The Apartment Finder & Newcomers Guide first began publication in Tupelo in 1998. In 2001, the Oxford magazine was launched. In 2003, the official Web site of the magazines, www.apt-finder.com, was rolled out.

The magazines' mission is to inform those relocating to or within the area about rental property options, educate movers and longtime residents about current events in the locales, and provide important names and numbers newcomers and longtime residents need to know.

Company History
Jason Collum and Associates, LLC, was formed in November 2003, but actually has a history dating several years back.

Its earliest roots trace back to 1994 when Collum began freelancing graphics, photography and writing work under the operating name of NSN Productions. Eventually, that name was changed to Collum Media. This name served for several years until 2003, when a more expansive name was chosen to allow for the full scope of services covered.

Collum began publishing the Apartment Finder & Newcomers Guide magazine for Tupelo/Greater Lee County, Mississippi, in January 1998. That edition began with six advertisers, and was held in 12 tabloid-size pages. In 1999, the Apartment Finder & Newcomers Guide changed to a notebook-size full-color magazine format. In October 2001, Collum launched the Oxford/Ole Miss/Lafayette County edition of the magazine. In February 2003, apt-finder.com, the official Web site for the Apartment Finder & Newcomers Guide magazines, was launched, replacing a smaller, lower-profile site. Today, the Apartment Finder & Newcomers Guide magazines and Web site reach thousands of movers, relocators and others in North Mississippi and across the United States. Additional markets will be added in the future.

The company was formed to accommodate growth to handle the increasing business in the way of publishing and advertising work, and to also allow Collum to provide insurance clients the best service possible. Collum is an independent insurance broker, licensed in Mississippi and Alabama to advise, provide assistance in, and make health insurance and life insurance products available to groups and individuals. For more information on the insurance offerings, click here.

In addition to publishing and insurance, Collum and Associates is a full-service advertising company, handling advertising and marketing campaigns for banks, real estate businesses, and a host of other professionals.

Who are the Associates?

The Associates are not necessarily employees of Jason Collum and Associates, LLC. The Associates are also professionals in their own fields, from fellow independent insurance brokers and agents, to printing company owners and independent Web site developers. Collum and Associates can handle most requests that come from our customers, but when specialized services are required, we are happy to refer customers, free of charge from us, to our outside associates who may be better equipped to handle special requests.

Some of the Associates include Lanny Wallace, independent insurance broker in Tupelo; Joe Crawford, CLU, ChFC, of Brookhaven, Miss; Rubye Del Harden, owner and CEO of SprintPrint, S.N.A.P. and advertisingpromotions.biz in Tupelo and The Red Bay News in Red Bay, Ala.; and John Slater, president of Gulf Guaranty Employee Benefit Services, Inc., in Jackson, Miss.

About the Founder

Collum's career began in the newspaper business, and has since evolved to encompass all realms of the publishing business and the handling of life and health insurance and employee benefits for companies and individuals.

Collum's newspaper career began at his hometown newspaper, The Red Bay News, in Red Bay, Alabama, in 1992. He started out as a stringer, and worked his way into the news editor's position there before accepting a position on the copy desk of the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal in 1994. Collum handled news and features pages design work for several years, eventually becoming copy desk chief/design editor of the newspaper, which is the third-largest daily newspaper in the state. He left the Daily Journal briefly in 2000 to work on the copy desk of The Sun Herald, the daily newspaper of Biloxi/Gulfport, Mississippi, but returned to the Journal in May. He left the Daily Journal again in January 2001 to finish out his bachelor's degree at The University of Mississippi, and to focus on growing his own business, which included the Apartment Finder & Newcomers Guide magazines. He is a graduate of Itawamba Community College and The University of Mississippi.

Today, Collum is an independent insurance broker, handling group benefits and insurance, and also offering several types of insurance to companies and individuals in the lines of life, health and accident. He also oversees production of the Apartment Finder & Newcomers Guide magazines, and is creative head of the advertising division. He is a member of the Community Development Foundation of Tupelo/Lee County, the Rotary Club of Tupelo, the Downtown Tupelo Main Street Association, and the Oxford/Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce. He is a member of First Baptist Church Saltillo.