Recently, the Los Angeles Business Journal lost a member of its family. On June 30, Jimmy Yang passed away unexpectedly. By company title he was our Advertising & Business Development Manager. To those who knew him, even for a moment, he was so much more.
He was a friend, a husband, a rugby teammate, a foodie and someone who loved to celebrate the smallest of moments.
I had the privilege of calling Jimmy Yang a close friend for nearly 25 years. We grew up in this industry together, so to speak. We both started our media careers as advertising sales reps for the San Fernando Valley Business Journal. We were in our early 20s (I just dated myself here), and along with a close team of others we helped to build the SFVBJ in its early years. We sold advertising together, went on sales calls, pranked editors (not received well in our industry), worked on proposals, built advertisements using out-of-date software, created company events from the ground up, and, most importantly, had more fun than most get to experience “at work.”
After our initial time ended at the SFVBJ, we continued on in our media careers and our friendship. Jimmy moved overseas and worked for titles such as Shanghai Daily and China Daily before going on to the film and entertainment industry. I’ll always appreciate his time in China, as it gave me a great reason to join him and eat our way through Shanghai together.
Recently, Jimmy moved back to Los Angeles, to a city that he loved (and wanted everyone else to love, too), with big goals and with even bigger ambition. We joined forces, again, and I introduced him to the new team at the Business Journal. Like the old times, we would sit and talk about all the ways we were going to create new products for our readers to get excited about. We talked about ways to get more involved with the community and causes close to both of us. He recently joined the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Executive Challenge, with the intention of blowing all fundraising records out of the water; and he would have done it. We had big plans together.
Jimmy brought an energy to the team that nobody had seen before. A passion that nobody had experienced. His managers describe him as a force; as someone with fierce drive and a never-ending flow of ideas. His colleagues describe him as full of passion; a breath of fresh air, and as a charismatic soul who made them laugh, smile and enjoy the day. His friends describe him as someone who lived by his word, put others first, and would do anything for anyone, without a second thought.
To me, Jimmy was Jimmy. He was family. He was his own person who left a deep impression on everyone lucky enough to cross paths with him. I thought I had learned everything possible about life, passion and living in the moment. Jimmy taught me that we can never stop learning, growing or trying to impact those around us. He taught me that we can always learn more, can always give more, and can always appreciate and inspire more. He taught all of us that no matter what the circumstances are, no matter what the goal, or obstacles in the way to achieve it, where there is positive energy and belief in yourself, anything can be accomplished. He didn’t just say the words, he demonstrated them, and he lived them.
Thank you, Jimmy, for the spirit you’ve instilled in your Business Journal team, for your passion, and most importantly, for the memories and your friendship. With respect and admiration – rest in peace, dear friend.
Josh Schimmels
Publisher & CEO
