Image Up Advertising & Design

| SUN LAKES LIFESTYLES | APRIL 2021 | 13 You may think you know Courtney Taylor, Publisher of Lifestyles. Think again. Here's a woman who is innovative, meticulous, and caring about all things involving the Sun Lakes Country Club community. Courtney describes Sun Lakes as an "amazing community that deserves a glossy, colorful magazine to showcase its beauty." And 18 years ago she knew she could create that by restyling Lifestyles. Courtney remembers that in 2003 Sun Lakes was an "oasis surrounded by lots of open spaces and very few businesses. There weren't many advertising opportunities for local businesses and entrepreneurs." At this time Lifestyles, an 18 page photocopied newsletter, was stapled in the corner and mailed to residents. It was costing the HOA about $5,000 a month. She made a proposal to the Lifestyles Advisory Committee to allow her to sell advertising and provide the upgraded magazine for free to the community. They liked her idea to organize the pages so groups had themes in common instead of having activities in alphabetical order. Also, she wanted lots of pictures. When she was given the "go" on Oct.14, 2003, the first edition actually made the Nov. 1 deadline with 32 pages in color and black and white with stunning pictures of SLCC. Courtney designed, edited, sent the file to the printer, picked up the order in her husband's truck, labeled over 3,400 magazines in her living room, and mailed them out to homeowners. Sun Lakes' clubs embraced the new format and started enthusiastically promoting their events; for example: what outdoor sports were available, what club activities had been held the previous month, and then a preview of club happenings for the next month. It included information about traveling opportunities through the Recreation Department and an intimate page, "Friends We Will Miss." The new Lifestyles was an instant success. Now SLCC has an elegant magazine, hand delivered to homes at no cost to residents. After graduating from the University of Arizona, Courtney worked as a graphic artist. Did she have experience in this field? No. But this didn't stop her from saying, "I can do it." This attitude is her mantra. At 24, she started Image Up Advertising & Design. This enthusiastic woman networked by joining local Chambers of Commerce and other business organizations. But it wasn't all work; she did stand- up comedy three times a week, performing at different venues around Orange County and wrote a weekly humor column for the Orange County Register's Saddleback Valley News for over a decade. Since this wasn't enough, she thought it would be interesting to have a cable TV show, and she put one together in Mission Viejo with no experience but plenty of high-powered energy. More recently, she has appeared in dozens of plays locally with some of your favorite Sun Lakes' stars. Courtney met her husband Tim in Lake Forest in 1997. When he had an opportunity to be PCM's General Manager of Sun Lakes, she joined him in 2001 and they settled in Yucaipa with sons Clint and Ben. Because of Tim's position and because of Courtney's inquisitive nature, they started going to the many Sun Lakes' functions, welcomed by the community and enjoying new adventures. "I'm so blessed to have made some lifelong friendships with Sun Lakers," she said. Now Image Up has an enthusiastic team publishing six monthly magazines. In addition to Lifestyles, they publish the Four Seasons Beaumont Breeze, Four Seasons Hemet Herald, Solera Diamond Valley View, The Colony of Murrieta News, and Ocean Hills Country Club Living. Image Up also produces a quarterly digital magazine, The Crosby Crooner, for a community in Rancho Santa Fe. Courtney takes the lead on the creative side; Stacey Parr, who has been Account Manager since 2013, oversees advertisers and handles invoicing as well as layout and design. Jolie Ross is the Print and Delivery Manager. She and her daughter Bridget also jump in on final editing. The volunteers on the Lifestyles Advisory Committee meet to do initial editing for the magazine each month. Even Courtney's mom, Diane Fox, who has a PhD in Community and Human Resources/Adult Education, adds her expertise (especially in the field of semi-colons) to the magazine's editing process. So what does Courtney do after her six different publications have met their deadline? Traveling with family and friends is a significant part of her life. Over the last year of sheltering in place, she has taken great joy in her two grandsons, Caleb, 5 and Aiden, 3. Her backyard has become her solace with gardening and raising monarch butterflies. She has also discovered a love for baking during this downtime. She looks forward to "getting going... somewhere, anywhere, just get away. I want to get back to doing 50 things at one time." Courtney continues with encouraging words: "My goal is to continue to showcase all the different, fun activities in this lovely community and make Lifestyles better each month. It's an opportunity to keep residents in the know and adds excitement for new residents. We had to get creative with 'what's happening' during the pandemic and the Lifestyles Committee and all the contributors have been amazing. I look forward to seeing residents dancing in the Ballroom, performing on the stage, and laughing on the Veranda - and publishing the pictures of everyone smiling without masks." Shining the Spotlight on the Publisher of Lifestyles Courtney Taylor Lifestyles Advisory

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