Anna Cooke, Editor

THE NEW BARKER is Anna’s brainchild, inspired by a lifetime of love and devotion for her own parade of canine companions, and her passion for the arts. She began drawing at a very  young age, and while matriculating as an art student, she supported herself by working as a Mermaid Entertainer at Weeki Wachee Springs, owned by ABC at the time. In what might seem a prophetic turn of events, she performed in a show attended by the band Parliament/Funkadelic whose song “Atomic Dog” had just been released. They were at the Park on a publicity junket arranged by none other than…Steve Cooke…before he and Anna knew each other. Eventually forgoing a fine art career to enter the advertising world, Anna became a celebrated art director and then creative director of international renown. Her award-winning design work for industry giants ABC, D&B,  and others, eventually led to an agency presidency and ultimately, to becoming the creative force behind THE NEW BARKER. It is her imprint you see and feel in each quarterly magazine, and the distinctive quality of the publication is a testament to her unwavering and relentless dedication to integrity and dignity."What matters most is what you do, not what others think you do."

Steve Cooke, Publisher

From high school through college, the musician/songwriter/entrepreneur entertained, playing for three different bands (one his own) over a seven-year period. He once shared the stage with Otis Redding, and allowed Mr. Redding’s guitarist, Johnny Jenkins (who inspired Jimi Hendricks), the use of his beloved Stratocaster when Jenkins’ own malfunctioned (Steve still has the Strat, which Jenkins, a lefty, simply flipped over and played upside down). From there, it was a rather unassuming, yet fulfilling career in marketing, progressing from a stint with MacMillan Publishing to management positions with Harcourt-Brace, Anheuser-Busch and finally, senior management with ABC (American Broadcasting Companies). He eventually returned to his entrepreneurial roots to form his own advertising agency, which exists to this day with a handful of loyal clients who won't let him go. Steve is a contributing writer and behind-the-scenes business manager of THE NEW BARKER. He and Anna met while with ABC and have been life partners ever since. “This is not the life I’ve chosen, it’s the life that’s chosen me.”