PePcon Speaker Dossier: Jonathan Levit, Performer of InDesign Miracles

David Blatner and Anne-Marie Concepcion

In the PePcon Speaker Dossier series we’re getting up close and personal with some of the coolest people on the planet: the print, PDF, and digital publishing gurus who’ll be the speakers at the conference! You’ve read their books, seen their videos, and liked their Facebook posts, now you can get to know them a little more personally, and have something to talk about when you meet them in person at PePcon.

“What’s a PePcon?” you ask. PePcon: The Print + ePublishing Conference is a massive 4-day multi-track extravaganza of all things print, PDF, and digital publishing, produced by the same folks that bring you this web site, InDesignSecrets.com. The seventh annual PePcon will be coming to San Diego, June 5–8.

The Jonathan Levit Dossier

Geek Cred: Jonathan Levit is the performer of InDesign Miracles, the Baffler of the Senses, the Man of Mystery and truly a down-to-earth nice guy that is afraid of heights and hates beets!

Hails from: Born in New York, specifically the Monroe area, at 3 years old my parents moved the family to Iran where we lived until we were forced out during the revolution in 1979. Back in the States, we planted roots in St Louis, MO. But I had other plans and headed back to New York to attend college at Syracuse University. Ended up doing a stint in Denver, Colorado and landed in Los Angeles, California, where I can be found today.

First job: At age 12 I hit the streets to mesmerize the world with magic. What many would consider the “real job” wasn’t landed until I was right out of college and visiting a friend in Denver. Standing at Loveland Pass looking across the beautiful mountain range I knew I had to live in Denver. The next series of events played out only as Universal Magic can. I found myself confessing this desire to my friend, who mentioned that QuarkXPress was based out of Denver. That was all the encouragement I needed to design a resume that would not go unnoticed—mainly because it was 16×20 with a gigantic post-it note that read “Just wanted to make sure you saw my resume!”. Needless to say, I got the job and that resume was still on display years later when I exited the company….who knows, it may still be there today! ;-)

First computer: Timex Sinclair with 16 KB memory.

Lefty or Righty: Righty.

What tech hardware do you use most: Surrounded by my iPhone, iPad Pro 9.7, Apple Watch, Macbook Pro Retina circa 2012, iMac 27 inch and I’m happy!

Favorite Website: JonathonLevit.com and Levitytraining.com ;-) No seriously, I don’t really have one. I am constantly on Flipboard and IMDbPro—I like the news. 

Favorite Food: Pizza (and mid-interview, a book materializes from behind the curtain Jonathan is sitting in front of…..what could it be? The one and only “Where to Eat Pizza in the World” book by Daniel Young. Featuring 1,700 world-wide pizza joints this materialization is no small feat!)

Coffee is…awesome.

Kanye is…not awesome.

Magic is….joyful.

At 6am I am usually: waking up.

Current Projects: Prepping for PePcon and filming an InDesign Video series. Ten videos that will cover the essentials and production. For more info and to be notified when this exciting series is released, sign up for Jonathan’s newsletter!

If you could only use one software for the rest of your life what would it be? InDesign

Favorite InDesign feature: Nested Styles

What do you like best about being a speaker at conferences like the CreativePro Conference? Sharing Productivity.

His PePcon 2016 Session: Rediscover the magic of design and publishing as we discuss the commonalities between magic, as an art, and design, as a art. Prepare to be delighted as you witness how InDesign can be magical in production and on the screen.

Something most our readers wouldn’t know about you? I am a magician, actor, television host and theatrical producer?

Training Website: https://www.levitytraining.com/

Personal Website: https://jonathanlevit.com/

Social Media: Twitter: @jonathanlevit