New York editing house Refinery welcomes editor Alan Morris, who arrives following the closure of his previous business, New York-based Invisible Dog.

"Invisible Dog's closure was a business decision prompted by difficulties incurred by a combination of factors," explains Morris, a former owner of the company. "The actors' strike slowed down business last year and a few editors left the company. Between the loss of revenue and not quite getting the bounce back following the strike, the company was losing money. This left us with no choice but to face the difficult decision of closure."

That was then and this is now as they say, and Morris began searching New York for greener pastures. After exploring potential companies in the region, Morris set his sights on Refinery, initially due to a kick-ass Web site and a boutique-style ambience.

"I was very attracted to the company as soon as I looked at the company Web site," explains Morris. "I spoke with both large and small companies in New York, but soon discovered that my comfort level still rests with a boutique-style shop. I came from a boutique company feel at Invisible Dog; at its height only five or six editors graced our halls - that created a terrific atmosphere within a small scale operation."

The savvy Web site was designed by Refinery's graphics division, Stitch Motion Graphics, specifically by artists Patrick Tang and Anna Minkkinen. On site, Morris glanced an eye upon the diversified services of Refinery and was impressed by what he saw.

"Patrick and Anna are deeply involved in Web design work, and [Refinery as a whole] is utilizing the Internet for cutting purposes, sending large files across the country to clients for approval," explains Morris. "Overall, it's a company of good, compact scale and not a giant machine that needs to be constantly fed."

Refinery also boasts inferno* artist Fred Ruckel (or "corporate assassin" as the Web site eloquently insists), a big attraction to Morris due to his preference of finishing his editorial work in-house.

"You know, my biggest regret [in closing Invisible Dog] was breaking up a really talented team of artists and editors, but I feel good at Refinery," explains Morris towards the end of the interview. "But Refinery has a lot of outstanding services for a wide, diverse list of clients; not just in the advertising world but in the corporate world as well."

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