Meet the dream team, in their own words.

KERRY DOUGHERTY: The Head Honcho wielding a mighty pen.

For many years newspapers had a tradition of metro columnists working till they died at their desks or were escorted to nursing homes.

I looked forward to the former. Dreaded the latter.

But neither was to be. The newspaper industry began to fall off a cliff in 2007, yet I survived round after round of layoffs at the paper. 

“You’re the franchise” the editor reassured me over and over.

Yet in 2017 The Franchise was offered a severance package and the editor said he hoped she’d take the money and continue writing her Sunday column as a freelancer. For a few shekels a week.

The Franchise didn’t have to think about it: “Hell no, I’m not working for pennies. I’m outta here!”

We launched this website exactly three days after my last newspaper column ran and the response has been, well, overwhelming. The experience has been liberating.

No more editors wetting their pants because my opinions were too opinionated. Or that they were laced with the occasional vulgarity. Or that they weren’t fair. 

Fair? What does fair have to do with the truth? Or common sense?

Five years in, we’ve settled into a rhythm. I promised to write five days a week, with posts up by 6 each morning, and we’ve delivered. No days off. Vacations just mean travel posts. I cannot explain how confused we were by deadlines and time zones while I was in Vietnam for 10 days in 2019. But somehow, thanks to Carlisle back in New Orleans, everything was posted. On time!

Then, in June of 2021 I got a call from Bob Sinclair at Sinclair Communications. Was I interested in a daily talk radio show with Mike Imprevento? Heck, why not? I figured we’d have fun for a few months, until I’d accidentally say something on air that would get me fired. But we’re still on and having a great time. Radio is where it’s at!

When I’m not writing, broadcasting or looking for material, I’m on the beach or at the gym. On Saturdays in the fall I’m either in the stands at Vaught-Hemingway cheering for the Ole Miss Rebels or glued to a TV watching wall-to-wall college football. The SEC. It just means more.

During the off season I read a book a week, and am working on one of my own. No, I won’t tell you what it’s about. But it’s non-fiction and some people ought to be nervous. You know who you are.

I’m married, have two kids and the most scrumptious granddaughter and grandson ever. When he’s 10 I’m buying a camper and taking them across the country. Every national park. Every campground. Every big ball of twine. And yes, you can come along. Via the website.

In the meantime, I’m trying to churn out posts that will spark conversation and even arguments.

Which reminds me, The Pilot once ran a baseball headline without the proper spacing. Instead of saying “Bullpen is strong” it read “Bull penis strong.”

One of my favorite editors loved powerful columns. When I wrote one he especially liked he’d always say, “This is strong. You know how strong this is?”

“Bull penis strong?” I’d ask. He’d nod.

That’s what we’re going for here. A website that’s bull penis strong.

BRYN MAHAN: The Momager with all the Big Ideas.

When my mother was nudged out the door by the brass at The Pilot, I headed to her house with flowers, wine and an idea.

Start a website, I urged. I’ll help.

Little did I know, those two little words - I’ll help - would become a full-time job that involves finding art, refining headlines, vetoing really bad ideas for posts and handling all the finances of the small business we created. Oh, and answering calls in the middle of the night from my neurotic mother. 

I have so much sympathy for the copy editors at The Pilot who had to deal with her panicked, last-minute midnight changes. It’s a wonder they didn’t take a contract out on her. I’m certainly tempted.

I may be part of the website team, but I don’t share all - or most - of the opinions there. Hey, I’m a libertarian. The last politician I really liked was Ron Paul. His tattered bumper sticker on my wheezing SUV was the reason I was reluctant to get rid of my car. 

Oh, and did I mention I have an 8-year-old daughter and a 2-year-old son? And I’m an Army wife? I’m trying desperately to give my kids the attention they need while I work so that they’ll never believe they were raised by wolves.

Like my mother, my grandmother and even my great-grandmothers, I’m learning how to balance motherhood and work. Sometimes I get it right. Sometimes I get it wrong. And a lot of the time, just like them, I need a drink.

CARLISLE SARGENT: The Bleeding Heart Tech Department.

Hi Readers! It’s me, your friendly neighborhood millennial — and the KerryDougherty.com Tech Support Department. Working tirelessly to prove that my generation isn’t all “sit around and do nothing”, and instead (with espresso and a bit of moxie) can take on almost anything. Not to mention… Kerry is my aunt. So maybe I just learn from the best. :)

By day, I work as a Senior User Experience Designer at Appfolio, and live in Santa Barbara. I get to be creative, write a lot, and hang out in paradise — so it’s kind of a dream job.

Outside of work, I moonlight as an artist and writer and dreamer, spend a lot of time traveling for both work and pleasure (when we aren’t in a pandemic), and enjoy inventing strange, mysteriously healthy recipes in my kitchen. My favorite book is In the City of Shy Hunters by Tom Spanbauer and my favorite movie changes with the seasons. Right now, it’s Sorrentino’s La Dolce Vita.

Working to keep Kerry’s writing online is important to me not because I agree with her on every stance and opinion (in fact, you can often find me trolling the Twitter comments and battling, gently, with our readers), but because I believe that strong, unedited, critical writing is vital to a free web.

Mainstream media is a sickness — I bet both sides of the political aisle can agree with me on that. And yet, in just a few short years, this small website has become a conversation starter, a place of community, and an independent investigative tool for things that really matter. Small media really matters. I proudly vote blue, but I am also proud of us.

Thanks for reading and supporting Kerry’s work. :)