Amazing Kids! is proud to highlight the Amazing Kids! of the Month!

Each month, we showcase kids who are accomplishing amazing things.  We hope that by telling their special stories, we will inspire other kids to accomplish their own amazing achievements. 

Amazing Chad Kennedy, age 18,
Founder/Editor-in-Chief, Teen Scene Magazine

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Have you ever dreamed of publishing your own magazine one day?  If so, this month's Amazing Kid! of the Month is sure to inspire you! Just-turned-18 year old Chad Kennedy of Wheatfield, Indiana is both the publisher and editor-in-chief of his very own online magazine!  

Read Chad's story below and who knows?  It just might inspire you to start your own magazine too!

And don't forget, if you, or a young person (or persons!) you know, has an amazing project you are involved in, or a special skill, talent or ability you want to tell the world about, be sure to let Amazing Kids! know about it!  Teachers are invited to nominate their entire classroom and the amazing projects they are working on too!  Simply complete a nomination form for an Amazing Kid! of the Month award, or email us! 

Table of Contents 

Chad's Amazing Story
Chad's Mentors and Others Who Inspire Him
Related Links

Wheatfield, Indiana native Chad Kennedy, age 18, came up with the concept for Teen Scene Magazine in 1999 at the age of 13, after reading countless teen magazines and noticing that many of their writers were not teens. While they were teens perhaps twenty or thirty years ago or they might have teens of their own, Chad felt that times had changed and it might be interesting to write articles for teens from a teen’s perspective.

Chad really had no experience with magazine publishing, but he had created a few websites devoted to his favorite music groups, so he began to expand his idea by adding articles to a new website: www.teenscenemag.com The online magazine evolved and Chad is both its publisher and editor-in-chief. The zine has several sections featuring articles, interviews and other features focusing on a range of issues including sports, beauty music, real life, etc.
He keeps the site updated with current topics, such as this month’s presidential election. 

Although his readers may not have been old enough to vote in the national election, readers could log on to his website and vote for the candidate of their choice. Visitors to his website can also read interviews with today’s young stars such as Hilary Duff and Jesse McCartney or read about current events in his Reality section.(Hint: this could be a great resource for those current event projects which your social studies teacher assigns!)

One of Chad’s favorite topics is politics.  While the magazine has not covered this topic much until this year, it has become a great outlet for him to express his own opinions on political and other timely issues.One of the magazine’s writer’s, Jessica Burkhart, wrote an article on home-schooling in a recent issue.  This is one of Chad’s favorite topics because he is home-schooled and is inspired to inform other teens about it. 

Chad takes on all kinds of subjects.  His staff researches and writes stories based on feedback from their readers, and they strive to keep their own personal opinions out of the way as much as possible when it comes to planning the magazine’s issues. 

Teen Scene is run out of his home in a small-town called Wheatfield in northwest Indiana, just outside of Chicago.  Some of his employees live in the surrounding areas, but the majority of his contributors are located throughout the United States from New York to Florida to California. 

Chad has launched Kennedy Omnimedia which serves as the parent company to Teen Scene and the many other companies he plans to launch in the coming years.  He is working on Teen Scene Marketing & Promotions which is a youth marketing agency, and he is currently working on a new online magazine geared toward college students.  In the more distant future he plans to publish other online magazines and take a few of those magazines, including Teen Scene, to print.

Back to Table of Contents

RELATED LINKS:

Teen Scene Magazine website:  www.teenscenemag.com