Mr. Magazine

Is Condé Nast Portfolio going to be the last major magazine launch from a major magazine company in the United States as some say? No, but the prophets of doom and gloom are running out of reasons to promote their “print is dead” concept. Every time they see a major launch on the horizon they promote it as the last and they start asking the “doubting Thomas” questions. On April 24 Condé Nast Portfolio will launch in print and on line, and it WILL BE the “the talk of the town.” The magazine promises to be “the most highly anticipated media event of 2007.” From what I’ve seen and heard so far, I have no doubt it WILL BE. Stunning photography and in depth reporting and analysis are going to be the anchors of the new magazine. Think The New Yorker meets Vanity Fair meets Vogue meets The Wall Street Journal, all trying to “captivate” YOU. Their media kit gives a glimpse of what I am talking about. Designed as the old accounting ledgers, the kit uses photography and typography in a way I rarely saw in such products. When opened the size of the spread is 34 inches wide and anything on the spreads will stop you and force to look and read. Unlike any other “event launch” that took place in years past, this one focuses on content and relevance, and not on publishers and editors. However, I must quickly add that when I visited with the group president and publishing director of Condé Nast Portfolio David Carey in New York City recently, I saw nothing but pride, passion and joy in his eyes every time he mentioned Portfolio, its content, its web site, its editor and staff and its ad pages. David Carey is going to be a proud daddy on April 24, 2007 and his “love of new magazines” is going to manifest itself in one healthy glossy baby named Portfolio.