Richard Young is a retired high school History teacher who taught with the Thames Valley District School Board for 30 years.
He founded, published, and edited The Beat Magazine, an independent print arts magazine, from 2009 to 2013.
After the print magazine folded in the summer of 2013, he kept himself busy doing many things.
He wrote freelance for a variety of local print publications, including Lifestyle Magazine, Business London, London, Inc., Professionally Speaking (Ontario College of Teachers), Scene Magazine, and the Villager Group of community magazines.
Richard worked part-time/casually at a well-respected London Advertising & Marketing agency, writing copy about heavy industrial machinery. Talk about a learning curve! He thanks owners Robert Adeland and Mina Thaler for their patience in teaching him the ins and outs of large cranes, dump trucks, excavators, and the like.
From December 2022 until August 2025, Richard was the Publicity and Program Department Head for Silver Spotlight Theatre, London’s theatre company that gives those 55 and older a chance to sing, dance, and perform on stage or backstage.
Most recently, he has served on the London Public Library’s Historic Sites Committee, the body that erects plaques around the city commemorating people and places of local historical significance. One project Richard takes particular pride in is an Interpretive Sign Celebrating Wonderland Gardens’ Contribution to London’s Music History, which he prepared in collaboration with the City of London Culture Office. It will be officially unveiled in Spring 2026.
In August 2025, Richard reactivated the magazine as The Beat Magazine 2025 website.
“My reason for doing so is straightforward. My goal is to gather together in one place the local arts and culture news that the mainstream London media outlets no longer seem interested in covering, unless there are exorbitant advertising dollars involved,” says Richard.
Since going live online, thebeatmagazine2025.ca has profiled London area local theatre companies and groups, published Weekly Arts & Culture listings, Q&A Interviews with local musicians and artists, Media Releases about local Arts & Culture events, reprinted theatre Reviews from Entertain This Thought, and other general arts news, most of which has not been reported in the local media.
If you have a story idea or would like to become a Volunteer Writer for The Beat Magazine 2025, you can reach Richard at richardyoung@thebeatmagazine2025.ca
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The Beat Magazine 2025 