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Meet the arts and entertainment desk: Giving artists a platform

Ruby Secrest, Arts and Entertainment Editor

August 20, 2024

Collegian | Falyn Sebastian

Dear readers,

Welcome to the arts and entertainment desk. If you are interested in the creative parts of Fort Collins and what makes the community thrive, this is the perfect place for you.

The A&E desk is a place that discusses all forms of art in Fort Collins, from movie and concert reviews to profiles on local artists and restaurant owners. The A&E desk feeds the right side of your brain while exercising the left with features on the fabulous, thriving drag community and weekly horoscopes. This cross section allows our writers to combine journalistic writing with creative writing, truly allowing us to stand out as a desk.

When first moving to Fort Collins, I had no idea the scope of the community of artists here. With creative secondhand clothing stores, themed coffee shops with their own twists, local bands of every genre and so much more, it is truly a community unlike anything I have ever experienced.

The A&E desk gives creative individuals a place where the story behind a local mural is not only told but also heard, a platform that gives dance communities recognition for their cultural involvement and where musicians are able to speak on their relationship with their music, fans and shows.

Giving artists this platform is a great responsibility and privilege. When I first began writing for this desk, I was inspired by the individuals I got to interview. There were so many people of all backgrounds I would have never been exposed to without this job. Our writers experience this with every story, finding new angles to report on the constantly changing and evolving entertainment and art community.

We are excited to take on this responsibility and share this community with our readers. Without your engagement and support, we would not be able to write about the amazing people and community that make this town come to life and thrive.

Sincerely,

Ruby Secrest, arts and entertainment editor

Reach Ruby Secrest at entertainment@collegian.com or on Twitter @CSUCollegian.

About the Contributors

Ruby Secrest, Arts & Entertainment Editor

Ruby Secrest is the editor of the arts and entertainment desk for The Collegian. She is a third-year student at Colorado State University, pursuing a major in journalism and media communication and a minor in film studies. Born and raised in Denver, Secrest has always had a love for fine art and live music. When joining The Collegian in fall 2023 as a writer and photographer, she took a special interest in concert photography, reporting on the live music and local art that takes place in Fort Collins. During her time at The Collegian, Secrest has sought out stories with artists and business owners who have a deep passion for their work and are interested in growth. She has been fortunate to report on local businesses, mural reveals and concerts, such as Odie Leigh, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets and last year's Fort Collins Music Experiment festival. Secrest's taste in art and music follows a broad range, from Picasso's Blue Period to the early work of Annie Leibovitz with Rolling Stone magazine and music from Foxygen, Big Thief, Ron Gallo, Frazey Ford and, of course, Bruno Mars. She encourages people to have a guilt-free love of today's top hits while also buying tickets to shows with an audience of 10. Secrest is grateful for the platform The Collegian gives young reporters and photographers and is excited to take on her new role as the A&E editor. Her goal is to encourage passion within the arts and help grow an environment within the A&E desk where any special interests of the reporters are heard and fostered, just as her mentor did for her.

Falyn Sebastian, Digital & Design Managing Edtior

After becoming a page designer as a sophomore, Falyn Sebastian evolved from print editor to design director and has now officially begun her new position as digital and design managing editor. Originally from the Big Island of Hawaii, she chose to attend Colorado State University to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in graphic design along with a minor in entrepreneurship. When it comes to arranging content in The Collegian's newsprint, Sebastian formats and arranges the visual media that readers love in a physical copy. After attending content and budget meetings with the editors of each desk, she manages how each week's visual content fits into the paper by clicking through Adobe InDesign. With a combination of original photos, illustrative graphics and advertisements, Sebastian organizes and delegates tasks to her talented and ever-growing design team. As a graphic design student, journalism was not a field Sebastian intended to work in during college, but she embraced the world of publication design through The Collegian. As graphic design focuses on the importance of effective communication, she realized she was truly designing for a fulfilling purpose. Student media will forever have a happy home in her heart. Working with other students who are passionate about what is happening in their community drives her to continue working on impactful design. Sebastian looks forward to what is yet to come while gaining new experience and memories with her staff.

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