Staff
Jon Niccum (Entertainment Editor)
Raised in Kansas City, Jon Niccum has lived in Lawrence since 1983. While securing his degree in film studies from Kansas University, he earned a full-time living as a musician by teaching guitar/bass lessons at Mass Street Music, playing in a variety of working bands (The Budinskis, Easterday, Groovehead, Bobby and the Chuxx) and toiling as a sound engineer/producer.
In 1993, Niccum embarked on a career in journalism via a seven-year stint as music/film editor at The Pitch, a Kansas City weekly newspaper, where he co-founded and produced the KLAMMIES (the Kansas City/Lawrence Area Music Awards). Additionally, he hosted "Nightlife," a music/sketch comedy segment of the weekly series "KC Roundabout" on Time Warner Cable.
He joined the Journal-World in 2000, first as editor of its weekly entertainment publication, The Mag, then later as the daily's entertainment editor.
In addition to Niccum's journalistic endeavors, he served four years as president of the Kansas City Film Critics Circle, wrote/produced the films "Zero the Counter," "Merriman's Circle," "Paint Shaker," "Misfortune Smiles" and the upcoming "Stuck!," and composed the official record label bios for artists such as Evanescence, Jeff Beck, Leon Redbone and Joe Satriani.
He shares a house with his wife Ann, director of video media for the World Company, and daughter Lola.
Recent stories
- Collage spirit: Artist Hangauer rips into pop culture iconography
- July 10, 2009
- Zach Hangauer has developed a reputation in Lawrence as an artist with deep ties to the music scene.
- Net Worth: Family Circus tampering becomes online obsession
- July 10, 2009
- Back at my “old job” coddling alt-weekly journalism in Kansas City, we spent a lot of time making sport of daily newspapers.
- Net Worth: Literal videos find fresh way to lampoon MTV classics
- June 26, 2009
- They say your entertainment preferences are forever shaped by the decade in which you went to high school.
- Metal of honor: Cinematic success of ‘Anvil!’ frees veteran rock band from obscurity
- June 26, 2009
- Steve “Lips” Kudlow believes, “The way you really prove yourself in heavy metal is by staying around.”
- Noteworthy translation: Lawrence-based festival celebrates diversity of Spanish-language music
- June 23, 2009
- The phrase “Spanish art music” is not exactly the easiest concept to market in the Midwest.
- Tower of power: ‘Freedom Rings’ sculpture celebrates legacy of Wakarusa communities, Underground Railroad
- June 19, 2009
- Although many of the original Wakarusa River Valley communities are now permanently buried under Clinton Lake, they will soon benefit from a monument perched high in the sky.
- Net Worth: Networking zombies need dose of unconnected living
- June 12, 2009
- Last year I wrote about purging myself from the rash of social networking sites.
- Rate of exchange: Lawrence community shares arts and entertainment with German sister city
- June 12, 2009
- Carolyn Young was making the arduous drive back to Kansas from Colorado, and she was not happy about it.
- The ink crowd: Tattooists reveal their skills on traditional canvas at Ichiban art show
- June 5, 2009
- When Martin Del Camino isn’t busy tattooing ink on a paying customer, he’s usually painting.
- L.A. woman: Lawrence native Lisa Donnelly perfects her music ‘Thing’ in Hollywood
- June 4, 2009
- Here’s what Lawrence native Lisa Donnelly has discovered about the Los Angeles music scene:
Recent photos
Veteran screenwriter Jay Wolpert spoke to students at Free State High School on Thursday.
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