MEET OUR STAFF

John Nelson first visited Door County in 1961. "Nothing has changed, and yet everything has changed," he noted. "People have always come here because it's beautiful, and they fall in love with the county's atmosphere of possibility, but now they also experience an abundance of world-class art, music, theater, shopping, and recently, food. As publishers, digital marketing experts and video producers, everything we do is aimed at helping Peninsula-lovers find and enjoy the best possible outcome for their visit."

JOHN NELSON, publisher/editor

920.421.1589, john@doorguidepublishing.com

 

 

 

A Door County native, Laurel Janisse moved back to the county in 2013 and joined the DGP team as art director. Laurel has a bachelors degree in Studio Art with minors in Graphic Design and Business Management.  She also owns several Door County vacation rentals that she tends to.  Laurel loves all the outdoor activities in Door County, including paddleboarding, walking her dogs, snowshoeing, and reading.

LAUREL JANISSE, media sales director

920.421.4200, laurel@doorguidepublishing.com

 

 

 

Joe Risch grew up in Gills Rock, at the county's far northern end, from where he took a long school bus ride to attend Gibraltar Area Schools.  He says the commute gave him abundant time to indulge his imagination, eventually resulting in artistic pursuits in music, art, and videography.  Today, Joe Risch is Door Guide Publishing's new graphic designer, offering our clients his unique perspective on their print and digital design needs, including websites and videos.

JOE RISCH, graphic designer

920.421.0055, joe@doorguidepublishing.com

 

 

 

Our video production house, Door County Digital, is a close collaboration with Bill Youmans, who has over 40 years of experience as a producer, direc-tor, cameraman and editor. At home with all film formats and hardware, Bill has created 1,000s of commercials, documentaries, and social media videos. His efforts have earned him not only many Chicago Addy awards, but also national recognition in the Telly and Clio awards. Door County Digital's dozens of video clients include Al Johnson's Swedish Restaurant & Butik, Country House Resort, Door County Maritime Museum, Door County Medical Center, Door Peninsula Winery and Northern Sky Theater.

BILL YOUMANS, film + video director

 

Kate Rispens was born and raised in Door County. She has a bachelors in Marketing and Computer Technology. Kate spent 10 years in Milwaukee using her marketing and business skills to help launch numerous ventures and turn them into successful small businesses. After returning to Door County, Kate joined the DGP team in 2016 and uses her extensive skills to help our clients get the most out of their social media presence.

KATE RISPENS, social media manager

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We like to work closely with select vendors, and for clients' website development, we turn to Dave Eash of Heydayv Design in Fish Creek. "Starting as layout editor of my high school yearbook, this humble beginning gave me a passion for design, leading to a small print shop, graphic design at a sign shop, and sales and marketing. Along the way I became a Certified Internet Webmaster Master Designer. I always try to bring a fresh approach to custom web design."

DAVE EASH, website designer

 

 

 

 

 

Bree Kottwitz is a Door County resident since 2019, having returned to Wisconsin from years of traveling abroad and studying. As the owner of Wicker Baskt, a luxury picnic and charcuterie catering company, she enjoys bringing ideas to life and creating unique experiences for others. Bree finds joy in creating and learning, which has allowed her to continually level up her skillsets as she embarks on her entrepreneurial journey.

 

BREE KOTTWITZ, social media coordinator

 

 

 

 

 

 

Donna Fearing was born and raised in Whitewater, where she graduated with a degree in Art History. She moved to Door County over a decade ago and has worked in a variety of service industry jobs before finding her place at DGP. Her understanding of the services provided by Door County hotels, restaurants, and businesses allows her great insight to help her clients with their social media presence.

DONNA FEARING, social media coordinator

 

 

Since 1995, Chris Opper has edited five feature films, directed two films, and worked on many short films. He is the Director of Door Guide Publishing's weekly video series "A Door County Minute" and has combined his love for video production and music by shooting and editing videos for local musicians. Chris is also the long-time Director of the Door County Short Film Festival.

CHRIS OPPER, "a door county minute" director

 

 

 

 

 

 

The multi-faceted background of Office Manager Christine Risch (former Door County realtor, high-end retail sales, bookkeeping, and also the current, much-beloved Office Manager at Peninsula Music Festival in Ephraim) makes her the perfect fit for Door Guide Publishing. She's hard-working, super-organized, smart, detail-oriented and caring. In other words, she helps make sure the trains run on time. We love her, but she wouldn't give us a photo to use, so she's obviously also humble and self-effacing. Thank you, Chris.

 

CHRIS RISCH, office manager

 

CONTACT

John Nelson, Publisher, 920.421.1589, john@doorguidepublishing.com

Laurel Janisse, Media Sales, 920.421.4200, laurel@doorguidepublishing.com

Joe Risch, Graphic Designer, 920.421.0055, joe@doorguidepublishing.com