Today I'm coming out of my TLO retirement to talk about my time at Tate Publishing.
In June of 2011, I was hired at Tate Publishing. As the first ghostwriter hired by the company, I had an idea of what to expect because everyone who graduated with an English or Journalism degree in Oklahoma wound up working there. At the time, I assumed this was because Tate was a good place to work, and not because of the serious dearth of opportunity in Oklahoma.
So, before I get too far into what my experience was like, I want to make sure that it’s clear that Tate Publishing was allowed to flourish as a company because Oklahoma is the way it is. Any upper middle class dick hole can start a business in Oklahoma, and it’s seen as the American dream. And any employee who expresses any concern about their employer is functionally silenced because 1.) they have no place else to go due to lack of opportunity, and 2.) it fits with the dominant narrative to simply say the employee is entitled and just trying to bring down a hardworking, successful American.
Seriously. Look at some of the news stories about local business leaders in Oklahoma that have come out in the past five years. How many of them are good? Stop being surprised when the spoiled little rich boys take over a company for a parent or in-law, and then functionally ruin the lives of everyone who works for them as well as the reputation of the company.
But that's a post for another day. Let's talk about Tate.