Putting my money where my mouth is, I am publishing a host of Mr. Magazine™ Interviews in a book this coming mid August. The book, Inside The Great Minds Of Magazine Makers, contains interviews with 30 “Magazine Makers” that first appeared on this blog. Believing that the only way for great works to be permanent is to be in print, I am taking 27 of those interviews and publishing them in a 240-page-book. The book is published by the Magazine Innovation Center at The University of Mississippi and printed by Trend Offset.
Mary G. Berner, President and CEO of MPA: The Association of Magazine Media, wrote the introduction to the book. In her intro she writes, “In Inside the Great Minds of Magazine Makers, Samir invites you to join him in his conversations with some of the most powerful and creative people in magazine media today. As these strategists and story tellers navigate the exciting frontier of digital content distribution, measurement, and monetization of magazine media brands, we get a unique fly- on-the-wall perspective on how they continue to deliver engaging, curated and valued content to a rapidly expanding audience.”
In my preface I write, “This is NOT a book about magazines and magazine media. It IS a book about the people who create magazines and magazine media. It is a journey inside their brains to find out what makes them tick and click. A journey that will help readers of this book understand where the creative, the editing, the storytelling, the business, and the marketing skills of today’s magazine and magazine media CEOs, presidents,editors, and publishers come from.”
The 27 chapters in the book (published in random order but keeping interviewees from the same magazine and magazine media company together) include interviews with:
Joe Ripp – CEO & Chairman, Time Inc. Norman Pearlstine – Executive Vice President & Chief Content Officer, Time Inc. David Carey – President, Hearst Magazines Michael Clinton – President, Marketing & Publishing Director, Hearst Magazines Ellen Levine – Editorial Director, Hearst Magazines Maria Rodale – Chairman & CEO, Rodale, Inc. James Oseland & Ellen Carucci – Editor-in-chief & Publisher of Organic Life, Rodale, Inc. Chris Mitchell – Publisher, Vanity Fair, Condé Nast Lewis DVorkin – Chief Product Officer, Forbes Magazine Randall Lane – Editor, Forbes Magazine Mark Howard – Chief Revenue Officer, Forbes Magazine Bob Cohn – President & Chief Operating Officer, The Atlantic Andrew Clurman – Chief Executive Officer & President, Active Interest Media Carol Brooks & Ian Scott – Editor-in-chief of Simple Grace, & President and Publisher, Bauer Media U.S. John Temple – President & CEO, Guideposts Scott Dickey – CEO, TEN: The Enthusiast Network Liz Vaccariello – Editor-in-chief, Reader’s Digest Tony Romando – CEO & Co-founder, Topix Media Lab Tinu – Publisher, Shoeholics Magazine Todd Paul – President, Open Sky Media, Inc. Adi Ignatius – Editor-in-chief, Harvard Business Review Steve Giannetti & Victoria Pope – Publisher & Editor-in-chief, Smithsonian Journeys Diane Anderson-Minshall – Editor-in-chief, Plus Magazine, Here Media Mariette DiChristina – Editor-in-chief & Senior Vice President, Scientific American Magazine Dana Points – Editor-in-chief & Content Director, Parents Latina, Meredith Daren Mazzucca – Publisher, Martha Stewart Living, Meredith Lesley Jane Seymour – Editor-in-chief, More Magazine, Meredith
The book is available for a $100 donation to the Magazine Innovation Center at The University of Mississippi. All the proceeds from the sale of Inside The Great Minds Of Magazine Makers will be used to create a magazine student scholarship to help with the costs of students’ internships and such. Please send your checks to Magazine Innovation Center, 114 Farley Hall, The University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677, U.S.A.
“I know that magazines have always been and continue to be a really rare and wonderful thing. I think, especially with a magazine like ours, it is a uniquely, immersive experience. It’s such a pleasure to have this beautifully curated collection of stories, ideas, sometimes quizzes, exercises; things that have been put together to challenge readers and to lift them up and get them to see their own life in a new way.” Lucy Kaylin
“I suppose it could, simply because there are so many other ways to express one’s ideas. There are obviously so many formats and platforms out there today. But I wouldn’t love that; I wouldn’t think that would be a positive thing. O, as a print publication is incredibly special and it’s lush and beautiful and it’s tactile and something that is very well-enjoyed in bed, in a hammock, on the couch or in the tub. The physical nature of it is one of the very special things about it.” (on whether the magazine could exist without the print component) Lucy Kaylin
Fifteen years is a major milestone for anything these days; sometimes our fast-paced lives, inundated with notifications and distractions coming from all directions make everything seem fleeting and surreal. That’s when Mr. Magazine™ grabs his drink of choice (usually coffee), reclines in his chair and reads a great magazine.
O, The Oprah Magazine is one such relaxing and immersive escape. Celebrating 15 years of publishing success with beautifully curated content and amazing photographs; the magazine is as welcoming and compelling as its namesake.
From the launch one year ago of the engaging ‘Circle of Friends’ subscription model to the new cover treatments, inside changes and more; O, The Oprah Magazine is pushing the boundaries on creative innovation and proving once again that there is power in the printed word and allure in good content.
Lucy Kaylin became editor-in-chief of O, The Oprah Magazine in May 2013, having been deputy editor since 2009. I spoke with Lucy recently about the magazine’s 15th anniversary and the ‘Circle of Friends’ subscription model and Oprah herself and the magnetic connection Oprah has with her audience, both the woman and the magazine.
It was a very enlightening conversation and one that proved fame and fortune doesn’t always change the core of a person’s true nature or the ink on paper that bears her moniker. Genuineness and quality always shine through.
So, I hope you enjoy the Mr. Magazine™ interview with Lucy Kaylin, Editor-In-Chief, O, The Oprah Magazine; it was a true joy for me.
But first, the sound-bites:
On the secret to O, The Oprah Magazine’s longevity: The magazine is the same; it’s never just about celebrities. It’s always had, arguably, the world’s most famous celebrity on the cover every month anyway. It’s been about big, resonant, rich, important ideas for real women. So, there have always been lots and lots in the magazine for women who have great ambitions for themselves, in terms of living a realized life. And that’s for all time, that’s not something that goes in and out of fashion; it’s something that I think we all want.
On the process of putting together an issue of the monthly magazine: We have what we call ‘Big Idea Meetings’ and that’s where we get the entire staff together and talk about themes, such as what would be worthwhile themes for each of our issues. And we’re in constant communication with Oprah, she’s very interested, obviously, in what we’re doing and she often has great ideas for us, but she’s absolutely wonderful in trusting us and letting us be the magazine-makers, but she’s there for us whenever we need her.
On whether she feels she channels Oprah with each and every issue: To an extent. We really do like to have a multiplicity of voices, of course, so there will be people who have had all different kinds of experiences, sharing what they know and what they’ve been through, within our pages, so in that sense it’s not a strict first-page-to-last channeling of Oprah. But we do have a very, those of us who work here, have a very clear sense of what matters to her.
On how she continuously engages the audience whether Oprah is in the forefront of media or not at any given time: We are blessed with a really wide readership and the readers that we have and our subscribers are quite passionate and quite loyal, so I don’t have the sense of fighting to find readers or fighting to keep them. I think the real secret is that what we’re putting out there is of such sustaining quality; it’s sustenance and it’s the stuff of life. Again, it’s not superficial; it’s not fleeting; it’s something that I feel certain millions upon millions of women and men are looking for.
On why she believes Oprah and the magazine is inimitable to other publications: I really think that Oprah is 100% unique. She’s just a very powerful person and I mean that in the nicest way. She’s very impactful, the way that she’s able to connect with an audience, for instance. The way that she’s able to open up a person who’s sitting across from her that she’s interviewing. These are just incredibly rare gifts and skills that she has. She’s extremely tuned in to the human experience. She’s so not distracted by the trappings of fame and success.
On Oprah’s down-to-earth nature: I know exactly what you mean. I’ve been around her many times when people are encountering her for the first time and it’s really quite something to see the impact that she makes. I can’t imagine that there are too many people you could compare her to in that respect. She peers right into your soul; she’s very much an authentic person with everyone she meets. That’s part of her magic; all that is completely real.
On the most pleasant moment in her career: There have been so many. I can certainly say that one of them was getting this job, which is being the editor of Oprah’s magazine. It really touched me in a very profound way, the responsibility that I was being given.
On the major stumbling block she’s had to face: For me, I think probably it’s just like with most people when you’re starting out. I was a writer at GQ magazine when I was quite young, in my 20s, and I do remember trying to figure out what I wanted to say. I was always good at putting words together and making pretty sentences, but I remember being challenged by my editors at GQ who were great mentors and very talented people, who made it clear, especially at a magazine as great as GQ, that it wasn’t enough to just write well, you had to have a point of view and something to say.
On what she knows for sure as editor of O, The Oprah Magazine: I know that magazines have always been and continue to be a really rare and wonderful thing. I think, especially with a magazine like ours, it is a uniquely, immersive experience. It’s such a pleasure to have this beautifully curated collection of stories, ideas, sometimes quizzes, exercises; things that have been put together to challenge readers and to lift them up and get them to see their own life in a new way.
On whether O, The Oprah Magazine could exist without the print component: I suppose it could, simply because there are so many other ways to express one’s ideas. There are obviously so many formats and platforms out there today. But I wouldn’t love that; I wouldn’t think that would be a positive thing. O, as a print publication is incredibly special and it’s lush and beautiful and it’s tactile and something that is very well-enjoyed in bed, in a hammock, on the couch or in the tub. The physical nature of it is one of the very special things about it.
On what makes her click and tick and motivates her to get out of bed in the mornings: I really love the work itself. As social as I can be, which is what makes me take such pleasure in my colleagues; I love the solitary work of magazines; I love working on copy and I love wrestling with ideas. I love the process of taking the wet clay of a concept and molding it, figuring it out and turning it into something wonderful that you can share with literally millions of people. It’s very pleasurable work.
On anything else she’d like to add: Just that it’s a very exciting time. As you know we’re celebrating our 15th anniversary and I’m really thrilled with the momentum that I’m feeling, creative and commercial, in terms of just the excitement that surrounded our May issue, which was officially our anniversary. And the great sense of a new chapter beginning that we all have.
On what keeps her up at night: I would say that even though this is a volatile time in the magazine business, happily, I don’t feel like anyone is dying from it or suffering deeply or terribly from it. In that sense, I reserve my sleeplessness for what’s happening with my kids. But the magazine business is there and I think it will survive and be there for me, no matter how much sleep I get or don’t get.
And now the lightly edited transcript of the Mr. Magazine™ interview with Lucy Kaylin, Editor-In-Chief, O, The Oprah Magazine.
Samir Husni: When O, The Oprah Magazine was launched, there was a lot of talk about how long a celebrity magazine could last; we had Martha Stewart and Rosie, yet, 15 years later, the magazine is still going strong. What do you think is the magazine’s secret to longevity?
Lucy Kaylin: I think it’s a couple of things. The first thing really is Oprah herself. She’s so much more than just a celebrity. She’s a person who is admired the world over for her completely unique and inspiring journey and her approach to life, for her endless curiosity and creativity and her love of challenge and innovation.
I think people realize that they’re not just looking at a really famous face when they see Oprah; they’re seeing a very authentic person who lives in a very big way the life that they see for themselves, which is one of creativity, passion and self-realization, all of those things that are quite genuine and not all just about fame.
And for the other part of my answer; the magazine is the same; it’s never just about celebrities. It’s always had, arguably, the world’s most famous celebrity on the cover every month anyway. It’s been about big, resonant, rich, important ideas for real women. So, there have always been lots and lots in the magazine for women who have great ambitions for themselves, in terms of living a realized life. And that’s for all time, that’s not something that goes in and out of fashion; it’s something that I think we all want.
We’re the very best DNA in the business, I think, and we’re really about something. It’s not about fads or gossip; it’s about what really matters most to the human experience.
Samir Husni: As you channel this human experience with every issue of Oprah; can you describe for me the dynamics of how you put each issue together? How involved Oprah is with the actual magazine? There’s a lot of talk that Oprah reads or looks at everything. Just describe for us the process of putting an issue of O, The Oprah Magazine together every month.
Lucy Kaylin: We have what we call ‘Big Idea Meetings’ and that’s where we get the entire staff together and talk about themes, such as what would be worthwhile themes for each of our issues. Ideas of themes that we’ve had in the past are: ‘Who’re you meant to be,’ ‘The 20 most important questions a woman should ask herself,’ or ‘Aging brilliantly,’ How to love the skin you’re in;’ those kinds of ideas that, again, are really about helping women to live a fuller and better life.
So, when we settle on a theme, we kick around how that would play out in the pages, such as who would be some of the writers that we’d like to contribute stories and who knows someone who has a cool story to tell about the topic at hand.
And we’re in constant communication with Oprah, she’s very interested, obviously, in what we’re doing and she often has great ideas for us, but she’s absolutely wonderful in trusting us and letting us be the magazine-makers, but she’s there for us whenever we need her. She’s certainly not interested in micro-managing and she loves to see what we come up with.
Not long ago my senior staff and I were at a retreat at her house on the West Coast and that was just an incredible opportunity over the course of a couple of days to really pick her brain and to share with her some thoughts that we had for the magazine and her feedback was valuable. We treat her instincts like the gold that they are and listen very carefully to that feedback.
Samir Husni: Do you feel as though you channel Oprah with every issue? Do you transform Oprah the person into Oprah the ink on paper?
Lucy Kaylin: To an extent. We really do like to have a multiplicity of voices, of course, so there will be people who have had all different kinds of experiences, sharing what they know and what they’ve been through, within our pages, so in that sense it’s not a strict first-page-to-last channeling of Oprah.
But we do have a very, those of us who work here, have a very clear sense of what matters to her. And the kinds of things that she likes to see in the magazine and the kinds of positions that she takes on things. We’re all pretty likeminded here. We came here to her magazine for a reason, so it’s not a struggle to figure out or to understand what’s important to her. It’s top of mind, for sure, all the time, what would Oprah think or what would she do and would this please her; whatever the story at hand might be.
Samir Husni: The title of one of my new books that’s coming out in August is called “Audience First” and when I look at the Oprah magazine and hear some critics, such as when Oprah stopped her television program, people were saying that’s the end of Oprah. Or whenever Oprah does anything remotely different, people cry that’s the end of her; how do you continue to capture that audience who are either enthralled with Oprah the magazine or even with what Oprah represents, not necessarily with the human being, Oprah, but her teachings, messages, her lifestyle, or they’re convinced she’s a thing of the past? How do you retain that steadfast audience, regardless of whether Oprah has a television show or not, and keep that magazine relationship flourishing?
Lucy Kaylin: We are blessed with a really wide readership and the readers that we have and our subscribers are quite passionate and quite loyal, so I don’t have the sense of fighting to find readers or fighting to keep them. I think the real secret is that what we’re putting out there is of such sustaining quality; it’s sustenance and it’s the stuff of life. Again, it’s not superficial; it’s not fleeting; it’s something that I feel certain millions upon millions of women and men are looking for.
If you’re putting out high quality content and you also have the benefit of an extremely high profile, extremely well-known face for the entire enterprise, such as Oprah and of course Gayle too, that’s a wonderful double-whammy for us. We have the great content, but we also have the extremely appealing and well-known face of what we do being the billboard for us, in a sense, as we look to attract new readers.
Samir Husni: To me, Oprah is one of the first magazines in the United States that broke the race barrier; it’s more of a melting pot for any woman or man who can relate to that lifestyle or approach. Why do you think that no one else has been able to imitate Oprah?
Lucy Kaylin: I really think that Oprah is 100% unique. She’s just a very powerful person and I mean that in the nicest way. She’s very impactful, the way that she’s able to connect with an audience, for instance. The way that she’s able to open up a person who’s sitting across from her that she’s interviewing. These are just incredibly rare gifts and skills that she has. She’s extremely tuned in to the human experience. She’s so not distracted by the trappings of fame and success.
It’s so interesting to me that there are lots and lots of actors and actresses today who have achieved tremendous fame and wealth and have, as a result, lived very strange lives sometimes and have been sort of walled-off from their public because it’s all become just too stressful and paparazzi-driven. It becomes, again, a kind of strange life.
And that’s just never happened to Oprah, even though she’s the most famous of them all, because she’s really tuned in to the human condition. And what made her famous was, of course, her TV show where she was very much surrounded by and interested in real people and real people’s issues and what was happening with their families and their pasts and childhoods, jobs and marriages.
She’s always been an authentic person in our world. And that doesn’t go away; she’s as real as they come and she’s been fabulously rewarded for it, but that doesn’t change her.
Samir Husni: I met her once when the magazine was launched at the launch party. And with all of the celebrities that I have ever met, I’ve never met anyone so down-to-earth. I felt like when she was shaking my hand and talking to me that we’d known each other forever.
Lucy Kaylin: I know exactly what you mean. I’ve been around her many times when people are encountering her for the first time and it’s really quite something to see the impact that she makes. I can’t imagine that there are too many people you could compare her to in that respect. She peers right into your soul; she’s very much an authentic person with everyone she meets. That’s part of her magic; all that is completely real.
And I think that’s why it’s such an advantage for us at the magazine. The heart of what we do is so real; it’s so authentic and it all stems from her.
Samir Husni: Speaking of real, for everything in this life, including life itself, there is a lifecycle. There’s a time to be born and a time to die, Heaven forbid. That being said; is the life of the magazine attached to the life of Oprah?
Lucy Kaylin: I don’t think I could comment on that. I hate to even think of such a thing, if what we’re implying is what happens when she’s gone. I don’t know.
I think we are just as grateful as we could possibly be for what she’s put into the world and what she continues to bring into the world and that we get to be a part of it. Who could possibly speak about the future?
Samir Husni: Reflect a little on your experience as a magazine editor and working in magazines. Can you recall the most pleasant moment in your career; one where you said, “Wow!”
Lucy Kaylin: There have been so many. I can certainly say that one of them was getting this job, which is being the editor of Oprah’s magazine. It really touched me in a very profound way, the responsibility that I was being given; the trust that the people around me had in my abilities; just the privilege, the privilege of being the chief custodian for something as wonderful as O, The Oprah Magazine.
Samir Husni: And what has been one of the major stumbling blocks that you’ve had to face in your career and how did you overcome it?
Lucy Kaylin: For me, I think probably it’s just like with most people when you’re starting out. I was a writer at GQ magazine when I was quite young, in my 20s, and I do remember trying to figure out what I wanted to say. I was always good at putting words together and making pretty sentences, but I remember being challenged by my editors at GQ who were great mentors and very talented people, who made it clear, especially at a magazine as great as GQ, that it wasn’t enough to just write well, you had to have a point of view and something to say.
And I remember struggling with that and trying to get my arms around the idea that my opinion on things and my point of view on things was worth broadcasting to the reading public. I got over that, but it took me some time.
Samir Husni: If someone asked you today then; Lucy, you’re the editor of O, The Oprah Magazine, what do you know for sure?
Lucy Kaylin: What do I know for sure? I know that’s a very good question. (Laughs)
Samir Husni: (Laughs too).
Lucy Kaylin: I know that magazines have always been and continue to be a really rare and wonderful thing. I think, especially with a magazine like ours, it is a uniquely, immersive experience. It’s such a pleasure to have this beautifully curated collection of stories, ideas, sometimes quizzes, exercises; things that have been put together to challenge readers and to lift them up and get them to see their own life in a new way.
I feel like that there is something that’s just so fun and unique about a magazine. And of course it can be incredibly beautiful; the photography; the illustrations; it’s an art form for all time, even though we are constantly these days finding ways and brainstorming ideas to extend our brands and to do clever things off the page. But a magazine is the wellspring of all of that and it’s just a joyful thing. And I feel very lucky that I found my way into this business.
Samir Husni: Do you think O, The Oprah Magazine could exist without the print component?
Lucy Kaylin: I suppose it could, simply because there are so many other ways to express one’s ideas. There are obviously so many formats and platforms out there today. But I wouldn’t love that; I wouldn’t think that would be a positive thing.
O, as a print publication is incredibly special and it’s lush and beautiful and it’s tactile and something that is very well-enjoyed in bed, in a hammock, on the couch or in the tub. The physical nature of it is one of the very special things about it.
That said; we made a very beautiful app for the E-reader and we’ve made beautiful books out of our content and we have a wonderful website and of course, there’s O, The Network that we sometimes do things with. So, again, there are all kinds of ways to be O, but I’m partial to print and I’m hoping it’s going to be around for a long time.
Samir Husni: What makes you click and tick and motivates you to get out of the bed each morning and say, wow, this is going to be a great day?
Lucy Kaylin: I love the work. I absolutely love the work. One of the things that I discovered when I got into this business a few decades ago, where I started as a fact-checker at Vogue; one of the first things I noticed was the incredible caliber of people that are attracted to the magazine business. They’re all just so smart, funny and well-informed, so that’s always been a huge draw for me. I’ve worked with really fantastic people over the years and it’s just great to spend your day with people you like. That’s always been something that’s quickened my step on the way to work.
But I really love the work itself. As social as I can be, which is what makes me take such pleasure in my colleagues; I love the solitary work of magazines; I love working on copy and I love wrestling with ideas. I love the process of taking the wet clay of a concept and molding it, figuring it out and turning it into something wonderful that you can share with literally millions of people. It’s very pleasurable work.
Samir Husni: Are you a serial comma person?
Lucy Kaylin: I am a serial comma person, for the most part. I’m open to the conversation for those who aren’t, but my instincts say yes; the serial comma is the way to go. (Laughs)
Samir Husni: Anything else you’d like to add?
O’s Circle of Friends premium subscription model.
Lucy Kaylin: Just that it’s a very exciting time. As you know we’re celebrating our 15th anniversary and I’m really thrilled with the momentum that I’m feeling, creative and commercial, in terms of just the excitement that surrounded our May issue, which was officially our anniversary. And the great sense of a new chapter beginning that we all have. So, I suppose that’s what I would add.
Samir Husni: My typical last question; what keeps you up at night?
Lucy Kaylin: I would say that even though this is a volatile time in the magazine business, happily, I don’t feel like anyone is dying from it or suffering deeply or terribly from it. In that sense, I reserve my sleeplessness for what’s happening with my kids; how am I going to get my daughter ready to go off to college in a month; concerns for my loved ones that I can’t escape from, for the most part.
But the magazine business is there and I think it will survive and be there for me, no matter how much sleep I get or don’t get.
Artistic Inspiration Along With Navigational Instruction Join Hands To Bring Yet Another Creative Masterpiece To Life – The Mr. Magazine™ Interview With Patty Craft, Community Leader & Content Creator/Editor, and Jamie Markle, Group Publisher, Acrylic Artist Magazine.
“I still feel like the magazines are a core part of people being in that community and we know from our own data that our magazine subscribers are the most loyal buyers when it comes to art e-commerce store. Those people are very committed to following the pursuit of their art and they look to us to provide instruction in a lot of different formats. I would say the magazines are still a core part of the communities, whether they are Watercolor Artist or Acrylic Artist or somebody who likes to draw.” Jamie Markle
“Despite the fact that some people may be saying, oh, print is dead or it’s challenged, it’s encouraging to me that as a corporation, we understand our customers’ needs, this magazine is something they want, they want a print product. Our results are double what we expected.” Patty Craft
For the artist, F+W Media have been producing quality magazines of inspiration and instruction for generations. From Watercolor Artist to Pastel Journal, the niche titles serve the specific audience they’re intended for perfectly, with a new launch joining the stable to fill a need in the acrylic market.
Acrylic Artist joins its brothers and sisters proudly and the parents that are nurturing this new baby are Patty Craft, community leader & content creator/editor, and Jamie Markle, group publisher. Patty reached out to me recently to talk about the new launch and joined by Jamie, we had a lively discussion about niche markets and the future of the targeted title. It was a past, present and future conversation about the long-lived F+W Media and its many reinventions and a glimpse into the personal hopes of both Patty and Jamie for their newborn.
So, get out your easel and brushes and sit down with the three of us for a brief moment in time and be prepared to receive creative inspiration from a painter and wordsmith who both love what they do and believe strongly in their brand. The Mr. Magazine™ interview with Patty Craft, Community Leader & Content Creator/Editor, and Jamie Markle, Group Publisher, Acrylic Artist magazine.
But first, the sound-bites:
On whether or not he (Jamie Markle) believes the future for print is more and more specialized titles: I would agree with that statement. As the world changes I think that print will continue on, but I think that we’ll see more and more niche publications like Acrylic Artist.
On the higher end cover price of Acrylic Artist magazine and what kind of message the price sends to its audience (Jamie Markle): Acrylic Artist is the only magazine of its kind, the only magazine that is for the acrylic artist and only the acrylic artist and what we’re saying is that we want to provide quality content, but in order for us to provide content in the form that they want with beautiful paper and a nice trim size, we need to charge a little bit more in order to make it work.
On his (Jamie Markle) dual duty as group publisher and vice president of fine art for F+W: I’m the vice president and group publisher for the fine art community here at F+W and we do things a little bit differently. I oversee all the editorial teams and they report directly to me as does the sales teams. I really have a 360° view of the content that we produce whether it’s content from the editorial side that we put in the magazine, but also working with the salespeople as we work with our partners.
On Editor Patty Craft’s feelings about coming back to the creative content side of F+W’s Artist’s magazine collection: I’ve also been with the company for 15 years and in my early years I started out on Watercolor and Pastel, so many of the teammates that I have now were here then. I moved around a little bit in the business and did some different things. I was also a community leader for our garden community and horticulture magazine. But coming back as the editor to actually work with content creation has been really great. Like Jamie said; it’s the balance between the business side and the creative content side.
On what sort of experience she’s (Patty Craft) looking to engage her audience with in the execution of Acrylic Artist: That’s a great question. We put together each issue; you know it’s quarterly and when it comes out, it feels more like a catalog to me. It has a dual purpose: to inspire and to instruct. You can almost look at the issue as part art gallery and part classroom or workshop experience.
On today’s high cover price trend and whether he (Jamie Markle) sees a point where the consumer will say that’s too high a price for a magazine: I think that bookazines have really opened the door to higher prices for SIP’s on the newsstands. So, I think that we’re able to get to that $15 range, but I believe going much higher than that, unless it’s a larger product, I think that might be a little bit challenging. But I do believe that people will pay for quality, but we’re still very cognizant to prices according to the skill level and what the production values are.
On Patty’s most pleasant moment during her career at F+W: The most rewarding and pleasant experience I have is when we do find an artist that we know has great art or a beautiful garden or a really great story to tell and we are then able to work with them to encapsulate their story in such a way that we can share it with thousands of other people. It’s the beauty of community; it really is what community is about.
On why Jamie thinks we surrendered the term “community” to the digital world when communities have long been a part of the magazine domain from almost the beginning: I still feel like the magazines are a core part of people being in that community and we know from our own data that our magazine subscribers are the most loyal buyers when it comes to art e-commerce store. Those people are very committed to following the pursuit of their art and they look to us to provide instruction in a lot of different formats. I would say the magazines are still a core part of the communities, whether they are Watercolor Artist or Acrylic Artist or somebody who likes to draw.
On whether Jamie can ever envision F+W as a digital-only community with no print component: Gosh, I hope not. Our print subscribers are really loyal. I suppose that it could happen, but I don’t foresee it happening in the next five years. People still like their subscriptions to their favorite magazines and I feel like we’ve helped, along with every other print producer out there.
On Patty’s thoughts about how quickly people are talking about the death of the tablet and homepage, whereas it took 500 years for people to coin the phrase print is dead: Despite the fact that some people may be saying, oh, print is dead or it’s challenged, it’s encouraging to me that as a corporation, we understand our customers’ needs, this magazine is something they want, they want a print product. Our results are double what we expected.
On what motivates Jamie to get out of bed each day and go to work: I would say getting to know the members of the community, whether it’s our contributing writers, the artists we interview, the people who write books for us or make videos for us, my staff; I see the passion that people have for the art that they make and the things that they teach and those connections and that view of what they do and how important it is to our consumers, that’s really what brings me to the office every day.
On what motivates Patty to get out of bed each day and go to work: As I said in one of my Letters from the Editor: your wings as readers are made of paintings. When they get up in the mornings, what makes them soar is to be able to paint. My wings are made of words. And I’ve always dreamed of a career in writing. And so, it’s an opportunity for me as the editor of this magazine to be able to take these people’s stories, which are very visual, and translate them into the written word for people to read.
On anything else either would like to add (Jamie Markle): I guess the only thing I would say is one of the other reasons that we launched Acrylic Artist is when we looked at our art business as a whole, we saw that we were serving the acrylic artist with books, video and education, but there really wasn’t a hole in the magazine area. So, it really is our hope that we can build up that community of acrylic artists with our subscription plan.
On what keeps Patty up at night: Right now, when you are launching, even though as a company we produce a vast number of print publications, this is still a new baby. It’s in its first year of subscription service. Horticulture Magazine, for example, it’s been in print for 110 years. I know what the themes are; I know who the writers are; I know who the gardeners are; I am so immersed in the magazine. With Acrylic Artist, acrylic painting has only been around for 75 years. And I’m new to this. So, the thing that keeps me up at night is making sure that not only am I getting this fall issue that we’re going to send to the printer buttoned up tightly and in good shape, but that I have a deep enough view of 2016 and 2017 to make sure that I can keep the momentum going.
On what keeps Jamie up at night: I think because I’m a pretty chill person and I sleep really well (Laughs), but if anything concerns me it’s that I’m in charge of making sure that we provide a lot of different types of content to a lot of different people, whether it’s our magazines or books. Not only am I responsible for my consumers, but also my staff, so I always want to make sure I’m doing my best to make sure the business is on track and the content is on track.
And now the lightly edited transcript of the Mr. Magazine™ conversation with Patty Craft, Community Leader & Content Creator/Editor, and Jamie Markle, Group Publisher, Acrylic Artist magazine.
Samir Husni: F+W Media started The Artist first. Now you have a stable of artist’s magazines, from Watercolor to Acrylic and many others. Are we seeing that the future for print is going to be more and more specialized titles?
Jamie Markle: I would agree with that statement. As the world changes I think that print will continue on, but I think that we’ll see more and more niche publications like Acrylic Artist, which is one of the reasons we decided to branch off into that specific area, because the magazines that we have like Watercolor and Pastel Journal and Drawing; they have very dedicated subscriber bases and we thought that we would be able to replicate that with the Acrylic market.
Samir Husni: The cover price is almost $15; what message are you sending to your audience, to your “cult readership” with that price?
Jamie Markle: Acrylic Artist is the only magazine of its kind, the only magazine that is for the acrylic artist and only the acrylic artist and what we’re saying is that we want to provide quality content, but in order for us to provide content in the form that they want with beautiful paper and a nice trim size, we need to charge a little bit more in order to make it work.
Samir Husni: In one of the ads I saw that you had edited the book Acrylicworks 2: Radical Breakthroughs?
Jamie Markle: Correct.
Samir Husni: So, are you on both the publishing and editorial side?
Jamie Markle: I’m the vice president and group publisher for the fine art community here at F+W and we do things a little bit differently. I oversee all the editorial teams and they report directly to me as does the sales teams.
I really have a 360° view of the content that we produce whether it’s content from the editorial side that we put in the magazine, but also working with the salespeople as we work with our partners.
Sales opportunities in the fine arts area are limited to a certain group of manufacturers and retailers, so those relationships are longstanding and very important. I’ve been with the company for 15 years and having that 360° perspective has helped me to come up with new ideas and to look for crossover opportunities between editorial and our advertisers.
Samir Husni: Patty, I saw that you came onboard with issue three and from reading your editorial, you were very excited to come back to the art community.
Patty Craft: That’s true. Social media can be sort of a challenge at some points, but I love the opportunity it affords us to reach out to one another. I’ve also been with the company for 15 years and in my early years I started out on Watercolor and Pastel, so many of the teammates that I have now were here then. I moved around a little bit in the business and did some different things. I was also a community leader for our garden community and horticulture magazine.
But coming back as the editor to actually work with content creation has been really great. Like Jamie said; it’s the balance between the business side and the creative content side.
Samir Husni: One of my premises that I try to teach my students is that we’re no longer just content providers; if we’re just in the business of content providing, we’re dead. We are more of the experience makers. Can you explain to me that as you’re putting the magazine together, what sort of experience are you looking to engage your audience with?
Patty Craft: That’s a great question. We put together each issue; you know it’s quarterly and when it comes out, it feels more like a catalog to me. It has a dual purpose: to inspire and to instruct. You can almost look at the issue as part art gallery and part classroom or workshop experience.
We feel that people who are reading Acrylic Artist have a variety of levels of experiences of painting, but across the board, and I’m not making this up for the interview, we have gotten nothing but positive feedback from artists of all levels. They love the format; they love the glossy paper; they love that it’s 116 pages and they feel like that’s something tangible and meaty that they can go back to over and over. And they’re pleased with the variety of artists that we’re showing, so we feel like we’re doing a nice job based on our readership’s response.
Samir Husni: And did anybody get upset with you when you told them in your Letter from the Editor that you would love for them to subscribe and by doing so they could save almost 42% off the cover price? Did they feel a bit taken aback because they had just paid $15 for one issue and the company is telling them after the fact that they could save quite a bit of money by subscribing?
Patty Craft: (Laughs) I have to tell you no, I have not gotten any bad feedback from that at all.
Jamie Markle: I actually think consumers are pretty used to that now. I’ve never had anyone come to me and say anything about that on any of our magazines. I’ve had people say there’s a better offer over here on this title; why didn’t you give me that one? But there are always different offers for different magazines all the time based on who you’re selling it through.
Samir Husni: Where do you see the specialty magazines and the bookazines that are coming to the marketplace and actually flooding the newsstands going? In June alone, the average cover price for new magazines was over $10. Do you see a point where the consumer will say that’s too much money for a magazine? Or the sky is the limit?
Jamie Markle: I think that bookazines have really opened the door to higher prices for SIP’s on the newsstands. So, I think that we’re able to get to that $15 range, but I believe going much higher than that, unless it’s a larger product, I think that might be a little bit challenging.
But I do believe that people will pay for quality, but we’re still very cognizant to prices according to the skill level and what the production values are. We’ve had a couple other magazines come out this year that we’ve really fit $9.99 on, that were still just around 100 pages, but because the skill level was a little bit lower and more entry level, we thought the consumer was a little bit of a general person and not a specific artist, but someone who was a generalist and might just pick up something on drawing. We chose to get that entry level market instead. I would be cautious to go much higher than $15 or $20 at this point, but bookazines sort of open up that market.
The other thing that’s interesting with us is we’re a book publisher as well, so if we’re going to put a lot of energy into something that is larger and book-sized, we’re probably more likely to put it into bookstore shelves, rather than on newsstand, that way it would have a longer life and it could live on all the outlets, like our own directed consumer stores, Amazon and any of the other bookstores, so if we were to go much higher than $15, for us that enters into a different type of product.
Samir Husni: Patty, what has been the most pleasant moment in your career working at F+W and with all of these communities?
Patty Craft: The most rewarding and pleasant experience I have is when we do find an artist that we know has great art or a beautiful garden or a really great story to tell and we are then able to work with them to encapsulate their story in such a way that we can share it with thousands of other people. It’s the beauty of community; it really is what community is about. I love the opportunity to look for these people who are doing something amazing that inspires that niche, whether it’s painting or gardening. Back when I was on Living Ready even, people who were looking at a preparedness way of life.
Being able to connect those people who are truly doing it as a way of life with people who may be aspiring to do it or are looking for a way to improve how they’re already doing it, that’s my greatest joy.
Samir Husni: And why do you think we have surrendered the term “community” to the digital world when in years past magazines were known for being communities and customers who came to our magazines were meant to be a part of that community they identified with?
Jamie Markle: It’s interesting because I think that what you said is true, a lot of communities were focused around “I am a subscriber to X Magazine” and I actually still see that’s true. We have a couple of different direct consumer websites, whether it is selling books and magazines or we have a streaming video service or online education. And when we have the chance to talk to some of those people, and sometimes it’ll be to tell us they have an issue with a product or about their membership, when I get a chance to talk to those people often I still hear, I’ve been a subscriber of The Pastel Journal for 10 years and I now have access to your streaming video site, and they tell me about how much they love the magazine and how they want to try one of our new services.
So, I still feel like the magazines are a core part of people being in that community and we know from our own data that our magazine subscribers are the most loyal buyers when it comes to art e-commerce store. Those people are very committed to following the pursuit of their art and they look to us to provide instruction in a lot of different formats. I would say the magazines are still a core part of the communities, whether they are Watercolor Artist or Acrylic Artist or somebody who likes to draw.
Samir Husni: Jamie, having said that, do you ever envision F+W as a digital-only community with no print?
Jamie Markle: Gosh, I hope not. Our print subscribers are really loyal. I suppose that it could happen, but I don’t foresee it happening in the next five years. People still like their subscriptions to their favorite magazines and I feel like we’ve helped, along with every other print producer out there. We saw some decline in the newsstand and some subscriber decline, but it’s really leveled off in the past couple of years where we’ve been seeing some nice steady numbers again. I think it’s been really good.
Samir Husni: I was at a conference in New York and people were talking about the death of the iPad and the death of the homepage, so I had to Tweet that it took us more than 500 years to talk about the death of print; now in less than seven years we’re talking about the death of the tablet and the death of the homepage.
Jamie Markle: We’ve actually seen some resurgence when it comes to people interested in print advertising again too. They used to scream: give me digital, give me digital and now we’re hearing what, can you do for print or what can we do for both.
Patty Craft: I’m pretty proud of the fact that our customers’ needs are important to us and when we look at the demographic of people who are acrylic painters who have already been consuming online video or online workshops or DVDs, that group is still attracted to a tangible print product. So, despite the fact that some people may be saying, oh, print is dead or its’s challenged, it’s encouraging to me that as a corporation, we understand our customers’ needs, this magazine is something they want, they want a print product. Our results are double what we expected.
Jamie Markle: I agree with Patty. I would add that I wouldn’t expect to see a lot of other magazine launches anytime soon, other than some SIPs. It was really an exception to take this to subscription, but I was really proud and happy that the executive management team saw the opportunity. And I do feel like it’s because there is such an opening in that marketplace that we were able to come in and sell it.
Samir Husni: What motivates either or both of you to get out of bed in the mornings and say I’m heading to F+W and it’s going to be a great day?
Jamie Markle: We can’t speak for the whole of F+W, of course, but we can speak for the fine art community. For me, I’m in a category that I love. My degree is in painting. I came into publishing a little bit after college. I’d always been involved in other ways, like the Yearbook or the newspaper, but I really didn’t leave college with a degree in journalism, I have one in painting, so for me to be able to work with art every day is just a wonderful gift.
And I would say getting to know the members of the community, whether it’s our contributing writers, the artists we interview, the people who write books for us or make videos for us, my staff; I see the passion that people have for the art that they make and the things that they teach and those connections and that view of what they do and how important it is to our consumers, that’s really what brings me to the office every day. It’s a chance to get to work with really great content creators and to serve the needs of our consumers who are so grateful and vocal about what they love and what they don’t love. It’s just very rewarding.
Samir Husni: Before Patty answers, have you Jamie ever seen any of your own paintings make it to the cover of a magazine?
Jamie Markle: (Laughs) No, I always tell people whenever they ask me that question about myself, I leave all of the decisions like that up to the editors of the magazine.
Samir Husni: What type of paintings do you do; oil or watercolor or acrylic?
Jamie Markle: I have done oil and acrylic. I haven’t done a lot of watercolor.
Samir Husni: Patty, what motivates you to go to work each day?
Patty Craft: I am very transparent. As I said in one of my Letters from the Editor: your wings as readers are made of paintings. When they get up in the mornings, what makes them soar is to be able to paint. My wings are made of words. And I’ve always dreamed of a career in writing. And so, it’s an opportunity for me as the editor of this magazine to be able to take these people’s stories, which are very visual, and translate them into the written word for people to read.
Our readers are obviously very visual, but they also love to read the stories. For me, it’s the fact that I get to come to work and I get to write about things that people are very passionate about.
And separate from that, in the horticulture community, I too am a gardener and as Jamie is a painter, I’ve been the community leader for horticulture for five or six years now. It’s the same with me for that community.
Samir Husni: Is there anything else either of you would like to add?
Jamie Markle: I guess the only thing I would say is one of the other reasons that we launched Acrylic Artist is when we looked at our art business as a whole, we saw that we were serving the acrylic artist with books, video and education, but there really wasn’t a hole in the magazine area. So, it really is our hope that we can build up that community of acrylic artists with our subscription plan.
Looking at the entire scope of what we were able to do for people in the watercolor area and the pastel area, we wanted to emulate that for the acrylic person, because what we do here at F+W is to try and provide content in the format for people when and how they want it.
Samir Husni: And I noticed also that your email address is F+W community.com.
Jamie Markle: Yes, because we really wanted to make that statement. We really are focused on the communities. Our titles change a little bit. Internally, we are called community leaders and externally we use the term publisher, because it makes more sense for people who aren’t within F+W.
Samir Husni: My typical last question; what keeps you both up at night?
Patty Craft: Right now, when you are launching, even though as a company we produce a vast number of print publications, this is still a new baby. It’s in its first year of subscription service. Horticulture Magazine, for example, it’s been in print for 110 years. I know what the themes are; I know who the writers are; I know who the gardeners are; I am so immersed in the magazine.
With Acrylic Artist, acrylic painting has only been around for 75 years. And I’m new to this. So, the thing that keeps me up at night is making sure that not only am I getting this fall issue that we’re going to send to the printer buttoned up tightly and in good shape, but that I have a deep enough view of 2016 and 2017 to make sure that I can keep the momentum going. Keep providing what people are accustomed to getting with this launch. Those are the things that give me a little pause once in a while.
Jamie Markle: I think because I’m a pretty chill person and I sleep really well (Laughs), but if anything concerns me it’s that I’m in charge of making sure that we provide a lot of different types of content to a lot of different people, whether it’s our magazines or books. Not only am I responsible for my consumers, but also my staff, so I always want to make sure I’m doing my best to make sure the business is on track and the content is on track.
The great thing is that I have a super, awesome, amazing team and they really make my job easy because they know the communities and they provide that content portion without a lot of steps, so I consider myself very fortunate.
But if anything keeps me up, it’s making sure that we’re growing the overall business and the tricky part of that is that things are changing still pretty rapidly in the scope of things. And we just want to make sure that we’re covering all the bases and making sure we’re growing the print portion of the business as well as the online portion, because we feel like we need to have all of those in our wheelhouse at this point so that we can make sure that we keep up with the times.
Samir Husni: Thank you.
HGTV & Hearst Magazines: A Success Story From Pixels On The Screen To Ink On Paper.
“I think the future is incredibly bright for print and I think that if you just look at what we’ve been doing at Hearst, which is Food Network and HGTV as partners, you can also see Esquire and Elle partnering on cross-content things. Diversity is key. We have a very diverse portfolio at this company. I think the successful print publishers are going to be the ones who are innovative, but whether it’s print, digital or TV, everything is really all about content and that’s what print does so well.” Dan Fuchs
The success of HGTV Magazine has been phenomenal since the day it was launched. The magazine was inspired by HGTV’s own exciting and informative programming and brings the same helpful and trusted advice to the pages of print.
Dan Fuchs is publisher and chief revenue officer for the magazine. I spoke with Dan recently about the innovations Hearst is doing between the titles of its very successful magazines, such as the cross-content of HGTV Magazine and Food Network, Esquire and Elle, and the possibility of other dynamic combos that show true marketing and creative trailblazing. It’s an exciting time for Hearst and all of its prosperous titles.
Dan has been with Hearst for 13 years, having spent the first part of his career with the company at The Oprah Magazine and a brief stint at the now defunct Lifetime. But with HGTV Magazine, Dan is seeing a level of success that crosses boundaries between Hearst properties and brings the most important factor for Hearst and HGTV Magazine to the forefront, audience-first appreciation and consumer satisfaction.
So, I hope you enjoy the Mr. Magazine™ interview with Dan Fuchs, Publisher and Chief Revenue Officer, HGTV Magazine, as we talk about the success and popularity of a fun and exciting brand.
But first, the sound-bites:
On being approached about the publisher’s job at HGTV Magazine: I had been talking to Michael about a publisher position and he had said that there would be an interesting opportunity coming up and that I should stay tuned. And so while I was working at The Oprah Magazine, he and I had some conversations.
On keeping his new appointment as publisher temporarily under wraps at first: That’s because as the publisher I am client-facing. And when you’re out there actually talking with the advertisers about their budgets that means you’re in business. And while I was fairly anxious about hitting our goals for our first issue, I think we had about 10 weeks to do it and a staff of three at that time, it was one of the most amazing experiences of my career, because to be so empowered by Michael and to have a great partner in Sara, and Jeff Hamill and his team, I just can’t say enough about the Hearst integrated media corporate team.
On why he feels HGTV Magazine and Food Network Magazine’s worked and the short-lived Lifetime didn’t: As an insider, I would say that it had a lot to do with timing. I came aboard Lifetime after the launch, so we were already a few issues into it. And the circulation hadn’t performed the way that we had expected it to. So, I don’t really know much about the time leading up to the launch; what I do know about HGTV is the way that magazine was launched was similar to the way Food Network was launched. It was very shrewd and very responsible.
On whether he felt he was taking a gamble in leaving his secure job at O, The Oprah Magazine to go the new HGTV Magazine: Did I feel like I was taking a gamble? No. I think in terms of career progression and that may be a subject for another interview, there’s a big difference between being an associate publisher and being a publisher. And were it not for having a great boss and mentor like Michael Clinton, I think it would have been much more challenging, because you really do have to rise to the occasion, particularly when you’re in a work situation where everything is being built from the ground up, meaning not only are you building strategy and weight cards, but you’re building the whole staff and you’re building the way you go to market.
On the major stumbling block he’s had to face and how he overcame it: Expectations were high because HGTV is a superbrand. And I wouldn’t call it so much of a stumbling block, but more of a challenge. Advertisers are excited about a new magazine and new ways to reach their consumers, but when you’re tied into a multimedia brand there are high expectations about how all the pieces are put together.
On the innovative methods he’s implemented at HGTV Magazine: In terms of working with Food Network; Vicki and I as you know used to work together back at Self, so we’ve got a longstanding relationship and we partner a lot because our magazines have some similarities and they’re both doing very well across consumers. They also have a great sensibility and we both work with the same great joint venture partner, so last year we did our first-ever joint cover and Sara and Maile used to work together too at, I believe, Time Inc., so they have a longstanding partnership.
On whether he believes in the future of print: I think you know the answer to that. (Laughs) I think the future is incredibly bright for print and I think that if you just look at what we’ve been doing at Hearst, which is Food Network and HGTV as partners, you can also see Esquire and Elle partnering on cross-content things. Diversity is key. We have a very diverse portfolio at this company.
On his most pleasant moment so far in his career: I’ve been privileged to have had a few of those. And reflecting back over the years, there were some pretty special moments at The Oprah Magazine, particularly as Oprah was ending The Oprah Winfrey Show after 25 years. The way the magazine was really able to communicate with readers and how special the brand was to them. I feel like magazines are a way for people to communicate with brands.
On what motivates him to get out of bed in the mornings: Well, this isn’t just HGTV Magazine specific, this is the nature of our business. What I love about this business and what makes me excited to come to work every day is every day really is different. Sure, there are production emergencies and fires to put out, but each day is an opportunity to get that feeling of wow, we accomplished something; we sold a great deal; we got a great compliment from an advertiser on an issue.
On what keeps him at night: There’s great disruption in the media business and there’s great unpredictability and I do think that it can be easy to lose your way. What are we doing on social; what are we doing with events; how are we monetizing this; how are we doing in print and e-commerce? The number of options that we’re given now, while it can be exciting, it can produce a good deal of anxiety too, because what you don’t want to ever do is lose your way.
And now the lightly edited transcript of the Mr. Magazine™ conversation with Dan Fuchs, Publisher and Chief Revenue Officer, HGTV Magazine.
Samir Husni: Can you recreate the moment when you were first approached about being publisher of HGTV magazine and how it all came about?
Dan Fuchs: I’ve been at Hearst now for 13 years and I had worked with Michael Clinton before at a previous company. Since coming over to Hearst, my experience here has really been all partnership magazines; so there was my brief stint at Lifetime, which I think, as you’ve heard David Carey talk about, we’re always launching new products and we’ve learned from all of those enterprises, and I learned a lot from that one.
I also had eight great years working underneath Jill Seelig at O,The Oprah Magazine, just a tremendous partnership and a great way to learn about how you extend what is not at first a print brand and turn it into a print execution. Also working with joint venture partners and how you take that to advertisers.
I had been talking to Michael about a publisher position and he had said that there would be an interesting opportunity coming up and that I should stay tuned. And so while I was working at The Oprah Magazine, he and I had some conversations.
Everything we do at Hearst is so very purposeful and our partnership with Scripps is really fabulous, the level of trust and sharing; both parties really benefit from the partnership. So, with Food Network being such a success and the amazing job that Vicki (Wellington) and Maile (Carpenter) had done there and the conversations that were ongoing with HGTV, but in the beginning I didn’t know for sure that it was HGTV, although I sort of figured it out as we were looking at various ad categories and some of the assignments that Michael had me doing. I’ll tell you though for a brief time I had to tell our open staff that I was working on “a special project for Michael Clinton.”
And then when I relocated offices from the Tower to The Sheffield, which is a Hearst property and where we have some of our businesses, including an amazing new office for Cosmo.com; I was sort of working there by myself in an office, but as you know I’m on the business side and Sara Peterson had been hired the year before and she had a whole team working on the editorial development of this magazine, so it was going on in the press and I was sort of stealthily going to presentations, but she didn’t know that I was going to be the publisher, nor could I tell her that.
By the time we got to the point where our test issues had come out and they were a tremendous success on newsstands, both our test issues sold over 350,000 copies, so we knew we had a hit on our hands. Scripps did a lot to promote the magazine, there was a wonderful TV special, an hour long special on HGTV called The Making of Our Magazine, narrated by Genevieve Gorder, an HGTV star, and featuring Sara and her team. We sold thousands of subscriptions the night that aired and we knew we had a really exciting thing. So things moved along very quickly after that.
And one day I was able to pick up the phone and call Sara Peterson and was able to say that I was the mystery guest. We both live on the upper east side and we met at EJ’s on 3rd Ave. and it’s amazing that that was over three years ago. You know in 2015, the most effective businesses have the highest level of collaboration between editor and publisher and I have such great respect for what she’s been able to do; to take a TV brand that was so beloved by people and actually give consumers something that’s in line with that brand, but content that in many ways is unique and different and complementary. We’ve done so many great things together over the past few years and in many ways we feel like we’re just getting started.
Samir Husni: I hear a lot of stories about media companies and magazine companies keeping titles under wraps and Michael and David have both hinted about the next new title coming up from Hearst, but no one will ever reveal the title. This is the first time however that I have ever heard of them keeping a publisher quiet.
Dan Fuchs: That’s because as the publisher I am client-facing. And when you’re out there actually talking with the advertisers about their budgets that means you’re in business. And while I was fairly anxious about hitting our goals for our first issue, I think we had about 10 weeks to do it and a staff of three at that time, it was one of the most amazing experiences of my career, because to be so empowered by Michael and to have a great partner in Sara, and Jeff Hamill and his team, I just can’t say enough about the first integrated media corporate team. They all did such a great job bringing this magazine to market, talking to some of Hearst’s advertisers, both big and small, so by the time my team was fully up and running, we had really been set up to succeed by the company.
Samir Husni: Do you recall Sara’s reaction when you told her?
Dan Fuchs: She told me that Ellen Levine had said that when they were going to make an announcement about the publisher, Ellen had told them that “he” was someone with a goodly amount of experience and that Sara should sit down and talk about issue themes and things like that with him and Sara asked, oh, it’s a he? (Laughs) So, she was playing the same guessing game that I was.
But I could tell right away when Sara and I first sat down together that it was going to be a great collaboration. Sara is a 21st century editor and she is able, whether it’s through the most basic fundamental means of communication or whether it’s letters, emails or social media; she has her finger on the pulse of what’s going on with consumers and readers and also she knows this brand very well. And she’s a very quick study. She’d spent a lot of time with the HGTV folks in Knoxville and so I could tell right away that she and I were going to see things very similarly.
If HGTV Magazine is anything, and you know it is because you did the first interview with Sara, it is fun. Sara is the queen of fun and she and I both love this business very, very much and we come to work everyday and we have a great time. It’s a great brand and it’s really exciting and really fun and when we’re working together on a quad cover, a native ad unit or a cool event; I think that we’re very appreciative of our partnership and that we have a very fun brand to work on.
Samir Husni: Within the industry, you hear people saying that the reason HGTV Magazine, Food Network, O, The Oprah magazine or Dr. Oz The Good Life are doing very well is because they had television networks or television programs before they had the magazines, yet the first experience for Hearst with this type of endeavor was taking the television network Lifetime and creating a magazine from it, and that didn’t work. Why do you think Lifetime didn’t work and the others did? As an insider, what was the difference?
Dan Fuchs: As an insider, I would say that it had a lot to do with timing. I came aboard Lifetime after the launch, so we were already a few issues into it. And the circulation hadn’t performed the way that we had expected it to. So, I don’t really know much about the time leading up to the launch; what I do know about HGTV is the way that magazine was launched was similar to the way Food Network was launched. It was very shrewd and very responsible.
I think that if you look at magazine launches today versus let’s say Lifetime 13 years ago or magazines before that, by the time that we’re ready to go to market, we’ve done enough research, not just on the consumer side, but the business side as well, that the advertisers’ comfort level is very high.
This has been the first model for the last couple of magazines: we do the investment up front, without the advertisers and we put the product on newsstand and we market it, so there’s a lot of investment that goes into that, but then we know what the consumer likes and we know really right away. And I think when we’re out there as magazine people, the numbers don’t lie. You look at circulation numbers and that’s consumer wantedness right there.
The launch of HGTV Magazine was so well orchestrated that by the time I was up and with a full team, I was able to have real concrete data on consumer response so that people were saying, OK, you’ve already proven it to me now and I have a bigger comfort level, so let me get onboard this train because this thing is going to go really far, really quickly.
And it’s a great feeling for me to look back on those advertisers who came onboard the first three or four issues in 2012, who are still with us and have grown with us and in many cases have grown their businesses, so it’s a tremendous win-win because the bonus circulation that we’ve delivered over the last few years is in the millions of copies. And so I think that there’s a great trust factor about working with a brand like HGTV, but a really big trust factor also in working with a company like Hearst.
Samir Husni: When you talk about HGTV, you can feel that excitement in your voice, the same level of fun that I found with Sara talking about the magazine, it seems that the two of you share that fun experience working on a new launch, leaving an established launch and coming to a new launch where all the odds are technically against you. Did you feel that you were taking a gamble leaving your secure job at O and coming to HGTV?
Dan Fuchs: I managed to run it by Michael and what he told me was, and coming off the success of Food Network, he said let’s see if lightning can strike twice. And it did.
Did I feel like I was taking a gamble? No. I think in terms of career progression and that may be a subject for another interview, there’s a big difference between being an associate publisher and being a publisher. And were it not for having a great boss and mentor like Michael Clinton, I think it would have been much more challenging, because you really do have to rise to the occasion, particularly when you’re in a work situation where everything is being built from the ground up, meaning not only are you building strategy and rate cards, but you’re building the whole staff and you’re building the way you go to market. And Michael really let me determine a lot of that and continues to guide us along the way.
HGTV is such a strong brand and I think when I was looking through the research that was done, one factor was does the brand have the power to extend itself outside of TV and digital and it seemed very clear that the answer was yes.
Another factor was do we have an editor-in-chief who can communicate that? And once I started looking through prototypes and then the first test issue, we talked about the fact, and I know that Ellen (Levine) and David (Carey) talked about this too, consumers love the new. And they have a strong sensibility and excitement about new products.And what I saw in the first two issues of HGTV Magazine was like nothing else I had seen before. I’d seen some other magazines try and come close to that, but our execution was so spot-on.
I think Hearst takes risks and we take risks in our career, but this one felt like a very calculated one and again it’s the three-years-later-look-how-far-we’ve-come moment and you can tell the excitement that Sara and I have and part of that is because even though it’s been three and a half years, it still feels very much like a launch in many ways. We’re still breaking new ground; we’re making new ad categories and we’re trying new things. We just got into the bookazine business and we’re doing more in terms of events. In many ways, look how far we’ve come in a short period of time, but it still feels like we’re just getting started.
Samir Husni: What was the major stumbling block that you had to face during these three and a half years and how did you overcome it?
Dan Fuchs: Expectations were high because HGTV is a superbrand. And I wouldn’t call it so much of a stumbling block, but more of a challenge. Advertisers are excited about a new magazine and new ways to reach their consumers, but when you’re tied into a multimedia brand there are high expectations about how all the pieces are put together. If I’m advertiser X, I’m really interested with the opportunity of buying HGTV Magazine and HGTV on-air and HGTV dot.com; you’re two separate companies, Scripps and Hearst, so how are we going to do that kind of business?
So, that to me, and I wouldn’t really call it a stumbling block but more of a challenge, was a major focus on our launch. And we’ve been very successful. It’s varied over the years, but maybe 20% of our business is across all three HGTV media. And there are some print executions in our magazine that you won’t see in any other magazine because those advertisers are buying the brand and they’ve challenged our marketing team to, in some cases that advertiser may not have print creative, so our associate publisher of marketing, Kate English, someone who came to us within Hearst Corporation, has put together not only a great marketing team, but also a great design team. So we actually execute on behalf of the advertisers a lot of their creative.
I think we’ve overcome that stumbling block or challenge, which is how are you going to have a great process, and I attribute it to the success and skill of our marketing team, but also we acknowledge and thank Scripps who works with us as part of the family and every week someone on my team is meeting with an advertiser in conjunction with an HGTV.com sales person or an HGTV on-air person.
Samir Husni: And you’re doing a lot in terms of innovation in print, whether it’s the different cover treatments or the combination between the covers of the Food Network magazine and HGTV Magazine; can you talk a little bit about some of those innovative methods that you’ve implemented with HGTV Magazine?
Dan Fuchs: When you’re brand is all about fun, these cover treatments are exciting and a lot of fun themselves, especially for advertisers. And consumers love them. They love the things that open up and they like the surprise and the delight.
In terms of working with Food Network; Vicki and I as you know used to work together back at Self, so we’ve got a longstanding relationship and we partner a lot because our magazines have some similarities and they’re both doing very well across consumers. They also have a great sensibility and we both work with the same great joint venture partner, so last year we did our first-ever joint cover and Sara and Maile used to work together too at, I believe, Time Inc., so they have a longstanding partnership.
The four of us will get together not infrequently, either proactively or challenged by an advertiser, to come up with something exciting, but last year we decided we were going to do a big spring party and we were going to do cover executions that would be designed by those editors and I think that was the first time that ever happened, where you have two separate editors, two separate magazines designing and going to the same photo shoot. They had a great time with it.
We did a beautiful spring party that lived across both magazines and then when we put that idea out in the marketplace, our partners at Pepsi said they were bringing Pure Leaf tea back to market again and they really wanted to tie into the fun and the table setting and the recipes and they thought it was a perfect match for them.
So, we got together with them and it seemed like the right environment and then the added challenge, which was also the fun part, was they didn’t have four pages of print creative, they had one, so we, Food Network and HGTV Magazine, worked together on marketing teams to design it for them.
It turned out to be a beautiful execution and one those great advertiser stories where you’ve got editors, clients, agency salespeople and marketing, all working together and it got us a half-page story write-up in The New York Times about the great cross opportunity.
That has led into other things. We did two great partnerships with Citibank, where we did cross-content promotions. We did holiday gifts and DIY handmade gifts in December and when you opened up the gatefold there was bonus content from Food Network magazine. And then vice-versa in their magazine.
If you look at our July/August issue, you’ll actually see in our summer entertaining section, that we feature recipes from Food Network and if you look at Food Network’s July/August issue and in their entertaining section, they have great table settings and place setting ideas brought to you by HGTV Magazine.
It’s really a great partnership and I think it’s fairly innovative and at the crux of it lies a great partnership and great communication.
Samir Husni: Do you think that’s the future of print, that you have to continue to be innovative and coming up with new ideas? Or you don’t believe in a future for print?
Dan Fuchs: I think you know the answer to that. (Laughs) I think the future is incredibly bright for print and I think that if you just look at what we’ve been doing at Hearst, which is Food Network and HGTV as partners, you can also see Esquire and Elle partnering on cross-content things. Diversity is key. We have a very diverse portfolio at this company. And hopefully the next time we talk, I’ll be able to share with you that we’re meeting with other magazines in the company beyond Food Network about cross-content ideas, because advertisers want environments, but they also want audiences and we, at this company, have both of them in different formats.
I think the successful print publishers are going to be the ones who are innovative, but whether it’s print, digital or TV, everything is really all about content and that’s what print does so well. How you become successful with that is when you really start working with advertisers and you’re not just selling them the page, but you’re trying to find out how to help them tie into content or build content for them that we know our consumers and readers are really going to engage with.
Samir Husni: What has been the most pleasant moment so far in your career; maybe one where you said wow, I don’t think this could ever happen again?
Dan Fuchs: I’ve been privileged to have had a few of those. And reflecting back over the years, there were some pretty special moments at The Oprah Magazine, particularly as Oprah was ending The Oprah Winfrey Show after 25 years. The way the magazine was really able to communicate with readers and how special the brand was to them. I feel like magazines are a way for people to communicate with brands. Whether it’s what they write into editors about; how they reflect on things; we’ve done a good job with magazine space being social, so to me, I knew that was a special point.
And now a decade later The Oprah Magazine is still going strong and we’re seeing the brand sort of moving to a new thing. I’m excited though to have been at the magazine at that time. That was a really special thing for me.
The opportunity to launch HGTV Magazine and while we had a really great launch year, I think the second year when things really picked up; I think there was a bit of a reaction that said wow, this is incredibly amazing; how are we going to continue to do this? But we found a way to do it.
I think when you interviewed Chris Mitchell (publisher at Vanity fair) and asked him the “what keeps you up at night” question, it resonated with me, which is in the magazine or periodical world, there’s always a next issue. There’s always the next thing coming up.
But I think that I’ve learned not to be anxious about that, but instead to be excited about that, because for us, again, we’re still holding onto, and this is the fake word that we use, our “launchiness” at HGTV Magazine. We try and look at every issue as our second or third issue, not our 33rd or 34th issue. You can work your whole career and never get an opportunity to do something like this, so I’m very appreciative of it.
Samir Husni: What motivates you to get out of bed each morning and say wow, it’s going to be a great day?
Dan Fuchs: Well, this isn’t just HGTV Magazine specific, this is the nature of our business. What I love about this business and what makes me excited to come to work every day is every day really is different. Sure, there are production emergencies and fires to put out, but each day is an opportunity to get that feeling of wow, we accomplished something; we sold a great deal; we got a great compliment from an advertiser on an issue. I could be meeting with Triscuit in the morning and Sherwin Williams at night; I’m in Cleveland one day, I’m in San Francisco the next.
It’s nonstop excitement for me and that’s what energizes me is that everyday’s a new opportunity and each day is going to be something different. Maybe when I get a little bit older I would like a little more predictability in my career, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It still remains to me one of the best careers that a person could have.
Samir Husni: My typical last question; what keeps you up at night?
Dan Fuchs: I sleep really well, Samir, I really do. We can get into the fact that my daughters, which one is a teenager now and one is very preteen, keep me up at night. (Laughs)
There’s great disruption in the media business and there’s great unpredictability and I do think that it can be easy to lose your way. What are we doing on social; what are we doing with events; how are we monetizing this; how are we doing in print and e-commerce? The number of options that we’re given now, while it can be exciting, it can produce a good deal of anxiety too, because what you don’t want to ever do is lose your way.
And I always want to remind myself, and this is one of the reasons that it’s so great to have such a close relationship with an editor, we have many constituencies and advertisers, joint venture partners, but our readers are really the ones who make us success. Are we doing right by all three constituencies and I would hope if you talked to our readers, our friends at Scripps and our advertisers, they would tell you yes, so far so good.
That allows me to sleep at night as long as I stay focused on making sure everyone is happy.
Contrary to what you may have read or seen in some media reports, the growth in the magazine industry is not done, in fact the opposite is true. So here is my tally of new magazine launches for the first six months of 2015 compared with those from the first six months of 2014. Chart one compares the numbers of the first six months, chart two compares the number of the June launches, and chart three compares the different categories from June. (I do have each and every one of those magazines in my possession. Nothing gets coded, counted, or scanned unless I have a physical copy of the magazine).
While the numbers are down by 5 magazines in the frequency titles, what is worth noting is that every major magazine and magazine media company has launched a new magazine during the first half of 2015. A first in a long long time. And the same holds true for the publishers of bookazines. It’s a very good sign indeed when the big players are taking note of the power of print once again and breathing new life back into their ink on paper entities. Some magazine and magazine media companies are putting out three to four new bookazines on a weekly basis.
So, the numbers are good, the health of the industry is good and the light at the end of the tunnel is starting to look like the light and not the train coming…
So here are the charts comparing the first six months, followed by the June charts, and a few magazine covers of the last six months.
Chart One
New Magazine Launches First Six Months 2015 and 2014
Chart Two
Magazine Launches in June 2015 by Numbers
Chart Three
Magazine Launches in June 2016 by Category
And for your eyes only, here are some of the recently published new magazines. To see the entire set of new magazines please visit my sister blog www.launchmonitor.wordpress.com
“I believe magazines will always be there and being strong financially and being a decent size, but not too big gives some companies an advantage in the marketplace… I think trying to figure out this business and what works is challenging and exciting. Putting together a nice group of folks, along with some good strong content, whether it’s editorial or art, and finding out this really helps sales is exciting.” Nick Singh
Withstanding disruption and looking at innovative techniques to move print forward in a digital age is something that Engaged Media is proficient at, especially with Nick Singh at the helm. Nick is President of Engaged Media and his 20-plus years of publishing-industry experience, combined with exemplary leadership skills have driven EM’s continued expansion during unprecedented change in the print-magazine industry over the past decade.
Nick has led EM’s continued expansion globally, increasing EM’s presence in the United States, India and the Philippines over the past 3 years. His primary focuses on leadership development, operational excellence and providing his organization with a clear and concise vision have led to consistent market-share gains for EM.
I spoke with Nick recently about the ever-changing landscape of the magazine media world. From newsstand to distribution, his thoughts were concise and bulleted toward a profitable future for Engaged Media and spot-on advice for the magazine industry at large.
From the gamut of titles that his brand covers, we discussed where the ideas for all the different subject matter came from and if there were any topics Engaged Media shied away from. It was a very compelling conversation.
So, I hope you enjoy this revealing and interesting discussion as I picked the brain of yet another innovative and creative magazine maker of our time and learned quite a bit about the scope and reach of a brand that knows few boundaries as it strives for excellence and expertise in its continued success. Get ready for the Mr. Magazine™ interview with Nick Singh, President, Engaged Media Inc.
But first, the sound-bites:
On the genesis of Engaged Media and how the company separated from its relative, Beckett Media: Long story short, this one owner stepped in and he owns about 30 other companies, non-publishing for the most part, insurance and healthcare, coding and other areas, and he acquired both Beckett and us, we were basically one company. In 2008, we learned how to turn it around as fast as we could because we had to, no more leverage from the banks. So, in 2012 we separated the companies into two different companies because the Beckett model is a very successful model, but it’s in sports collectables.
On whether he thinks the pendulum is swinging back toward making money at the newsstands: We’ve been doing OK; it’s just that last year when Source shut down was probably the biggest hit because there are inefficiencies. I think people are being optimists and I try to stay middle-of-the-road and as close to reality as possible.
On whether he believes the single-copy sales and distribution model should be reinvented: It isn’t a profitable business model for some publishers to be on newsstand, and yet for others like us and our competitors in our segment; we do rely heavily on newsstand. We also do high quality, high-priced items and that means a lot to us, but not everybody has the same business model, so something has to change, yes. And there has to be better efficiencies and a new model. What that is; we don’t know.
On his thoughts on the rising cover prices of bookazines and where he sees the trend heading: Right now we see some $12.99’s working, at least in our categories and from a competitive perspective, we see some folks doing some nice magazines at $9.99. We’re testing some $12.99’s and we’ve been doing $9.99’s for a while. The $12.99’s seem to work, even in Wal-Mart where they try to be the low price leader. I don’t know where this trend will go, what sort of price limitations or ceiling there will be, if any.
On the most pleasant moment he’s had during his career at Engaged Media Inc.: Growing newsstand has been very pleasant for us and growing profitability has also been very pleasant. Since 2012 to 2015 we’ve been able to grow, and not just newsstand, but also with a good editorial team and a good art design team. I think that’s been very pleasant for us, just this level of growth.
On the major stumbling block he’s had to face and how he overcame it: Changing our business model. I think working with our partners; working closely with a lot of our partners and meeting mutually on what works and what doesn’t. The old way that we used to do business was get copies out everywhere and anywhere, where now we kind of selectively pick and choose where we want to be, there are certain chains that we don’t pick or certain areas geographically because we don’t find them profitable.
On the gamut of topics Engaged Media publishes and if there’s one category they won’t touch: Probably the broader entertainment categories; we’ve tried. We’ve dipped into many categories and there are two or three that we might touch, but our secret sauce so to speak is getting quality people and quality editorial and we’ve done some things without quality editorial and we’ve learned. So we will not touch things that we don’t have the expertise in.
On whether or not he has a favorite title from his broad stable of magazines: That’s a great question. No favorites from my side. Our editors of course do and the newsstand team, I’m sure they do as well, and our ad sales team. Our digital online team probably does too, based on which ones are performing the best. But no, I don’t have any favorites in particular.
On what makes him click and tick and motivates him to get out of bed in the mornings: I believe magazines will always be there and being strong financially and being a decent size, but not too big gives some companies an advantage in the marketplace. It’s not easy; I think it’s challenging and that makes it fun. I think trying to figure out this business and what works is challenging and exciting. Putting together a nice group of folks, along with some good strong content, whether it’s editorial or art, and finding out this really helps sales is exciting.
On whether he can ever envision a day where Engaged Media has no print publications: No, I cannot.
On the future of print for Engaged Media: I think the future of print for us is if we’re 95% print today, I would love to see our print growing slightly in the new categories as needed, specific categories that we do have some expertise in and that we think we can do better, faster and cheaper than some other folks, it would be a market share flag and it would be surviving the newsstand.
On how involved he is with the actual ideas for the magazines’ subject matter: We have a very good team, it’s not just me or about me. We facilitate good thinkers, people who are always creative and out there and we get plenty of ideas from these folks. And we put it through the test; whether it’s from our customers, from advertising, from retailers or wholesalers or national distributors; we kick around a lot of ideas. There’s no “one” place where they come from; our advertising sales reps, our editorial team and our newsstand team are all very, very strong.
On what keeps him up at night: Declining margins. (Laughs) If our partners aren’t profitable, then we’re not going to be profitable. I’d love to see this industry turn around or at least stabilize somewhat. I think that’s what keeps me up at night.
And now the lightly edited transcript of the Mr. Magazine™ conversation with Nick Singh, President, Engaged Media Inc.
Samir Husni: You’re one of the bigger players, especially on the newsstands when it comes to single-copy sales, yet you’re one of the best-kept secrets in the industry. Tell me a little about the genesis of Engaged Media and how you moved from Beckett Media and all the sports collecting magazines under that umbrella to the world of Engaged Media and the many titles that you have now.
Nick Singh: We do try to stay below the radar and fortunately we’re able to test a lot of issues and we do a lot of category analysis. We have an international team; we have roughly around 100 employees, 45 or so here in the U.S. and 45 abroad, from the Philippines to India, from our parent company. So we do have decent backing by a private owner who owns about 30 companies.
Engaged Media started roughly about 10 years ago, even though we didn’t use the name Engaged Media then. We purchased or acquired Beckett Media and about three other companies in southern California. Beckett was and still is in Dallas and we’re in southern California with the acquisition of a few small publishers.
A few of us came from Primedia or TEN – the Enthusiast Network or Source Publishing, whatever you might want to call them today; I still have a lot of friends there. So, about ten years ago we came into this company and it was in a lot of debt. We learned our lessons quite a bit and our new owner; I call him new, but he’s seven years new now, I’ve been here for 10 years running a couple of departments, production and circulation, with the new owner in 2008, because we were in high debt and heavily leveraged, when the market crashed we had to learn how to stand on our two feet and become cash flow positive and get rid of the debt somehow.
Long story short, this one owner stepped in and he owns about 30 other companies, non-publishing for the most part, insurance and healthcare, coding and other areas, and he acquired both Beckett and us, we were basically one company. In 2008, we learned how to turn it around as fast as we could because we had to, no more leverage from the banks.
So, in 2012 we separated the companies into two different companies because the Beckett model is a very successful model, but it’s in sports collectables. It was a great brand and still is and Beckett.com is a good revenue stream and a great business model. It’s a completely different business model from our enthusiast publication side where we have Diesel World, Gun World, hunting magazines with some survivalist elements that seem to be working right now, like American Survival Guide. And we have the Homes category, with Cottages & Bungalows, Romantic Homes and these niche titles that did not fit into the Beckett model, so we’re roughly 90 to 95% of the print business, that’s if we combine the two companies.
But as we separated, we learned quite a few lessons. We learned that using newsstands as 60% of our revenues and then ad sales, subscriptions and the very small digital, which has grown pretty fast, but it’s still only about 1 to 2 % of our total revenue, so we think that there’s a lot of upside in digital. We still learned that on newsstand, we can make a profit if it’s done correctly, but also, if not done correctly, we could lose a lot of money. It’s a high-risk, high-reward business for us. The good thing about newsstand is we can pull out whenever we want; there’s no sub-liability with long-term sub-liabilities or advertisers. It’s not advertising-based-strong like our core publications are in the automotive and outdoor segments. So, it allows us to test a lot of things.
Now we realize that there are many challenges. (Laughs) Last year we took the chance and decided to grow revenues and market shares in newsstand and we were able to fortunately move up to, I’m guessing the top 13 or 14 publishers in newsstand in the country or North America, but with that comes a huge price because when Source shut down our margins tightened up quite a bit. And then TNG (formerly The News Group) picked up a lot of businesses and we’re great partners with TNG, but it’s costing us a lot more. Our revenues are up again this year, hopefully the margins are getting better, but right now they’re tightened for sure. And that’s where we are today.
Samir Husni: Do you think the pendulum is swinging back towards not only hope for the newsstands, but also toward the thinking that there is actual money to be made there?
Nick Singh: We’ve been doing OK; it’s just that last year when Source shut down was probably the biggest hit because there are inefficiencies. I think people are being optimists and I try to stay middle-of-the-road and as close to reality as possible.
Many of the things that we did to grow our revenues, many of those specials, maybe if we did 100 specials; I would say that 50 of them didn’t work; it was probably our worse success rate. The good thing is we’ll never do those 50 again, the 50%.
We’re hearing everything with distribution has been fixed, but looking at Q4 and Q1, efficiencies are still low and the wholesaler wants to charge for efficiencies, but if we were to turn it around the other way and say, hey Mr. and Mrs. Wholesaler, why don’t you completely take over the distribution and increase the efficiencies, but if you lose sell or revenues or lose efficiencies, then maybe you should be responsible for it, right? I don’t see that happening and I don’t think anybody wants to be responsible for that efficiency, although the charges were inefficient. I still inefficiency so far; I haven’t seen any actual numbers that prove that it’s getting better.
Samir Husni: With all the changes that have taken place in our industry from the demise of the Mom and Pop wholesalers to the national distributors becoming just two or three major players and the wholesalers maybe two major players; do you think it’s time to reinvent the single-copy sales and distribution model? Do we need that multifaceted distribution channel?
Nick Singh: I don’t think so. I think yes, we need to change and become more efficient; 21 days to get on sale is a long time and that hasn’t changed since I started in the business in the 1990s. I’ve been doing this for 20-something years and I know you’ve been even longer, since the 1970s. And it still takes 21 days to get on sale.
It isn’t a profitable business model for some publishers to be on newsstand, and yet for others like us and our competitors in our segment; we do rely heavily on newsstand. We also do high quality, high-priced items and that means a lot to us, but not everybody has the same business model, so something has to change, yes. And there has to be better efficiencies and a new model. What that is; we don’t know.
Samir Husni: I’ve noticed also that the cover prices have risen, especially with the so-called bookazines. When we hit $7.99 we were sure people wouldn’t go for that. And then $9.99, now it’s $11.99 and recently I bought some for $13.99. Where do you see the red light being erected; the point where you decide people are just not going to pay $15 for a bookazine?
Nick Singh: Right now we see some $12.99’s working, at least in our categories and from a competitive perspective, we see some folks doing some nice magazines at $9.99. We’re testing some $12.99’s and we’ve been doing $9.99’s for a while. The $12.99’s seem to work, even in Wal-Mart where they try to be the low price leader. I don’t know where this trend will go, what sort of price limitations or ceiling there will be, if any. We haven’t tested anything at $14.99 or $15.99. We think these work pretty well in the bookstores, but not in the other classes of trade so far.
Samir Husni: Since you became president of Engaged Media Inc., what has been the most pleasant moment that you’ve had in your career and why?
Nick Singh: Growing newsstand has been very pleasant for us and growing profitability has also been very pleasant. Since 2012 to 2015 we’ve been able to grow, and not just newsstand, but also with a good editorial team and a good art design team. I think that’s been very pleasant for us, just this level of growth.
So for us it’s a little bit of a different strategy than maybe other folks because of the growth we’ve seen three years in a row, roughly a 20 to 25% growth rate. Next year, let’s hope that we can sustain that. But what’s really going to make a big difference for us, and the pleasantry may be over, is if the same level of margins aren’t there. Then we’d have to look at other avenues like digital and all those things. But I’m not sure if anybody’s got that figured out yet. My most pleasant moment has been growing newsstand and growing a good company.
Samir Husni: What has been the major stumbling block that you’ve had to face and how did you overcome it?
Nick Singh: Changing our business model. I think working with our partners; working closely with a lot of our partners and meeting mutually on what works and what doesn’t. The old way that we used to do business was get copies out everywhere and anywhere, where now we kind of selectively pick and choose where we want to be, there are certain chains that we don’t pick or certain areas geographically because we don’t find them profitable.
I think that’s been the best change in our business model, even with our subscription base. We don’t go after new subscriptions if it doesn’t make any sense. We don’t do rate-based; we’re a direct response advertiser, so it’s all about if they’re getting direct responses and phone calls to increase our advertiser’s businesses. We like the return-on-investment strategy for us and for our customers at the same time.
Samir Husni: You have quite the stable of magazines. You can go from Flea Market Décor to Young for Kids to Knife Illustrated to Gun World to American Homesteader and then to Fantasy Football; you really run the gamut of topics. Is there one category where you said no, we won’t touch that one?
Nick Singh: Probably the broader entertainment categories; we’ve tried. We’ve dipped into many categories and there are two or three that we might touch, but our secret sauce so to speak is getting quality people and quality editorial and we’ve done some things without quality editorial and we’ve learned. So we will not touch things that we don’t have the expertise in.
Samir Husni: Do you have any favorites from all of the titles that you put out? Would you say this is my firstborn or that you treat all your children equally?
Nick Singh: (Laughs) That’s a great question. No favorites from my side. Our editors of course do and the newsstand team, I’m sure they do as well, and our ad sales team. Our digital online team probably does too, based on which ones are performing the best. But no, I don’t have any favorites in particular.
Samir Husni: If someone dropped in on you at home and you were sitting down with a magazine and relaxing, which one would it be?
Nick Singh: I just walked into an acquisition meeting recently with probably my favorite magazine right now and that’s Fantasy Football.
Samir Husni: I just finished a new book called Inside the Great Minds of Magazine Makers and now I want to get inside your mind, so what makes Nick click and tick and motivates you to get out of bed each morning and say this is going to be a great day?
Nick Singh: I think seeing a couple of new business models that I won’t go into detail about right now, but that we think could be a way out of this thing; it’s mixing in the print magazine, digital and some online assets, whether it’s e-commerce business or other content management businesses, is exciting and motivational.
I believe magazines will always be there and being strong financially and being a decent size, but not too big gives some companies an advantage in the marketplace. It’s not easy; I think it’s challenging and that makes it fun. I think trying to figure out this business and what works is challenging and exciting. Putting together a nice group of folks, along with some good strong content, whether it’s editorial or art, and finding out this really helps sales is exciting.
I don’t think this business will be the same in four or five years and that excites me every day because what do we do? Do we walk out and leave or do we keep improving and doing things better, faster and cheaper? And I think of course the latter is the answer. So that excites me every day, just trying to figure this thing out.
Samir Husni: Can you ever envision a day where Engaged Media has no print publications?
Nich Singh: No, I cannot.
Samir Husni: What do you believe is the future of print for your company?
Nick Singh: I think the future of print for us is if we’re 95% print today, I would love to see our print growing slightly in the new categories as needed, specific categories that we do have some expertise in and that we think we can do better, faster and cheaper than some other folks, it would be a market share flag and it would be surviving the newsstand. I don’t think there will be as many players in five years, but I would like to see that revenue share be more mixed and diverse to probably 50% print.
Samir Husni: How involved are you with bringing in actual ideas to the team? For example, when I look at one of your newest magazines Bugout, or Go Gluten Free or Low Sugar Living; how involved are you in suggesting those trends or ideas? Do you wake up at night and say we should do a magazine about that?
Nick Singh: We have a very good team, it’s not just me or about me. We facilitate good thinkers, people who are always creative and out there and we get plenty of ideas from these folks. And we put it through the test; whether it’s from our customers, from advertising, from retailers or wholesalers or national distributors; we kick around a lot of ideas. There’s no “one” place where they come from; our advertising sales reps, our editorial team and our newsstand team are all very, very strong. We have somebody with 30 years of experience on our newsstand team, Gus Alonzo.
We have ideas coming from everywhere. And what we do is shut down a lot of the ideas or we keep them alive if we think they have legs. We have a few more of that hasn’t been done or somebody is doing it, but we don‘t think they’re doing it well enough in new categories.
So, we measure it and we look out. Bugout was a no-brainer that came from a lot of our advertisers; it’s kind of survivalist-meets-automotive, which makes a lot of sense. We’ll see where that one goes. We keep testing the ones that make a lot of sense to us, but there’s still a lot of risk involved, if we’re able to take the risk and currently we are able to manage risk OK, I would say.
Samir Husni: If I wanted to describe you in one word, would it be Victorian, Romantic or American; I’m just looking at some of the different titles of the magazines that you have. Or would it be Maximum Drive? What word defines Nick?
Nick Singh: Enthusiast.
Samir Husni: My typical last question; what keeps you up at night?
Nick Singh: Declining margins. (Laughs) If our partners aren’t profitable, then we’re not going to be profitable. I’d love to see this industry turn around or at least stabilize somewhat. I think that’s what keeps me up at night.
“We decided that we had to go with print because if you’re talking about lifestyle and life stories; if you’re talking about photography; you just have to showcase all of that in print. And there are still a lot of people who are willing to pay for that in a print format.” Dusan Lukic (on why he chose ink on paper for Plugin)
Welcome to another installment of the Mr. Magazine™ International Interviews where I had the extreme pleasure of speaking with Dusan Lukic, editor-in-chief, Plugin Magazine, from his office in the beautiful city of Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Dusan is a veteran of magazine publishing and knows his way around the small market, having worked at Adria Media in Ljubljana from the very beginning. Publishing licensed powerhouse titles such as Elle and Cosmo, Dusan and his team are now proudly publishing their first international offering with the new Plugin Magazine. With an English version and a German and Slovenian version as well, the beautifully-done, sleek coffee table collectable is an amazing journey into the eco-friendliness of electric cars and the lifestyles of their owners. It’s certainly what you need to “Plugin” to the world of alternative automotive experiences.
I hope you enjoy the Mr. Magazine™ interview with Dusan Lukic, Editor-in-Chief, Plugin Magazine, as you get a glimpse into the world of magazine publishing from the beautiful country of Slovenia.
But first, the sound-bites:
On the genesis of Plugin Magazine and why it was done in both an English version and a German version: We came up with the idea of adding a lifestyle element to it and thought about maybe doing it for a chain of hotels, so it would have a controlled distribution. Then we decided to just go national with it and do an English version and a German version because we discussed it with the distributor and they agreed that we should do both because that would be the easiest thing to do with the first issue.
On how the lifestyle element of the magazine is presented: We’re going to be highlighting the people who are buyers or are thinking about buying electric cars. They’re people who aren’t prepared to give up their freedom of riding around, yet they want to be more environmentally friendly, so they’re considering or have already bought an electric car. On that same note, they also do not want to give up their comfortable home, but they want it to be more eco-friendly. So basically, our target audience is people like that, which usually mean more men than women.
On why the company chose a print component when the magazine deals with the eco-friendly subject of electric cars: We chose a paper that is quite environmentally friendly. We also have a website; of course, we really started with the website before the magazine. We also have a social media presence too, but we decided that we had to go with print because if you’re talking about lifestyle and life stories; if you’re talking about photography; you just have to showcase all of that in print. On whether he feels the pendulum is swinging back toward print in Europe the way it is in the United States: Basically, there is no simple answer to your question. We know what we think; we think that in some markets, print is far from dead and in other markets we have our digital to split the difference.
On the history of Adria Media: Adria Media is quite an old company; we started with our first magazine in 1996 and I’ve been with the company since the beginning. We started with a car magazine that no longer exists and then we started adding other magazines, either our own or through licensing. We now have 13 magazines and 10 websites, but it’s still a small company, about 120 people.
On the major stumbling block Europe and his company in particular is facing in today’s magazine media market: In Slovenia, we’ve always been a small market, but we know how to operate in a small market. Of all the countries in this part of Europe, Slovenia was hit hardest by recession. And of course, consumer confidence sank to floor-level and one of the first things that people stopped buying was magazines.
On the hefty cover price and whether that was due to the first issue being ad-free: It’s like this; we did the first issue without advertising and that was on purpose. What we didn’t want to do was to contact the car industry and the fashion industry without a product on the market. Now we are discussing different ad strategies since we’ve published the first issue.
On what keeps him up at night: Currently worrying about the future and the stories that we have to do. If you’re a publisher for a small market and you go international, one of the things that you have to do is learn to think like the big international publishers do. I know what I’m doing thanks to my education, but still it’s hard. We know our market here and we know our reader, but we don’t exactly know what would be interesting to our readers outside of this country.
And now the lightly edited Mr. Magazine™ interview with Dusan Lukic, Editor-In-Chief, Plugin Magazine…
Samir Husni: Can you tell me a little about the genesis of Plugin Magazine? Why both an English and German version and why it’s ad-free? And also what’s the mission with this magazine? You say you want people to live smart, drive green and Plugin.
Dusan Lukic: Well, you know that Slovenia is a really small country and of course in Europe, generally print media doesn’t do that well, and that fact is even more obvious here. For example, we have a much distorted advertising market; almost 80% of advertising money goes to television.
We’ve done what we can basically; we have quite a big publishing company; we do a lot of licensed titles; we do Elle, Playboy, Cosmo and others, but we started thinking there’s 2 million in the country and if we only think locally from the beginning, then we’re doomed from the beginning. So we switched and started thinking instead, what else can we do? What is out there that hasn’t been done yet?
We do a car magazine here also, so we’ve sort of found a niche with electric cars and so we started thinking about an electric cars magazine and plugging highways and things like that into it.
But then again, anyone can do a car magazine, so we needed to do something better and different. We came up with the idea of adding a lifestyle element to it and thought about maybe doing it for a chain of hotels, so it would have a controlled distribution. Then we decided to just go national with it and do an English version and a German version because we discussed it with the distributor and they agreed that we should do both because that would be the easiest thing to do with the first issue.
We also have a really good knowledge of the languages here, because Slovenia is close to Austria, so a lot of people speak German and English is a language that is spoken quite a lot here and it wasn’t hard to find people who could write in English or translate.
Samir Husni: Tell me about the concept of Plugin, because the magazine is technically divided into two sections: driving and living. How is the concept of the lifestyle element done? Is it the lifestyle of the electric car owner or driver or the car itself?
Dusan Lukic: We’re adjusting a little bit now with the magazine. All the stories that are in it about electric cars, there are two really big ones in the first issue and there is going to be more, but they’re going to be done in more of a lifestyle-type way. We’re going to be highlighting the people who are buyers or are thinking about buying electric cars.
They’re people who aren’t prepared to give up their freedom of riding around, yet they want to be more environmentally friendly, so they’re considering or have already bought an electric car. On that same note, they also do not want to give up their comfortable home, but they want it to be more eco-friendly. So basically, our target audience is people like that, which usually mean more men than women.
What we want to do is make a very interesting lifestyle magazine and also use it to showcase to those people the electric cars and the Plugin hybrid. This target generation, let’s call it 35-50 years old, affluent enough; they know how to live nicely, yet they’re very environmentally conscious and friendly. They don’t want to read a specialized car magazine; they don’t want to read a specialized architectural magazine, but they do like to read nice stories about all of the areas in Plugin.
Samir Husni: Since one of the focuses of Plugin is environmentally friendly electric cars; why did you decide to go with print when some people say print is not environmentally friendly because it involves the killing of trees?
Dusan Lukic: That’s not true, basically. We chose a paper that is quite environmentally friendly. We have a website; of course, we really started with the website before the magazine. We also have a social media presence too, but we decided that we had to go with print because if you’re talking about lifestyle and life stories; if you’re talking about photography; you just have to showcase all of that in print. And there are still a lot of people who are willing to pay for that in a print format.
Samir Husni: In the United States we’re starting to see the pendulum swinging back toward print. Five years ago everyone was talking about the fact that print was dead; now they’re talking about print’s changing nature or the decline of print. Do you see that happening now in Europe, even though you’re having trouble with advertising, newsstands and single-copy sales? Not the same print that we had before the digital age, but a different print business model that’s on the horizon?
Dusan Lukic: There’s no simple answer to that in Europe. I certainly hope that’s the case. But if you look at our biggest market for our German issue, which is Germany, you’ll find the country still has a really strong print base. If you look at their car magazines, there are about 300,000 different car magazines for a country of 80 million.
And then on the other side we have the U.K. and they don’t really sell a lot of digital issues, percentage-wise, but on the other side of the U.K., the biggest car magazines sell only 50,000, but you’ll find online subscribers at around 15 or 20,000.
Basically, there is no simple answer to your question. We know what we think; we think that in some markets, print is far from dead and in other markets we have our digital to split the difference.
Samir Husni: Tell me a little about Adria Media.
Dusan Lukic: Adria Media is quite an old company; we started with our first magazine in 1996 and I’ve been with the company since the beginning. We started with a car magazine that no longer exists and then we started adding other magazines, either our own or through licensing. We now have 13 magazines and 10 websites, but it’s still a small company, about 120 people.
We started with some really niche products. The first magazine was about Formula One, then a car magazine, one about sports climbing, and then we shifted our focus more toward the women’s side. We have three glossy weeklies; we have Elle, Cosmo; we have a magazine called Sensa, which is about inner well-being. And we’re the first magazine company here in Slovenia to really embrace digital. In 2009, we had about 16 or 18% share of our advertising revenue from digital, which was, even for European standards, quite high then.
We were the first to start doing digital versions of the magazines. But in the last few years we’ve had to really consolidate the company because our revenues went down 30% more. The advertising market shrank, the copies-sold went down and television became all-conquering.
But we’re still alive and we’re the only magazine publisher here. There is another company that went bankrupt and their titles got picked up by another publishing company, but they’re selling it again, so we are basically the only stable magazine publisher here.
Samir Husni: What do you think is the major stumbling block facing your company specifically and magazine companies in general in Europe?
Dusan Lukic: In Slovenia, we’ve always been a small market, but we know how to operate in a small market. Of all the countries in this part of Europe, Slovenia was hit hardest by recession. And of course, consumer confidence sank to floor-level and one of the first things that people stopped buying was magazines.
The other thing was this big shift of advertising money to TV. The problem is we basically have one national TV station. We have two commercial channels, but they’re owned by the same company. We also have the largest Internet portal in Slovenia and they have done deals that are still being investigated by the anti-competition authority. But basically they really lowered prices, they were almost dumping prices and then they gained 75 or 80% of the advertising market.
So there is very little left for everybody else and that includes magazines. In Europe, the normal share for television is 40%, maybe 50%, but not 70 or 80%.
The third thing is a lot people bought magazines in grocery stores before the recession. Now there are chains here that do not sell magazines at all. They have food items cheaper than some of the larger chains that do still sell magazines, so as the consumers started shopping with those for the cheaper food prices, all of the impulse buyers that used to buy magazines on the way out aren’t doing that anymore. We’ve lost a lot of business to the stores that no longer sell magazines.
So, there are three of four factors that figure into it and while each by themselves might not present a big problem; altogether they do.
Samir Husni: What’s the solution?
Dusan Lukic: We didn’t go for the big advertising because once you lower your prices you can never get them back up. We managed to get into contact with some of these retailers and put together special magazine packages for them that they could sell at the cash price. We got some sales there.
We also optimized our own internal structure to cope with the loss of revenue. And we’re trying to get some licensed titles to start publishing and do some smaller titles.
And of course the biggest thing we’ve done is Plugin and going international. International markets are big and they’re different; we have to learn a lot about them, but the opportunities are much bigger than if you just stay close and within your own country’s borders.
Samir Husni: I noticed that you not only went international, but you also went with a hefty cover price, because if there’s no advertising, the magazine needs to sell for almost 8 Euros?
Dusan Lukic: It’s like this; we did the first issue without advertising and that was on purpose. What we didn’t want to do was to contact the car industry and the fashion industry without a product on the market. Now we are discussing different ad strategies since we’ve published the first issue.
It seems to have been a good decision, because in Slovenia we’re not really used to big companies telling us about advertising. And that’s what’s happening to us now. I think it was the right decision to do the first issue ad-free and now we can go all-out.
In fact, in our first Slovenian issue, we had about 25 ad pages. And we’re thinking that the next international issues will be similar.
Samir Husni: So, you’re actually publishing three editions? German, English and Slovenian?
Dusan Lukic: Yes and I’ll say this, financially speaking, the Slovenian edition doesn’t really make much sense, but we are a Slovenian company and we are working in Slovenia and it is a topic important to the Slovenian people, so we felt we had to do it regardless of the amount of money we would make.
Samir Husni: My typical last question; what keeps you up at night?
Dusan Lukic: (Laughs) Currently worrying about the future and the stories that we have to do. If you’re a publisher for a small market and you go international, one of the things that you have to do is learn to think like the big international publishers do. I know what I’m doing thanks to my education, but still it’s hard. We know our market here and we know our reader, but we don’t exactly know what would be interesting to our readers outside of this country.
And just thinking about the next story, who to get for the next interview and how to promote the magazine. Those are some of things that keep me up at night.
Plus, I like to read, so I read magazines long into the night because I don’t have time during the day. And I read about 50/50 print and digital. Some magazines have to be read in print, architecture magazines or car magazines with great photography. I still prefer to read them in print if possible. Some magazines are really good in digital, so it’s different.
“One of the things on one post-it is “create addiction.” And every time I look at content, because my editors will show me and get my opinion or they’ll show me the finished feature; I’ll look at it and ask myself does this piece create addiction or why would someone want to read more? Or would I want to read more next month? So, that’s one of the messages and if the answer is no, it doesn’t create addiction or that it’s boring; we won’t run it. We don’t run things just to run them. It has to have that special spark.” Ana Ureña (on her use of post-it-notes for inspiration)
In a series of Mr. Magazine™ Interviews I’ll be speaking with some of the editors, publishers, CEOs of different magazines and magazine media companies overseas. The first of these interviews is with the editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan Spain, Ana Ureña. Ana joined the magazine in December 2014 and is an open and entertaining person with firm ideas of how to create and maintain that special spark she believes Cosmopolitan the brand has always had.
Ana’s contention is that Cosmo the brand speaks to all women, from all walks of life and from each and every country of the world. Therefore the content must be translatable to all, from the U.S. to Spain and everything in between and all around.
Our conversation was fun-filled and totally free-spirited, and focused in part on the empowerment of women, something that Ana feels is the most important role Cosmo plays in its audience’s lives. Creating enrichment and positivity with readers using a page-by-page value check is something that she strongly believes in.
Through creativity, such as the Cosmo Pose hashtag promotion she came up with for readers to send in their own Cosmo Power Pose, Ana is bringing fun and vitality to the Spanish arm of the brand.
So, I hope you enjoy this internationally-flavored Mr. Magazine™ interview with a young woman who knows what she wants out of life and is determined to help her readers find their own strength and focus along the way – a conversation with Ana Ureña, Editor-In-Chief, Cosmo Spain.
But first, the sound-bites:
On the difference between Cosmo Spain and its American counterpart: Right now, nothing. (Laughs) No, I’m kidding. I’m a very big fan of the American Cosmo and when I first started at Cosmo in Spain, I did think there was a lot of content that we were missing out on and weren’t using in the same way they were in the American edition. I think that Cosmo as a brand talks to all women, so you could take any content from any Cosmo and it would translate into any country, that’s the beautiful thing about the magazine, because it speaks to all women about women issues and challenges. And it does it in a really fun and happy way.
On using her post-it-note inspiration system: When you came over a couple of months ago a lot of the things that you said about “common sense” really hit home and I didn’t want to forget what I’d learned, so I thought why not put it on a post-it and put it up on the board where I could see it every day when I went into the office and make those points of interest my own. On the creation of the hashtag Cosmo Pose: When I first walked into the offices I started looking at all the Cosmo covers that had been published over the years in many editions, not just the Spanish one. And I noticed that most of the girls on the covers were in a special pose where they had their hands on their hips, either one or both. And I thought wow; almost all of them are doing that on every cover. I didn’t know why, but I thought it was a fun and interesting concept.
On her newspaper background and whether she has found any difference between newspapers and magazines: Well, the only difference is in newspapers we used to do everything more quickly. (Laughs) The magazine is a monthly so we have more time to think about things. But I think the approach for me is still the same because you still have to think of interesting stories to tell and stories you think the readers are going to want to read and that’s going to enrich their lives.
On the balance between Cosmo Spain’s digital and print presence: I’ve always had Twitter and that’s always been there, that hasn’t changed. So, when I was at the newspaper, I used to Tweet every day about what I was thinking, which was always so interesting. (Laughs) But I have never stopped using Twitter.
On the major stumbling block she’s had to face: The biggest challenge for me has been the lack of time because you never have enough time to finish everything you have to do. When I was working for the newspaper I was working from home because I was freelancing. I could work at 2:00 a.m. in my pajamas, no problem, but here I have to be in the office and I can’t be in the office in my pajamas at 2:00 a.m. because people would think that I’m a crazy lady, so I have to get things done within the work hours.
On her most pleasant moment: My most pleasant moment has definitely been interacting with the readers because they reach out and that’s never happened before. I can tell that they’re reading the magazine; I can tell that they’re reading the website or whatever aspect of Cosmo they’re interested in.
On whether or not the magazine would be transformed into herself if she struck it with a magic wand: No, it would definitely be the whole team. One of the issues that I have personally with magazines is it’s not good if the magazine becomes the editor. The magazine has to be a magazine, it’s the brand. And the brand is Cosmo, it’s definitely not me. But if course I bring a little bit of me to the magazine, but there’s a little bit of me, a little bit of the art director, of the features editor; a little bit of all of us. And that’s what makes it Cosmo.
On what keeps her up at night: I’m usually a really good sleeper. I’m usually so tired by the end of the day that I just knockout and go to sleep. Maybe the problems of the world bother me, but definitely not my job because it’s something that I really like and enjoy.
And now the lightly edited transcript of the Mr. Magazine™ interview with Ana Ureña, Editor-In-Chief, Cosmopolitan Spain.
Samir Husni: You’re the editor of Cosmopolitan in Madrid, Spain. And you have an American and Spanish background. What would you say is the biggest difference between the American Cosmo and the Spanish Cosmo?
Ana Ureña: Right now, nothing. (Laughs) No, I’m kidding. I’m a very big fan of the American Cosmo and when I first started at Cosmo in Spain, I did think there was a lot of content that we were missing out on and weren’t using in the same way they were in the American edition. I think that Cosmo as a brand talks to all women, so you could take any content from any Cosmo and it would translate into any country, that’s the beautiful thing about the magazine, because it speaks to all women about women issues and challenges. And it does it in a really fun and happy way.
When I first started looking at the Spanish Cosmo, it had lost a little bit of its spark, but I found that the American one was filled with a lot of spark and fun and obviously, it’s about that fun, fearless woman. And I think that’s the DNA of the magazine. So, we’re trying to bring all of that excitement and fun back into the Spanish edition.
Samir Husni: Can you tell me a little bit about your philosophy as an editor? I understand that you use post-it-notes for inspiration?
Ana Ureña: I do. As a matter of fact, when you spoke in Spain few months ago a lot of the things that you said about “common sense” really hit home and I didn’t want to forget what I’d learned, so I thought why not put it on a post-it and put it up on the board where I could see it every day when I went into the office and make those points of interest my own.
One of the things on one post-it is “create addiction.” And every time I look at content, because my editors will show me and get my opinion or they’ll show me the finished feature; I’ll look at it and ask myself does this piece create addiction or why would someone want to read more? Or would I want to read more next month? So, that’s one of the messages and if the answer is no, it doesn’t create addiction or that it’s boring; we won’t run it. We don’t run things just to run them. It has to have that special spark.
Another post-it message is “does it make me feel better?” I always want positive articles in the magazine; I don’t want anything negative or anything that would make the reader feel bad about herself when she sees it or when she reads it.
And I also ask myself would I spend money on this magazine to read its content or can I find it on Google for free? And if the answer is that I can find it on Google for free, we don’t run it because there’s no point. We’re not helping the reader at all.
And the last post-it is “what is the takeaway value for the reader?” Every page has to have takeaway value for our reader. They have to learn something new on every page. Even the contents page, I don’t care, every page has to have something. Maybe a small link to something, or a quote of someone famous or a tip for the day; it just has to have something. The thing about Cosmopolitan, at least for the Spanish edition, is it has two different ways to read it. They can read it very quickly by just reading the titles or the bullet points or they can read it slowly and take in the meat of every article and really enjoy the experience.
Samir Husni: Since you became editor in December 2014, you’ve been introducing even more new and fun things for your audience; for example, I noticed that you have the hashtag Cosmo Pose. Tell me a little bit about that and how you’re putting that into practice.
Ana Ureña: When I first walked into the offices I started looking at all the Cosmo covers that had been published over the years in many editions, not just the Spanish one. And I noticed that most of the girls on the covers were in a special pose where they had their hands on their hips, either one or both. And I thought wow; almost all of them are doing that on every cover. I didn’t know why, but I thought it was a fun and interesting concept.
Then when I was reading a book about body language, there was one pose in the book called the power pose and it was exactly the same as the Cosmo Pose. If you stand with your hands on your hips and you feel powerful, right? The author was saying if you have a job interview, for example, and you’re nervous, go into the bathroom and stand in front of the mirror and do the power pose for a count of 20 and you’ll be able to ace your interview because by doing that pose you’ll begin to feel more powerful.
And I knew that was also the Cosmo Pose and I thought what a great way to empower women; if they practice every morning just doing the Cosmo Pose they will feel better about themselves, which is what Cosmo is all about.
So I started a hashtag called Cosmos Pose and I was encouraging girls to either send us or upload to Instagram or Twitter their Cosmo Poses so we could show the best of our Cosmo communities. I’m hoping people will really get into this and start sending them in because we’re turning 25 this year and we want to do something big with all the Cosmo Poses at the end of the year, like a composite, just something fun.
Samir Husni: My understanding is for the next issue you’re actually giving away a Selfie Stick for someone to use to take their Cosmo Pose?
Ana Ureña: That’s right because sometimes it’s hard to take a selfie of a Cosmo Pose because it’s a very close-up shot and you can’t get your whole body in the picture. But with a Selfie Stick you can actually take a longer distance shot by yourself; you don’t need any help. And you can take the picture and send it to us.
Samir Husni: You came from a newspaper background; how did you make the switch from newspapers to magazines and as a journalist, are you finding any difference between the two?
Ana Ureña: Well, the only difference is in newspapers we used to do everything more quickly. (Laughs) The magazine is a monthly so we have more time to think about things. But I think the approach for me is still the same because you still have to think of interesting stories to tell and stories you think the readers are going to want to read and that’s going to enrich their lives.
When I was in newspapers I used to do a lot of fashion and lifestyle, obviously, but I always used to try and get a human angle to it or something that would pull a reader in. And that’s something that we try to do in Cosmo as well. When we tell a story we always want it to be something with a human side.
Samir Husni: In this digital age where you feel that you have to be in contact with your readers on a second-by-second basis; how are you balancing between your digital presence and your print presence?
Ana Ureña: I’ve always had Twitter and that’s always been there, that hasn’t changed. So, when I was at the newspaper, I used to Tweet every day about what I was thinking, which was always so interesting. (Laughs) But I have never stopped using Twitter. So, the Twitter feed remains a constant and also the Instagram feed.
Samir Husni: What has been the major stumbling block that you’ve had to face since you became editor of Cosmopolitan and how did you overcome it?
Ana Ureña: The biggest challenge for me has been the lack of time because you never have enough time to finish everything you have to do. When I was working for the newspaper I was working from home because I was freelancing. I could work at 2:00 a.m. in my pajamas, no problem, but here I have to be in the office and I can’t be in the office in my pajamas at 2:00 a.m. because people would think that I’m a crazy lady, so I have to get things done within the work hours. And the things that I can take home, I do. But there are some things that I’m still struggling with to get done.
Samir Husni: And what has been your most pleasant moment since you became editor?
Ana Ureña: My most pleasant moment has definitely been interacting with the readers because they reach out and that’s never happened before. I can tell that they’re reading the magazine; I can tell that they’re reading the website or whatever aspect of Cosmo they’re interested in. They ask questions and they reach out to you and that means that someone is out there and someone is listening.
Samir Husni: If I gave you a magic wand that you could strike the magazine with and it would immediately transform itself into a human being, who would that be, Ana?
Ana Ureña: (Laughs) No, it would definitely be the whole team. One of the issues that I have personally with magazines is it’s not good if the magazine becomes the editor. The magazine has to be a magazine, it’s the brand. And the brand is Cosmo, it’s definitely not me. But if course I bring a little bit of me to the magazine, but there’s a little bit of me, a little bit of the art director, of the features editor; a little bit of all of us. And that’s what makes it Cosmo.
Samir Husni: Do you have to be a Cosmo person to work at Cosmo?
Ana Ureña: Definitely. (Laughs) I was a Cosmo girl before I came here. I just realized it.
Samir Husni: What motivates you to get out of bed in the mornings and say it’s going to be a great day?
Ana Ureña: Coffee. (Laughs) Strong coffee.
Samir Husni: (Laughs too) What makes Ana click and tick and gives you that energy from within?
Ana Ureña: I am constantly wondering what’s going to come at me today; the surprise element and I love that. Every day is different.
Samir Husni: My typical last question; what keeps you up at night?
Ana Ureña: (Laughs) I’m usually a really good sleeper. I’m usually so tired by the end of the day that I just knockout and go to sleep. Maybe the problems of the world bother me, but definitely not my job because it’s something that I really like and enjoy.
Samir Husni: Thank you.
And Back In The U.S.A….
Take note of the differences between the two July covers of the American version of Cosmopolitan – one for subscribers and one for the newsstands.
This isn’t the first time a magazine changes the word “sex” that appears on the newsstand edition to the word “fun” or “love” on the subscription cover. Cosmo is taking a page from its sister publication Redbook which used that approach for years a while back.
The newsstands’ cover reads, “WILD SUMMER SEX 8 Surprise Moves From Foreplay to Fireworks!”
The subscribers’cover reads, “WILD SUMMER FUN 8 Surprise Moves for Hotter Date Nights!”
Gone are the SEX, the foreplay and the fireworks.
So my simple question, what gives? You be the judge and let me know what you think…
“Given what our print circulation is right now and the revenue that comes from it, which to me suggests that there is an audience who wants it, I don’t think it’s anytime soon. My biggest concern is the post office problems at this point. (Laughs) It’s not the audience; we have the audience. We’re doing really well with renewal rates and like I said, I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that we have this dialogue with the consumer that lets us give them what they want.” Scott Omelianuk (on if he can ever envision This Old House without the print component)
From television to print, from digital to an all-new Spanish-speaking television show; This Old House has been binding its many platforms together almost from the beginning to bring its audience the best of what the brand has to offer. The renovation champion of the space is one legacy brand that knows how to adapt to change while continuing to provide outstanding content on each and every platform it masters.
Scott Omelianuk is editor-in-chief of This Old House brand and is a man who knows his way around a hammer himself, since he was working after school as a carpenter’s gopher at the age of 15. I spoke with Scott recently and we talked about the brand in all of its many formats. From the print product to the new TheSnug.com, the mobile-first site that was built on a next generation digital publishing platform, that delivers premium, highly functional sites with sophisticated community participation and native advertising built in, the brand is moving forward to grow its audience with the latest technology and quality print content possible.
TheSnug.com is the first independent website developed by Time Inc. to appeal to millennials and is projected to have a combined social reach of more than 30 million across its partners. It will be driven by community participation and syndicated content with original content, including video, being rolled out in the near future.
It’s an exciting time for This Old House and an exciting time for its Editor-In-Chief, Scott Omelianuk. So I hope you enjoy this interesting interview and if you feel the urge to redo a room in your house, grab a copy of This Old House, I’m sure you’ll find all the help you need between its covers.
But first, the sound-bites:
On whether he’s seeing a change in his audience for the better or worse: Overall our audience has grown pretty significantly over the last couple of years. I’d like to verify these numbers before I actually commit to them of course, but I think MRI put the print audience at 6.6 million and our television audience is up a little bit; our digital audience is growing, particularly on mobile obviously. And the new things that we’ve done have also grown the audience.
On any duplication of the brand’s print and digital audience: Yes, there definitely is and we’ve made a significant effort to do value-added content digitally, things that we can’t get in the print pages, everything from more photos of a house, which we might also include in our tablet edition, to downloadable or printable templates to help with a craft or a DIY project.
On reaching a new audience with a legacy brand like This Old House without removing the word “old” from the title: We’re reaching out with new efforts such as The Snug.com, which is looking at a younger audience and in this case, a female millennial audience, showing them content that comes from This Old House as well as other places, but essentially stripped of its legacy branding. Say, the byline is This Old House, but that’ll be about it. And it’s done in a much more contemporary, mobile-first responsive design, hyper-social interface platform that they’re looking at the content on.
On when there might be a printed issue of The Snug.com: There’s no question that as soon as we started filling the buckets with content on The Snug we realized that there was a print opportunity. When it happens, I’m not so sure. It’s a matter of just making sure the economics word out and I think The Snug’s audience could be a little bit larger before we do that. The plan isn’t immediate, but it’s there.
On being the first legacy brand to utilize user-generated content for a magazine and why they haven’t done it again: We have actually, when I reference the reader remodel contest, that’s also the user-generated issue. The recognition for that was I’m very fortunate to have had a multimedia background before I arrived at This Old House; I worked in magazines at GQ and Esquire and other places. I’ve done web and television work and it was very clear to me that the boundaries we liked and the hierarchy of our industry liked wasn’t nearly as important to the consumer. (Laughs) They didn’t care whether someone on a web team or a print team was producing content for either of those things; they wanted good content period.
On whether he thinks a brand can survive without all of its extensions: The damaging thing for a brand to do is not to look at the new opportunities because you don’t know where the audience is going to go. Every place the audience goes, they do need good content. At a certain point you might decide this or that program or this or that utility, whatever the offering is, doesn’t provide enough of an ROI. And I don’t even mean that financially; I just mean in terms of audience engagement. So, you might let tings drop off at a certain point. But I think to not explore where we’re going with technology at every opportunity is a troubling thing.
On being one of the first legacy brands to integrate their staff and platforms and why others haven’t followed their example: (Laughs) I don’t know. I guess I’m not a good evangelist. (Laughs again) I think that part of what you just said is the answer and that is that we’re the most creative people in the world, right? There’s a difference between being very passionate and very creative about the way you design this feature story. Or you write this 7,000-word profile, which is going to be art when you’re done with it. And having editors who are passionate enough about what you do to help you achieve those things. And then having people who are able to take a step back and look broadly at what’s happening.
On if he can ever envision a day there won’t be a print component of This Old House: Given what our print circulation is right now and the revenue that comes from it, which to me suggests that there is an audience who wants it, I don’t think it’s anytime soon.
On what keeps him up at night: No one likes change and I don’t particularly like it either, but we don’t have a choice. The pace of change that we’re experiencing now is as slow as it will ever be in our lifetimes. It’s about making sure I stay ahead and have that next thing. I want to keep being first for my brand. I want us to keep having those firsts.
And now the lightly edited transcript of the Mr. Magazine™ interview with Scott Omelianuk, Editor-In-Chief, This Old House…
Samir Husni: It’s amazing to see how many of the younger generation are interested in the subject of renovation and see it as more of a challenge and a great experience. Are you seeing a change in the audience with This Old House and the entire brand and if so, is it a change for the better or a change for the worse?
Scott Omelianuk: Overall our audience has grown pretty significantly over the last couple of years. I’d like to verify these numbers before I actually commit to them of course, but I think MRI put the print audience at 6.6 million and our television audience is up a little bit; our digital audience is growing, particularly on mobile obviously. And the new things that we’ve done have also grown the audience.
But I think one of the interesting stories is the amount of attention we receive on social and how that audience is sometimes very different from what you would imagine. We do really well on two opposite ends of what I think the social spectrum is in some respects. One is Google+ where you would think more male, nerdy, tech-savvy kind of people are and we have a really significant resize, I think maybe a 600,000 Goggle+ audience. And then on the opposite end of the scale is Pinterest where we have the same size audience, almost 600,000.
To me, the exciting thing about that is it proves the value of the content that we’re doing and that’s what it all comes back to is creating content that consumers want, whether they buy a subscription or they’re going to find us on social media and then find their way back to one of our digital properties.
Samir Husni: Do you see any duplication between the print and digital audiences?
Scott Omelianuk: Yes, there definitely is and we’ve made a significant effort to do value-added content digitally, things that we can’t get in the print pages, everything from more photos of a house, which we might also include in our tablet edition, to downloadable or printable templates to help with a craft or a DIY project.
In that respect, we really make an effort to drive back and forth between the two platforms; most of our large franchises are in both print and digital, such as our reader remodel contest. In print, you can use your Smartphone with a Blippar app on it to enter the sweepstakes or you can go to the website and enter that way. So these are all things that we’ve made an effort to do to keep the audience in both places.
Now a huge amount of our online traffic comes from Search regardless. And those folks we presume to be new to the brand and if we can make them repeat customers, that’s great. I think that’s one of the reasons that the footprint has grown a little bit is because people search for a problem and they actually find good content that’s trustworthy and vetted for them and they know that they can come back to us next time.
Samir Husni: How are you benefiting from the power of the brand, while at the same time having to respond to some people who might say how can you have a powerful brand today with the word “old” in it?
Scott Omelianuk: (Laughs) Well, there’s no question that the greatest strength, which is this very recognizable name that started with the television show 35 years ago and has people watching it today with their children who watched it themselves with their parents, which in some cases gives us three generations of viewers; there’s no question that “old” is a little bit of a liability, but we’ve done a number of things I think to minimize the impact.
One is not to be embarrassed by it; that is who we are. We fully know that not all of our readership, viewers or online users live in old houses. And so the content we present to them I would describe as Americana and that might be the kind of thing you imagine in a 100-year-old farmhouse, but would also be something in a newly-constructed cottage somewhere.
We try to remove age or remove any date at all from any of the content we present. We always talk about new technology. The story of the home really matches to the story of broader technology, in many ways.
We have a Smart Home issue, our second, coming out in September. I don’t think anyone wants to live in a museum, so for us we want to take these houses, houses that are of quality; houses that were nicely made, and make them useful for people who live in them today.
That’s one thing. Another is reaching out with new efforts like we are with The Snug.com and that is looking at a younger audience and in this case, a female millennial audience, showing them content that comes from This Old House as well as other places, but essentially stripped of its legacy branding. Say, the byline is This Old House, but that’ll be about it. And it’s done in a much more contemporary, mobile-first responsive design, hyper-social interface platform that they’re looking at the content on.
So, again it comes back to what I said about social; it’s the content that’s really what’s valuable, not a particular delivery. All of the deliveries are valuable.
At The Snug.com we see us reaching a much younger audience, a much more female audience; our general audience by the way is about 50/50, male/female. The Snug.com is more female and younger. And it echoes a little bit of something that we see when we run things like the user-generated contest, which is that the most active group of people generally for us is on the younger side of our median and that makes sense, right? You’re buying your first house or you’re upgrading to your second house that’s big enough for the family or just whatever. So you’ve not really settled in yet or thought about downsizing. You’re not doing any of those things; you’re much more active in the space.
So even though we have readers who span from 18 to 80, I think the most active portion of our audience is the younger half.
Samir Husni: When are we going to see the first printed issue of Snug?
Scott Omelianuk: (Laughs) When we set about creating The Snug.com our first intention was to put a stake in the ground for reaching a millennial audience in a way that we could extend the franchise basically beyond that particular content. So, you could imagine that there would be a Snug Table and that would be about entertaining or food or cooking, or a Snug Buddy would be about pets; a Snug Dollar might be a finance site that you could extend this franchise into an ecosystem but move traffic back and forth across it and provide a broad ad opportunity.
There’s no question that as soon as we started filling the buckets with content on The Snug we realized that there was a print opportunity. When it happens, I’m not so sure. It’s a matter of just making sure the economics word out and I think The Snug’s audience could be a little bit larger before we do that. The plan isn’t immediate, but it’s there.
I think the really interesting thing about The Snug is the engagement of the audience. We’ve been live for four full months and in that first four months we’ve registered 13,000 contributors of all stripes: blogger, individuals, brands, and altogether they’ve contributed more than 40,000 pieces of content to the platform. And that’s pretty astonishing to me and really exciting.
We’re building on that. We want to make sure that the platform is a stable and viable entity basically, but then I do think that there’s an opportunity for a slick SIP model for the content on there.
Samir Husni: You were one of the early legacy magazines that adapted to user-generated content; you published, if I’m not mistaken, the very first user-generated content magazine in the states.
Scott Omelianuk: Yes, that’s true.
Samir Husni: Why haven’t you done it again?
Scott Omelianuk: We have actually, when I reference the reader remodel contest, that’s also the user-generated issue. The recognition for that was I’m very fortunate to have had a multimedia background before I arrived at This Old House; I worked in magazines at GQ and Esquire and other places. I’ve done web and television work and it was very clear to me that the boundaries we liked and the hierarchy of our industry liked wasn’t nearly as important to the consumer. (Laughs) They didn’t care whether someone on a web team or a print team was producing content for either of those things; they wanted good content period.
So, very early on I tried to integrate the staff of This Old House so that there were no significant silos between who was contributing content to what platform. And as we did that, one of the responsibilities was to participate in the TOH.com community and we realized what a vibrant community we had and how much good information users were exchanging. That’s when we decided that it was valuable and that we should take advantage of it and use the content in print. And we did that; it was Ad Age’s idea of the year, I think it was 2008.
And we’ve done it every year since and it’s been a little bit different, but I think the thing that’s really terrific about having done it is every year it creates an ongoing multi-month, as we ask users to upload content; we create sort of a dialogue between the editors and those people. I think we have a profound understanding of who our consumer is in a way that a lot of other places don’t because they’re showing us what they’ve done; they’re showing us how we may have influenced or inspired them in their own projects. They’re calling and telling us or mailing and telling us what their challenges have been or what their proudest moments are.
And we include those and not just in the user-created issue, which is a sort of wholesale slab of that content, but in every issue there are two or three stories that had their genesis in conversations with our consumer.
So I believe that binds them more tightly to us. It also allows us to give them the kind of content that they want even better. It’s something that I would encourage everyone to do, particularly as research dollars get tighter and tighter, it’s just a really great way to have a dialogue with your consumer and create content. And it’s almost a little distasteful to say consumer at that point, because really what you’ve done is created a community with them. And that’s really important and that’s something that magazine media, whether it’s print or not, can do really well with, if we keep that in mind.
And to be perfectly frank, that’s what we’ve done in extending the idea of home improvement to this all new Spanish-language television show. The stuff we learned such as the emotional connections of the home, the importance of creating this safe place for people and a comfortable place.
We’ve extended to the Hispanic market now and so instead of being purely DIY kind of content on “SOS: Salva Mi Casa” there are family stories as well because; the fact of the matter is that’s why we do these things anyway.
Now we might not go back and change the flagship This Old House show from what it is, but we have new opportunities with new audiences on new platforms to do that, to recognize our ongoing realization of how people interact with our content. So, when you see “SOS: Salva Mi Casa” on Telemundo, you don’t have to speak Spanish to recognize it. You will see that there’s a family component, an emotional component, something really strong and primal about making the simplest improvements to the house that make a huge difference to people.
Samir Husni: Television and magazines have been with us for a long time, magazines longer than television. We now have social media and digital; do you think a brand can survive if we lose any of the brand extensions?
Scott Omelianuk: I honestly think, I don’t know about losing, but I think you have to take the opportunity. Whenever a new platform comes out and people start talking about it, we have a discussion here at our brand about how we might take advantage of it.
We had a Tumblr best-of pick in 2014 for This Old Apartment Tumblr, which actually influenced our creation of The Snug, because it performed so well for itself. We’re also talking about Meerkat and Periscope now; who knows what’s next. We’re talking about how to reinvent the tablet edition of the magazine, so that maybe it’s not the same linear experience that the print edition of the magazine is, even if it has the same content because I want to take advantage of the habits and native technology that’s in the tablet, more than I want to recreate a print edition.
The damaging thing for a brand to do is not to look at the new opportunities because you don’t know where the audience is going to go. Every place the audience goes, they do need good content. At a certain point you might decide this or that program or this or that utility, whatever the offering is, doesn’t provide enough of an ROI. And I don’t even mean that financially; I just mean in terms of audience engagement. So, you might let tings drop off at a certain point. But I think to not explore where we’re going with technology at every opportunity is a troubling thing.
And I do think that for us television is really important because it’s a very cost-effective way of creating digital video. You basically have assets that are paid for and then exploited again digitally at low cost. Whenever we can get the opportunity to create a new television show it allows us to augment our video library, which is already quite large and does really well for us. I think we total about a million plays a month in video and that’s not so bad.
Samir Husni: With the whole integrated staff and integrated creation of what you’ve done; your brand was one of the first to learn that print and digital can and do work together and complement each other very well. Why do you think it took the industry at least five years, six years now, to learn that? To go from print is dead to print is in decline to, who knows five years from now, maybe it will be the power of print again. If we are the most creative people on the face of the earth, why did it take us so long to learn that the two integrated is the only thing that makes sense? Why didn’t people learn from your example?
Scott Omelianuk: (Laughs) I don’t know. I guess I’m not a good evangelist. (Laughs again) I think that part of what you just said is the answer and that is that we’re the most creative people in the world, right? There’s a difference between being very passionate and very creative about the way you design this feature story. Or you write this 7,000-word profile, which is going to be art when you’re done with it. And having editors who are passionate enough about what you do to help you achieve those things. And then having people who are able to take a step back and look broadly at what’s happening.
But then you’re running a business too, so it becomes the founder’s dilemma. You see that the audience is changing and that they might be going in this direction, but you’re making your money here. So how do you find the time to band with the resources or investments to carve out and move when the vast majority of revenue is coming from that other spot.
I think we benefit from the fact that we’re a mid-sized brand and when we dip into a new technology, it’s not devastating to our bottom line. We don’t risk a lot by taking the time to explore that new opportunity.
It’s actually quite hard for people to get out of their swing lanes and take a broader look and to not just be afraid because no one likes change. Or to not be afraid because you don’t know what these things are going to do to the P&L. And to not be afraid because it just might be a waste of time and you’ll embarrass yourself. You know, there are things we’ve done that we stopped doing because we thought they were going to be great, but didn’t work. And that’s OK, but it all depends on the stage you’re on I think. If you’re on a quieter stage you can get away with more, I guess. (Laughs)
I really think that’s the answer and again, I was fortunate in that I had for better or worse a career experience, and I think it was ultimately for the better, where I bounced between a couple of different jobs in media. And that allowed me to see the connections between the people who might have been in one place at a time, and they couldn’t see them. And that made it a little easier.
Samir Husni: Being this, and as much as I hate the phrase I’m going to use it, this multimedia practitioner, do you envision a day when we will not have a print edition from This Old House?
Scott Omelianuk: Given what our print circulation is right now and the revenue that comes from it, which to me suggests that there is an audience who wants it, I don’t think it’s anytime soon. My biggest concern is the post office problems at this point. (Laughs) It’s not the audience; we have the audience. We’re doing really well with renewal rates and like I said, I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that we have this dialogue with the consumer that lets us give them what they want.
I think we’ll be in print for some time; I don’t know about forever, because to say that is just foolish. Given our financials for now, there will be a print edition of This Old House continued, yes. And maybe Snug too, at least quarterly. (Laughs)
Samir Husni: My typical last question; what keeps you up at night?
Scott Omelianuk: (Laughs) I have a four-year-old that doesn’t always sleep. So, that’s one thing. Just thinking about what’s next and having the bandwidth to do all of the exciting things that are coming and trying to be there when they are.
No one likes change and I don’t particularly like it either, but we don’t have a choice. The pace of change that we’re experiencing now is as slow as it will ever be in our lifetimes. It’s about making sure I stay ahead and have that next thing. I want to keep being first for my brand. I want us to keep having those firsts. And that’s what makes it exciting and that’s what makes it exciting for people to come to work here. And why I get the opportunity to talk to people like you.
“This is what print can do. Print is so different. Print is something that lives on forever. It’s not a commercial; it’s not a webpage; it’s not a posting; it lives on and it’s a document. And I think that’s what’s so lovely about it.” Lesley Jane Seymour (on Michelle Obama guest editing an issue of More magazine)
“Print is not dead; it’s very much alive and if someone hasn’t gotten that message from the recent ink on paper wonders that we’ve had, then they must have been hiding under a rock. (Laughs)” Lesley Jane Seymour
For the first time in the history of the White House and American magazines a first lady guest-edits an issue of a magazine and not just any magazine either, but one that reflects the style and substance of the first lady herself. There are a lot of “firsts’ in that sentence, but each and every one of them are well-deserved and true.
More magazine has obtained the coup of a magazine’s lifetime in guest editor Michelle Obama. For the July/August issue, the first lady moves in and takes over the reins, proving that the American magazine dream can be realized. I recently spoke with the editor-in-chief who wove this magical chimera, who tossed the golden glitter into the air and watched it materialize into reality, Lesley Jane Seymour.
Lesley, who was in Italy when we spoke, was amazed, overjoyed and quite stunned truthfully when the first lady and her team accepted her offer of becoming guest-editor for the July/August issue of More. More than a coup to Lesley, this achievement not only provides a wonderful surprise for her readers, it also showcases who she believes the “More” woman is; one of style and substance, such as the lovely Michelle Obama.
We talked about the behind-the-scenes actions that led up to the historic issue and we also hit on many of the interesting and fun things that happened along the way. Our interview was nothing short of amazing itself.
So, I hope you enjoy this Mr. Magazine™ exclusive on the play-by-play of the first lady’s debut as editor-in-chief of More, because it’s a given you’ll definitely discover “more” than you ever knew before about our first lady in the White House and our first lady of More magazine, Lesley Jane Seymour.
But first the sound-bites:
First Lady Michelle Obama participates in a photo line at the U.S. Embassy in Seim Reap, Cambodia, March 22, 2015. (Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)
On the coup of a lifetime, having Michelle Obama guest-edit an issue of More magazine: I said, OK, what’s the craziest thing that I could ask Mrs. Obama to do? What would be crazy? Ask her to edit the issue, right? So, I did. And I thought, of course, they’re going to say no, she’s the first lady. But they said yes.
Guest Editor, More Magazine, The First Lady of the United States
On whether Michelle Obama knew that she would be the first matriarch of the White House to ever guest-edit a magazine: That was not why she did it. She did it because they were starting to think about legacy. The reason why and one of the points that nobody has made yet is this is what print can do. Print is so different. Print is something that lives on forever. It’s not a commercial; it’s not a webpage; it’s not a posting; it lives on and it’s a document. And I think that’s what’s so lovely about it.
On the power of print and what it will take to prove that strength to the critics: I’m here in Italy and I look at books from the Florentine ages which are preserved in churches and I’m constantly reminded of the fact that print really does matter. It’s an extraordinary medium that cannot be surpassed. And as trendy as all the other stuff gets, there are things that print can do that nothing else can. Recently, it’s been incredible. We’ve been showing the world what print can do.
On the power of print and what she believes it will take to finally prove that point to critics: There are certain things, as we know; I’m here in Italy and I look at books from the Florentine ages which are preserved in churches and I’m constantly reminded of the fact that print really does matter. It’s an extraordinary medium that cannot be surpassed. And as trendy as all the other stuff gets, there are things that print can do that nothing else can. Recently, it’s been incredible. We’ve been showing the world what print can do.
On the process of the reinvention of More magazine: Again, as I said, you have to keep evolving, especially in print. And the speed with which we have to evolve has increased. In the old days, you could evolve your print product once every five or ten years, or whatever, and we’ve all watched as it began to move faster and faster.
Lesley Jane Seymour, Editor in Chief, More magazine
On broadening the demographics of More from just the over 40 group: And that was terrifying. To take More out of that box that it was born in, those are the words that make editors cry. When your management comes to you and says take the baby out of the box that it was born in, that’s when you take out your tissues and start crying and begging them to not make you do that. (Laughs)
On the major stumbling block that she’s had to face in her seven years at More:
The major stumbling block has been the general contraction in print. It’s a tough time. This is not like editing back in the 90s; it’s not. Every day it’s scary out there. I think the thing that you really have to do is you have to be creative; you have to keep moving forward no matter what happens and no matter what cuts people make, no matter what’s going on around you; you just have to keep moving forward.
On whether she believes Mrs. Obama captured the readers with her guest-editing debut: Yes, I mean, you’ll see. She brought in so many of her own ideas. She wrote two editor’s letters, she wasn’t happy with just one, she wrote an end letter also. You’ll have to see all the great stuff that it’s in there. It is very, very her.
On whether she could see Michelle Obama launching her own “Michelle” magazine after she leaves the White House: What’s funny is I don’t think she would, but I have to tell you, it crossed my mind because I thought what is she going to do after the White House? I don’t know what she’s going to do; I can’t guess.
On her most pleasant moment: Traveling with her (the first lady) and learning everything, I’d have to say was the most amazing time at More so far.
On what keeps her up at night: What keeps me up at night? Well, we have the event; we have a whole social commerce thing that’s going to be launched at the event, which will be on the 29th. So, I have to make sure that goes well. And a lot of the funds are going to go to the “Let’s Ensure That Every Girl Can Learn” program which is very, very needed.
And before you read the lightly edited Mr. Magazine™ exclusive behind-the-scenes conversation with Lesley Jane Seymour, Editor-In-Chief, More magazine, click below on the video to watch the making of the July/August cover of More magazine.
Samir Husni: Tell me about this coup. This is the first time in the history of American magazines and the White House that a first lady has ever guest-edited a magazine.
Lesley Jane Seymour: I know, isn’t it exciting? This is how it went, Samir. When I first came to More, I was looking around for a woman who was not necessarily a Hollywood celebrity who would embody what the More woman would be.
And Michelle Obama was sort of on the scene, in the background of her husband running for office and she just seemed like the exact person of who the More woman would be in my mind when I took over the job seven years ago, which was somebody incredibly accomplished, very intelligent and intellectual, stylish and who was going to have or was already having some kind of major impact on the world.
I asked her then if she would do the cover and at that point she was just the senator’s wife and luckily they agreed. My deal was if her husband received the nomination, she would go on the cover, if not, she would be inside anyway. We hired a wonderful writer from the Wall Street Journal and it was a fabulous piece. It was very serious and it looked at both sides of who she was.
So, we went and we photographed her in Chicago in a hotel room and I have to tell you, from that day-one, she was a big hugger. It was really funny because at the last minute my photographer asked did I want to have a picture taken with her and I hadn’t planned on it. I’m about 5ft. 3in. and I just sort of ran in to the photo and stood there and I was literally in her armpit. (Laughs)
Samir Husni: (Laughs too).
Lesley Jane Seymour: So the photographer ran to get a box for me to stand on and I felt this rubbing on my back. And I looked around to see who was rubbing my back and it was her. She’s just an incredibly warm and down-to-earth person.
The funny thing is that happened again after our interview in the White House for this issue; we finished our interview, finished going through all her photos and I got up to shake her hand and she gave me this big hug. She’s just a warm and interesting person and she is so More. She’s just exactly who this woman is.
And then the second time, she of course went on to become first lady. But I ran her before she was first lady. I gave her that first national magazine cover. Then when she became first lady, everybody put her on the cover.
The cover we did two years later, when she was first lady, was a knockout bestseller. So, what do you do when you have a bestseller? You look at all the ratings from consumers about the first lady. And in one poll that centers on the most admired women in the world, she’s been the number two the entire time she’s been in the White House. People really, really love her and all the things she does.
So I had this bestseller, what was I going to do? I couldn’t go back and repeat what I just did which was a story all about her mentoring in the White House. You need a scoop, right? We’re journalists, you can’t just go back and put a pretty face on the cover and hope somebody is going to buy the magazine.
I’m kind of a kooky person and always have been. When I was at Marie Claire and Redbook, I used to have these meetings which I called “Crazy Idea Meetings” and the idea was: bring your biggest and most fantastic, crazy idea that you think a consumer would want to see or read. Don’t worry about the expense; don’t worry about whether it’s logical or not. And I used to give them the example of, let’s say, an idea about putting someone on an airplane and sending them to China to do something; we’ll talk about it and if it’s a great idea I’ll figure out a way to sell it somehow.
So, along with those crazy ideas come my own ideas. And I said, OK, what’s the craziest thing that I could ask Mrs. Obama to do? What would be crazy? Ask her to edit the issue, right? So, I did. And I thought, of course, they’re going to say no, she’s the first lady. But they said yes.
And I remember, I came back from having lunch with her team and I called Jeannine Shao Collins, who was my publisher, and I told her, don’t say anything, but I think we have the scoop of a lifetime, but it can’t be true. They’re going to go back to their offices, they’re going to think about it and they’re going to say, oh no, we can’t do this.
And I made her sit on it for three months. Of course, she’s a great partner and she was excited and saying, I want to call everybody; I want to get everything set. And lo and behold, no one changed their minds and once we got started on it, it was a reality.
The hilarious part is Tina Tchen, who is Mrs. Obama’s chief of staff, as we were doing the photography in the White House, originally they give you a half hour to shoot a cover, we usually take a day, but she was enjoying herself so much it went on for like a whole hour, and Tina was in the background and we were talking and watching it go on and she turned to me and said, you know, if we’d had any idea how hard this was going to be, we wouldn’t have done it. (Laughs) And I was thinking, I know and that’s why I’m glad you had no idea. (Laughs again)
Samir Husni: (Laughs too).
Lesley Jane Seymour: And when I would see her at parties, month after month, she’d keep saying to me, so much detail, so much detail. (Laughs) And I was like, you thought I had a hard job; I do have a hard job. (Laughs again) So, it’s really become a running joke between us.
But here we are and it’s all worked out. The hardest part was we were going to release it a week earlier and then we had to sit on it for another week and we were afraid everything was going to pop out. That’s a really interesting managerial thing when you’ve got a magazine shipping and you’re trying to sit on something really big.
They were incredible to work with. I backed up the production of the issue by four months because I thought this would be crazy, everything we do will have to be seen by 25,000 people and it’s going to take forever. But we were done a month early. And we worked with their staff; we didn’t bring in any extra help. It was really incredible; they run such a tight ship. And we also run a really tight ship.
I have to say, I’m here in Italy and I forgot, after waiting and waiting all year practically; I forgot that it was releasing finally and then all of these emails started coming in and I said, oh right, that’s why I’m Italy; I’m fried, completely fried. (Laughs)
Samir Husni: Did she know that she would be the first of the first ladies ever to guest-edit a magazine?
Lesley Jane Seymour: That was not why she did it. She did it because they were starting to think about legacy. The reason why and one of the points that nobody has made yet is this is what print can do. Print is so different. Print is something that lives on forever. It’s not a commercial; it’s not a webpage; it’s not a posting; it lives on and it’s a document. And I think that’s what’s so lovely about it.
She didn’t know and I didn’t know; none of us knew that this was a first really until the very end and we started talking about PR and somebody said, I don’t even remember who it was, but I believe it was somebody on my team, and they said this is the first time a first lady has ever done this before. And I remember responding, what, really? And then we started researching and they researched and indeed, it turned out to be true. But none of us went into it thinking that.
The way my team and I look at magazines, and I’ve done this for so many years with so many teams, is I’m always looking to surprise my reader. I feel very much like it’s a marriage, especially with the people who subscribe. And what I always say to my team is every now and then you have to show up at the front door naked except for the Saran Wrap, just to keep it sexy. And you always have to look for something that is interesting and different. And how do you surprise them?
So, I was really looking to surprise and they were looking for new things that she could do that would be fun, interesting and would fit with who she is. She remembered very well our first cover together, which she loved. And she loved the second cover. And then they dove in. Obviously, way before they understood what they were getting into. (Laughs)
Samir Husni: (Laughs too).
Lesley Jane Seymour: But they are so happy. In fact, everyone is very happy with it. She Tweeted it out. I don’t know if you saw it on her Instagram? We didn’t go into this thinking that we were doing a “first.” If you sit down as an editor and try to come up with something historic; you’re never going to do it. You have to back into it. (Laughs) That’s the lesson I guess. Sometimes you back into these things; you can’t plan it.
Samir Husni: Obviously, you’ve hit the jackpot. When you mentioned the power of print, recently with Vanity Fair’s cover of Caitlyn Jenner and now the first lady guest-editing More; what more do you think, no pun intended, it’s going to take to get this message that if you really want to be permanent; if you really want to be a “document,” print is the only way?
Lesley Jane Seymour: We didn’t know about the Caitlyn release, of course, hilariously, right? And so the two, I think, go together in an amazing way for all of us in the print industry to say you cannot do this without print. There are certain things you cannot do. You cannot create history, and in a way, Caitlyn is history too; you just can’t create history without print. The closest thing you have is a documentary film, but you have to run it every time you want to see it. You can’t just pick it up and leave it on your coffee table.
There are certain things, as we know; I’m here in Italy and I look at books from the Florentine ages which are preserved in churches and I’m constantly reminded of the fact that print really does matter. It’s an extraordinary medium that cannot be surpassed. And as trendy as all the other stuff gets, there are things that print can do that nothing else can.
Recently, it’s been incredible. We’ve been showing the world what print can do.
And the first lady can have this and that’s what I said to them. She’ll have this fabulous document and they have something that goes back and talks about all of their programs and there’s fun stuff in there, and in a way, it is part of the legacy. It’s something that they can look back at. It can be passed down to their children.
Print is not dead; it’s very much alive and if someone hasn’t gotten that message from the recent ink on paper wonders that we’ve had, then they must have been hiding under a rock. (Laughs) I think it’s been an amazing time for magazines. If you look at our recent weeks; it’s been amazing for print journalism and for showing how muscular and how relevant we are.
Samir Husni: You’ve been at More now for seven years and this year you’ve reinvented More. Tell me about the process that took the magazine from what it was to what it is today. And by the way, it was a good magazine then, but you’ve created a better magazine now; tell me about that process.
Lesley Jane Seymour: Again, as I said, you have to keep evolving, especially in print. And the speed with which we have to evolve has increased. In the old days, you could evolve your print product once every five or ten years, or whatever, and we’ve all watched as it began to move faster and faster.
The irony is, and the weirdest thing for me is, to get to seven years and you can clearly see what this product needs to be and because of who the consumer is, I mean it could have always been this thing, but nobody was ready and it wasn’t the right timing for jumping forward and just going for that very upscale, luxury consumer.
We have a very high-household income; we have the highest household income of any woman’s magazine out there period. But the way that the magazine fit into the Meredith constellation; it had to be a part of the Meredith sisterhood, so it had to be a service magazine and it always was. It was always a better service magazine.
What’s wonderful is that now we’re allowed to walk away from the old heritage, partly because of Jeannine Shao Collins, who’s my new publisher, she came on in May 2014, and we can say we’ve tried all the other things and the evolution of the woman that we own and nobody else owns is this highly-educated, high-household income, high-influencer person, if you look at all the MRI, and it’s time to give her the package that she wants. So, let’s try it.
And the wonderful thing is Meredith was game. It’s seven years later and in many ways, it was a lesson in hanging in there. You never know what your product can be in the end. It can keep evolving. And we’re not trained to do that as editors; we’re trained to think when we walk in that first day we’re going to make our changes, we’re going to have an imprint and that’s it. And I think it has to do with our time and what’s happening in print. I think that there’s an interesting message in that things keep evolving and if you are an intelligent, forward-looking editor and you keep pushing ahead, people will follow you.
And so we finally got a broader format; we got better paper and better advertisers and hopefully Michelle Obama will catapult us right to where we want to be, which is with our own kind of little signet in many ways. Does that make sense?
Samir Husni: Oh yes, it makes a lot of sense. I am really amazed with the revival of More. Rather than focusing on women who are over 40, you have broadened that style and substance demographic.
Lesley Jane Seymour: And that was terrifying. To take More out of that box that it was born in, those are the words that make editors cry. When your management comes to you and says take the baby out of the box that it was born in, that’s when you take out your tissues and start crying and begging them to not make you do that. (Laughs)
And the really interesting thing is, I think we’ve done it. There are some women who miss the over-40 box, but the subtext of the magazine from day-one has always been a smarter, more intelligent magazine for women who cared about the world. That was always there and became a layer for women over 40. Now, if we’d had no substance other than the 40 moniker, we would have been dead. But because we always had that, it was terrifying, I won’t say that it wasn’t, but because of our substance we were able to tear away the top layer and be left with the subtext, which is a smarter, more intelligent magazine for women 30, 40, 50-plus.
If you look at the magazine as really all of me in there, because as someone pointed out to me, who only did the redesign, I had forgotten that it has my Women’s Wear memory in there, which was we used our best of the best opening pages, which are just beautiful photos, but they have deep captions and serious merchandising research from the industry. We talk to retailers and people like that, and the designer said oh, that’s a Women’s Wear Daily thing and I had forgotten.
But that’s what’s great; you can take all of your history and you can apply it, once you know who the consumer is. And my consumer has said to me since we went with the style and substance; I’ve had people who write in and say I picked up the magazine because I’m a woman of style and substance. And it grabbed them.
Samir Husni: I love the style and substance tagline, it’s wonderful. Lesley, tell me, what has been the major stumbling block through these seven years that you’ve had to face and how did you overcome it?
Lesley Jane Seymour: The major stumbling block has been the general contraction in print. It’s a tough time. This is not like editing back in the 90s; it’s not. Every day it’s scary out there. I think the thing that you really have to do is you have to be creative; you have to keep moving forward no matter what happens and no matter what cuts people make, no matter what’s going on around you; you just have to keep moving forward. And your vision has to be really strong. If you waver at all right now; if your focus is mushy or bounces back and forth or bounces all around, you just can’t do that.
I can tell you one thing through the whole seven years, even when we did our first small renovation, the voice that I started with is the same voice. And I’ve always spoken to my reader as if she was me and I have never spoken down to her at all. I always speak to her as if she were intelligent and as if she gets everything. We use big words and we use long articles when we want to, when it’s the right item. I have never looked down on my consumer and I think that’s why she’s stayed with me. I respect her intelligence and I respect her hard work. She doesn’t have to agree with me, but we talk to her like that woman who we respect.
And we also don’t fall for a lot of the stuff. One of the hardest things for new people coming to the magazine to realize, and it’s funny because I have someone as a beauty director now that I’ve hired for the fourth time and she came from Real Simple. And she was being so nicey-nice, everything was just nicey-nice and she was always telling nice things about the products that we were reviewing. And I was like no-no; you have to tell them what you think about the product too. She said really? And I was like yes, you have to tell them both sides or they’re not going to believe you. We have to be frank with our audience and tell them the truth. The BS meter is so high and you can’t try and pull the wool over their eyes. You have to be really honest.
And if you read my editor’s letter which is the best-read thing in the magazine; the reason why they like it is I don’t talk about what’s in the magazine, I talk about my life and what’s going on with me. I might hook it into something that’s going on in the magazine. The only times that I do is like with the Michelle Obama issue; I talked about following her to Asia and how that all worked in.
My whole thing has always been brutal honesty, even when I started at YM. You have to be brutally honest and if you can’t tell the reader the truth about your life and if you can’t reflect the truth about your life with her, you’re not going to connect. Just recapping the table of contents there; who needs it?
Samir Husni: Do you feel Mrs. Obama, the first lady, was able to capture that channeling and conversation with the readers in this issue?
Lesley Jane Seymour: Yes, I mean, you’ll see. She brought in so many of her own ideas. She wrote two editor’s letters, she wasn’t happy with just one, she wrote an end letter also. You’ll have to see all the great stuff that it’s in there. It is very, very her.
And that’s what is cool about it too. The other two issues we did with her were about her, this is from her point of view. That’s part of the surprise, Samir, is that it’s not just about her. She does a lot of magazines and it’s an interview with her. This is from her point of view; what’s important and interesting to her. Who are interesting writers and storytellers; who are the people on her staff that she cares about when she wants to talk. It’s interesting and different.
She and I sat down and did a long conversation about her favorite photos from her time in the White House and when her husband was running for office and it was phenomenal. You may have seen some of these photos, but you don’t know the real stories. And that was what was so interesting. At the end of that conversation I said to her, you have to explain this to me, how do you live in this house, because we were in the White House; how do you stay so grounded? She is the most grounded person. I know people in the fashion business that don’t live in the White House, but have so many airs, just because they’re working for some fancy designer or something like that.
And she is so, so much herself. And she said to me, living here makes you more of whoever you were in the first place. And that was a very interesting thing. And that is really the core of who my reader is and that’s in many ways the core of More, in view of its audience. It’s real women doing amazing things. We do one celebrity; we don’t focus only on celebrities and it’s really about real women doing amazing things in real life. And it has fashion and beauty and all that. We want to be a full lifestyle magazine for our reader.
Samir Husni: This may be a crazy question…
Lesley Jane Seymour: Go ahead. I’ve asked crazy and people have said yes.
Samir Husni: (Laughs) Do you ever envision the first lady after her experience guest-editing; do you see her, after leaving the White House, launching Michelle Magazine?
Lesley Jane Seymour: What’s funny is I don’t think she would, but I have to tell you, it crossed my mind because I thought what is she going to do after the White House? I don’t know what she’s going to do; I can’t guess. But I wouldn’t be surprised to find her doing something with the “Let Girls Learn” initiative that I know is very important to her and why I followed her to Asia when she launched “Let Girls Learn” and to watch her in action and in how she related to the kids and how they related to her. Or maybe something in the fashion industry; the fashion industry loves her.
She is very much my consumer, Samir. She is really a woman of substance and style because when you watch her get off a plane, I have to tell you that was such an extraordinary experience. You really see because she is so stylish, attractive, and smart and she does so much; when she comes down those stairs, there is pixie dust in the air. It’s a little Disney. She has something that not everyone has. So, I’m going to be really interested to see what she does.
Samir Husni: What has been your most pleasant moment in these seven years at More?
Lesley Jane Seymour: It doesn’t get any better than this. I have to say traveling with her was amazing. I didn’t travel on her plane; I had to chase her around, which was even more fun. I love getting out of my skin and I love learning.
Traveling with her and learning everything, I’d have to say was the most amazing time at More so far.
Samir Husni: My typical last question; what keeps you up at night?
Lesley Jane Seymour: What keeps me up at night? Well, we have the event; we have a whole social commerce thing that’s going to be launched at the event, which will be on the 29th. So, I have to make sure that goes well.
And a lot of the funds are going to go to the “Let Girls Learn” program which is very, very needed. If you have access to my editor’s letter that I wrote; you’ll see that the program is all about putting girls into school so that they can get an education and don’t end up in young marriages or violent marriages or sex trafficking, any of that stuff.
The day after we were done traveling, I had a day for myself in Cambodia and so I jumped in a Tuk-Tuk to go to what’s called the floating market. And I went to see this school and I write about it in my editor’s letter, and this was right after watching Mrs. Obama and the first lady of Cambodia talk to these young girls who wanted to get an education and were at a government boarding school. And I was taken by the kids who drive the boats to the school and they want you to pay money and give to the school as a charity.
This young little girl, maybe five-years-old, grabbed my finger, my pinky, and she was wearing a nightgown, this beautiful young child, and it’s a floating school, it’s on pontoons. She walked me around to the back and like in America, you thought she was going to show you a pet or her bedroom or her books, something like that.
Instead, she turned to me when we got to a private spot and pointed to the ground and said, for a dollar I give love. At which point I nearly fell apart and I said excuse me. And she said it again. She’d been trained. I guess if she was five, she didn’t see the difference between a woman and a man or maybe it didn’t matter.
And you went really just said oh my God, this is why we need this program. Those kinds of things to me are important. The fact that I get to do that being an editor is so amazing. I mean, who gets to do that? That’s pretty amazing.
And then to go out there and to help raise funds to change that. The power of words, as you know, there is nothing like the power of words. It changes worlds.
Putting my money where my mouth is, I am publishing a host of Mr. Magazine™ Interviews in a book this coming mid August. The book, Inside The Great Minds Of Magazine Makers, contains interviews with 30 “Magazine Makers” that first appeared on this blog. Believing that the only way for great works to be permanent is to be in print, I am taking 27 of those interviews and publishing them in a 240-page-book. The book is published by the Magazine Innovation Center at The University of Mississippi and printed by Trend Offset.
Mr. Magazine 