Edmonton, AB – March 20, 2025
EDify is proud to welcome (back) Omar Mouallem to the magazine’s masthead, this time as editor-in-chief. Omar Mouallem is a celebrated journalist, filmmaker and magazine editor who has contributed to such outlets as The Guardian, Rolling Stone, and Maclean’s. He is the author of several books and founder of Pandemic University, where he teaches the business of freelancing and inspires the next generation of storytellers.
From his days as an intern at Avenue Edmonton, to a role as an associate editor and then as a freelance contributor, Omar and Edify have enjoyed a long relationship. He even authored the rebranded Edify’s first cover story about a tragic plane crash, which won an Alberta Magazine Award and was nominated for a National Magazine Award. We are delighted to welcome him back to our offices as editor-in-chief, ready to share his passion for Edmonton’s hidden stories and telling those stories in the pages of a magazine.
Since he first joined the team back in 2008, Omar has emerged as a singular voice in Edmonton’s writing community, where he is not only a standout narrative journalist, but a mentor and editor nurturing new voices and uplifting the city through his varied work — which began in the Odvod Publishing offices nearly two decades ago.
“It’s a full circle moment for me. Helping Omar get his start in the magazine industry and now having him return as our editor-in-chief, it’s what you hope for as a publisher,” says Trudy Callaghan, Edify publisher.
“I’m excited to focus Edify on what magazines have always excelled at: compelling narrative journalism, insightful storytelling by exceptional writers, and visually creative articles uniquely suited to the printed page,” says Mouallem. “I want each issue to feel like a cultural artifact of Edmonton, capturing the spirit, depth and personality of the city in a way that only physical media can.”
Established in 2006, Odvod Publishing and its multi-award winning team are based in Edmonton, Alberta. With its own magazine titles, including the flagship Edify as well as Urban Affairs, Odvod is now an integrated media brand publishing several custom magazines as well as reaching audiences through digital, social, events and activations, including Best Restaurants and Top 40 Under 40.
