​Being the “old guy” sometimes has advantages. If there’s only one seat at the photo shoot, I (usually) get it. If I have a typo or misspell in my copy, I can pretend it’s a word I invented. And if I need a third reason about the “old guy” advantage, I can pretend I forgot the first two and just repeat one of those.

And this multigenerational (meaning GenEYE+ since from here on our focus will be all generations as regards optical dispensing and retailing) issue of 20/20 is ripe with added layers of youthful opportunities.

Recently promoted with new and well-won titles, Senior Associate Editor Victoria Garcia and Associate Editor Jillian Urcelay stepped up with full ownership of the double GenEYE features “Old School… New School” and “Guiding GenEYE” via strong editorial product selections, photo shoot coordination, headlines, and pointed and precise introductions befitting the print media messages conveyed by the eyewear photo shoots for these features.

This might also be a good time for me to reinforce that much of what you see in these monthly photo features (and please remember we are the only optical publication doing numerous photo shoots every month in our features AND signature What’s New pages) is deftly handled by enormous amounts of edit/art task-forcing by Victoria and Jillian coordinating with Art Director Iris Johnson. On the front end of preparation, it’s all about calling in product for an average of 80 companies (from an ongoing and ever-changing variety of vendors), choosing from those call-ins for photography on-face and still life portraits, grouping according to an issue’s focus and trends, and then preparing the eyewear for the critical moments on set. All of that happens, of course, BEFORE the writing and editing begins.

Yes… those editor titles are well earned.

And this issue gives me yet another chance to add some accolade in the giant advantage I have of working with Executive Editor Christine Yeh. Her day-to-day deal is far too extensive to list here but let’s move on to her creative talents with the perfect example being this month’s cover feature on eyewear designers Coco and Breezy. Interviewing twins can be double trouble for sure. Capturing their essence AND their eyewear is paramount to understanding where they are going and quite honestly, where optical is headed in these next few days, months and years! Cheers for Yeh in her stellar effort to keep all of us informed on that road map to our future.

So… the biggest advantage for THIS old guy is… 20/20 and I’m privileged sharing my advantage with you.

• James J. Spina
Editor-in-Chief
[email protected]