Jason Moody Launches New Magazine VIDA at Brownsville Museum of Fine Arts

Miguel Roberts, Claudia Henry with
copies of the premiere issue of VIDA

During our chat at the Brownsville Museum of Fine Art launch party for the new magazine VIDA, Alexander (Sandy) Stillman asked how the introduction of Jason Moody's new South Texas magazine had gone over, then described how his mother, Anne Urquhart Stillman, had created a new magazine, Panorama, in 1928 to compete with the National Geographic.

"She wanted larger pictures than were in Life, but with a very short caption," Stillman explained.

Googling Panorama magazine, I found this comment in Time magazine dated January 21, 1929:  "Panorama it was called. A pretty smart-chart, plastered with splendid examples of photography, made out of nice paper, containing notes on the gregarious activities of social bigwigs, it made its debut on Manhattan newsstands last October (TIME, Oct. 8). The frontispiece, naturally, was a picture of Mrs. Anne U. Stillman, since she was financing the sheet.  Last week, Mrs. Anne U. Stillman announced that she had grown tired of Panorama and would stop publishing it immediately."

Cindy Vela signing
the cover of VIDA

Manuel De La Garza, a reporter with KRGV, the emcee of the program, introduced Jason Moody, publisher and owner of the new magazine.  "We want VIDA to be the official magazine of South Texas.  We're doing local interest stories no one else is doing, like our story on the Oyster Bar on Levee Street.  That restaurant has been operating for 63 years, but has anyone done the story?" stated Moody.  The first issue of the magazine also features a story and photo spread of Brownsville native, Cindy Vela, now an actress living in Los Angeles.  Cindy is also featured on the cover of VIDA's June/July issue.

Magazines have not done well in recent years with 525 failing in 2008.  Familiar names like Gourmet, Southern Accents, PC Magazine and Playgirl have gone down the tubes recently.  Of course, the formula for success has changed.  Subscriptions no longer provide the bulk of income for some periodicals that are passed out freely, existing on advertising income only.

Jason Moody

Celebrity Magazine RGV, based in Brownsville and McAllen, offers Celebrity Nights, Celebrity Kids and Celebrity Events.  Glossy pictures of kids and adults are taken at events with copies available for sale at the event.  VIDA has a different format, featuring stories on businesses, architecture, arts and personalities in the Rio Grande Valley.  The current issue has articles on the Museum of South Texas History, Fifty Years of Presidential Photographs, the architecture of two Brownsville churches and stories about two Brownsville restaurants.

Nena Barton, J.J. Struebelt

Alexander (Sandy) Stillman and friends

Jim Barton, Gilbert Velasquez, Brownsville Historical Association