PPAI Media has welcomed new team member Jonny Auping to the fold. Auping joins the Association as a news editor, reporting the daily news of the industry and creating impactful, enterprising stories for PPB Newslink and PPB magazine.

Auping has worked in journalism for just under a decade, primarily in a freelance capacity. In that time, his byline has appeared in the likes of Texas Monthly, New York Magazine,The New Yorker, Slate, Dallas Morning News, VICE and D Magazine. Music and sports have been regular parts of his beat, but he’s also written on books, religion, humor, politics, dogs and art.

Joining PPAI and its staff is a professional shift for Auping but one he welcomes.

“My career has been so sporadic and varied, which I’ve enjoyed quite a bit, but a decade doing something is enough time to pick up some skills. And I like the idea that I can apply my skills to a team here and make a real use for them,” Auping says. “Journalism is such a competitive field. But coming into PPAI and bringing the things I’m good at to a team appealed to me. I like learning and taking what I learned and framing it in an interesting way for people. I’m doing a bunch of learning right now, trying to get myself prepared to frame it all for readers.”

New to the promo field, first up for Auping at PPAI is to get his hands around the diverse industry. He says, “I’m new to the industry compared to most of my colleagues, so my first objective is to learn. My motto used to be ‘Don’t sit down and write until you’ve learned way more than you knew before you decided to write the thing.’ I’m still doing some writing for PPAI at the moment, but I’m more focused on learning all the things our readers likely already know.”

Music and sports have not only been a professional focus for Auping, they’ve been a personal enthusiasm as well. Speaking on life outside of the office, he says, “I love going to see live music, some touring acts, but mostly local musicians in Dallas, where I live. I love to watch basketball. I really love to play basketball, but 32 is starting to feel a lot older than the previous years have felt, so the little falls and tweaks are beginning to feel closer to actual injuries. Alas, I’m tentatively mourning the potentially near end to my playing days.”

James Khattak is a news editor at PPAI.