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Amy Antenora, Editor at Aftermarket News and Managing Editor at Counterman Magazine

Amy is the editor at Aftermarket News and the managing editor at Counterman Magazine.

What’s the top story you’re working on right now?

Right now I’m working on our annual AMN Year in Review series, where we take a look back at some of the biggest news stories of the year in the automotive aftermarket. It’s always very highly read and a fun exercise for me as well. When we take some time to pause and review the thousands of news stories we produce and publish every year, it can be really eye opening to get that 30,000-foot view of what has transpired in the course of 12 months. It also gives me some insights as to what I should keep my eyes on in the coming months.

Tell us about your dream assignment.

Oooh, that’s a fun one. I have known I wanted to be a writer since about third grade. I also was obsessed with Lonely Planet travel shows as a kid, so I would have loved to have been a food-and-travel-writing sidekick to the late Anthony Bourdain on his spectacular series, “Parts Unknown.” I think he was an incredible mind that truly cracked open the world for TV viewers (and fans of his books) in a way no one had done before.

Describe the craziest or most fun story you’ve written.

Another fun question! I’m lucky to have had quite a few journalistic adventures that were really memorable, especially when I first started out in newspapers. One that was particularly amusing took place when I was a general assignment reporter just out of college. I pitched a story to my editor whereby I would hike and review several popular trails in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park right at the start of summer. Another reporter decided to join me on one of the hikes, and we got so busy talking that we didn’t pay attention to the trail markers and ended up on part of the Buckeye Trail, which actually runs across the entire length of the state of Ohio. So, what should have been a pleasant 3-mile round-trip hike to check out a waterfall ended up being about a 10-mile trek. We got terribly lost and had to traipse through a ravine and brambles and on to a main road until we found a local farm and called for a ride home. We were dusty, sweaty and sunburned by the end of it, but I laugh about it now.

What is your top pet peeve with PR people?

I have none! I love you all!

Seriously though, PR is a delicate art and I know what a tough job it can be, so I hesitate to criticize. But … I do have one big pet peeve: It drives me batty when a PR person will send me multiple emails to follow-up and ask if I’m interested in running the PR they sent a few days prior, when I already have published it. If you are going to pitch me content, please also take the time to subscribe to and read our publications, or at the very least, visit our website and use the search function to see if your client’s PR has been picked up. It saves me time and makes me feel like you have a genuine interest in understanding our publication.

What is the top trend you’re covering or interested in right now?

I would say the top trend that I am covering right now is autonomous driving at all levels. There are so many angles from which we are trying to understand and analyze this major shift in transportation and all of its potential impacts. It’s exciting and fascinating to see it all unfold.

Tell us a little about yourself (family, interests, favorites, background, etc.)

When I’m not working, I’m spending as much time as I can with my family, whether we are just hanging at home playing board games or off on some local adventure, we always try to have fun. On the weekends, we love to cook together and try new recipes while listening to music and having kitchen dance parties. I also try to live by Eleanor Roosevelt’s advice to: “Do one thing every day that scares you.” I love to try new things and often, the ones that end up being the most rewarding and enjoyable are the ones that terrify me a little. Traveling to a foreign country alone, joining a rowing team, taking belly dancing lessons and swimming with sharks are just of few of the most memorable I’ve tried over the years

Finish this sentence: People would be surprised to know that I…

… was an on-air radio DJ when I was in high school. I was not great, but I loved every minute of it.

Check out some of Amy’s latest stories:

Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn Arrested in Tokyo for Financial Misdeeds

O’Reilly Automotive to Acquire the Assets of Bennett Auto Supply

Five Minutes with Gray Frederick of Advanced Fuel Dynamics