Jordon Kaplan | Managing Editor, Whalebone Magazine
Jordon is a writer, editor, social media photographer, and general digital media enthusiast. She also happens to be the Managing Editor at Whalebone Magazine, where her primary roles include gathering content from contributors, writing for newsletters, digital features, and print, editing, planning issue cycles, weekly email programming, and monthly content schedules, etc. In her words, her non-primary roles include finding creative ways to remind people she need things without seeming annoying. She’s talented, she’s witty, and she has a whole lot of love for her work, her team, and the Whalebone brand at-large.
The Basics:
Hometown: Lakeland, FL
Current city: Jacksonville, FL
Alma mater: University of North Florida
Degree: B.A., English Literature
Very first job: Before college, hostess. During college, bartender
Hustle: Managing Editor, Whalebone; Freelance Social Media Photographer
The Interests:
Babe you admire and why?
I’ve been pretty fortunate to work with some tremendously amazing women: Autumn Berrang, Danielle Bergh, Brittany Norris and Kathleen Michaels. Babe I haven’t worked with that I admire: Kay Adams, Leah Thomas, Danielle Prescod, Janet Fitch.
A movie or TV show that should’ve never aired, but you still love anyways?
Embarrassing—but it was called The Witches of East End. I honestly think it got like three seasons… all probably horrendous to most sane people.
You can listen to one album for the rest of your life. What is it, and which track(s) are you skipping?
The Killers, Hot Fuzz. I would skip not one track.
Where are some of your favorite places you’ve traveled to?
Berlin, Alsace and New Orleans. I’m going to Prague at the end of the year for my 30th, because it is apparently a winter wonderland. Morocco is numero uno on the up-next list.
The Hustle:
Tell us about your hustle.
I’m a type-A creative. My primary roles are gathering content from contributors, writing content (newsletters, digital features, print) editing, scheduling + planning issue cycles, weekly email programming, and monthly content schedules for the site. My non-primary roles are finding creative ways to remind people I need something without seeming annoying. My favorite go-to for this is just sending a youtube video of “Don’t You forget About Me” from the end of The Breakfast Club.
For those who don’t know, what’s Whalebone all about?
This is a fun question that we have thought a lot about and are constantly reworking to distill into an elevator pitch. But, I think that's the thing—it doesn’t necessarily fit into the elevator pitch. I think we’d more so describe Whalebone as the result of how we make people feel. Because that truly is the heart of the magazine, the newsletter, the digital content, events, merch, etc, etc. We want to give people a little bit of good back into their day—how someone feels after picking up a copy of the magazine at a grocery store or after a friend hands it to them is paramount to us as a “media” company. If we don’t like it, you probably won’t either, so everything the team does we do our best to hold it to that non-standard standard.
How did you find yourself at Whalebone, and what has your trajectory in the company looked like?
My professional journey was a well-structured plan and then a complete mess that turned into a non-plan, with a trust in my own potential. I went to school to be a teacher and had planned on that my entire life, essentially. I did that while bartending at night. When I got to teach, though, I tore up the plan. Almost nobody in the world deserves more admiration than a dedicated teacher. I had some Stand and Deliver conflated ideas of what my teaching experience would be. It was not that. And I quit, which I had never really done in my life. I was super hard on myself for a while about it, and then I started completely over and became a social media intern for an advertising agency at age 24. And as it turns out, I was not that great at managing social media, either. But I was a good writer, so I owe almost everything to my bosses at Adjective and Co. for believing they had a good employee that they hadn’t found the right position for yet. They moved me over to copy and proof, which was a great fit, but my sweet spot is creative with a little management. So when Adjective’s sister company, Whalebone, had a position open for content creation and project management—we were really small back then and all had multiple titles—it was the Cinderella fit for me. As I grew with Whalebone, that trust and commitment to the brand, vision, and voice is what led to me being in the position I’m in now, which is overseeing essentially all of the content that goes in and out of the building. It still really blows me away.
In your humble opinion, what sets Whalebone apart from other publications?
I am never-ending proud of Whalebone. People will write in and tell us about how an email or newsletter or feature affected them and made their day, and that is fucking something. Whalebone doesn't need to add to the heaviness of the day-to-day media consumption. We know you’re getting it from every angle—so if you see something from us pop up, there is no anxiety attached to opening that link.
What’s the team and company culture like at WB?
I’m sure for lot of companies this might not be a great thing, but we’re all close. Everyone has a super unique connection to one another. And the hilarious thing is that we’ve all worked half in New York and half in Jacksonville for the entire lifespan of the company—so we’ve formed those connections completely remotely in some cases. That idea of how we make people feel extends to each other as well. If someone needs time off, they take it—no questions asked. But the checking in with how the other feels, that’s really the good stuff.
How has being a woman impacted your professional experiences? What can we collectively do to support and empower women in your industry today?
What’s pretty unique to the gender-ambiguous name gang, is that as a Jordon, if someone responds to me by email, they 90% of the time assume I am a guy. The amount of times I've gotten on the phone and people have been genuinely shocked that I am a woman is, well, like, all the time. So I’ve gotten someone on the phone under what might be the guise of a cool, but direct guy, and sometimes I can hear the disappointment in their voice—almost in that they’ve lost the trust that they thought they had in my direction, suggestions and opinions over email—and that I am somehow less convicted because I’m a woman. I don’t know that I could presume to tell people how to shift their mindset, but please don’t speak over your female coworkers, family members, or friends—because that's where those perceptions start.
What’s one thing you’re proud to have accomplished in your career thus far?
I worked with a great editor at Whalebone up until this last year. And I think my proudest moment was running an issue cycle without him for the first time after he stepped back to pursue a career in a totally different field. I was terrified of doing that without him at first, and I won’t lie, there are some things about that particular issue that I would definitely change now. But when it was in my hands, I was really really proud I could handle more responsibilities without folding. I am also immensely proud of every issue that comes out. I also minorly offended Michael Bay once, and honestly, that is just fantastic.
What are some of the most notable articles you’ve worked on? What makes them notable to you?
Oh I’ll link you to my favorites. These are my favorites not because they’re with notable humans, which I've done too, but because these people taught me something I had never thought of or knew when I spoke to them. And that kind of shift in perspective is invaluable to me now.
What’s your approach to staying inspired and creative during the writing and editing process? Do you have any tactics you visit when you feel burnt out or have “writer’s block”?
A very smart copywriter once told me that “if you don’t like it, no one will,” and that is generally my approach to everything now. Sometimes writing something you’re not excited about can be so tortured, but if you find one thing you like about it, you can usually solve the answer of how to get into it—the headline or intro you’re looking for, etc. For editing, my best advice is to look for a different way in. Do you typically introduce people or topics in a similar way? Are there some personal cliches or tones you can avoid? Use a joke or an anecdote to set up a topic… that’s always a winner. And always check for repetitive words.
As someone who hustled their ass off during their college years, is there anything you’d change? Any advice for those in college looking to pursue a career in your field?
I don't think I would change my course specifically, because it taught probably the most about myself as an adult that I'll ever know. But I certainly have advice for anyone looking to get into the mag world. I was hiring an intern a few years ago, had like ten applicants to sift through, and held interviews with all of them. But the one that stood out was this recent graduate who wasn’t a technical “perfect fit” for the editorial internship. She came in and handed me a story that she wrote, edited, took photos for and attempted a layout for. It was not a great layout, but the writing was solid, and the fact that she did all of that to prepare for the interview blew me away. She wasn’t afraid to look silly, given that she didn't go to school for design. But clearly she cared about getting the position, and that’s all I want out of humans. She’s an associate editor for us now, and I am more and more impressed with her every day.
What’re some projects you're currently working on, personally or at WB, that you’re excited about?
We’re working on our Movie Issue (out in December) and I don’t think I could be anymore excited about how it’s coming together. I got to talk with this tremendous animator who has worked on all of my favorites—Kubo and The Two Strings, Coraline etc. That probably didn’t shut me up for at least two full work days. Personally, I have a never ending anthology of poems that I seem to only find time to work on over holiday break each year. So, stay tuned for that around 2032.
Who are some women in your field that you look to for inspiration?
Definitely Danielle Prescod. Her approach to writing, reviews, and strategic sponsored content is so refreshing and candid. I could not say enough about how she positions herself. I recommend that everyone follows her.
What’s your approach to work/life ‘balance’?
I am pretty guilty of not taking time off when I should—but to counteract that, I regularly try to take time during the day for myself that I am unwilling to negotiate on usually. I also get up at 6:30 like an absolute kook now, and have found that doing whatever I want in the morning before work makes me a lot more relaxed going into the day. I'm not talking about going for a walk on the beach, sunrise yoga or journaling for 30 minutes—which are all nice things, and sometimes I do those. But I mean I could be up at 6:30am deadass watching the Vanderpump Rules episode from the night before—and that clears my head.
Career and/or life advice for other babes?
Don’t be afraid to let go of “the plan.” I’m still working on that, but it’s advice I give myself pretty much every day.
In partnership with: Whalebone
Whalebone is an authentic, positive lifestyle brand that feels like a friend. One who was born and raised on the east end and who seeks out good things and the good in things everywhere. Home to a magazine, newsletters, growing social media presence, merchandise, events, and more, Whalebone delivers a submerssive experience that blurs the lines between digital, social, experiential, print and events. Check it all out here.
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