deadline. That’s when I started to wonder: could I actually get a job doing this?” The answer was yes — but it would take young Doug MacGregor almost a year to find it. After receiving a pile of rejection letters from larger papers across the country, MacGregor set his sights a little lower and focused on smaller- market papers that needed a cartoonist. He found one in the Gannett-owned Norwich Bulletin , where he “worked for next tonothing in the beginning, but they treated me well.” He would flourish there eight years before discovering Southwest Florida when his parents retired to Port Charlotte.
“What a thrill to sit in that editorial office,” he recalls, “then go out and draw something for the worldwide issue the next day.” has redefined himself as a multi- faceted creative artist: while he continues to contribute to the Sunday News-Press , he’s also authored and illustrated five children’s books, and serves as the Arts in Health Care Coordinator at Lee Health. Oh, and an exhibition of his editorial work just completed a prominent showing this fall at BIG Arts on Sanibel Island. And oh, he’s been playing a pretty mean blues harp the past 12 years with a number of local Today, MacGregor
bands, including today The Rosada Project.
Clearly, Doug MacGregor is an artist whose work has been defined by staying inside a box. And just as clearly, he can think, create, perform and succeed outside of it. MacGregor’s interest in creative arts began in high school, but soon became his passion while at Syracuse University. “I began doing illustrations for the sports section of the campus newspaper,” he recalls. “They liked what I did so much they began to design the sports page around my cartoons, so I got the bug and understood what it was like to produce under
“ Everyone can be creative. It’s just finding a way to express yourself.
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