ReelChicago is saddened to announce that our friend and longtime associate, Rod O’Connor, passed on July 27. O’Connor, 53, succumbed to complications involving a blood clot in his lungs.

A native of Galesburg, IL, Rod held several positions at Screen Magazine, the publication that Ruth Ratny launched prior to founding ReelChicago, in the late 90s and early 2000s.

He began as an intern while he was a student at Columbia College and remained there for more than a decade after graduating with a BA in Advertising / Marketing.