I grew up in Connecticut, where from early childhood I enjoyed drawing and “writing” little nonsensical storybooks. In my adolescence I loved making my own magazines, creating caricatures of my friends and satirizing our middle school days in my own version of MAD or Cracked. I wrote melodramatic poetry and song lyrics in my teenage years that no one will ever see.

I went to college in New York City and earned an associate’s degree in graphic design. Life took me all over the north, east, and south and I worked all sorts of jobs, from retail and movie theater management to product photography and advertising. I met my wife Natalie Duplessy and her two kids Darius and Jhonan when I was thirty, and together we left Connecticut with $2000 and our life’s belongings in suitcases.

Colorado was always a vacation destination for us, but with me working in management and Natalie working as a chef in prestigious and high-energy kitchens, we never got to take that vacation. Instead we moved to Colorado in search for a place to start anew and put down roots. After several years in Aurora and Denver, Natalie and I finally came up to Nederland to visit some friends, one such friend I went to high school with back in Connecticut. After that first visit I knew I wanted to live here.

I looked through the wanted ads in The Mountain-Ear and saw that the paper was looking for a reporter, photographer, graphic designer, and a podcast creator. I applied for all positions, sent in a writing sample and some mock ads, and hoped. Meanwhile Natalie was on the impossible hunt for a place to live in Nederland in January. We eventually found a ridiculously expensive room to rent and I was not only able to write freelance articles for The Mountain-Ear but was also hired as a clerk at the Mountain Man Outdoor Store. We became official lease-holding residents in March of 2022.

For the last year I have been covering local government meetings of the Nederland Board of Trustees and Downtown Development Authority. I also write local business features for Nederland, Gilpin County, Black Hawk, and Central City.

I occasionally conduct interviews for The Mountain-Ear podcast as well, and often I write articles about some of the big issues that affect Nederland, such as affordable housing, the Nederland Police Department, and Frozen Dead Guy Days.

Looking back at the last year I believe it is fair to say that it’s been a tough one for not only myself and my family, but for the Town itself. Nederland has lost a mayor, has lost a few Trustees, and has lost a festival. This year Natalie and I have moved twice, have had our car and subsequently our bank account fall apart, and have lost more than a few furry friends. This was also the year that I lost my grandfather.

My grandfather had always encouraged me to continue writing and drawing, and effortlessly supported my creativity in many ways, including handing down to me my first “real” camera, a Pentax K1000. He is a major reason for why I pursued living in Nederland and writing for The Mountain-Ear, as making such a risky leap, for an introvert like me, was such an anxiety-inducing challenge that it would have been impossible without his guidance. This is why I dedicate my first year of writing for The Mountain-Ear to my grandfather, James Oberempt.

It is truly a dream job to write for a local paper like The Mountain-Ear, and to write for the amazing community that we have here in Nederland. The challenges Natalie and I have endured this year have proven to be more rewarding than damaging. We have lost a beloved family member but we have gained so many new friends. All in all we are thankful to have moved here and gained the comfort of knowing our neighbors; loving and respecting them as they love and respect us.

Moving forward I would love to continue to meet new friends and neighbors in our community and highlight their stories, whether it be for the podcast, for a Keep It Local business feature, or a Mountain Folk Tales interview. I will continue to cover local government as I actually have a bit of a passion for it, and I will continue to remain objective in my articles and dedicated to delivering unbiased information to the people of Nederland.