On November 24, 2019, I accepted an offer for my dream job with a radio station, as a freelance writer and social media manager. This was my first time fully pursuing my dream of being self-employed, so I took a leap of faith and accepted the position, as a side hustle to my main job. I could work from home as well. Everything was going well on the dream job. I felt that the job was secure and it was paying twice the pay as my main job. I continued doing both jobs and on December 20, 2019 I went on vacation from my main job.

From December 20th throughout the holiday season, I was on cloud nine, loving my new career. While on vacation from my main job, I had time to really think about what I wanted to do. I decided that I was sick of my regular “9 to 5” and I should pursue my dream full-time. My new dream job was a part of the iHeart Media family.

On January 6, 2020, when I returned from vacation to my main job, I submitted my letter of resignation, effective immediately. I was fully self-employed. Unfortunately, the next day, my dream job let me go, due to a massive and nationwide iHeart Media lay-off. Last hired, first fired. I didn’t know what I was going to do. Yesterday, I had two jobs and today I have NO job! Fortunately, I was eligible for Unemployment Compensation.

Since I’m home and got free time, I decided that now that I am unemployed and have plenty of free time, this would be the best time to go on a vacation. What better place to go, to lift my spirits, than New Orleans, Mardi Gras, on Fat Tuesday! So that’s what I did…me and my homie. From February 23, 2020 thru Wednesday February 26, 2020 I had a ball. This time included Fat Tuesday, February 25th. I had a great time, but I found that the people and the city were too slow for me. I’m high spirited and swift-minded and I found the city to be too laid back for me. So, I won’t be retuning there.

When I returned home, I learned of the Coronavirus and that it was spreading very fast in New Orleans. Luckily, I’d left just in time and didn’t really interact with many people, because I wasn’t feeling the city, as I stated already. All of my loved ones and friends reached out to me to make sure that I wasn’t sick. I wasn’t. Thank God!

On March 11, 2020 the Novel Coronavirus Disease, COVID-19, was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. On March 13, 2020 a national emergency was declared in the United States concerning the COVID-19 Outbreak. The world has been shut down and everyone is locked down in their homes. WTF!!!

Now back at home during this time off, and with me already being a published writer, I wanted to kick it up a notch and start my own online magazine. I have always wanted to do that, but never had the time to invest in starting it. NOW I HAD THE TIME! The world is on lockdown! I pivoted from being an author to being a publisher.

The purpose of my magazine would be to enlighten my readers with stories, people and events that are making POSITIVE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE WORLD, highlighting known and unknown individuals and events.

So, on April 1, 2020 I launched the first issue of my magazine, GO BANG! Magazine, (www.GoBangMagazine.com) with NO START UP MONEY and NO publishing EXPERIENCE. Having worked with historic and iconic media outlets such as The Chicago Defender Newspaper, N’Digo Magapaper and the Soul Train brand, I was fully groomed to start my own. All I had was a vision, passion and a dream! I would now be the CEO, Publisher, Senior Editor and Journalist, as well as the Promoter and Publicist.

April was just one month after COVID-19 was categorized as a pandemic. As I said, the world shut down, so the timing of my magazine couldn’t have been better. Everybody was at home and had nothing to do. Why not read GO BANG! Magazine?

September 2020 marked GO BANG! Magazine’s six-month anniversary. At this point, GO BANG! Magazine had been received overwhelmingly great across the planet, not just here in the United States. GO BANG! Magazine is global and includes readers in United Kingdom, China, Nigeria, Australia, Germany, Spain, France, Japan, Saint Lucia and United Arab Emirates. WOW, WOW & WOW!!!

I’m told that the public loves the in-depth interviews and the people that I select to interview. Many of the interviewees have commented on how they love the way I conduct the interviews, which are via email, the questions asked, and how they are allowed to fully express themselves, with no restrictions.

November 2020, I accepted a job with the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership as a Lead Contact Tracer. I had always wanted to help rid the world of this deadly pandemic, and now I had the chance. This was a work-from-home position, so it wouldn’t interfere with publishing my magazine. My Contact Tracing duties include: leading 16 Contact Tracers in contacting individuals that may have been exposed to COVID-19 thru close contact with a COVID-19 infected individual and provide them with information and guidance to interrupt/reduce the ongoing transmission of the disease by obtaining symptom information, advising them to self-quarantine and to monitor their health, assisting exposed individuals in getting tested, connecting individuals to resources and support during self-quarantine and self-isolation. March 2022, I was promoted to Contact Tracing Supervisor.

March 2021, I initiated accepting promotional ads and offering sponsorship packages to individuals and businesses. As of now, ads are my focus. In the near future, as the world opens back up, I will focus on GO BANG! Magazine sponsored events, and therefore my focus will be more on soliciting sponsorship packages.

April 1, 2022: Celebrating TWO YEARS of publication, GO BANG! Magazine has achieved what many other media outlets haven’t.  April 1, 2022 marks the TWO YEAR Anniversary of GO BANG! Magazine!  In those two years, GO BANG! Magazine has become the reliable source for in-depth interviews and an internationally global successful medium.  The magazine has interviewed hundreds of celebrities and everyday individuals.  It proudly boasts, having readers from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, China, Italy, Nigeria, Australia, Germany, Spain, France, Japan, Saint Lucia and several other countries.   

In addition to that,  GO BANG! Magazine is now offering reasonably priced monthly AD SPACE  and seeking SPONSORSHIP opportunities for businesses and/or individuals interested in sponsoring upcoming events produced by the GO BANG! Magazine brand. 

In addition to the magazine, I have also launched a newsletter which creates a database of my readers and followers. I have sister sites of the magazine on all social media platforms as well. With all of these platforms, it has given me an audience to promote and sell merchandise, as well as fundraise. I have created promotional facemasks, hats and shirts with the GO BANG! Magazine logo on it! The items have been received positively by the public and sales have been great!

I am proud, amazed, thrilled and thankful for the first year of GO BANG! Magazine and I look forward to more years to come.

What I have learned during this wonderful journey is that you must be creative, be persistent, trust yourself, have faith, hang in for the long-haul, be flexible and always be willing to learn more about your field of business.

I had a DREAM…
COVID-19 Pandemic gave me TIME…
YOU gave me SUPPORT!
GOD gave me the GIFT to……


GO BANG!…

I DID!



Thank you ALL for your past, present and future support!!!!

Merry Christmas!
Happy Kwanzaa!
Happy Hanukkah!
Ramadan!

Looking back at the year, which we tend to do during the holiday season, I would like to thank all of the supporters of GO BANG! Magazine. From the interviewees to the advertisers and sponsors. But, most importantly…

I would like to thank YOU, the readers. THANK YOU!

One year and eight months ago, on Wednesday, April 1, 2020, at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, I introduced the world to GO BANG! Magazine. I finally had time to dedicate to starting my online magazine and YOU the reader had time to read it.

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING IT!!!

We would like to wish you, your family and loved ones, a HEALTHY, HAPPY and PROSPEROUS holiday season and New Year!!!

Now, GO BANG!!!

Gratefully yours,

Pierre Andre’ Evans

The perfect holiday gift….

#20yearslater

WHERE WERE YOU ON THE MORNING OF SEPTEMBER 11TH?

The September 11 attacks, often referred to as 9/11, were a series of four coordinated terrorist attacks by the militant Islamist terrorist group al-Qaeda against the United States of America on the morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001.

I was at work at URS, the construction management company that oversaw the building of Millennium Park. It was located right across the street from City Hall in downtown Chicago. After it happened, downtown was evacuated and it was like a ghost town. People were horrified that maybe City Hall or the Sears Tower would be next. People were running through the streets of downtown looking up in the air, fearing airplanes flying overhead. I didn’t feel safe until I was HOME!

WHERE WERE YOU ON THAT FATEFUL DAY?
Place your response in the COMMENTS section below this article.

Thank you!

Pierre

Photo credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago

A student looks on as public officials tour classrooms at Hawthorne Scholastic Academy while CPS continues its reopening plans in the Lake View neighborhood on March 1, 2021.

Reprinted from: https://blockclubchicago.org/2021/09/09/vaccines-for-kids-under-12-could-be-coming-in-november-officials-say/?mc_cid=cb992d96c3&mc_eid=e278cacef7

Click HERE for link to BLOCKCLUBCHICAGO article.

Courtesy of: https://www.dph.illinois.gov/covid19/third-dose-faq

DISCLAMER: GO BANG! Magazine neither defends nor opposes the vaccine. This article is for informational purposes only.

Anyone 12 years of age and older is eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine.
Find your nearest vaccination location at https://www.vaccines.gov/ or call (833) 621-1284 to schedule an appointment near you.

Who should get a third dose of vaccine?

Currently, individuals with moderately to severely compromised immune systems are recommended for a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine. This includes people currently receiving treatment for cancer, people taking medications that weaken the immune systems, organ or stem cell transplant recipients, individuals with advanced or untreated HIV infection, and other conditions. A full list of conditions can be found on CDC’s website. If you are unsure if you are recommended for a third dose, talk with your health care provider. The third dose of COVID-19 vaccine can be given anytime 28 days after receiving the second dose.

The third dose is being recommended after emerging data suggests some people with moderately to severely compromised immunes systems do not always build the same level of immunity as individuals who do not have a compromised immune system. A third dose will help ensure people with compromised immune systems get as much protection as possible from COVID-19 vaccination.

Can I get any type of COVID-19 vaccine for the third doses?

No. You should receive the same brand of vaccine you received for your first and second doses, either Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech.

When will the general public be able to get a booster shot?

When will the general public be able to get a booster shot?

Federal health officials are prepared to offer booster shots for people in the U.S. beginning the week of September 20, 2021 and starting 8 months after an individual’s second dose.

Do I need an additional dose or booster shot if I received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine?

Federal health officials anticipate booster shots will likely be needed for people who received the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccine. Administration of the J&J vaccine did not begin in the U.S. until March 2021, and health officials expect more data on J&J in the next few weeks.

Why do I need a booster shot?

While the COVID-19 vaccines currently authorized in the U.S. continue to be effective in reducing the risk of severe disease, hospitalization and death, including protection against the Delta variant, many vaccines see reduced protection over time. While study and data analysis are ongoing, federal health officials have concluded that a booster shot will be needed to maximize vaccine-induced protection and prolong its durability.

Where can I get a booster shot?

Individuals with compromised immune systems can check with their health care provider about getting a third COVID-19 dose. At this time, vaccine providers, such as local health departments, clinics, and pharmacies, are able to provide third doses. You can find a vaccine provider at www.vaccines.gov or call 1-800-232-0244 (TTY 888-720-7489).

Federal health officials are prepared to offer booster shots for people in the U.S. beginning the week of September 20, 2021 and starting 8 months after an individual’s second dose. More information will be available as the federal government rolls out its plan.

Is a third dose the same as a booster shot?

Some people, those who are immunocompromised, may not develop the same immune response level after vaccination as others. A third dose is recommended for those individual to help them build the same level of immunity as people who are not immunocompromised.

A booster shot is recommended as protection from the vaccine wanes over time.