WHAT’S BLACK AND WHITE AND RED ALL OVER? — Roger Black is a pioneer. His art direction of iconic print brands and high-profile redesigns, his early embrace of digital publishing technology, and his typographic innovations are hallmarks of a 50-year, trailblazing career. He’s refined his design mastery at publications ranging from Rolling Stone to E…

THE SLOWER THE BETTER — Given that this is the final show of the season, it is perhaps a bit poetic that our guest today is Rob Orchard from Delayed Gratification. Not that we would plan an episode around a bad pun. Not us. Delayed Gratification is media created to comment on, and offer a counterpoint to, the media. Rob Orchard and his team met eac…

RICHARD TURLEY CAN’T STOP, WON’T STOP — Richard Turley is changing the idea of the magazine. Richard Turley has no idea what a magazine is in the year 2024. And in this sense, he is not so different from you or I. Richard Turley’s magazines—and there are many—are confrontations, loaded with text, or not, sometimes, but if you ask him, he’s not sure…

IT’S COMPLICATED — If Teen Vogue’s editorial still surprises you, it might be time to admit that this says more about you than it does about Teen Vogue. And also, perhaps, that you haven’t been paying attention. Teen Vogue is not the first magazine aimed at “the young” of course, and it’s not the first one to address multiple issues. But…Teen Vogue…

THE FIFTH — I want you to stop what you’re doing for just a moment and imagine we’re back in 1998. (Those of you born since then will have to use your imagination). We’re on an ASME panel exploring the future of magazines in the digital age. The moderator, eager to get the discussion off to a lively start, turns to you and asks, “What magazine that…

THE FINE ART OF MAGAZINE MAKING — Imagine this: You’re a 42-year-old designer who’s only worked at one magazine. Ever. Then one day, unexpectedly, you’re tasked to lead the design of that magazine. Now imagine that the magazine is universally lauded as a design masterpiece. Add to that, your immediate predecessors have both been enshrined into ever…

THE CHERRY ON TOP — Cherry Bombe is a full-course meal. Its founder, Kerry Diamond, created the magazine after working in titles like Women’s Wear Daily and Harper’s Bazaar, and after working for brands like Lancôme. And in the restaurant industry. She worked in restaurants at a time when everything culinary was in the ascendance in the zeitgeist. …

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER — In early April, what’s left of the magazine industry gathered at Terminal 5 to see who would win this year’s National Magazine Awards—the ASMEs. Throughout the evening, the usual suspects stepped up to accept their Alexander Calder brass elephants—the ‘Ellies’—on behalf of their teams at The Atlantic, New York, and The New …

WELCOME TO THE GREAT OUTDOORS — Mountain Gazette is one of those media … things … that only long-time fans really know about, with a long and colorful history. A kind of Village Voice of the outdoors, the first incarnation (1966) of the magazine was about mountains and for “mountain people”—a lifestyle magazine for those who weren’t interested in e…

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER — A good editor can, theoretically, edit any magazine, regardless of genre. But in some cases, you need an outsider to make things right. To see the forest for the trees. To that end, Janice Min has planted acres of forests—one tree at a time—on both coasts, where the Colorado-born editor considers herself an outsider. “I car…

EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN — Emma Rosenblum is a best selling author and is about to release a new novel. But that’s not why she’s here. As the chief content officer at Bustle Digital Group, overseeing content and strategy for titles like Bustle, Elite Daily, and Nylon, she has witnessed some if not all of the massive shifts and changes in the med…

DESIGN, BUILD, AND MODIFY — In his mid-20s, Scott Dadich told his editor at Texas Monthly, Evan Smith, that he wanted his job. A move like that is a combination of arrogance, youth, and frankly, balls. But you should also know that Dadich is an engineer. And what do engineers do? Well, according to one definition in Merriam-Webster, they “skillfull…

THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE OF THINGS — The Bed. The Window. The Rope. The Sink. The Cabinet. The Ball. The Trousers. The Desk. The Rug. The Bottle. The Chain. The Log. The Letter. These aren’t random words thrown together, nor am I reading a list of things I need to buy—though stop for a moment and admire the poetry and cadence of the list. No, those w…

No ‘Visions of Loveliness’ — Picture it: It’s 1991. You’re sitting at your desk at The New York Times, when you get a call from the office of Condé Nast’s Alexander Liberman. Alex wants to meet you for lunch at La Grenouille to discuss an opportunity: Si Newhouse has decided to launch the first-ever beauty magazine, and he thinks you’re just the wo…

STRING THEORY — Media, and most every brand in general, talks a lot about building and nurturing a community. Tribes, even. Finding one, inserting yourself into it, and then making your message an integral part of it. And what activity creates a more loyal community, than sports? If there is the ultimate niche audience, sports is it. It goes withou…

WHAT'S RED AND YELLOW AND ORANGE ALL OVER? — The images are iconic. And you know who they depict. They may be the most unforgettable magazine covers to emerge from the chaos of the late 2010s. Why are they so effective? Because of the implicit understanding of what’s being said between artist and audience—without a word being spoken. Using just thr…

Saveur was always a little different from the other food magazines. It was not exactly highbrow, but it did expand the definition of what a food magazine could be. If anything, it was a magazine about culture—centered on food, sure—but also about places, and things, and people. It was a magazine for foodies before the word “foodie” was invented—and…

THE LAST EMPEROR — It might be difficult to remember, at least for our younger listeners, how vast the Time-Life empire was. At its height, during the John Huey dynasty of the late 1990s/early 2000s, the company published over 100 magazines. Quite a rise from its humble beginning in 1922, when Henry Luce launched Time as the country’s first newswee…

Jeremy Leslie is a magazine person. A lifer. He has had his hands in a diverse group of publications and media, including Time Out, The Guardian, Blitz, and many others. Since 2006, he has led magCulture, which started out as a research project, became a well respected blog, but now includes a retail outlet in London, a consultancy, events and conf…

MY EFFING CAREER — When you’re born in a town called Media, your career path is pretty much preordained. It has to be, right? And when you end up leading the design teams at blue-chip magazine brands at Condé Nast, Hearst, and Time Inc., the prophecy is then fully realized. (Yes, I just watched Dune). But the journey in between is not as cushy as y…

Introducing our new podcast all about the future of magazines — and the magazines of the future. Check out episode 1, our interview with Vanity Fair editor-in-chief Radhika Jones. — Radhika Jones was named editor in chief of Vanity Fair in November 2017, the fifth editor in the magazine’s storied history. Her hiring was met with some surprise, and …

THE ULTIMATE HYPHENATE — Rochelle Udell is many things. She is all of these things: teacher, ad woman, vice president, founder, wife, creative director, mentor, chair woman, student, marketer, graduate, design director, editor-in-chief, mother, chief talent officer, executive vice president, collector, president, meditator, internet strategist, par…

THE NEW YORK OBSERVER — “I finally went up to Graydon and I said, ‘Hey, you know, I know you like me. I know you wanted me to be here, but I can also do covers.’” • • • That’s today’s guest, Mark Seliger. He’s the same Mark Seliger who, at the moment of this exchange with Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter, had already shot over 180 covers for Rolli…

A CRIME OF ATTITUDE — As George Bernard Shaw once said, “England and America are two countries separated by the same language.” Turns out it may be more than just the language. Early in my career it became clear the British were coming. The first wave arrived when I was an editor at New York magazine: Jon Bradshaw, Anthony Hayden-Guest, Julian Alle…

The Prime of Mr. Neville Brody — “Once you have broken down the rules, literally anything is possible.’” In the business of magazine design, few names resonate as profoundly as Neville Brody. And, to this day, he lives by those words. Renowned for his groundbreaking work and commitment to pushing design boundaries at magazines like The Face, Arena,…

One Eye on the World — “When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies? Perhaps to be too practical is madness. To surrender dreams, this may be madness. To seek treasure where there is only trash. Too much sanity may be madness. And maddest of all, to see life as it is, not as it should be!” — Don Quixote de la Mancha Monocle, the br…

A Style All Her Own — This summer, our first collaboration with The Spread—the Episode 21 interview with former Cosmopolitan Editor-in-Chief Joanna Coles—became our most-listened-to episode ever. Now Rachel Baker and Maggie Bullock are back, and this time they’re speaking with another game-changing woman in media: Stella Bugbee, the editor of The N…

Today’s guest, the celebrated photographer Albert Watson, OBE, is a man on the move. This is not a recent development. Watson’s professional journey began in Scotland in 1959, where he studied mathematics at night. His day job? Working for the Ministry of Defense plotting courses—speed, altitude, distance, payload—for British missiles pointed towar…

Designing Her Life — It’s impossible to look at Gail Anderson’s body of work and not be reminded of the limitless potential of design. A traditional biography might pinpoint her education at the School of Visual Arts in the early eighties as her launchpad. But Gail actually kicked off her career much earlier when, as a kid, she created and designed…

The Accidental Editor-in-Chief — Today’s guest, Terry McDonell, is the kind of editor you fear based on reputation, but would probably run through a wall for at 3am on deadline day. As for that reputation, I’ve never worked with McDonell, but a simple Google search fills the screen with an undeviating set of impressions like these: “he helped defin…

An Englishman in New York — If you can count yourself among the lucky ones who’ve met Robert Priest in person, any chance you remember what you were wearing? Well, fear not: He does. According to his business partner, the designer Grace Lee, Priest possesses a near-photographic memory of how people present themselves. And those first impressions la…

A Revolution from Within — This episode is about a girl from East Toledo, Ohio. A girl who taught herself to read by devouring comic books, horse stories, and Louisa May Alcott. A girl who didn’t set foot in a school until she was 14. A young woman who went to India for two years to avoid getting married—to anyone. A young woman who was described b…

It’s a Wonderful LIFE Today’s guest, Bob Ciano, is probably best known as the designer who guided the venerable LIFE magazine into its second chapter, shifting, after five decades as a weekly, to a monthly. But in an era where editors and art directors did not enjoy the downright chummy partnerships we have now, he’s known for a lot more. In his ca…

A Freaking National Treasure By any measure, Anita Kunz has built a dream career. She’s won every award, been inducted into every hall of fame, won every medal and national distinction. When her native Canada ran out of honors to bestow, the country minted a postage stamp in her honor. Over the last 40 years, the Toronto-based illustrator has creat…

All the News that Fit Imagine there’s no sixties. In 1967, today’s guest was a college dropout whose Plan B was to start a rock ’n’ roll magazine. Plan A? “Kicking back, having a good time, delivering letters, and smoking dope all day” as a San Francisco postal worker. But thanks to a nudge from his mentor, Ralph Gleason, and a cash infusion from h…

The Last Celebrity Magazine Editor Hello and welcome to a very special episode of Print Is Dead (Long Live Print!). For our first “pod-nership,” we’ve teamed up with The Spread, the brainchild of two former Elle magazine editors and “work wives,” Rachel Baker and Maggie Bullock, who, in 2021 found themselves wishing for the perfect women’s magazine…

He’s Never Felt More Naked Barry Blitt wants you to laugh at him, not with him. Because laughing with him means you’d have to be where he is. And, “thanks very much,” but he’d rather not. He’s happy enough just drawing for himself. “I’m trying to make myself laugh,” he says. “That’s the point, that’s part of the process, it’s as un-self-conscious a…

When your business partner is Milton Glaser, the most celebrated designer in the world, what does that mean for you? If you’re Walter Bernard, today’s guest, you accept it as the gift it is, and then you go out and make yourself an extraordinary career. Here’s three things you need to know about Walter Bernard: 1) He was the founding art director o…

A Man at His F*#king Best We’re 18 episodes into this podcast, and while several interesting themes have surfaced, one of the more unexpected threads is this: Nearly all magazine-inclined men dream of one day working at Esquire. (Some women, too). Turns out that’s also true for today’s guest. Which is a good thing because that’s exactly what David …

For the past ten or so years, indie magazines have been booming. As digital media platforms relentlessly chase clicks and smartphones paralyze our focus, a host of fresh print publications are taking a slower and more measured approach. Guided by the tenets of the “slow media” movement, this new breed of publishers focuses on correcting the pace of…

Back in April, 1966, Time magazine famously asked America the big question: “Is God Dead?” Thirty years later, as Time Inc.’s Corporate Editor at Large, Dan Okrent posed an equally existential question: “Is Print Dead?” His answer: An unequivocal “yes.” “Finished. Over. Full stop,” he declared in a 1999 lecture at the Columbia School of Journalism.…

If Marianna, Arkansas looks like the kind of place that Walker Evans would’ve photographed, that’s because it is. And it was in that cotton belt town in 1936 that William Paschal Hopkins came to be. Born to Charles, a cotton merchant, and Martha, young Will Hopkins was on a path to follow his father into the cotton business. But thanks to the inter…

Kathy Ryan’s career journey began in Bound Brook, New Jersey, at St Joseph’s Catholic School. Her third grade teacher, Sister Mary William, had a thing for great works of art. And, as it turns out, so did Ryan. “I got it. I so got it. Looking at the pictures and just understanding. It was like, ‘Wow, I get it.’” That understanding of the power of t…

For me, the 1980s comes down to two things: The Nakamichi RX-505 Cassette Deck and Metropolitan Home magazine. First, the gear. The Nakamichi RX-505 was an audiophile’s wet dream. It was prominently featured in the steamy 1986 film, 9½ Weeks. In a scene from that movie, Mickey Rourke walks Kim Basinger into his monochrome Hell’s Kitchen penthouse, …

Everyone Is a Salesman In 1995, New York magazine declared Martha Stewart the “Definitive American Woman of Our Time.” And, as the saying goes (sort of), behind every Definitive American Woman of Our Time is another Definitive American Woman of Our Time. And that’s today’s guest, designer Gael Towey. But let’s back up. It’s 1982, and Martha Stewart…

Adam Moss is probably painting today. He’s not ready to share it. He may never be ready to share it. You see, this ASME Hall of Famer unabashedly labels himself as “tenth rate” with the brush. And he’s okay with that. As Moss explains, it’s not about the painting. After decades of creating some of the world’s great magazines, he is throttling down.…

In this episode of Behind the BOSS, we meet Australian supermodel Jordan Barrett. Having started in the industry at the age of 14, Barrett grew up traveling the world and learning from some of the best. With a clothing line and now an NFT under his belt, we sit down with the young trailblazer to pick his creative brain. Behind the BOSS is a HUGO BO…

In our next episode of Behind the BOSS, we meet Veronica Yoko Plebani. The Italian Paralympic athlete doesn’t dabble in just one sport — she does it all: from snowboarding and paracanoeing to competing in the paratriathlon. Tune in to find out about her personal battles and the resilience she nurtured on her inspiring journey. Behind the BOSS is a …

In this episode, we meet Fred Stauffer. Having grown up around the world, the digital content creator had to learn how to adapt to new cultures, people, and mindsets, fine-tuning a skill that’s helped power his practice. Now, having garnered thousands of followers through his playful videos and interactive online identity, Stauffer is changing how …

In this episode of Behind the BOSS, we chat to Joshua Kissi, a Ghanaian-American creative entrepreneur who specializes in film-making and photography. Much of his work centers around the exploration of identity and widening the breadth of voices that are heard in and around the creative industry. Stay tuned as we dig into conversation with Kissi an…