Lloyd Mullen, son of former NLJ owner, enters 25 under 35

Hannah Gross
NLJ Correspondent 
 
Lloyd Mullen, who cut his teeth on the newspaper business in Newcastle and is now co-owner and publisher of the Port Townsend Leader in Washington, was selected to the 2020 Editor & Publisher list for 25 under 35, which “showcases a wide range of skills and talents taking place in newsrooms around the world.” His older brothers, Jesse and Louis, were selected for the same award in 2014. 
Mullen had no intention of going into the newspaper business as his father, Tom, had done, he said, but like the old saying goes, “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
“Growing up, I tried to steer clear of it,” Mullen said.
“I don’t think any of them wanted to be in the newspaper business,” his father said.
But all three changed their minds and returned to it for various reasons. 
After graduating from high school in Sheridan, Lloyd attended the University of Wyoming for international studies. But during the Great Recession and while trying to find a job elsewhere, Mullen ran out on his luck and called his dad, who offered him a job in the newspaper industry. 
Tom Mullen was a former co-owner of the News Letter Journal, and he began his nine-year stint as publisher in Newcastle on the first Monday of February in 1996, after meeting Robb Hicks. 
“We became fast friends and business partners,” Tom said. “We were twin sons of a different mother.”
Tom soon had all three of his sons — Jesse, Louis and Lloyd — helping out with the newspaper business at an early age. Newcastle was where his sons were first “enlisted to work at the paper” as something other than paper-delivery boys because in a small-town newspaper, there is a lot to cover with such few people.
The entire family got involved, including Tom’s wife, Annie, who did “every job there was.” Lloyd said she was an “absolute bulldog.” 
Whether it was writing a column for the chamber of commerce, working on design and layout, or crawling under the floorboards to fix something, Annie worked on every aspect of the paper. 
“It was just a blast. Design was my favorite,” she said. 
Her kids were also “thrown into it,” and Annie said they were “tortured” into various odd jobs whether it be writing, photography or even cleaning. 
“They weren’t afraid to jump into anything,” she said.
“I feel like I should apologize to the community,” Tom said. “I was a tough newspaper man … in retrospect too tough.” 
While all three sons had experience and skills with every area of the paper industry, each took to his own passions and interests. 
“One beautiful thing to see as a dad is their various talents,” Tom said. “They are all growing and continue to grow.” 
Lloyd picked up the camera and began shooting whatever events that needed to be covered, whether it was a soccer tournament, a bus in a ditch, or even prom, attending his first one as an eighth-grader on behalf of the paper.  
“To this day, photography is my favorite part,” Lloyd said. “(Being in Newcastle) gave me the skills I utilize today.”
According to his parents, in addition to photography, Lloyd is also an excellent salesman and designer.
“He can take ideas and put them on paper,” Annie said. “His pictures are a riot.” 
Tom said that while he appreciates his sons for being recognized as a part of the 25 under 35, in all honesty, it really doesn’t matter much to him because he is proud of them with or without their successes. 
“I love them. I’m proud of them,” Tom said. 
“It’s always nice to be recognized for your work,” Lloyd said, but he added that it probably should have gone to someone else. 
Both father and son said the best part of the job has been meeting new people and working with them. The newspaper business has allowed him to “dip my toe into water of every facet of life,” Lloyd said. 
“You get to learn something new every day,” he said.