Super Bowl program a Lynn production

Holed up in a printing facility an hour south of Green Bay, John Veneziano couldn?t have been happier to see the Packers with a comfy 15-point lead against the Seattle Seahawks and time ticking away in the NFC Championship Game on Jan. 18.It wasn?t because he particularly cared who his hometown team, the New England Patriots, might face in the Super Bowl or that he had anything in particular against the Seahawks. But Veneziano, editor of the official NFL Super Bowl Program for H.O. Zimman Publishing of Lynn, had just put the finishing touches on 16 pages of Green Bay-specific content.After weeks of editing, rewriting and fact-checking, all that would be left would be to watch the AFC Championship game and plug in editorial content for either the Patriots or Colts. Then the trucks could begin rolling out of Quad Graphics in Sussex, Wis., headed for Phoenix, other major cities and a newsstand near you.This year, it would not be that easy. In unlikely fashion, the Seahawks scored, recovered an onside kick, scored again, converted a two-point conversion, weathered a Green Bay field goal, won a coin flip and got a touchdown bomb from Russell Wilson to Jermaine Kearse to stun the Packers ? not to mention the Zimman group.It was a double whammy.Owner Josh Zimman was looking forward to sales in the nearby and rabid Green Bay market rather than Seattle, where he perceived fans to be nearly as fanatic, but the novelty factor a bit diminished by consecutive Super Bowl appearances.More important was the artistic side.?It?s too bad,” Veneziano said. “The Packers (lead story) was a great read ? all about Aaron Rodgers and getting everyone to ?relax.? With five minutes to go (in the game) we had the Packers pages all set. But no problem — our guys shrugged it off. They knew they had a job to do and our Seahawks pages were pretty far along.”In the end, Veneziano estimates that Seattle?s miraculous comeback added about an hour to production time. Shortly after 1 a.m., after the Patriots had dispatched the Colts, copies were printed, bound and on the trucks.Zimman Publishing is accustomed to shifting gears on the fly. Meeting some 450 deadlines a year, the company has handled everything from the Baseball Hall of Fame Yearbook to the Masters (golf) program and programs for auto shows, flower shows, President Barack Obama?s inauguration and the Democratic National Convention.?There are two things we?re really fortunate to have,” says Adam Scharff, Zimman?s associate publisher and vice president. “One is a great owner in Josh. The other is a fantastic staff. Some live in Lynn. Others come from as far away as New Hampshire.”When Josh Zimman?s parents, Harold and Helen, began printing in the 1940s, one of their first customers was the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association. Today, Zimman still prints a lot of tennis material, including programs for the U.S. Open.Overseeing the preparation of Super Bowl programs has become a special labor of love for Zimman, who grew up in Marblehead, graduated from Tufts and has been running the operation for 35 years.?We couldn?t imagine that for the fifth time in the 12 years we?ve been doing the program that we?d be doing it with the Patriots in the Super Bowl,” Zimman said.Scharff agrees that a New England flavor makes the product sweeter.?We try to be objective and do a great job with every team,” Scharff says. “But we are Patriots fans here. For me and Josh, it?s really exciting that the team you root for every week is in the Super Bowl ? and we?re working on an ?appreciation? book for them.”Planning for next year?s Super Bowl program begins as soon as this year?s game is over. Veneziano says he takes notes during the game, jotting down story ideas. Last year?s safety on the game?s first play provided impetus for a feature story about safeties in this year?s edition.Inside the back cover, fans will find a story about David Tyree, whose amazing helmet-top catch helped the New York Giants rally past the Patriots the l