David Granger: Esquire Innovator

Editor Granger championing his craft

During a time when many business leaders are rushing to innovate and invest in the new media revolution, David Granger, Editor-in-Chief of Esquire, still believes in the sanctity and possibilities of print. Perfectly selected to deliver  the closing address of the magazine program at  NYU’s  Summer Publishing Institute, Granger affirmed: “Magazines are capable of magic. That’s what I wanted to show.” Demonstrating Esquire’s playfully imaginative print innovations, he did just that to a riveted audience of aspiring publishing professionals—myself included.

Secrets of the Freelance Life

Being stood up by Britney Spears in Las Vegas, going on free vacations, and filing stories from sweatshops in Mexico all come with the territory, a panel of freelance journalists told students at NYU’s Summer Publishing Institute (SPI).

Virginia Sole-Smith

As Donna Sapolin, Magazine Director of SPI, deftly moderated, four top freelance writers and editors generously shared secrets and advice about how to get published happily and steadily in some of America’s leading publications. How to get started? Virginia Sole-Smith, who has filed stories from sweatshops in Mexico and whose bylines appear in the Progressive, the New York Times, Martha Stewart Living, and Elle, among other publications, suggested setting up a schedule to help keep on track. When she was starting out, she made a list of potential stories and publications which might run them, and then resolved to pitch three stories a week. Within three months, Sole-Smith was a published journalist. “Set your own goals and deadlines and be strict with yourself,” she emphasized.

Meet Adam Moss

Editor Moss at NYU's Center for Publishing

New York magazine is a mindset, according to its Editor-in-Chief, Adam Moss, and students in NYU’s Summer Publishing Institute were given the opportunity to probe that mindset during a question-and-answer session with the man who has run the weekly for six years.

“It’s a magazine about a way of looking at the world,” Moss said, as cover images of Lindsey Lohan, LeBron James, and Caroline Kennedy, among many more, streamed across a screen, delineating the magazine’s prolific range of topics. “Even though we’re out there against a sea of other publications, we feel we have something to offer,” Moss said. And those who critique the world of magazines agree. This year, New York won four National Magazine Awards, including General Excellence in its category, 250,000 to 500,000; NYmag.com won a General Excellence National Magazine Award for the second year in a row.  Moss and his team of editors achieve such renown through an uncanny eye for putting unique spins on local and national news stories, and by staying one step ahead of the competition.

Mobile Mania at SPI

Matt Bean chats with a Summer Publishing Institute student while Michael Gutkowski looks on

“To infinity and beyond!” said Matt Bean at the opening of the NYU Summer Publishing Institute panel discussion on mobile publishing applications. While Bean, brand editor for Rodale‘s Men’s Health and Women’s Health, is no Buzz Lightyear, he was referring to the optimistic outlook the magazine industry has on its own technological Toy Story. The three top digital executives on the panel enthusiastically agreed.

A magazine’s mobile extension is easy, Bean said. For one, there are no page constraints, so content is limitless. And thankfully, the consumers are there and ready. Twenty-one percent of the mobile market already has a smartphone, and there are at least 200 apps listed in the Magazine Publishers of America (MPA) registry alone.  In fact, in 2010 mobile ad spending totaled $10 billion and is expected to increase to $32 billion by 2013. While these revenue statistics are certainly encouraging, Bean emphasized that of 10 total app downloads, 8 or 9 are for free apps — a conundrum for publishers and consumer marketers alike.

Maga-Brand Awareness

Bill Stump, Doug Brod, Mia Haugen, Kristen Schultz, Elizabeth Mayhew

“So, where are all the men?” Bill Stump, panel moderator and Senior Vice President and Executive Director at Rodale, jokingly asked upon entering the room for the “Magazines as Multi-Platform Brands” panel discussion on the first day of the Summer Publishing Institute (SPI) at NYU. (Like the publishing industry itself, the student body at SPI is largely female.) After a laugh, 105 publishing students, Bill Stump and four executives from influential national magazines settled in to discuss the power and importance of the brand. On hand for the conversation: Doug Brod, Editor of SPIN; Kristen Schultz Dollard, Digital Director of SELF; Mia Haugen, Managing Editor of Forbes; and Elizabeth Mayhew, VP and Editor-in-Chief of Brand Content at Woman’s Day.

All About “O”

O's Jill Seelig Makes a Point

When it comes to the publisher’s role in a magazine, selling pages to advertisers is just the beginning.  Jill Seelig, Vice President and Publisher of O, The Oprah Magazine, spoke to students at NYU’s 2010 Summer Publishing Institute to explain the rest of the process.

Seelig proudly announced that she, “absolutely loves magazine publishing.” Her message was one shared by her eager audience.  In addition to passion, however,  Seelig echoed other presenters when she said this generation will need to understand digital media inside and out. Not only are consumers and editors keeping up with the move to digital, noted Seelig. Advertisers, too, want to be on the cutting edge. “Digital doesn’t mean that print is dead,” said Seelig. “It means we need to combine all media assets and offer advertisers ways to reach consumers through multiple outlets.”

The Future of Print: Bo Sacks Speaks at SPI

Bo Sacks gives the keynote speech on Day 1 of the Summer Publishing Institute

In his animated and lively presentation, Bo Sacks, owner of The Precision Media Group, told the students attending NYU’s 2010 Summer Publishing Institute that while print is not dead, it will not be the primary way to read in the future. His State of the Union address directed toward SPI’s aspiring media professionals offered a glimpse into the blurring lines between print and digital media.