Mr. Magazine

“As we designed the magazine we weren’t thinking, OK – we need to make sure that everything in this magazine is going to work in digital just as well, because that’s not what it’s meant to do. It’s meant to work beautifully as a magazine. And everything that we do on the site is meant to work beautifully in digital. We’re not trying to make sure that we can optimize every effort so that everything is working in both media. I think by doing that, you lessen the quality of both and you don’t let either media do what it can do wonderfully.” Will Tacy

The “Good” movement was born 10 years ago with the ambitious dream of “pushing forward an emerging community of people committed to living like they give a damn.” This statement comes from the minds of the original founders of Good: Max Schorr, Ben Goldhirsh and Casey Caplowe. In 2012, Good shifted its focus to its social network and stopped print production.

Today Good in print has been reborn from its social pixels-only, with a new format and redesign. The mission is the same, to live well and do good, but the journal-type magazine with a quarterly frequency is a brave new attempt to get back into print with the positive gusto the brand has always stood for and believed in.

I spoke with Max Schorr (one of the original co-founders of Good) and Will Tacy (former managing editor of The New York Times.com) and now general manager of Good Media, recently about the innovative design and re-launch of the magazine. It was an informative and affirming conversation about the magazine’s mission and where the two men see the brand heading in the future. Their positivity and assurance of the need for that mission was contagious and emboldened our discussion and the re-launch with the same zeal and impactful appetite.

I hope you enjoy the Mr. Magazine™ interview with Good Co-Founder, Max Schorr and Good Media General Manager, Will Tacy, because it’s a given you’ll find it a “good” read.

Max Schorr, (right) Co-Founder GOOD and Will Tacy, Good Media General Manager.

But first, the sound-bites…

On why Good magazine shifted strategies and came back to print in journal form: Good never actually moved away from print. We took some time to reimagine and redesign the magazine, but there was never a time where we decided that we weren’t going to be in print. We did want to make sure that the magazine was something we felt would really resonate with the audience.

On defining the audience as a global citizen: The one thing I would say is the nature of global citizenship hasn’t really changed from what it was in 2006. It’s still rooted in this idea of people who give a damn; people who have faith that the world can be better and are willing to invest in it and make it better.

On the major stumbling block they anticipate on facing with the re-launch: I think that we have to reintroduce ourselves to the world, but I have faith that the audience that has been there for Good all along is still there and in fact, is bigger than it’s ever been. I also have faith that there is an audience that understands what we’re trying to create: something that’s not disposable and that was very intentional on our part.

On defining the magazine’s mantra of living “the good life,” to live well and do good: We see an increasing amount of people who really feel connected across the whole world and so part of it is creatively engaging the world where you are and finding what it is that brings your purpose alive.

On how Good balances digital and print: As we designed the magazine we weren’t thinking, OK – we need to make sure that everything in this magazine is going to work in digital just as well, because that’s not what it’s meant to do. It’s meant to work beautifully as a magazine. And everything that we do on the site is meant to work beautifully in digital.

On where they see Good Media a year from now: I think that in both the digital realm and in print, you’re going to see Good as an ongoing part of a cultural conversation about what it means to live well and to do good; what our shared values are; what we need to push toward; what progress means; so, Good is going to be a reference point, a sounding board and a source of inspiration for people having that conversation, and also increasingly a source of pertinent and pressing questions.

On how Good has evolved over the last 10 years: We’ve been an independent media company for 10 years and it feels like now we’re sort of ready to go into the world. Maybe we’re graduating college and we’re now armed with a lot of knowledge and really ready to stand on our own in the world, but there are definitely challenges that are ahead and we need to now bring these things that we’ve learned into the world and really thrive and make the contribution that’s possible.

On what motivates Will Tacy and gets him excited about Good: What gets me excited, this opportunity to actually give people inspiration and energy and ideas to let them move forward to unleash their creativity and inspire them. On a personal level, I think that apathy and cynicism are the two things that are going to undermine us as a society, as a people and as sort of a global tribe.

On what motivates Max Schorr and gets him excited about Good: I think what motivates me is seeing how much work remains; we have everything from the warmest temperatures on record to wars to all sorts of hatred to a lot of inequality; so there’s so many vital issues that need attention and just being able to contribute as a part of that is a great honor.

On what Max Schorr’s role is today at Good: I’m helping across the company right now and really focusing on partnerships that can help bring our brand to life and also help other organizations embody the meaning of Good and to realize their purpose and engage people in a smart way.

On anything else they’d like to add: The heritage of Good, being the first company to curate YouTube’s home page, as one of the early players that was providing high-quality media that would also be shared, is now really hitting its stride and we’re growing digitally, while back in a strong way in print, makes for an exciting time.

On what keeps Will up at night: One thing that keeps me up at night, not really in a worried way, but in a my-brain-can’t-turn-off way, is wanting to be sure that we’re executing at the highest level every day on everything. I want us to be excellent all the time.

On what keeps Max up at night: I just want to keep strengthening this business model so that we can support all the great people out there doing this work and be able to have wonderful jobs for people who want to live well and do good and realize their potential to contribute to the world.

And now the lightly edited transcript of the Mr. Magazine™ interview with Max Schorr and Will Tacy, Good Media…

Samir Husni: Congratulations on the re-launch of Good. Tell me, why did you decide to come back to print and shift from the strategy of Good – the magazine, to Good – the journal?

Max Schorr: Good never actually moved away from print. We took some time to reimagine and redesign the magazine, but there was never a time where we decided that we weren’t going to be in print. We did want to make sure that the magazine was something we felt would really resonate with the audience. So, we took our time to be sure we were exactly where we wanted to be with the magazine.

In terms of the change in format and the change in design, it was really a question of what we thought the audience was hungry for. And the recognition that the magazine that was launched 10 years ago was, in many ways, perfect for that time and moment. But today, the media landscape has changed, culture has changed, and the movement that Good launched to embrace and cover has changed. Therefore the magazine needed to change and evolve along with that.

Samir Husni: I just came back from Cape Town, South Africa where I gave a presentation on: if you are still creating a magazine in the way you did before 2007, there is something wrong with that picture.

Max Schorr: (Laughs) Exactly.

Samir Husni: Then along comes Good with a very solid example of the role of the curator versus creator and how to reach an audience. And you’re now calling that audience the global citizen; can you define that audience for me and how you’re trying to reach them through the magazine?

Will Tacy: The one thing I would say is the nature of global citizenship hasn’t really changed from what it was in 2006. It’s still rooted in this idea of people who give a damn; people who have faith that the world can be better and are willing to invest in it and make it better.

One thing I would say that has changed is that sensibility and that movement has moved from being something that would look good on the fridge of common society and common conversation, to something that’s more a part of who we all are.

One of the things that we’re seeing is that global citizenship, which really means being rooted locally, but thinking globally and being global-conscious, is becoming more and more a part of how a larger and larger section of society behaves.

Samir Husni: Will, what do you envision the major stumbling block you’ll have to face with a magazine as good as Good to be, with its very hefty cover price of $14 and its quarterly frequency?

Will Tacy: I think that we have to reintroduce ourselves to the world, but I have faith that the audience that has been there for Good all along is still there and in fact, is bigger than it’s ever been. I also have faith that there is an audience that understands what we’re trying to create: something that’s not disposable and that was very intentional on our part.

A lot of magazines have moved into this realm of being truly disposable. And that’s not a great place to be. To be in a place where a magazine is bought by someone to take with them on a plane and then they leave it there when they get off. So, we wanted to build something that has lasting value that people would want to keep on their coffee table and come back to and continually think about over the course of weeks and months.

But I do think that we have to introduce that to a larger audience; we need to make sure that we’re creating something that is resonant and that people want to make that kind of investment in. And that’s not just in terms of the cover price, but also in the audience’s time. We are building a print product that’s asking people to spend time with it and not just to skim through and read one or two pieces and then set it aside.

Samir Husni: In one of the promotional cards inside the magazine, it reads: Good is from people to meet to ideas to ponder, each issue of our quarterly journal spans the globe, exploring what it means to live the good life today. Tell me in an elevator pitch how you define “good life today?”

Max Schorr: We see an increasing amount of people who really feel connected across the whole world and so part of it is creatively engaging the world where you are and finding what it is that brings your purpose alive; part of it is being present; part of it is doing work that you believe in and part of it is helping to make your community better, and the combination of people doing that locally everywhere, connected all around the world, is a really exciting proposition for us.

Samir Husni: Do you think that meets the definition of a good life?

Max Schorr: You remember our first issue, Samir; it was ___________ (blank) like you give a damn, and we’ve always liked definitions that are open-ended. We don’t try to prescribe to people that there’s one answer for the good life, but we think when people have their own questions come alive in a very real way and they find out how they can contribute locally in their own lives that begins to tell a really great story.

You asked about global citizenship; we actually brought back a Thomas Paine quote from the first issue; my country is the world and my religion is to do good, and that sort of speaks to this idea of a global citizen.

We intentionally used the term “the good life” because part of what we want to do is push against the assumed definition of it; that the good life is a life lived for the common good as much as it is for the personal good and that there’s not a conflict there. There’s not a conflict between doing good and living a good life, in fact, they’re connected; they’re necessary to one another. Just as we say we firmly believe that there’s not a conflict between pragmatism and optimism; the solutions are born from the combination of those two things. We’re intentionally using that term to say it’s time to think more deeply about it and redefine it for our new time.

Samir Husni: Will, you were the managing editor of The New York Times.com and now you’re the general manager for Good Media. Where do you see a balance between, what I call, the seductive, beautiful mistress called “digital” and the old man called “ink on paper?” Since you have been and still are in both worlds; how can you balance digital and print?

Will Tacy: It’s funny, because I never saw a conflict between the two. I’ve always felt that they serve very different purposes; very valuable purposes, but different. And one of the things that I think, in particular a lot of magazines have stumbled on, is trying to figure out how you do the same thing in both, rather than simply embracing the two different media for what they’re wonderful at.

And some of that means that things we used to think were really the province of print, particularly newsweeklies, don’t really work anymore. They’re more effective in digital. And print has a very different purpose. The same audience is going to be incredibly psyched and excited about what you’re producing in print and in digital. As long as you’re meeting them where they are and where they want to be in each of those two media.

For instance, as we designed the magazine we weren’t thinking, OK – we need to make sure that everything in this magazine is going to work in digital just as well, because that’s not what it’s meant to do. It’s meant to work beautifully as a magazine. And everything that we do on the site is meant to work beautifully in digital. We’re not trying to make sure that we can optimize every effort so that everything is working in both media. I think by doing that, you lessen the quality of both and you don’t let either media do what it can do wonderfully.

Samir Husni: Put your futuristic cap on for a minute and tell me where you see Good a year from now.

Will Tacy: I think that in both the digital realm and in print, you’re going to see Good as an ongoing part of a cultural conversation about what it means to live well and to do good; what our shared values are; what we need to push toward; what progress means; so, Good is going to be a reference point, a sounding board and a source of inspiration for people having that conversation, and also increasingly a source of pertinent and pressing questions. Part of what we’re going to increasingly embrace is the idea that as this movement has matured and as it has moved farther and farther into the mainstream, part of our role is to ask the movement tough questions about itself and about ourselves.

I think you’ll see a much larger digital footprint; we’ve already seen our digital audience grow at an almost exponential rate over the last several months. You’ll see Good as a source of more and more content in pure digital streams, social streams and otherwise. And you’ll see Good as a voice in the national and global issues and values conversation.

You’re not going to see us playing in the breaking news game, that’s not somewhere that I think we can add value. You’re not going to see us playing in the “Gotcha’” media game and you’re not going to see us playing in the celebrity media game, but you will absolutely see Good as a contributor to a national conversation about what we all should value and where we all should be pushing.

Samir Husni: Max, this question is for you since you were there 10 years ago when this baby was born, and in the life of a magazine 10 years is an incredible lifespan; where do you see Good now from that infant that was born with a lot of fanfare 10 years ago?

Max Schorr: That’s a great question. We’ve been an independent media company for 10 years and it feels like now we’re sort of ready to go into the world. Maybe we’re graduating college and we’re now armed with a lot of knowledge and really ready to stand on our own in the world, but there are definitely challenges that are ahead and we need to now bring these things that we’ve learned into the world and really thrive and make the contribution that’s possible. The ideals from when we started are alive and well and they’re really what bring us all together as a cohesive team. So, we’re mature, but still hopeful and vibrant.

Samir Husni: I’m talking with two out of the three parents of Good: Will and Max.

Will Tacy: I would say that Max is definitely a parent, but I’m maybe a recently-discovered uncle. (Laughs)

Max Schorr: A wonderful uncle. (Laughs too)

Samir Husni: What happened to Ben (Ben Goldhirsh – one of the original founders)?

Max Schorr: Ben is still very much in the mix. He is currently recharging his batteries in Costa Rica; he visited us a couple of weeks ago and he’s coming through again in couple of weeks. He’s been such a huge part of this entire effort; he’s just recharging now because we’ve all put in a lot of work over the last decade.

Samir Husni: My question to you Will is; what makes you click and tick? What makes you get out of bed in the mornings and say, wow, I’m going to do some good today? No pun intended.

Will Tacy: (Laughs) No, actually, that’s the perfect way of saying it. I really do believe that fundamentally media has a critical role to play in providing people ways to think about our ability to move the world forward and ideas and models to inspire us.

And I think Good has such a wonderful opportunity to be that voice, that rallying, questioning, thoughtful, challenging voice that’s so necessary to begin to connect this larger and larger tribe and to be a sort of antidote to cynicism and apathy.

And that’s what gets me excited, this opportunity to actually give people inspiration and energy and ideas to let them move forward to unleash their creativity and inspire them. On a personal level, I think that apathy and cynicism are the two things that are going to undermine us as a society, as a people and as sort of a global tribe. And the opportunity to everyday try and kick down that door is just wonderful and inspiring.

Professionally, I’ve always loved being in places where you’re inventing and you’re constantly embracing the idea that there are new things we can do in media, there are new opportunities and that the audience is brilliant, hungry and thoughtful. And our job every day is to try and meet them where they are. There are no established rules that can never change and we can always think of ways to do this job better and more thoughtfully.

And to be at Good, where that’s not just accepted, but expected, and where there’s a hunger to continuously improve and to be thoughtful and forward-thinking, is just wonderful. And that’s what excites me every day.

Samir Husni: And Max, I’ll ask you the same question that I asked Will; what makes you get out of bed in the mornings and motivates you to say it’s going to be a good day?

Max Schorr: It’s just been such a great honor to start this magazine and meet people all around our country and all around the world who are putting these ideals into action and who are making changes happen in small ways, in their own lives and in their communities.

It started as a sort of audacious dream; we said that you could live well and do good and when we took the word good and decided to call our company that, people made fun of it. They didn’t understand how pragmatism and idealism could come together, or that doing good could ever be an appealing thing, but now we really see a growing movement of these people and we see it as the predominant sensibility.

And yet, I think what motivates me is seeing how much work remains; we have everything from the warmest temperatures on record to wars to all sorts of hatred to a lot of inequality; so there’s so many vital issues that need attention and just being able to contribute as a part of that is a great honor.

Samir Husni: Max, what’s your role now; I realize you’re one of the co-founders, but besides that; what’s your role at Good?

Max Schorr: I’m helping across the company right now and really focusing on partnerships that can help bring our brand to life and also help other organizations embody the meaning of Good and to realize their purpose and engage people in a smart way. So, I’m spending a lot of time here at Good and I’ve also been invited by the Berkman Center for Internet and Society out of Harvard Law School to study the intersection of social change in new media. So, I’m a student of that and doing research and also looking at how Good can really be the leading platform in moving the world forward.

Samir Husni: Is there anything else either of you would like to add about Good – the magazine, Good – digital, or Good – the global citizen?

Max Schorr: It’s an exciting time, Samir. Will mentioned our digital is really growing exponentially and that’s an important piece. We’ve launched this high-quality print journal for the global citizen and what’s really exciting is there’s a whole buzz in the office right now because we were at several million unique visitors in January, but then in February we were at over 4½ million as verified by Quantcast. And in March, it’s not official yet, but we’ve beat that by a wide margin and so we’re seeing that continued growth.

The heritage of Good, being the first company to curate YouTube’s home page, as one of the early players that was providing high-quality media that would also be shared, is now really hitting its stride and we’re growing digitally, while back in a strong way in print, makes for an exciting time.

Samir Husni: My typical last question and it’s for both of you; what keeps you up at night?

Will Tacy: (Laughs) There are so many things. One thing that keeps me up at night, not really in a worried way, but in a my-brain-can’t-turn-off way, is wanting to be sure that we’re executing at the highest level every day on everything. I want us to be excellent all the time. So, that is super-exciting and it’s what keeps my brain going.

There’s not a lot that keeps me up in terms of worry, concern or fear. What keeps me up is there’s so much to think about and so much to consider and so much great work to do and my brain just can’t turn it off.

Max Schorr: Similar to Will, I just want to do the best work possible, but also it’s been a volatile stretch of time for the media industry. We’ve learned a lot, but we’re still an independent media company and I think we’re still strengthening our business model and our financial position in the world. And we’re really grateful for the wonderful partners that are in this magazine like Apple, Patagonia and Ben & Jerry’s.

I just want to keep strengthening this business model so that we can support all the great people out there doing this work and be able to have wonderful jobs for people who want to live well and do good and realize their potential to contribute to the world. There’s just a lot of work to do.

Samir Husni: Thank you.

“I really can’t imagine Real Simple without a print product. I mean, we are thrilled to see the growth that we’ve experienced in other areas, but I can’t imagine us never being a magazine. And I happen to know that you define a magazine as something that exists on paper.” Kristin van Ogtrop

In April 2000, Real Simple magazine launched with the purpose of making women’s lives simpler. The content between the covers was inexplicably created to provide busy women, whether executives or stay-at-home moms and all women in between, with alternatives to the noisy, sometimes stressful environment of their worlds. And 15 years later, Real Simple is still proving that uncomplicated point.

No celebrities, no sex and, for the most part, no chocolate, has been a manifesto that the magazine has adhered to and succeeded with. Over the last decade and a half, Real Simple has evolved into what could only be described as the definitive authority for women who want to make the most of their time and enjoy doing it.

Kristin van Ogtrop is Real Simple’s editor and has guided the successful magazine into a multifaceted brand harbor, with print, digital and numerous marketing brand extensions. She is a woman who knows what it means to need a little “real simple” in her life.

I spoke with Kristin recently and we talked about the simplistic simplicity of Real Simple’s formula and how when something is truly valuable to the audience, it will succeed no matter what the doomsayers might cry. And that’s just what they did 15 years ago when Time Inc. launched the magazine into the women’s lifestyle place. How could a magazine with no celebrities, no sex, and no chocolate gracing its cover ever survive on the newsstands? 15 Years later, Real Simple shows them how.

I hope you “simply” enjoy this lively and fun conversation with a woman who exudes joy, contentment and excitement about the future of the magazine and all its brand components, including print, as you read the Mr. Magazine™ interview with Kristin van Ogtrop, Editor, Real Simple.

But first the sound-bites:

Kristin van Ogtrop, Editor, Real Simple magazine.

On whether her life is simpler now than it was 15 years ago when the magazine started: I think you already know the answer to that one, Samir. (Laughs) No, it’s not; it’s a lot more complicated because consumers expect to find you everywhere and you’re trying to find them everywhere.

On how you could launch a women’s magazine without at least a celebrity on the cover: Going back to your original question about whether or not you can launch a magazine without a celebrity on the cover; I think we are a break from that, particularly as celebrities infuse our culture more and more on social media and reality TV shows. I think a brand like Real Simple, where we really are a celebrity-free zone, solidifies our identity, but also continues to provide a nice break from that.

On whether or not she believes Real Simple could exist without a print component: No, never. When you talk to people who read the magazine there are consistent things that you hear over and over about what they love about the magazine. But one of the first five always is the paper; they talk a lot about the paper.

On whether she feels the need to ensure that each extension of the Real Simple brand has the same DNA as the magazine: Yes. I mean, I look at myself as a content steward. But content could be what the packaging on a box at Bed Bath & Beyond looks like. It’s about the expression of the brand that consumers see, whether that’s on the website, on packaging, something written, or a picture.

On the biggest stumbling block that she’s had to face and how she overcame it: What has been hard for Real Simple, and this isn’t unique to us; I think big brands like us have to learn to fail fast, to try new things and to know when to cut your losses and move on to the next thing.

On her most pleasant surprise during her career at Real Simple: There have been huge highlights over the years. The brand has grown exponentially since 2000. But I would say my personal highlights, and they come with some frequency, is when you encounter someone who is really passionate about this brand and is very happy to tell you why. Those are the best parts.

On what makes her look forward to going to work: One of the great things for me about working here is that there is so much of what we do that deals with problems in my own life and I think you could say that about a lot of the people on staff here. So, you come to work, but you’re also kind of making your own life easier, more beautiful, better, more delicious, and all of that’s fun.

On the type of person the magazine would become if struck by a magic wand: I am a Real Simple woman, but I’m not sure I’m who would spring from the pages, but maybe. I think a lot of people could. Part of what works for us is that, and I talk about this a little in my Editor’s Letter in the 15th anniversary issue, with every story that we publish, whether it’s on realsimple.com or in the magazine, we try to cast as wide a net as we can.

On why the attempts of copycatting Real Simple have never worked: In terms of why we have succeeded where others have failed, it’s a lot of factors, and a fair amount of the reason has to do with Time Inc. The company is very supportive of its editorial endeavors, obviously. It invests a lot in consumer research; it’s a big, healthy machine. Time Inc. has believed in this magazine from the beginning and we’ve gotten a lot of support.

On anything that she’d like to add about the magazine or brand: The only thing that I would add is that we’re so proud when we look at what we’ve done over the last 15 years. And we’re excited about the future of this brand, including in print and all our other areas too.

On what keeps her up at night: Worrying about my children keeps me up at night. I would say having three boys and two of them being teenagers keep me up at night.

And now the lightly edited transcript of the Mr. Magazine™ conversation with Kristin van Ogtrop, Editor, Real Simple…

Samir Husni: On page eight of the 15th anniversary edition of Real Simple, you asked the question is life simpler now than it was 15 years ago in 2000 and you listed seven different areas where you compared that year to now – 2015; my first question to you is that I want to add one more area for comparison; is life simpler for a magazine editor today than 15 years ago?

Kristin van Ogtrop: I think you already know the answer to that one, Samir. (Laughs) No, it’s not; it’s a lot more complicated because consumers expect to find you everywhere and you’re trying to find them everywhere.

People like me came up through our childhoods, college, and in some cases, graduate school and entered the magazine business when the whole enterprise was all about words on paper, and finding your customers at the newsstands or in their physical mailboxes. And now it’s a much more diffused relationship. It’s more interesting for that reason, but it’s also, I think, more confusing and you have a lot more balls in the air.

Samir Husni: Let’s go back a bit in history; when Real Simple was launched everyone asked the question: how can a women’s magazine survive without celebrities, sex and chocolate on its cover? And yet, over the last 15 years, not only have you survived, you’ve thrived and Real Simple has turned into a huge success story for women’s service magazines. What do you believe has been the magical ingredients that have propelled Real Simple to such success?

Kristin van Ogtrop: I do want to point out that we have had chocolate on the cover once as a test; maybe three years ago, we put chocolate pudding on the cover and chicken pot pie too. And I must say, the chicken pot pie killed the chocolate pudding. (Laughs) I don’t know if we’ll ever have chocolate on the cover again.

When the magazine launched in 2000, it obviously launched to a lot of fanfare because Time Inc. doesn’t do launches lightly or in a small way, frankly, and I believe there was this market there that people in the magazine industry and advertisers didn’t even know was there, which was women who are a lot more overwhelmed than anyone knew. And they just want a calming, really clear informational delivery system. And I think that’s what Real People delivered.

Recently, in fact, I was getting my hair cut and there was this really adorable woman working at the hair salon. And she came up to me and said, “Oh my gosh, I know who you are and I’m so happy to meet you.” I felt kind of strange because I thought she thought that I was somebody else. (Laughs) Then she said, “I love Real Simple magazine.”

Now, this is a woman who works at a New York City hair salon. Usually, when you go to a hair salon, you see a lot of celebrity and fashion magazines. So, I started asking her questions about herself. She told me that she was 29-years-old and that she loved Real Simple because it didn’t have celebrities in it. That kind of conversation, which I’m lucky enough to have from time to time, just affirms Real Simple’s engagement with women.

Going back to your original question about whether or not you can launch a magazine without a celebrity on the cover; I think we are a break from that, particularly as celebrities infuse our culture more and more on social media and reality TV shows. I think a brand like Real Simple, where we really are a celebrity-free zone, solidifies our identity, but also continues to provide a nice break from that.

I read People magazine more than probably just about anybody in this building, but I still like that we don’t have that kind of content. And I think that readers do too.

Samir Husni: Real Simple has evolved from a print magazine to a brand; it’s everywhere, on the web, social media, the brand extensions, the products; you name it. But can you envision Real Simple existing without the print component?

Kristin van Ogtrop: No, never. When you talk to people who read the magazine there are consistent things that you hear over and over about what they love about the magazine. But one of the first five always is the paper; they talk a lot about the paper.

Dick Parsons, the former head of Time Warner had this expression that he always used, magazines would exist as long as the three B’s were around: bedroom, bathroom and beach. And I think that tactile experience with the matte paper and a very controlled design, that physical experience makes people feel very calm.

I really can’t imagine Real Simple without a print product. I mean, we are thrilled to see the growth that we’ve experienced in other areas, but I can’t imagine us never being a magazine. And I happen to know that you define a magazine as something that exists on paper, right?

Samir Husni: Yes, that’s true.

Kristin van Ogtrop: We are still very much a magazine and I can’t imagine Real Simple ever not being a magazine.

Samir Husni: Do you feel as though your role has changed in 2015 since Real Simple has become a brand with a multitude of brand extensions out there, such as Wayfair.com, 1-800-FLOWERS and Bed Bath & Beyond; do you feel you’ve moved beyond editor and are now a brand keeper that needs to ensure everything that has the name Real Simple on it meets the DNA of the magazine?

Kristin van Ogtrop: Yes. I mean, I look at myself as a content steward. But content could be what the packaging on a box at Bed Bath & Beyond looks like. It’s about the expression of the brand that consumers see, whether that’s on the website, on packaging, something written, or a picture; we just launched four new podcasts with The Slate Network recently, so content could be something consumers hear on a podcast or something downloaded from iTunes.

I will say though, that as brands like Real Simple grow and other bigger magazine brands, a lot of that informs how you hire people, because it’s impossible for an editor, and using Real Simple as an example, it would be impossible for me to put my individual stamp of approval on every single expression of the brand that goes out every day, whether in a store or on social, and I guess those are probably the two biggest ones that happen constantly. So, you have to have a team in place that understands the brand DNA in the same way that you do. And we’re lucky enough at Real Simple to have that.

We’re not just magazine editors anymore; although that’s still a part of my job that I really love, that’s why we all got into the business. And as it goes beyond that it gets more interesting, but you don’t lose the thing that you love.

Samir Husni: Throughout the 15 years of the magazine; what has been the biggest stumbling block you’ve had to face and how did you overcome it?

Kristin van Ogtrop: What has been hard for Real Simple, and this isn’t unique to us; I think big brands like us have to learn to fail fast, to try new things and to know when to cut your losses and move on to the next thing, because some of what makes us successful as a brand is a sense of control; a controlled message; a controlled look, and when you hand our consumers something that feels controlled it makes them feel calmer. It’s hard to fail fast when you want to be in control.

Over the years, from a 30,000 foot level, that has probably been our biggest stumbling block and probably always will be. But that doesn’t mean we can’t keep trying to do it better.

Samir Husni: And what was your most pleasant moment in those 15 years, the one that made you say, wow, and how often do you have those moments?

Kristin van Ogtrop: That’s a really hard question to answer. My most pleasant moments would be like the one that I had with the woman from the hair salon the other day. When I meet someone who says to me Real Simple is the only magazine that I ever read or I’ve started listening to your podcasts and I have my whole office hooked or you talk to media planners who tell you that Real Simple is the only magazine they read, they get a lot, but Real Simple is the only one they actually read.

There have been huge highlights over the years. The brand has grown exponentially since 2000. But I would say my personal highlights, and they come with some frequency, is when you encounter someone who is really passionate about this brand and is very happy to tell you why. Those are the best parts.

Samir Husni: If you had the opportunity to travel back in time and speak to all of the media critics and those prophets of gloom and doom who blasted Real Simple when it was launched and thought Time Inc. was out of its mind and asked why would Time Inc. publish something like Real Simple; if you had the gift of time travel what would you tell them?

Kristin van Ogtrop: I would tell them to just wait. (Laughs) I would tell them that they don’t understand women; that’s what I would tell them. Or they don’t understand a certain kind of woman and to just wait and they’ll see what we can do.

Samir Husni: What makes Kristin click and tick every morning; what makes you want to get out of bed and go to work?

Kristin van Ogtrop: Well, coffee is what makes me want to get out of bed. (Laughs) What makes me want to run to the office? I’ve worked in magazines now for about 20 years and I just really love this brand. I understand this consumer and I am this consumer. My life is very similar to many of the readers’ lives; I have three kids and I live in a house and I’ve got two dogs and I always have car problems and I can’t find black pants that I really like (Laughs); just all the things that bring people to a wonderful brand like this.

One of the great things for me about working here is that there is so much of what we do that deals with problems in my own life and I think you could say that about a lot of the people on staff here. So, you come to work, but you’re also kind of making your own life easier, more beautiful, better, more delicious, and all of that’s fun.

Samir Husni: One of the questions that I often ask editors is, if I gave you a magic wand and you struck Real Simple, the magazine, with it and a flesh and blood human being materialized, who would that person be? Would it be Kristin? Are you a Real Simple woman?

Kristin van Ogtrop: Definitely, I am a Real Simple woman, but I’m not sure I’m who would spring from the pages, but maybe. I think a lot of people could. Part of what works for us is that, and I talk about this a little in my Editor’s Letter in the 15th anniversary issue, with every story that we publish, whether it’s on realsimple.com or in the magazine, we try to cast as wide a net as we can, because we have almost 2 million subscribers or monthly readers and millions upon millions of visitors to our website every month.

The women who engage with Real Simple are from all over the country; they have different lifestyles and are different ages. So, I think that I represent the brand really well. That way maybe when the magazine is hit with the magic wand, I would pop out, but I believe that we’re much broader than just me.

Samir Husni: Our industry is known to be a copycat industry; why do you think that other publishers haven’t copied Real Simple? There have been a few attempts here and there, but they have been short-lived. Is it the simplicity of the magazine that makes it hard to replicate or imitate?

Kristin van Ogtrop: First of all, I think people over the 12 years that I’ve been here have tried to copy Real Simple. But as you said, those efforts tend to be fairly short-lived. I think that our formula has crept out into the women’s magazine culture a little bit. If you look at cover lines on some other women’s magazines, you see the word organizing, for example, or clutter control, something like that, and you definitely didn’t see those before this brand existed.

In terms of why we have succeeded where others have failed, it’s a lot of factors, and a fair amount of the reason has to do with Time Inc. The company is very supportive of its editorial endeavors, obviously. It invests a lot in consumer research; it’s a big, healthy machine. Time Inc. has believed in this magazine from the beginning and we’ve gotten a lot of support.

Samir Husni: You’ve done a wonderful job with the magazine. I still remember that first issue and the reaction it received and all the changes that took place after you came, which solidified the brand and made it the powerhouse that it is today. Is there anything else that you’d like to add about Real Simple or the brand?

Kristin van Ogtrop: Thank you. The only thing that I would add is that we’re so proud when we look at what we’ve done over the last 15 years. And we’re excited about the future of this brand, including in print and all our other areas too. All of us here still really believe we have a lot of opportunities with Real Simple; it’s just up to us to find them.

Samir Husni: My typical last question; what keeps you up at night?

Kristin van Ogtrop: Nothing related to work keeps me up at night, actually. (Laughs) I would say having three boys and two of them being teenagers keep me up at night.

Samir Husni: Thank you.

“When we first put up the website for GX, I had a Mom call me and she said, hey, can you print this story, because I want to keep it. So, I printed it out for her on nice paper and mail it to her. I printed it and mailed it to her and she told me she ended up framing it. People want to physically hold it; they want to see it and share it that way. It legitimizes everything when it’s in print.” Keith Kawasaki

A print legacy vehicle that not only connects its audience within communities, but provides them with a vehicle that drives their personal stories and photographs straight into the future for subsequent generations; GX magazine is a relevant and important part of people’s lives who serve in the Army National Guard and also for people who may not know the intricacies and benefits of Guard life. The magazine tells the stories of these service men and women, from their perspectives; it publishes their pictures from their mindsets, and it does it well.

Keith Kawasaki is vice president in charge of client services for iostudio, the ad agency that handles the magazine for the Guard. I have been a paid consultant for ios for years, but only from a larger perspective, not involved with issue-by-issue content at all. And I can truly say, the depth of Keith’s feelings when he talks about the magazine and the important stories that it tells can be heard and read in his words. The sincere honor and respect that he holds for what the men and women of the Army National Guard do is behind the magazine’s articulated success and propels it farther down the road of accomplishment.

Keith is a firm believer in the value of print and has brought that conviction to the forefront of the Guard’s mission with this product. The strategies and truths that ios used in conceptualizing the magazine 12 years ago are continued today and keep the print product valuable and an asset in this digital age.

I hope you enjoy this very moving and important magazine story about one branch of our country’s military service and the men and women who bring the pages to life…The Mr. Magazine™ interview with Keith Kawasaki, Vice President, Client Services, iostudio.

But first the sound-bites…

On the concept of GX: Being that the Guard had not been as active prior to 2004, not as active as the other branches for two decades; while they did serve in the Gulf War, it wasn’t as extensive as some of the other branches; when these Guard soldiers would get thrown into the mix with the other active-duty people, there was a misperception of who the Guard was. So, their brand was influx and they needed help to answer the questions: who are the Guard and why are they relevant and important?

On why GX is content marketing: Well, because there was a marketing objective to reposition the Guard in 2004 and then continually strengthen that position over the years, as the service of choice for these individuals. There are other options out there for people, but the Guard uses GX to say, hey, we are a service of choice and here’s how you can maximize your service for both you and your family.

On why a printed product was the best choice to facilitate the Guard’s objective: When we first put up the website for GX, I had a Mom call me and she said, hey, can you print this story, because I want to keep it. So, I printed it out for her on nice paper and mail it to her. I printed it and mailed it to her and she told me she ended up framing it. People want to physically hold it; they want to see it and share it that way. It legitimizes everything when it’s in print.

On any major stumbling block he’s had to face and how he overcame it: Oddly enough, with GX we haven’t had any major stumbling blocks; we’ve had challenges, no job is ever easy. With the Government you are required to prove your worth continuously, because it’s tax payer’s dollars and we take that very seriously at iostudio.

On his most pleasant surprise so far during his GX career: I had a woman call me (during his travels) and she said, hey, I hear you’re going to be in our town. Can you stop by? I’d love to share my story with you and tell you about my son. I ended up spending such quality time with her and her Pastor and she had taken pictures of GX and passed them around in her town.

On what keeps him up at night: Lately, my son has been sick and he keeps me up at night. And taking care of my family is always on my mind.

And now the lightly edited transcript of the Mr. Magazine™ conversation with Keith Kawasaki, Vice President, Client Services, iostudio.

Samir Husni: GX magazine has now been in business for 12 years; would you explain the concept of the magazine and the role it plays with the National Guard?

Keith Kawasaki: Sure. We are incredibly blessed with a great client and that’s the unique thing about the work that we do; it’s content marketing. The client had a need to communicate and they chose to use the magazine as that vehicle.

It’s been exceptional that the Army National Guard sees the true value in print and understands the importance of telling personal stories to convey a message. And they have such tremendous stories to draw from. And through those stories comes the great inspiration of GX.

Going back to the beginning, you can ask the question, what was the environment then in 2004 for the Army National Guard? They had wars going on in Iraq and Afghanistan and recruiting was at an all-time low. There was an incredible need to put feet in boots and get overseas and at the same time to keep the men and women that they had.

The Army National Guard brand in and of itself was in a bit of a crisis, because if you think about the service historically, the Guard had developed the reputation of being “Weekend Warriors,” which is a term that a lot of active-duty folks threw around and really was a discredit to the skills that the Guard brought to the table. “For most of the month, they are not drill. They’re teachers or engineers; just normal jobs, but then one weekend a month they drill and then go to training during the summertime for two weeks, unless they get activated on Federal service to go overseas or wherever they’re needed, whereas, on active duty in the regular Army, they’re serving full-time, all the time.

Being that the Guard had not been as active prior to 2004, not as active as the other branches for two decades; while they did serve in the Gulf War, it wasn’t as extensive as some of the other branches; when these Guard soldiers would get thrown into the mix with the other active-duty people, there was a misperception of who the Guard was. So, their brand was influx and they needed help to answer the questions: who are the Guard and why are they relevant and important?

The higher force was in transition as well, operationally, geographically and technologically, because all their technology up to that point had not been developed for going down the roads in Iraq and engaging the enemy, so their technology was going left and right. Geographically, the Guard was moving bases around; operationally, their needs were changing, going from just being a ready-reserve to a fighting force, there was a lot of infrastructure and training that had to be changed.

So, they brought all of this to iostudio and said here’s where we’re at; what can we do to keep our men and women in the Guard and then also have something to leverage as a recruiting tool? The owners of our company, Mitch Powers, Ed Brown and Chris West, came up with the magazine GX, the Guard Experience, and it’s a 108 page bi-monthly publication that distributes 220,000 copies per issue, 215,000 are individual and 5,000 are bulk.

It’s changed over the years, the distribution and the frequency based on the Government’s needs. There are no third-party ads in the publication; we have maybe 10 ads in each issue and they’re not really ads, they’re public service announcements talking about other opportunities in the Guard. So, it’s entirely 108 pages of National Guard content that’s turned out every other month. And it’s all original content.

Samir Husni: You used the term content marketing and this term has been used so loosely in everything, whether describing a magazine promoting a car or describing a magazine that’s promoting a cause. Why do you feel there is a need to coin such a phrase as “content marketing?” Why can’t GX just be a magazine for the Guard?

Keith Kawasaki: Well, because there was a marketing objective to reposition the Guard in 2004 and then continually strengthen that position over the years, as the service of choice for these individuals. There are other options out there for people, but the Guard uses GX to say, hey, we are a service of choice and here’s how you can maximize your service for both you and your family. Here are the career advance opportunities; here are the things that are going to help you live a healthier, happier life. And that’s a marketing tool. It is not an objective news source.

There’s nothing false in GX, but it’s a marketing tool. But it’s done in a way that I think is content marketing, because it’s much rested in the content part, in the stories that are told. These are true, amazing, inspirational stories of real people in the Army National Guard and they can see their faces in the magazine.

What we’ve done with this is what you always advise: to create an experience and I love that. I like to think of GX as a magnetic experience. And there are three core components of that magnetic experience.

Just to take you back through that, the Guard has about 350,000 people and they’re spread out over 3,500 communities across the nation. They’re all their own owner-operated franchises in their individual States, born from the militia. Service-to-state is the bulk of the experience, unless you get activated for Federal duty. So, it’s incredibly spread apart and serving in Sleepy Eye, Minnesota versus serving in Miami, Florida is wildly different. GX is the magnetic experience that is bringing everyone together and connecting the dots. The soldiers read it, the families read it and they can see what’s going on and they can understand the picture of the Guard.

And to create that we have our audience and client research, our audience involvement and our audience empowerment and because of these differences you have to get out there. Every state and territory as well as overseas missions, GX has gone out there and embedded with the soldiers, their families, their employers and their community leaders to understand what that service is from every angle. Because how else could we presume to tell their story?

Samir Husni: For truth-in-reporting, I am a paid consultant that has worked with IOStudio for years now, in terms of the publishing aspect. I have nothing to do with the creation of the content of the magazine on an issue by issue basis, but rather I consult on the bigger picture. That being said; why do you feel in today’s digital world that print is still the best way to serve the mission of the Guard? Or do you believe print is the best way?

Keith Kawasaki: I do and that’s the perfect segue to my next point. You’re reading my mind, Sir. (Laughs) The soldiers of the Army National Guard, because we’re out there all the time working with them and capturing their stories, they see themselves ultimately in the magazine. They write for the magazine; they take photos that appear in the magazine; their personal stories and legacies are captured in the magazine. If you take this over the past 10 years during the Guard’s most tumultuous and courageous period since World War II, we’re talking about so many important missions, so many acts of bravery, and the only way that they are captured in print, in any kind of lasting medium, is through GX. So, soldiers cherish GX; it’s their personal legacy documented that they can show to their kids, and those kids can show it to their kids and so on. At some point, they’re going to reach a time where they can say, hey, here’s Grandpa in GX.

And we’ve already had experiences where soldiers’ kids have contacted us and said; send me that issue because my Dad is in it. And there’s such pride with that, such meaningful engagement with it, that it’s not lost.

Also, when you think of the print publication; it’s mailed directly to the homes of the soldiers, so there’s no: hey, I didn’t get that email or I didn’t get a chance to go to that website. Here is a hardcopy publication, high quality, a luxury item from its aesthetic, and it’s sent to your home; you’re going to see it and your family is going to see it. And because the content is so good and because the magazine is presented so well; it doesn’t get tossed in the trash. This is why more than 80% of our readers share the magazine. And that’s important. They can take an article in there and share it. And this is speaking directly to the audience empowerment point; we believe in incorporating functional content. Functional content meaning content readers can do something with and can serve as a life coach even, and compels them to share it.

There are a lot of list-based things in our finance sections and in our career sections of the magazine, so they can recognize things like: OK, here are the laws that protect your job while you’re deployed. You can take that article to your employer and it’s going to have a lot more weight when you put down a publication like GX on his or her desk and be able to accurately show how it is and it’s also very easy to understand. They don’t have to go to any website or whatever to see it. Digital items come and go and there’s a lot of misinformation on the internet. People find print to be more trustworthy and that’s been proven year after year by industry research.

All these different things enable the client, and I agree with the client, that print is the lasting medium and the most effective for them at this time. There are digital projects that we do; there’s a website for GX, http://www.gxonline.com/, but the heart of the experience is in that print product. And nothing can take that away. It’s there and on their bookshelves and coffee tables.

When we first put up the website for GX, I had a Mom call me and she said, hey, can you print this story, because I want to keep it. So, I printed it out for her on nice paper and mail it to her. I printed it and mailed it to her and she told me she ended up framing it. People want to physically hold it; they want to see it and share it that way. It legitimizes everything when it’s in print.

Samir Husni: What has been the major stumbling block you’ve had to face during your career with GX and how did you overcome it?

Keith Kawasaki: Oddly enough, with GX we haven’t had any major stumbling blocks; we’ve had challenges, no job is ever easy. With the Government you are required to prove your worth continuously, because it’s tax payer’s dollars and we take that very seriously at iostudio. This is important work that’s going to ultimately help with the mission of the Guard. Things have drawn down on the military warfront scale, but at any point things could change. Everything is cyclical and if you pay attention to the news; you know where things are heating up again.

Every year, seasonally, there are natural disasters that happen across the nation and you need your soldiers to respond to these things, so we take great pride and passion in the work that we do as being part of that effort. And it’s been proven again by the survey data that more than 90% of GX readers believe it’s a valuable retention tool. It’s helping soldiers feel invested and showing value in their service.

I don’t want to say that it’s a stumbling block or a challenge, but we do have to continually prove our worth, and as we should. The community, as a whole with the Guard, has embraced us, so that’s been great. The value of print hasn’t been a hard sell on the Government as our client; because they see it and they value it, and many are soldiers themselves. And they know its worth and hear it from the field as well.

We’ve had three U.S. presidents in the magazine, two Secretaries of Defense, chairmen of the Joint Chiefs; have all seen value in sharing their message through GX magazine. I wish I had something to share with you like: gosh, here has been this big challenge; it hasn’t been a breeze, but it’s been very rewarding work every step of the way.

Samir Husni: What has been the most pleasant surprise? When did you have that “aha” moment in your career, working at GX?

Keith Kawasaki: There have been many, but there’s a story that I love to tell about. You know, it’s impossible not to be affected personally by this client, because the work that they do and the people themselves are just amazing.

Years ago, I was traveling from one end of Wisconsin to the other end of North Dakota, so I went across Wisconsin, then Minnesota, and then hit the border of North Dakota to meet with the families of the 34th Infantry, Red Bull Division, during their deployment around 2006 or 2007. They ended up being gone for 22 months and it was a massive deployment, somewhere around 3,500 soldiers plus units that were attached to them.

So, I went and visited with the families of these soldiers and I did it long before GPS told you everywhere to go, so I had all of these maps and everything timed perfectly so that I could get to each city precisely on time. I was visiting all these small towns along the way and right before I left, I had a woman call me and she said, hey, I hear you’re going to be in our town. Can you stop by? I’d love to share my story with you and tell you about my son.

I had my trip so planned out that I thought, gosh, this is going to be really hard to make time for this, but I felt like I had to do it. I figured it out and when I got to the lady’s town, which was Sleepy Eye, Minnesota, and it has a very special place in my heart, I called up this woman and told her that I was there and asked her about getting together.

I ended up spending such quality time with her and her Pastor and she had taken pictures of GX and passed them around in her town. We had done an article on the history of the Yellow Ribbon, so she had driven up community support for the town’s soldiers by passing around pages of GX. So, she’s a very special woman and that town of Sleepy Eye had something like 16 guys deployed in that mission, including her son.

We had a wonderful time together and I stayed in touch with her. It turned out that out of all those guys that were deployed, her son ended up getting wounded pretty badly. He had burns all over his body, but a very strong young man who had some very serious combat experience and ended up going down to a medical center in Texas and she nursed him back to health. I went to his Purple Heart ceremony in Sleepy Eye. The whole town shut down and had gathered together behind the VFW there when he was presented the Purple Heart.

And it’s in all that when you realize that this is a powerful publication and we’re so honored to be a part of it. We were able to help drive community support in the town of Sleepy Eye and we’re able to capture these amazing stories of these soldiers and their families and show what service is really like. GX is a conduit for that. This isn’t something that we’re creating, we’re not getting a pat on the back for creating any of the stories, but to be able to share them with people and get the message out there and unite these 3,500 communities of soldiers together and let them see their common bond is a pretty great thing. Unifying that mission and objective is what we’re all about. It’s important stuff and carries weight and I think about it often.

Samir Husni: Is there anything else that you’d like to add; also, are you a member of the Guard?

Keith Kawasaki: No, I’m not. I’m from Eastern Long Island and I was just unaware of the service experiences. I was, I don’t want to say sheltered, but it just wasn’t a part of my growing up experience. Service was something that your grandparents had done, but then my eyes were certainly opened up with GX and all of the life experiences of these amazing people. I have learned so much and have such an incredible appreciation for our soldiers and their families since coming here. And it’s a little embarrassing to think back on how ignorant I was to it.

Samir Husni: My typical last question; what keeps you up at night?

Keith Kawasaki: (Laughs) Lately, my son has been sick and he keeps me up at night. And taking care of my family is always on my mind.

Samir Husni: Thank you.