Madison Magazine

Let’s be friends? 👉👈 One of the most challenging things about adulthood can be making new connections — not necessarily those with workmates or even life partners, but genuine friendships like the ones that may have come naturally as children in school. Loneliness and isolation are public health crises, and technology has both helped and hindered efforts to combat them. Contributing writer Kynala Phillips asked locals of all ages — just how do you make friends around here? Also in the February issue, we announce the honorees of the Best of Madison Business awards. The 24th annual awards go to two business leaders who see themselves as part of a larger story, and three others who are writing their businesses’ first chapter. 💡 Erik Iverson at Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) 💡 Ben Camp and Jeremiah Calvino at Recovery.com 💡 Ryan Zerwer at Forward Community Investments 💡 Katy Jinkins, PhD at SixLine Semiconductor 🗓️ Mark your calendar for the Best of Business luncheon on Feb. 20 to hear from these winners in a panel discussion about how they’re helping their companies grow and glow — and how you can help yours do the same. We’ll also be announcing this year’s Best Places to Work at the event. Find tickets at madisonmagazine.com Plus, contributing writer Jeff Oloizia takes a colorful, nostalgic look at real postcards from a bygone era in Madison. In the age of Instagram, exploring the enduring charm of historical postcards invites us to pause and reflect on our city’s rich past — and imagine the possibilities of its future. 💌 Single issue orders are now live at madisonmagazine.com. On newsstands Feb. 5. 📸 Cover illustration by Jessie Lin #MadisonWi #MadisonWisconsin #MadisonMagazine #February #makingfriends #makingfriendsinMadison #friends #loneliness #BOMB #BestofMadisonBusiness #BOM #postcards #Madisonpostcards #Wisconsinpostcards #Madisonrestaurants

As the CEO of Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF), Iverson is the head of a nonprofit that brings cutting-edge discoveries to the market.

📣 Announcing our Best of Madison Leadership Award winners! Erik Iverson of Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) Ben Camp and Jeremiah Calvino of Recovery.com Ryan Zerwer of Forward Community Investments Katy Jinkins of SixLine Semiconductor Get your tickets today for the Best of Business luncheon on Feb. 20 to hear from these winners in a panel discussion about how they’re helping their companies grow and glow — and how you can help yours do the same. We’ll also be announcing this year’s Best Places to Work at the event. 💼 Reserve your spot for the annual luncheon: madisonmagazine.com/bomb DATE: Feb. 20 | 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. WHAT: Networking + Luncheon + Awards + Panel  WHERE: The Madison Concourse Hotel and Governor's Club PRESENTING SPONSOR: Johnson Financial Group  #MadisonWi #MadisonBusiness#l #BestOfBusiness #BestOfMadisonLeadershipAwards #BestPlacesToWork

Join us for one of Madison’s premier power lunches. 🔥 Hear from some of the area’s most innovative and forward-thinking business leaders about how they have elevated their community presence; how they’ve applied for-profit thinking in the nonprofit sector; how they stay true to their company’s mission while continuing to grow; and how one of them turned a nanoscale idea into a macroscale venture. Guests of honor include this year’s Best Places to Work (winners will be announced at the event) and the Best of Madison Leadership Award winners (reveal is coming this Monday!!), who will be our panelists at the luncheon. MARK YOUR CALENDAR: Feb. 20 | 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. WHAT: Networking + Luncheon + Awards + Panel WHERE: The Madison Concourse Hotel and Governor's Club GET YOUR TICKETS: madisonmagazine.com/bomb PRESENTING SPONSOR: Johnson Financial Group #MadisonWi #BestOfBusiness #BestPlacesToWork #BestPlacesToWorkMadison

Amid new layoffs and historic upheaval, the Madison area remains a big player in the multi-billion dollar game development industry. Local veterans in the rapidly evolving game dev community are drawing on their creativity and technical skills while lobbying for economic development and policy changes to level up time and time again. Filament Games Raven Software Lost Boys Interactive

Is the beer glass half empty in Madison? We’re checking the taps on Madison’s reputation as a craft beer hub. Despite lagging pandemic recovery and a drinking culture in flux, Jess Miller reports on how local craft brewers are trying to keep the barrel rolling for Wisconsin’s proud beer tradition. 🍺 Also in the January issue, our humor is not only homegrown — this is the city that produced Chris Farley, after all — it’s also changing. The scene is surging, expanding and evolving to welcome more diverse comics to the stage and attract broader audiences. That shift has occurred in part because some of that old material just isn’t funny anymore — today’s boundary-pushing comedians are teaching us what is. Maggie Ginsberg writes about Madison’s comedic boom that proves we have funny in our bones. 🎤 And, the Madison area remains a big player in the multi-billion dollar game development industry, despite new layoffs and historic upheaval. Aaron R. Conklin writes about how local veterans in the rapidly evolving game dev community are drawing on their creativity and technical skills while lobbying for economic development and policy changes to level up time and time again. 🎮 Plus, Emma Waldinger tracks the freelance chef trend challenging Madison’s restaurant industry, Kristine Hansen pens an essay on finding Packers community around the globe and Andrea Behling reports on The Smoking Barrel's set of hot wheels. Single issue orders are now live at madisonmagazine.com. On newsstands Jan. 1. 📸 Cover photo by Nikki Hansen #MadisonWi #MadisonWisconsin #MadisonMagazine #January #craftbeer #beerindustry #beer #craftbrews #Wisconsinbeer #comedy #comics #videogames #gamedev #games #freelancechefs #Madisonchefs #Packers #GreenBay #GreenBayPackers #sauna

Looking for the perfect holiday gift? Or maybe it’s time to invest in some well-deserved you time? 🎄 We’ve got a deal just for you: ✨ 1 year for $9.98 ✨ 2 years for $19.95 Treat yourself—or share the joy with your network! 🎁 Click here to access this special subscription offer: https://lnkd.in/gcuAxEH5 #HolidayDeals #SubscriptionOffer #GiftIdeas #TreatYourself

The story of this hardworking and visionary DIY producer and musician proves that musical brilliance can happen anywhere, even in Madison, Wisconsin.

Before Butch Vig was one of the most influential musical talents in the country, he was a 12-year-old kid from Viroqua with a cheap drum set who would later be shaped by his time at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. 🎧 His story — told to Kurt Stream from inside the artist’s home studio in California — is about a hardworking and visionary DIY producer and musician who proves musical brilliance can happen anywhere, even in Madison, Wisconsin. (This one's sure to become a collector's item.) Also in the December issue, The Amy Awards are back for the fourth year in a row to award five local entrepreneurs from underrepresented communities with $2,000 each. This year’s honorees, profiled by Shelby Rowe Moyer, embody the work and progress that the late Madison-based entrepreneur Amy Gannon so fiercely championed. 🎖 Jazmynn Appleton 🎖 Rajita Chatterjee, PMP, SAFe RTE and Amitha Domalpally 🎖 Emma Crawford, MA, CFP®, CSLP® 🎖 Jillian Talarczyk 🎖 Charles Payne And, Mineral Point-based and former American Girl illustrator Renée Graef pens a tribute to company founder Pleasant Rowland accompanied by an original, imaginary “Meet Madison” character illustration in the style of the American Girls Collection historical doll books. 🎨 (Find out how to purchase the commemorative 11" x 14" poster in the issue or at https://lnkd.in/gTMF-h4A) Plus, Jess Miller learns how to make challah at Stalzy's Deli & Bakery, Anna Kottakis finds an IRL Santa’s workshop at John Linck’s wooden toy workshop and Jonathan Shipley chases the northern lights with local photographers, like Ross Harried, Kenton Fowler and Yiting Wang. Single issue orders are now live at madisonmagazine.com. On newsstands Nov. 27. #MadisonWi #MadisonWisconsin #MadisonMagazine #December #ButchVig #Garbage #Nirvana #SmartStudios #PleasantRowland #AmericanGirl #TheAmyAwards #challah #woodentoys #AuroraBorealis #northernlights

In Wisconsin cookbooks, recipes new and old become a record of our state’s diverse culinary heritage and vibrant local food scene.