The Local Scoop To Launch In Williamsburg November 2015

Get ready. The best-kept secrets of the greater Williamsburg, Va. region will be revealed this fall thanks to The Local Scoop magazine. Magazine Founder and Publisher, Susan McFadden, announced this week the media group’s expansion into the greater-Williamsburg region, with the first issue hitting stands November 2015.

“We couldn’t be more excited about bringing always unique, always local stories to the greater-Williamsburg region,” McFadden said. “Our initial welcome to the community has been with open arms and we’re thrilled to have an Editor with a deep love of Williamsburg leading the storytelling and an experienced Advisory Board guiding us along the way.”

Earlier this summer, McFadden named Stephanie Heinatz (yes...that's me...and you'll hear more from me here on this blog every week!), former newspaper journalist, professional writer and entrepreneur, Editor of the Williamsburg edition.

Heinatz, founder of Consociate Media, a Virginia-based public relations and consulting firm, cut her teeth as a newspaper journalist. Whether working on assignment in her own hometown, or in the remote areas of East Africa or war-torn Iraq, Heinatz chased one thing – the story.

“Stories are the most powerful way to reach people, to inspire people, to enact change for good in our world,” Heinatz said. “When you look at what The Local Scoop has set out to do, it’s just that.”

Heinatz said she’s inspired herself by McFadden, who described the goals of the magazine to become an economic driver for our communities, couched in a lifestyle format.

“I’m incredibly moved by that mission,” Heinatz said. “And you’ll see that come alive in this first Williamsburg edition, where we highlight people doing amazing things in the community, from charitable work, to entrepreneurs and local personalities.”

The inaugural Williamsburg edition of The Local Scoop will hit stands November 2015 and includes a Williamsburg food and wine crawl, holiday fashion spread, tips for gift giving to unique charitable groups in greater Williamsburg through the year’s most giving season, a feature on the emerging IMPACT 100 group, a one-on-one with Williamsburg Winery’s Matthew Meyer and a look at how Williamsburg has grown from its roots as a charming colonial tourist stop to one that boasts amenities of any modern mecca.

Together, McFadden and Heinatz formed the Advisory Board, which includes the following Williamsburg leaders:

  • Chef Hans Schadler, CEC, AAC, Waypoint Seafood and Grill. Schadler has had an illustrious 45-year culinary career highlighted by multiple accolades including cooking for several presidents of the United States and being responsible for coordinating all meal functions during the Queen of England’s visitation to the Williamsburg Inn in 2007. Additionally, he has appeared on several television programs including the Today Show, Good Morning America, Great Chefs of the East series, the Farm to Tables series, and Family Holiday Table show. Schadler opened Waypoint, a fine dining restaurant, with his wife Liv and daughter Tina Schadler-Phillips off of Route 199 in Williamsburg. 
  • Natalie Miller-Moore, Moore Than Words. Miller-Moore founded Moore than Words LLC, a Williamsburg-based health communications firm with strategic partners located nationally and internationally. Miller-Moore built her reputation as a knowledgeable and savvy marketer, bringing more than 20 years of experience in writing and journalism. More than that, Miller-Moore is an active Williamsburg resident, raising her three boys with her husband in today’s modern Williamsburg.
  • Tracy Shackelford, Financial Representative, Northwestern Mutual. As a financial representative, Shackelford is passionate about helping families with their financial lives. She was catapulted into this business to carry on the legacies of two men in her community who died, one of illness and one from an accident, in December 2010. As a Williamsburg resident and Gloucester native, Shackelford is passionate about her community, her family and giving back. She lives in Williamsburg with her husband and business partner and their two young sons. She was recently the Chair of the Child Development Resources silent auction and is also a founding member of the IMPACT 100 group forming in the greater Peninsula and Williamsburg region.

The inaugural edition of The Local Scoop in Williamsburg will include 30,000 copies, with 10,000 direct mailed to area households. The balance will be distributed through select locations in Williamsburg.

“The best things in life are free,” McFadden said. “And we’re bringing the best to Williamsburg.”