The Estes Valley Voice has a talented team of writers, editors, and creatives producing in-depth news and feature coverage of the Estes Valley. The EVV team is committed to the importance of story – your story, our story, the Estes Valley story.
Over the next four days, we will publish the bios for our editorial and creative team in alphabetical order.
We invite you to get to know our writers, and we would like to invite you to support the Estes Valley Voice by becoming a paid subscriber.
A “free press” means an independent press, but it takes revenue to produce a local news publication. Since our launch at the end of June 2024, we have published 1,041 local news stories.
We would also appreciate your feedback through our 2025 Readers Survey. We will hold a drawing on Monday, Dec. 1 at 5 p.m. for 10 $15 gift cards to local coffee shops and bakeries for all those who responded to the survey.
Suzy Blackhurst, Senior Editor
Suzy Blackhurst first became hooked seeing ink on paper as the Estes Park Trail press spit out issues of the Estes Park High School Mountaineer newspaper.
“She’s really got the bug,” the journalism department chair at Kansas State University, where she eventually earned her journalism degree, told Suzy’s parents during a pre-enrollment campus tour.
From those promising signs, Suzy became dedicated to a career in journalism. She initially worked as a copy editor for Pioneer Press on Chicago’s North Shore, where she was one of three writers covering high school sports from Evanston to Lake Forest. After returning to her roots in Colorado, she served as editor of the Windsor Beacon and the Idaho Springs Journal, newspapers that no longer exist.
After her marriage to Eric and their move to the Midwest, she was the editor of the weekly Fairview Heights, Illinois Journal before joining the Hearst daily Intelligencer in Edwardsville, Illinois, where she served as the city beat reporter.
She pivoted to freelance writing and community service after the birth of their daughter. While in Illinois, Suzy served on the Edwardsville Planning Commission and received a gubernatorial appointment to the Bi-State (Illinois-Missouri) Transportation Commission.
Colorado beckoned, and the Blackhursts moved to Estes Park, where Suzy’s freelance work turned into owning a marketing and communications consulting business for 14 years. Market Reach closed when Suzy joined the Town of Estes Park’s marketing department, which became the Estes Park Marketing District and later Visit Estes Park. She retired from VEP as Interim CEO in 2018.
It is serendipitous that she met Patti Brown in her hometown and has returned to the love of telling the stories of a community.
If you have a story idea for Suzy, reach out to her at suzyb@estesvalleyvoice.com.
Robin Bond, V.P. of Marketing and Advertising
Robin Bond is a lifelong writer and storyteller whose career spans journalism, filmmaking, television production, and magazine editing. She is driven by the belief – echoing Shakespeare – that brevity is the soul of wit, and she brings that ethos to every project she leads.
Robin earned her journalism degree from Radford University in Virginia and pursued graduate studies in film at American University in Washington, D.C. An entrepreneurial creative, she owned and operated two media production companies in Denver for over two decades, served as executive producer for a major Colorado production firm, and was editor for two luxury lifestyle magazines.
Through her company, Robin Bond Media, she has written, produced, and directed projects nationwide and internationally, creating high-end promotional and documentary films for clients such as American Airlines, the U.S. Naval Special Warfare Command, the U.S. Olympic Committee, and a diverse range of corporate and public-service organizations.
She also hosted and produced the news magazine Reach TV and the Colorado talk show Café Mom. Her broadcast credits include producing for The Amazing Race, Entertainment Tonight, and other nationally recognized programs—work that showcases her skill in interviewing and directing real people, children, politicians, scientists, military leaders, and celebrities.
An Emmy-winning filmmaker, Robin is the producer and director of the feature-length documentary “Derby Baby: A Story of Love, Addiction, and Rink Rash,” featuring actress Juliette Lewis. Through a record-breaking Kickstarter campaign, the film was distributed internationally, reaching audiences across North America, Europe, Asia, South America, and Australia. Before returning to live in Colorado this past year, Robin was a TV news producer for WLOS/CH13, the ABC affiliate in Asheville, North Carolina.
Robin recently completed her forthcoming true-crime book, “Ashes and Axes in Morgan Cove: The 1885 Joyce Family Murders, a Pinkerton Detective, and a Trial That Shocked the Nation.”
Robin is passionate about her marketing and writing work with the Estes Valley Voice, which is committed to local journalism and the community. Robin has three grown daughters and a Golden Doodle named Stella.
If you’re interested in advertising in the Estes Valley Voice, reach out to Robin at robin@estesvalleyvoice.com.
Tomorrow’s bios: Patti Brown, Cathy Creagh, Ashlyn Giroux, and David Hernandez
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