Fellow Auto Enthusiast . . . Welcome to The Network!

Welcome to the Auto Enthusiast Network! I’m glad you stopped by and hope you like what you see. It may sound obvious, but Auto Enthusiast Network is a site DEDICATED to the auto enthusiast. Hang with me, there is more to it . . .

An enthusiast is defined as someone highly interested in a particular activity or subject. That sounds kind of boring, doesn’t it? For those of us who are auto enthusiasts, it means so much more. It’s not about just one person; it’s about finding like-minded individuals with whom you can share your passion. And, that is why I created the Auto Enthusiast Network.

No matter when your automotive journey began or what segment of the industry interests you, it’s the people who keep you going — your “network.” If there was no one else around to appreciate your work, would you still do it? Maybe. But, it’s those connections that give you the passion to keep going and a significant reason why I included the word network in the title. But, let me start at the beginning . . .

My Enthusiast Background

My passion for cars began the day I was born when my father put a weed-trimmer piston in my crib to use as a rattle. My first car was a ’55 Chevy 150, which I still own. I daily drove a ’63 Olds Dynamic 88 Holiday Coupe every day for seven years until my dad’s restomod ’66 Ford Fairlane took its place. I road race and autocross a ’96 Mazda Miata in both NASA and SCCA of which I am a member as well as several street car clubs, including Memphis Classic Chevys, Relaxed Atmosphere, Goodguys, and NSRA.

I’ve always loved cars — it has never waned! But, it wasn’t until later in life, I decided to leave a successful career as an IT Auditor to pursue a career in the industry. You could say I’m a bit of a late bloomer from that perspective. It was the Oldsmobile that tipped the scales for me. I commuted every morning to my bank job, then insurance job, driving the Olds while wearing a suit watching all of those other bored people driving boring cars. I enjoyed my commute but hated those jobs. I had to make a change and started looking for something that aligned with my passion as well as my moral values.

Luckily, the owner of Xceleration Media took a chance on my career change by offering me the opportunity to manage the operation of its print and digital offerings. I felt like I found my calling with the fresh startup offering quarterly print magazines distributed through events. I enjoyed it immensely and treated it as my own before Power Automedia bought the company and offered me a position. I decided to stay on managing the majority of its digital-only titles and learn a different perspective.

And learn I did! I got the opportunity to attend a ton of industry events, car shows, races, etc. and met many of my heroes in the aftermarket. The one thing I didn’t work on enough, though, was building my network. No one knows who I am! I’ve always been the guy in the background pulling strings. I was the workhorse guy doing the work to improve someone else’s company, being left with nothing to call my own. That changes NOW!

Born From a Different Perspective

Auto Enthusiast Network is “mine” — for better, for worse, till death do us part. I’ve never been one to back down from a challenge, and this will be no different. I don’t fear to take a different perspective and trying to make it work.

My hope is for Auto Enthusiast Network to be a fresh interpretation of the automotive media. For years, the automotive press has depended on advertising to pay the bills, which is fine, but it has pulled the focus away from the people who consume said media — the auto enthusiast! Throughout the years, I have seen the average Joe overlooked for car features by big media. I plan to give every enthusiast the opportunity to be featured — regardless of the money spent on their car or who they don’t know.

Additionally, I hope to create a network of photographers and writers across the nation who need a landing page for their content. The collapse of the automotive print media (among other things) has left a lot of talented freelancers without a place to showcase their skills. The AEN website will be a place where they can show off what they can do without having to know how to build a website. It will allow them to concentrate on what they do best — finding great cars and using their equipment to make it look amazing!

My plan isn’t groundbreaking. I just hope it to be a new twist on the traditional automotive media. I’ll honestly admit I don’t know where it will lead, but the one thing I will promise is I will never lose focus on the car enthusiast and the photographers who bring us their stories.

The Plan for Auto Enthusiast Network

Yes, many significant print and digital publications have “Readers’ Rides” sections where you send in a picture (usually taken by you), and they give you a one-paragraph write-up about your car. But come on, did you do all that work for one little photo and a crappy paragraph? Some people work their whole life on their car and never get a feature or even get quality photos taken. Many of us spend more time in the garage with our car than we do with our families! So why would you get professional photos taken of them and not your car? At the very least, I intend to change that for you.

The plan for Auto Enthusiast Network is to give everyone a place to be featured and meet other like-minded folks. It doesn’t matter what you drive or who built it. Domestic, import, exotic, street rod, hot rod, kustom, muscle car, rat rod, drag car, road race car, drift car, donk, or demolition car — I don’t care! It is your car, your pride and joy, built the way you want it, and you deserve the ability to show off your hard work. It doesn’t matter if the editor likes it or not; all that matters is if you like it!

From the beginning, Auto Enthusiast Network will be feature-driven content. It will have high-quality editorial and photography from commissioned shoots along with coverage from events and interesting places. There may be some installation/tech articles written by me about parts installed on my cars, a trusted friend’s car, or a reputable shop. If the items were given for a discount, it will be stated in the article.

If a client of Auto Enthusiast Network, such as a hot rod shop, provides editorial or photos, the article will be edited by me and labeled as “Client Content.” I DO NOT plan to allow sponsored content (advertorial), but if I do, it will only be content I believe people will find helpful or interesting. It will be expressly approved by me and will be labeled as “Sponsored Content,” so there is no confusion.

This is one area where I feel the automotive media has lost the trust of auto enthusiasts by trying to veil articles/videos as original non-biased (or non-influenced) content. I think enthusiasts know better and deserve better treatment. Although I may lose some income as a result of labeling this content, you can rest assured knowing Auto Enthusiast Network has a high-level of integrity — something I take very seriously.

It’s For Us

First and foremost, I am an auto enthusiast, so I am building this network precisely how I think other enthusiasts would want to receive the content. I am always open to ideas, comments, and respectful, constructive criticism. Feel free to send me an email as I will be adding features to the site along the way. Please share it with your friends, like the Facebook and Instagram pages, and subscribe to the YouTube channel as I plan to add video production to my repertoire. Again, thank you for taking the time to visit the Auto Enthusiast Network. I thoroughly hope you enjoy the content.