Editor and publisher Sandra Olivetti Martin announced in her column that the Annapolis-based Bay Weekly will be closing. Martin wrote that “at the end of this year, Bay Weekly will retire,” but she also asked: “Will there be a surprise ending?”

We’ve had a great run, told a wealth of tales, made a lifetime of friends and have a team that makes this one of the hardest decisions we’ve ever faced.

We have hopes of finding a new owner to carry on the legacy of Bay Weekly. We’ve engaged a media broker in that effort, and who can say, maybe you know of someone who would like to make Bay Weekly their own …

In the meantime, we will spend the next three months doing what we’ve always done — as well as or better than ever. We have a file cabinet full of stories yet to tell. We have our annual Seasons Bounty Holiday Guide, our special Christmas issue and, of course, Best of the Bay. Plus these next three months are the time when advertisers rely on us the most to reach our 60,000 weekly readers.

This also gives us time to celebrate what Bay Weekly has achieved, to thank our advertisers with the biggest sale in Bay Weekly history and to give our staff time to find new footing.

Baltimore-based creative agency Kapowza unveiled a television campaign on behalf of San Francisco-based Figure, a company that uses blockchain technology to provide home equity loans online in as little as five days. Kapowza produced a series of three commercials to form the crux of the national campaign targeting 45- to 60-year-old homeowners. Kapowza completed filming in late August and the spots began running on HGTV and DIRECTV during the kick-off of the 100th NFL Season. All the work was done within the greater Baltimore region, according to Kapowza’s Sean Sutherland.

The Northeast Maglev announced that Ciara Wake, left, has joined the team as marketing & communications coordinator. In her role, Wake will be responsible for executing marketing and communications promoting a high-speed rail solution in the Northeast Corridor using Superconducting Maglev (SCMAGLEV) technology. Prior to joining Northeast Maglev, Wake worked in promotions and special events with the Maryland Lottery & Gaming Commission. The Northeast Maglev is a private, 100% U.S.-owned company working to promote the world’s fastest ground transportation system in the Northeast Corridor of the United States. Also, Alex Jackson has joined the team as media relations manager, leading media outreach as part of The Northeast Maglev’s efforts promoting a high-speed rail solution in the Northeast Corridor using JR Central’s SCMAGLEV technology. Most recently, he served as a senior account executive for Maroon PR. Previously, Jackson served as director of communications for the Howard County Chamber of Commerce. He began his career as a reporter for the Baltimore Business Journal and later covered the Maryland State House and the U.S. Naval Academy for the Capital Gazette in Annapolis.

Sam Ruchlewicz, vice president of digital strategy and data analytics at Warschawski, led a session on digital marketing at the recent 2019 Insight Marketing Conference, hosted by the Lancaster Marketing Group which provides education and networking opportunities to marketers in and around Lancaster County, Pa.

Campaign photo courtesy of Kapowza