Motif Dispatch: Profiles in Distribution

The people who deliver Motif are innovative artists, writers, gifted actors and musicians in their own right. Ever wonder, Who are these couriers of arts and culture? We can’t profile the full dozen drivers in this space. In addition to these profiles, we want to thank Dave Messere, James Brien, Wayne Stolz, Lola Blu, Jon Audette, Joshua Cua, Larry Southwick, Alex and many more.

MICHAEL BILOW, WRITER- Long-time distribution manager, Mike Bilow, started and continues his tenure with Motif as a writer, establishing his own niche of opinion, counter-culture news and even weather reports. A native Rhode Islander, Bilow traces his writing roots in the independent and ‘alt’ newspaper scene back to his college days. Billow joined Motif’s distribution team originally with the Eastside route, RISD, Brown, Miriam Hospital, essential galleries and entertainment forums. Still hitting the streets hand-delivering Motif, Bilow is also charged with garnering and digesting readership data each publishing cycle to precisely configure the bi-monthly dispatch throughout RI and southern MA. The goal: max distribution, max consumption, minimum waste. “We’re not carpet bombing, way too costly,” confirms Bilow. He praises the unwavering commitment and sense of pride of this crew of paper carriers. “They are fundamental, Motif ambassadors taking the pulse of vendors, sizing up patrons, ensuring value to venue and meaningful reach to reader.” Over time, the team exponentially grew and refined the inherited list of local storefronts, libraries, pizza joints, and liquor stores adjusting to seasonal populations such as summer tourists or college students. Distro Day is highly orchestrated, starting when bundles of Motif magazines are trucked in during predawn hours. Rarely, if ever, does Bilow hear from drivers on Distro Day. “It just never happens,” he emphasizes. With one exception, 5 years ago. Worried, apologetic, with no way to finish her route, a courier called in a panic. Five bundles of Motif were trapped in her car trunk. “Rear-ended, completely smashed in, a total wreck,” reports Bilow. Bilow credits Motif’s aggressive coverage of cannabis, especially a decade before legalization, as crucial to fueling Motif’s foothold these past 20 years. “Motif is one of the only publications that would take it on and truly wade into the financial, political, and social justice aspects of cannabis.”

ROB NELSON, MUSICIAN- Rob Nelson single-handedly delivered more than a million copies of Motif. His hands – strumming a Cherry Red Gibson – forged Rob’s career as a celebrated guitarist and fixture in the New England blues circuit since the late 1960s. “A lot of work in a lot of dives,” he recalls. Influenced by soul, R&B, highly versed in classic blues and honky tonk, Rob started playing guitar in 7th grade and joined his first band in high school. “We were the weirdo Blues guys,” he explains of his start. As a kid, Rob listened to his dad play Don Gibson’s “Old Lonesome Me” and everything by Eddy Arnold. “What a treat! The sounds of a live guitar,” he reminisces. Rob plays gigs throughout RI, is lead guitarist for the Heidi Nirk Band, and hits the stage with Roger Ceresi’s All Starz. Founder of Loaded Dice and Blue Lights, he is lauded for his ability to jump into gigs at-a-moment’s-notice without hiccup or hesitation. As a fan, Rob’s fave: “Seeing J. Geils in the early days at The Warehouse in Providence when they were really more jazz than pop.”

JASON ‘JAYBIRD’ WALKER, POET, ACTOR, SINGER, ADVOCATE FOR THE ARTS- Motif’s Newport and Southern MA dispatcher, fondly known as Jaybird Walker is a multi-taleted artist racking up credits as an actor, producer/director, poet, and singer. He serves as Motif’s poet curator, hosts Motif-sponsored Poetry Night, and was voted Motif’s Favorite Spoken Word Artist (2019). So, it just makes sense that Jay’s personal motto is “I seek to live off and learn more about my arts, to use my artistic and organizational skills to help others to produce, present, and peddle artistic wares.” Growing up in the Edgewood section of Cranston, Jay dreamed of being an actor landing his first starring role in his kindergarten’s production of Hansel & Gretel. “I was an artist from the word ‘go’ in all mediums,’” he confirms. He started writing poetry and short stories by age 14, and after high school launched his professional career. Currently, playing Malvolio from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night at the Contemporary Theater Company, Wakefield, RI, and performing at Fringe Fest in Providence, he has a regular gig as an in-character tour guide at the Historic Lizzie Borden House in Fall River. Jay is active with the RIFC (RI Film Collaborative) and serves on the Board of Directors for the Spectrum Theater Ensemble in Providence. One of his many upcoming projects is a profile series of staged readings by neurodivergent writers (on and off the Autism spectrum) this fall.

PATRICIA ‘SISSY’ O’HARA, ACTOR- Born Patricia O’Hara to a ‘strict Irish-Catholic’ clan in East Providence, Sissy earned her moniker (and stage name) as the only sister among a brood of brothers. She set her sights on acting when she saw Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz. “I can do that,” she thought, but her parents pictured her as a nurse or teacher. Instead, she became a phlebotomist. Moonlighting as a film set caterer, Sissy slyly negotiated herself into minor acting gigs in local Indie and horror flicks. A highlight of Sissy’s career was starring in Marinah Janello’s movie short, Entropia (2018), which won numerous awards including the Southeastern New England FilmFestival, 1st Film at AWorldofDreams Film Festival, Women In Honor Film Festival, and Rock and Shock. Her role, as an aging woman who endeavors to regain her youth mixing taxidermy with magical spells and incantations, garnered numerous accolades including “A superbly engaging and altogether terrific performance by Sissy O’Hara.” A member of the actor’s union, Sissy continues to work regularly with several movies to her credit including a recent Hulu film, The Boston Strangler with Keira Knightley. Personally, Sissy confesses slasher flicks are not her cup-of-tea, but horror comedies her genre of choice. About a decade ago, Motif became Sissy’s long-term side-hustle. When her grandkids were born, she bowed out but recently returned filling in to take on various routes. •

Photo courtesy of National Distribution Alliance