Debra Parks, Director of Advertising Sales East
Business Phone: 905-885-4208
dparks@watershedmagazine.com
Growing up in Northumberland in the 1970s and ’80s, we moved a lot. My mom, my two sisters and I lived in a farmhouse in Baltimore, a lower-level apartment in Grafton and countless condos and houses in Cobourg. Still, I like to think I had a pretty typical upbringing: Life revolved around family and friends, school and the small-town world around me.
When I was alone, though, I read every magazine I could get my hands on. First Chickadee and Owl, then Seventeen and Reader’s Digest, and eventually Vogue, Town & Country and Vanity Fair, to name just a few. I plastered the walls of my bedroom with pages that inspired me.
Magazines gave me a window into a world I longed to be a part of. So in 1996 I went to graduate school for journalism and landed an internship at Harper’s Bazaar in New York. My career grew with me: I worked at fashion and wedding magazines in my 20s, then parenting and lifestyle titles in my 30s and 40s. Now in my 50s with four children all forging lives of their own, my view has come full circle and I’m thrilled to be starting my next chapter with Watershed.
I first discovered Watershed in 2005 when my husband and I moved our young family back to the area. I’ve always thought of it as a love letter to the region and to the incredible people who live here, and I’m so honoured to continue that legacy.
I want to thank Jane, whose vision and dedication made Watershed a trusted voice and a gathering place for creativity and community. I am also so grateful that the team she chose to help build this nationally recognized, award-winning magazine have welcomed me with open arms, warm hearts and tons of patience. (I ask a lot of questions!)
In the months ahead, you’ll continue to find everything you love about Watershed, along with new ways to meander, follow the food, go beyond the garden gate and love the locals.
I can’t wait to share it all with you.