UPDATE (4/22/2010): Video Coverage of Heissam Jebailey discussing his books during a signing session at Gray’s Bookstore.
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Original Story Posted April 20th, 2010
After a 10-year career, Heissam Jebailey, the former co-owner of the Central Florida Future is leaving the paper he helped build behind to pursue a new career.
After graduating in 2000 from UCF, Jebailey became a publisher of the paper in 2001 and started Knight Publishing. With the help of his business partner Brian Linden, Jebailey set forth to transform the weekly black and white tabloid with a distribution of only 10,000 into what it is today.
Under Jebailey and Linden, the Future, at its peek, transformed into a full-color broadsheet with a total distribution of 45,000 issues published three times per week. Over the past 10 years, the paper’s growth has been impressive, especially when one considers that Jebailey and Linden took over the paper with no editorial experience. In 2007, Linden and Jebailey sold the publication to Gannet Company, Inc., and Jebailey has since concentrated on the business side of the paper.
In a press release Jebailey stated, “As a former UCF student, employee and employer, I have gained invaluable experience. I feel indebted to the university and therefore want to give back to those most in need – the students.” Jebailey and the Future have done just that, donating nearly $50,000 to support scholarships and student-centric programs.
Advertising/public relations and journalism students programs have benefited from his charity, mentorship and experience. After receiving success as a co-author on a hit book “Wake Up Live the Life you Love, Living in Abundance,” Jebailey is ready to move on from the Future to promote his first book entitled, “30 Quick Tips for Success In and Out of College.”
On Wednesday, April 21, from noon to 5 p.m. Jebailey will be signing books at the UCF Bookstore located on UCF’s main campus. And on Thursday, April 22 from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., he will be signing books inside Gray’s Bookstore located in the Publix shopping plaza on Alafaya Trail and McCullough Road.
