Russell Viers started his career as a staff writer/photographer in 1981, at the age of 16 for his local daily newspaper. Since then, he has been involved in most facets of the newspaper business, as well as printing and publishing.
For the past 11 years he has shared his vast knowledge of publishing production techniques as speaker, trainer and workflow consultant. As an Adobe Certified Instructor, his expertise is in teaching publishers how to use Adobe and Quark software to create better documents faster.
“I love going into a newspaper or magazine, watching them work then showing them techniques to reduce production time dramatically,” Viers said. “The problems I see are generally caused by lack of training, poor processes or a need for better technology. I help customers evaluate their needs then I offer solutions to solve them.”
His customer list is long and varied, but includes such names as Better Homes and Gardens, Ladies Home Journal, New York Times Regional Media Group, San Diego Union Tribune, Primedia Business and more. As a speaker, he is hired by printing and newspaper associations throughout the world to be a presenter at conferences and workshops, including the HOW Conference, IFRA, NEXPO, America East and many regional, state and local events.
Now living in Austria, Russell works with International Schools throughout Europe use Creative Suite or Quark to create yearbooks that are printed by American yearbook publisher Walsworth Publishing. “I like teaching high school students how to use the software so they gain a skill they can take with them to their careers as designers, writers, photographers or production artists,” he said.