for knowledge when a new adjacency comes on. So this whole hearing component, that was, you know, when we did a hearing episode over a year ago, that that episode got a ton of, a ton of attention. And the reason why, I think is because people are looking to say, how can we take care of the patient more holistically and how can we integrate the fact that an optometrist sees, I don't know, 2,400 patients a year, how can we make that care more complete and offer a more comprehensive health experience for a patient? Right.
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And I think that that's a key point as well. Whether it is the expansion into myopia management or dry eye disease or any sort of diabetes related eye disease. Of course there's a multi layered component to any scope of practice expansion. But that underlying drive, there's an interest in helping as many patients as possible. You know, how can we leverage technology as a tool to reach the right people and get care where it's needed? There's been a lot of information published and it's not new information that the patient population is growing, it's aging. And with that comes the continued rise of age related eyewear, knee of eye care needs rather, and just a growing population in general with their own sets of needs. And I think that the industry as a whole is always, from my perspective, looking to find ways to get to patients where they are and to help broaden access so that people can get that care they need and technology, you know, it's come into focus, pardon the punishment, as, you know, a really significant tool in making that happen.
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Yeah. And you mentioned a little bit about AI and, you know, I know there's a jobs and publication called AI and Eye Care, and I've had Scott on the show. I publish sometimes in that. Publish a couple articles in that publication as well. But I also noticed that there's more mainstream AI solutions now being announced more than ever. Like, what's your take on kind of the direction that this is headed and how quickly, or not quickly people are embracing the new technology?
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I think at our summit in 2024, Sam Jordan was one of our presenters and she said it best. It's not that the technology will replace anyone. It's that people who don't, people who use the technology will replace those who don't, you know. And so I think the direction that it's going in is the continued evolution in a diagnostic space, the continued evolution in a practice management and business management space, finding more efficient ways to work and allowing your team members to really focus on the parts of their jobs that only they can do. I think where we're seeing the technology going is this continued evolution in utility, but also we're evolving with it to identify where we can plug this in as a tool so that we can continue to really deliver that high level of service and high level of care and leverage that as a tool to help us all do our work better.
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B
So I have to ask about this from an AI standpoint because I imagine that, I guess for those of you who don't know that in order to get something published on vm, you have to send a press release. That press release has to come to you or a member of your team or somebody in that organization. And in the past, it used to be harder to write a press release than it is today. So I'm curious how bombarded you are from a technology assistant standpoint. You know, like now it seems like, you know, everything can be really newsworthy and, you know, it's a lot less effort, cost and resources to write a press release about something newsworthy. So have you seen the number of press releases go up?
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Not necessarily. You know, I think that we always have a lot of interest in people sending us information and news to share, you know, and the degree to which AI has contributed to that or larger language models. I'm not really sure, you know, on our end of it, there's always a human receiving it. You know, there's a Definitely a human receiving it and reviewing it and assessing it. And from time to time, AI may be used to help as a tool for us, but by and large, we generally have editors on the receiving end of those releases, taking a look at them. And there are releases that come in that have all the moving parts that we need. The who, what, where, when, and why. And then there are releases that come in sometimes that may have some different pieces where we'd like a little more information, and we follow up in those cases. But I don't know if there's been a broader proliferation of submissions to us, but I do think it has probably helped people in refining some of the ways that they write and communicate.
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Yeah. And I. I'm just sort of curious, but I also recognize that the people who have newsworthy things are probably still taking the time and energy to make sure that those newsworthy things reach reach your desk one way or another. And as you're getting these news releases, you know, what's the process by which you decide, is this news or is this not news? I've always been curious about that, and.
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A
That'S a great question. We're really lucky on the VM in 2020 side. We do have a lot of different vehicles and products and ways to cover the news, more so now than we ever have before. My kids like to think that when I went to journalism school, we were etching news stories onto a stone tablet with an iceberg. Not quite the case, but close. I did have my upbringing in the journalism world when newspapers were the primary source of information. And I think that now, when things come in, we have so many different channels and so many different ways to consider where they would fit in this space now more so than ever. I tell the team all the time, I mean, we have readership who. All they want to do and what they were raised on from a native standpoint, is print. They grew up getting a newspaper in their driveway, magazines in their mailbox, and how they read and digested their information and how they received their news was through print vehicles solely. I was one of them for a very long time. And then we have readers on the other end of that spectrum who are complete digital natives. I mean, I look at my own kids who are teens and tweens, and the bulk of the information they receive is from, you know, a news app on their phone or, you know, different chat groups and things like that, where there's an exchange of information. And so there's a lot of different avenues. Kind of getting back to your question, there's a lot of different avenues to publish news now, and there's a lot of different levers that we can pull. And so I think when things are happening and when we know that there are things going on, we kind of look to see where it fits within the available platforms that we have. And there have been times where if we haven't identified an available platform, we think through one and we come up with an avenue to get that news out in the best way possible based on the circumstances. And so I think it's kind of a mix of things in terms of the newsworthiness of it, what it's covering, you know, and thinking about the different platforms where it might be suitable. Something may be more of a LinkedIn post or something on Insta. It might be a reel, you know, or it may be a photo posted or a few photos posted on LinkedIn. It could be a VMail story, you know, or you could look to VM or 2020 for some more like a lengthier piece or in depth coverage, depending on the complexity of the topic. So there's a lot of things that we kind of think through when we get a press release. Some of it is a real great fit for vmail and other pieces may be more suited to some of our other platforms. And those are evaluations that are happening every day.
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B
Yeah. And, you know, that's an interesting point, is that you think about the role of media, the role that media plays in the media consumer's life, and whether that consumer is a practice owner or an industry partner in your case, or really just could be a student who is trying to learn about the industry. But the reality is that you have lots of different ways to cater to them and it's not sort of a single channel. So that actually makes a really complicated decision tree, huh? In terms of where does something go.
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And why it does. But, you know, it doesn't in the sense that we're lucky to have a lot of levers to pull and we're lucky to have a lot of different channels to explore. And it provides us a good deal of agility when news comes in to really talk through as a team, you know, how does this make them? What is. What's the best platform? What's the best avenue to get this out and having those conversations around. Is this a longer article? Is this a longer article with a short reel? Is this a longer article with a short LinkedIn post? And I think, you know, if you told me 25 years ago, graduating from journalism school, that these would be the Conversations we were having, you know, we kind of laugh, right, because back then there were the newspapers and magazines and the Internet was just kind of a thing that was just getting started, you know, but it's an exciting time to be in, to be in the industry where you have so many different avenues to reach readers where they are. Yeah, I think a great thing about Jobson as, you know, as a team is, is that we do have so many resources to pull from. We have our research group, we have Frames data, you know, so we have a tremendous amount of, of information that we can lean back on in kind of considering some of these different stories and, and identifying trends and things like that and then identifying the appropriate channels for them.
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B
It may be a philosophical question, but as we were talking about AI, it kind of immediately spurred the question in my mind is that I, is there a world in which in the future, your reader interacts with an AI platform rather than interacts with VMail coming into their inbox? And how are you guys preparing for that?
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You know, that's a great question too. And I don't know if we're there yet. You know, I don't know if we're there yet. And it's, it's something to consider, of course, as we continue to look toward the evolution of the product and what role AI will have in allowing us to continue to reach the readers where we are. I mean, those are conversations as, you know, a publishing organization and a news organization that we're having almost daily is ensuring that we're identifying where the readers are and we're meeting them there and kind of getting back to that breadth. You know, we have readers who, as digital natives, an appetite may be more for a video. Right? An appetite may be more for a three or four hundred word few paragraphs versus your great read. You know, that, that might be something that's more of the length you find in like a New York Times magazine, you know, so that question around AI and where that fits, it's all part of the conversations that we're having as we continue to look at ways that we can keep meeting the readers where they are.
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B
Yeah, it's interesting. I've read about organizations thinking about how you truly personalize the media to the consumer. And there may be somebody who has no time and says, hey, summarize the new the last week's news for me in, you know, in under a minute, and then, you know something. And there could be a digital tool that quickly summarizes the news for that person and provides them with the hits and highlights. And then there may be somebody like you said, who wants kind of the in depth thing and then basically asks and says okay, tell me more about this particular topic. And then, you know, the, the we'll call it the agent pulls together a very specific type of, type of experience that ultimately engages that media consumer that way. But this is, I mean this is all in the, obviously in the future, but as we start thinking about this massive repository of information that you guys are managing every single day, the second that you started talking about multiple channels, it seems like you're trying to customize the experience for, for the user and you're doing a great job with the channels that you have available now and in the future. I start thinking about like, you know, if, if AI is the thing that ultimately we all interact with on a daily basis because it's made our lives better and more efficient, could that AI potentially in some way shape or form drive the, drive the consumption of this massive amount of content that you will have have?
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A
Sure, yeah. And, and I think that there's a possibility for that. You know, I think that that's a direction that, that may come to pass at some point. But I mean what we're seeing now, and I think that the key with AI is, is ensuring that we're tapping into it as a useful tool. You know, and whether you are kind of approaching it from the perspective of a patient or approaching it from the perspective of a news organization, or approaching it from the perspective of a business, is to identify where that comes into play as a tool in your organization and how can your people leverage that tool and be trained in it to really maximize on delivering on the goals and missions for each organization and for the industry. And I think that, that it's as unique a question as can be based on the number of different businesses, practices and different outlets we have within the, within the industry.
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B
And I think, you know, looking for those gaps where, or maybe those opportunities where new technology can help make, if you're a practice owner, your patient experience better or if you're not a practice owner but an industry member, your customer, client experience better and at the same time possibly save you money making your life of making the lives of your team easier and better and then possibly generate more revenue because it's more intelligently caters to the needs of your end user. Like those three things, to me that's the, that's kind of the golden triangle of success for technology adoption. If you can find that, then do that. Because in some cases I think A lot of people have been a little bit disillusioned because AI was supposed to be this whole, you know, solve all your problems magic thing. And they tried it, and it didn't quite work out the way that they wanted to. And so they were like, yeah, well, it's probably not now enough for now, but that's standard with any new technology that comes out. So I like what you're saying, which is, you know, start. Start looking for the opportunities, and as you refine those opportunities, it creates the. You identify the need and then you start driving, looking for solutions to solve that problem.
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Right. And I think it also, you know, points a little bit to a bigger conversation around the acceptance of change.
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Right.
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And the management of change. And now. And now it's AI, Right? And several years ago, a lot of us were managing and sorting out how to manage through, you know, a massive health crisis and trying to sort through how to adapt and change our businesses, our ways of working, our personal lives, our family lives, you know, to manage through a health crisis. It could be, you know, more global economic challenges. It could be technology challenges. And I think the thread that kind of weaves its way through all of these conversations is change. And change is inevitable. It's a part of life. It's a part of business. And I think AI is one of those things. It's a seismic change. Right. It's not kind of one of the smaller changes that we may need to adapt to, like a computer shut down or your VPN isn't working or something like that. I mean, it's a seismic shift in how we all work. But we can, I think, as leaders and as managers and people within the industry, continue to help move the industry forward by laying the groundwork now with teams and helping them to become more comfortable with change and recognize that change is a part of how we work.
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B
On that theme of change. After we come back from the break, I want to start. I want to go back to some of the data and see where change is most exciting or most interesting to your readers. We'll come back and talk a little bit about what types of changes are getting the most amount of attention. We'll be right back in the Power Hour. All right, we're back in the Power Hour with Ann Cooper. And before the break, we kind of went down this topic of change and embracing change. And it kind of hit me, as you were saying it, that the reality is that your mediums are. Or your media that you manage is kind of an indicator of what changes people really want to read about and whether it's because they're scared about it or because they're interested in adopting it, or because they're super curious. But there obviously have had to be some major changes besides, you know, technology stuff we've already talked about. So maybe we can zoom into some of the categories that, that your publications really talk about a lot, whether it's merchandising or, you know, industry events or anything like that. And like, let's hit on a couple changes. Where do you want to start?
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A
You know, I think one of the biggest things that we're seeing right now is a curiosity in how the industry is reshaping from a meeting and event standpoint. So I know that you had a, a guest on from Vision Council a while back and what we've seen is the Vision Council programming change, RX programming change around Expo has driven a significant amount of interest in the industry and a significant amount of discussion and debate. It's gotten really to the core, I think, of who we are and who we want to be, you know, again, kind of, not to date myself, but years ago, you know, attending a trade event, I mean they, we were on the floor, we were in suits, we were in heels, you know, and kind of walking around the thin carpet of McCormick Place or the Javits center. And thankfully we've kind of evolved to all be in, you know, to be in a more comfortable space. But trade events worthy thing to do. And now we're seeing, and it may be due to that, you know, talking, we talked a little bit about some of the seismic shifts, you know, with COVID and the seismic impact that have had on all of us in all different ways, you know, and seeing how it impacted travel patterns, seeing how it impacted people's desires to gather together in spaces. And for some it, you know, as we moved out of the, you know, the initial kind of, you know, heavy moments of COVID into now, you know, we, I think we see that there are people who just want more than anything to be around other people. Yeah, it's more of a motivator to travel. It's more of a motivator to shake hands. It's more of a motivator to, to be in the booths and walk the floors and have those conversations, meet for coffee and do all those things that historically at trade events we were all doing, you know, and having been in the dental space many years ago, you know, in the trade publication space, that, that was our, what we did, I mean, you know, eight to ten times a year, just on the road, you know, and so I think getting back to your question about, you know, change and things like that, I think there's a huge curiosity right now in terms of this programming change that we're seeing for 2026. And what is that? You know, what does that say? And so many people have, you know, feelings and opinions about it. And there are, you know, those in the industry who think that it's long overdue and this kind of coalescence around one singular meeting is just the way to go. There are others who don't feel that way, you know, and I think that from, you know, our standpoint, you know, in terms of the publications, you know, this is where the industry is. And of course we need to be agile and we need to adapt, you know, so I think there's a tremendous amount of curiosity. When we, when we broke that story in VMail, you know, it was almost like it was the equivalent of breaking our Internet. You know, I mean, the readership on those stories went through the roof because there is a significant interest not just in the logistics of the programming change and thinking about all the events that have grown up around these two events, but also what is it saying about us? You know, what is it saying about us as humans, about our desire to be in the same spaces, in the same places, and changes in shopping patterns, changes in buying patterns, selling patterns. I mean, there's so much wrapped up in that shift that I think everyone is still digesting and processing.
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B
Yeah. And I'd be curious to hear more about your take on the discussion because it sounds like you outlined the two kind of broad things. So that one person said, well, okay, it's been going that way. We keep buying. We're more comfortable with a virtual demo or a piece of equipment or something like that. We're more comfortable learning about something through a zoom meeting than we are in person. And then there's the other group that says, I still want to travel, I want to go to events. I enjoy the interactions that happen at events. I enjoy the learning, the curiosity that gets fulfilled at events. So give me more on the discussion that you've been observing.
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A
You know, I think it's, you know, it comes down to what people are looking for, you know, and there's so many different stakeholders when you look at a trade event. You know, it's not just the exhibitors or the attendee. You know, there's an educational component to it. There are thought leader components to it. There is the dissemination of information, news. There are, you know, the presentations, awards Fundraisers and all of these different moving parts that, that are I think, part and parcel of the event. And so it's hard to capture, I think any one real dominating mindset because I think that there's so many different people who are impacted in so many different ways by this sort of decision.
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B
Well, and you're absolutely right, Diaz. I think that there's the primary conference, but then there's also like all the conferences before the conference. Like for example, at this Vision Expo, I personally am speaking at two conferences before the conference. Right. And so those conferences would have not happened if everyone wasn't gathering at Vision Expo in Vegas. So I bet those two separate conferences would not be, would not be tacked on, so to speak, the day before if it wasn't, if it wasn't for the, for, for the fact that, you know, there is a Vision Expo in Vegas. So now all of those pre events have now been reduced to once a year. But that, what does that mean for all those other stakeholders? Right, I, I get your point completely because it's now forcing other people to say, well, what does that mean for us as an organization? What does that mean for our group? Right. When whether it's a digital group that gets to meet what, that gets to meet face to face. You know, I know there's several masterminds or you know, study groups that meet face to face there online, social groups that meet face to face at expos. I, I know but then there's also like the formal things like buying groups and alliances and things and, and they, they get a chance to kind of tack their event on. So now they have to make a decision and say, are we strong enough without a second expo to create a second event or should we be rethinking the, the, the, the overall picture of our event? So I totally agree with you. This was kind of like this was the thing that shook. And then you know, all the ripple effects continue to continue to proliferate. People and maybe in a really good way to ask the question of what does our end user audience, whoever we're trying to serve with a particular event really want? And at least my impression right now is that there's actually more events scheduled for 2026 at this exact moment, but they're more deliberate and some of them are smaller. And it seems like those events are. And maybe there's a willingness to travel, but willingness to travel with a very specific purpose. I know, I know why I'm going to this thing, whether it's get CE or to learn about this particular topic or to get more information about, you know, or to get some specific training. But I know why I'm going to this event, and so I'm going to go to that event for that purpose and network with the people who are expert in that particular topic rather than, you know, I just have this on my calendar because I always go. And hopefully there's something there that interests me.
- [38:23]
A
Right. And I think, you know, we mentioned this before the break, is that the key component to that question again, becomes change, right, and resiliency and agility, you know, and there have been a lot of different events and happenings and things that have built up around these two different poles, you know, and when our September issue comes out, I do address this a little bit in, in my editor's note and talk a little bit about how accustomed we've all gotten to kind of having what I call the east versus west, right? The. The city versus kind of the desert and the sun and, you know, and the opposite poles fall versus spring. And we've kind of gotten used to these rhythms and the pendulum swing year after year. And the reality is that things do change. And so it just becomes a question then of how do we adapt to it? And it's a question for all of us. You know, it's a question for all of us. And how do we as an industry say, okay, not will we, but how? Because it isn't a will. I mean, it's. It's a situation that, like a lot of things, as change occurs, we. We can fight it or we can embrace it. And I think one of the things that I've seen emerge in some of the conversations and this happens with any sort of change is there's kind of the. The folks who are seeing kind of the downsides and the bad, and it's going to be difficult and it's going to be this, or the people who take a look at it and say, okay, you know, well, what this is going to do now is put different opportunities in front of us or it's going to really kind of allow us to think differently about how we approach acts or how we do, why it'll open up different doors or different spaces or different opportunities. And, you know, as we kind of move through next year and kind of move through a space where that change is happening, I think it's important to keep that perspective in mind. Change is inevitable, and it's more. Do we have the agility in our thinking, the resiliency in our approaches to accept that this is the Next evolution and to really sort through how to accomplish what's needed for the industry within the space that's there. And where do we create different spaces or different platforms or different opportunities or enhancements or other ways of accomplishing the things we need to accomplish. You know, I think that that is kind of the broader talking point when we, we look at a change like this is that ability to adapt and to be agile and continue to embrace kind of everything the industry is offering and how we maximize on that. Yeah.
- [41:25]
B
And I think this also kind of has a really interesting opening for creating conversations that are truly highly relevant to the audience that they serve. So if there is, you know, now that there is no big conference, maybe there's a small conference that wants to fill a void for a small group of people that have a hyper specialized thing and you know, they, they might be able to find that, find that conversation. But this kind of brings back the earlier point of our, of our conversation before, which is that technology does allow us to super specialize at this point in our interest. And we have to be really, my personal opinion is that we have to be really, really careful with it because we don't want to be in an echo chamber to say, well, I'm good at this, so I'm only going to pay attention to this thing. That's the, you know, the, the good thing about getting a physical newspaper dropped on your, on your driveway every single day is that you to flip, even if you only want to read the sports section, because that still interests you the most, you still have to flip through the front page of all the news and you're kind of aware of what's going on in the world and you might get past the opinion page and something will catch your eye as you're on your way to whatever you normally pay attention to. And I think, you know, as consumers, we also have to be really careful to say, you know, we don't just want to surround ourselves with people who are exactly like us. We want to be able to learn from people who are super different than us. Which is where, you know, there's, there's the other side of that pendulum, which is that, you know, yes, there is an opportunity to really talk to the people that you really want to talk about or talk to. But there's also the diversity of thought that you may want to be exposed to at some things where you don't necessarily have a very specific purpose and in showing up or to the conversation 100%.
- [43:17]
A
And I think that's part of the the joy and the beauty of, of all being together.
- [43:22]
B
Right, right.
- [43:23]
A
Is you don't necessarily get to self select.
- [43:26]
B
Yeah. And, and as we kind of, I'm looking at the time and I probably could talk about this for hours and hours, but I have been curious. You know, you've been in this role for 18 months or more and the truth is that you've probably gotten exposure to things that have surprised you both probably in a good way and a bad way. Talk surprises. What's kind of, what's kind of been some of the more more exciting surprises and then also some things that you're like, hey, I wish, I wish this would have been this way, but turned out it'd be completely different.
- [44:01]
A
Sure. You know, I think when I first came into the role, and again, I kind of joked earlier in the segment about kind of drinking from the fire hose and you know, running to different meetings and events and meeting different people. And my initial takeaway was really that it's an industry full of people who care. You know, it's. At the end of the day, we are all kind of driven by this, this noble mission to help people see. And I think as time has evolved and I've come to learn more about the different moving parts and, you know, the different facets of the industry, come to really develop a better understanding of the depth of it. And if we talk about something that I think was a little bit surprising, I think from when I first walked in the door, let's say day two, to where we are now, that there's a tremendous level of depth in the industry and complexity to it that I think as an outsider, as somebody who had never been really focused on optical before coming into this space, you know, there's a layer of, there is a complexity to it that I think for as an outsider, somebody may not necessarily understand, you know, and with a background initially, I mean, many years ago, now as an investigative journalist, moving into healthcare publishing and dental and then navigating into different types of, of healthcare spaces, whether it was through clinical publications in medical journals or working more on training materials in the pharmaceutical industry, you come into optical. And there's a different feeling here. I keep saying it. There's a very noble drive to the work that's being done and there's a very purposeful drive and it's different than anything I've seen across any real discipline. And it's a good thing. You know, it's a good thing because within the industry this, this noble drive to help people see has allowed all of These different people and all of these different players with all of these different moving parts to still come together in partnership day in and day out. And a big learning for me was, I think there were some layers to that. One was really recognizing the depth of the industry, the complexity of the industry, the number of different facets of the industry. When you think about all of the different moving parts and things that hold the industry together, then recognize that to some degree there are, and I think a significant degree, there are people who compete with each other. It's, you know, there's businesses who compete with each other to some degree, but at the end of the day, those same businesses will put whatever that kind of competition is aside and come together in partnership to support a cause or to help each other or to help a patient. And yes, you know, when that all that's done, they'll go back to their corners and run their businesses and their shops and the things that keep the lights on every day, and they should. But they also have this really unique ability to put that to the side for the purpose of achieving the mission of the industry as a whole. And you don't find that everywhere. It's a key driving factor that even as I talk about it, sometimes I get chills because you feel it in your veins. It's what drives everybody to do the work that they do. And it's a very uniting force.
- [47:55]
B
Yeah, I think that's really, really well put. And you're spot on in the context of whether it's an event, whether it's a cause, whether it's even just a collaboration on an innovation. I've personally been witness to competitors coming together and setting aside that competition saying, okay, what's the right thing to do here? And you're absolutely right. I don't think that. I think everybody believes that I care is big enough as an industry and that there's enough of a patient need that everyone can find their spot and the pie. And if we can just make the pie bigger, then everybody can have a bigger slice of the pie rather than trying to compete for the same crumbs type of thing.
- [48:38]
A
Yeah. And I think again, not to self promote too much, but I think also, you know, coming into the Jobson team and the Jobson Optical Group, it's just such a tremendous group of people doing tremendous work, people who really care about each other, people who really care about the industry. And, and it's great to come into an environment where you have that. And you know, I've been out in the workforce long enough to know that you don't always find that. And it's. It's. You know, it's really something to move into a space with the team at Jobson and to see the passion that they bring to their work, their. Their sense of ownership for the work that they do, and a sense of purpose, you know, a sense of purpose and drive and a real sense of obligation to the industry and our readers to do the good work that we do every day. And like I said, I know enough to know that that's not always the case, and you don't always find that as much as we'd like to. And so it's really been a wonderful experience internally as well, to be part of this group and to be working with this group of people.
- [49:53]
B
Yeah. And I think you guys do really important work. So thank you for keeping the lights on in the news organization of the industry and very much appreciate your contribution and your time today on the Power Hour. And again, to you and your team, we really do appreciate the work that you do and the. And the ability to keep an eye on the horizon of the industry and a finger on the pulse of what's happening today.
- [50:19]
A
Thank you, Eugene. It's been a pleasure.