Leaving print: Blackbourn's contract end puts him out to glass

Nov 23, 2016 at 05:58 pm by Staff


Former NZME group director of property, print and production Dan Blackbourn is leaving the industry after a 36-year career in newspapers.

The move - to Auckland-based Metro Performance Glass - follow the end of an NZME contract which most recently has seen him as project manager: "I'm too young to retire just yet, and unfortunately there was nothing at my level within the print industry," he told GXpress.

Blackbourn (53), has been chairman and a driving force of New Zealand's Single Width Users' Group, which held its 16th annual conference in Wellington in August.

He entered the industry from school in 1979 as an apprentice compositor on the then Evening Post (now DomPost) in Wellington. With the exception of a year as a commercial window fitter, he's been there ever since.

He says progression has been a constant, as he moved to supervisory roles for the INL-owned Post. He then became operations manager when it became part of Fairfax, and moved to a head office role responsible for prepress and scheduling for press sites around the country. "I then 'jumped ship' and went to work for the then APN News and Media as regional operations manager, and had responsibility for the Ellerslie site - which was then one of the regional portfolio - added.

"Then I was given the responsibilities for looking after the prepress department as well as properties," he says.

His appointment to the 3P role - property, print and production director - followed the merger of the APN radio, print and digital businesses into NZME, and has brought the mixed blessing of a contractors role.

"Most of all, I'll miss the people," he says. "With the opportunity through my roles with Fairfax and lately NZME, and my other roles with industry bodies I have had the good fortune to meet a number of people who I have forged some deep friendships with and who share the same commitment to the industry as I have."

Pictured: Blackbourn (right) with Russell Wieck and PrintNZ's Ruth Cobb with this year's top training company award

Sections: Newsmedia industry

Comments

or Register to post a comment




ADVERTISEMENTS


ADVERTISEMENTS