Magazine Stars Born on the Great White Way

"Find Yourself in Magazines " 
2008 MPA Career Insight Conference Program Recap

The first day of spring: What a fitting day for 300-plus aspiring magazine extraordinaires to descend upon Times Square's Great White Way - where countless stars of tomorrow have launched their paths to success.  Beaming with new talent, attendees gathered to network, attend up to eight panels packed with publishers and editors-in-chief, ask questions and of course - drop resumes, at the Magazine Publishers of America's (MPA) 2nd Annual "Find Yourself in Magazines" Conference.

Right. And not to mention grab some primo swag - a perk that newbies could get used to in this industry.

Peering across the Crown Plaza's grand ballroom, the ethnic diversity was as varied as magazines represented that day, from hip-hop giant, well, GIANT to Country Living. Tireless coordinator Shaunice Hawkins deftly orchestrated four sessions of concurrent panels, which were divided into two groups -- one focused on editorial and career paths versus another focused on publishing (business side) and entrepreneurship. Both groups sessions explored the nemesis of every marketing department: New Media.

Despite the day's packed schedule Hawkins, VP of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs at MPA, not only perked up the groggy morning crowd, but also used her former Wall Street expertise to moderate publishing panel No. 1: Magazine Start-Ups: From Concept to Launch.

Hawkins also estimated that nearly 40% of attendees, based on last year's statistics, trekked in from out-of-state, and that 65%-70% of attendees were college students. The rest were career changers, graduates and entrepreneurs.

But why magazines. And why now, you ask?

Perhaps panelist and former aMagazine (an Asian magazine) founder Jeff Yang put it best: "People don't say 'I'm a Yahoo news reader,' but they do say 'I'm a Cosmo reader, I'm a Newsweek reader' because magazines create a sense of community that readers connect to." It's this draw to glossy pages that brought creative and business hounds to the Big Apple to pursue their passions.

Cracking In
And passions was the magic word of the day, Pee Wee. After listening to the day's four editorial panels, five enthusiastic college girls from Temple University - who started their treks to New York at 4:30 that morning - honed their passions with panelists like Amy Helmus, Staffing Director of Hearst Magazines.

Tips for launching a career in editorial:

-          Recruiters do not think less of applicants from small magazines. They seek passion and experience.

-           Write to a columnist and tell them how you admire his/her work.

-          Do contact HR of parent companies; they feed talent through all units.

-          Work on your college or local papers -- your competition is.

-          Start early: Summer internships are secured by fall one year prior. Some have 3 internships before graduation.

-          Don't just say you'll work anywhere. Seek a specific position - and research it.

-          Focus on your job the first year but explore all depts. Different staffs sit side-by-side.

-          Don't wait for one year reviews - ask for a six month review.

-          Seek mentors - and stay in touch.

Case in point: Panelist and Latina Editor-in-Chief Mimi Valds Ryan met hundreds of interns over the years, but few, she said, have keep in touch. Those that have, she looks out for. One of those interns? Current Glamour articles editor Ayana Byrd, a fellow panelist - Oh, actually, moderator of the panel on which Valds Ryan sat that day.

Let's Talk Business
In the year where Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg cracked the Forbes Billionaire list at the tender age of 23, it's no wonder why the business savvy are flocking to new media, which if launching a magazine, you can't ignore.

Online planning is a minefield that even knowledge-spewing tech guru Lesley Pinckney, Digital Director of Essence Communications admits she makes up as she goes along. Despite its industry-wide ambiguity, she stressed one thing to newbies: There's a thing called Google. Use it before asking technical questions. And when magazines (of course) release their "Top 25 Websites for ..." comb through their newsiest features. Chances are you'll need to crack them too.

At one of four publishing-focused panels that day, Edwin Avent, President & Publisher of Heart & Soul explained how he outsmarted peers snagging a floundering magazine for a mere $60,000 - incurred massive debt, yet spiked its subscription base, launched a health food co-brand and very profitable conference partnerships.

Other career changers and the entrepreneurs learned tricks from Hachette veteran Chuck McCullagh, an MPA Senior Vice President. McCullagh launched Men's Health in the U.K. based on the understanding that British men were drinking too much beer. Numbers of new launches vary widely, depending on the source, he said. There were approximately 700 new magazine launches in 2007. Most tend to be local, city, regional, special-interest and niche magazines. We see a lot of energy in these communities. That said, new magazines have a high casualty rateperhaps as high as 60-70%, largely due to insufficient capital.

Consumer mags alone ring in about $50 million a year. However challenges lie in competing for online integration and high barriers to entry. Looks like the business of magazines could use a conference all its own.

Likewise, former media planner and conference attendee Veena Ramch found it hard to grow in publishing so she hit the books again, as a grad student in marketing at NYU. On that path, panelist Rose Li, Marketing Director of Hearst Magazines added some advice.

For those unsure about entering editorial vs. publishing:

-          With better pay in business comes added pressure. Try hitting target numbers with that feature lead.

-          Money is always better from the side generating revenue (that would be publishing).

-          Hours are more flexible on business side, but still quite long. (Thanks, 10 second deadlines of online reporting.)

-          Like in editorial, there's a hierarchy in publishing. But some editors-in-chief are as young as 25.

-          In business, you need contacts and experience - can't fake analytics. Well, at least you shouldn't.

Rounding out the jam packed day of networking breaks, mentoring lunches and inspiring speeches were discussions by top notch panelists: Amy DuBois Barnett, Ex-Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Harpers Bazaar and the first black woman to head a major consumer mag, Teen People; Andrew Kantner, Senior Director of Staffing, Rodale (Prevention, Men's Health) who seeks talent at these conferences; his staff was recently cut to just two people.

Other panelists included: Derek Dingle, Executive Editor, Black Enterprise; Samantha Fennell, Associate Publisher, Elle; Genevieve Marlin Fernandez, Editor-in-Chief, Selecciones (Spanish version of Prevention); Charlotte Barnard, Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Country Living; and many others from top companies like Fortune/Money, Real Simple, Time Inc., GQ, Meredith, Uptown, Newsweek, Wmagazine.com, People en Espaol and Readers Digest.

With nearly 50 panelists and mentors, the benefit was clear for both sides: Professionals can put a finger on the pulse of publishing's next generation, while newcomers learned how navigate the industry's rough but manageable waters. Panelists also admitted, however, that they too were sitting in those note taking seats themselves - some not too long ago, like Newsweek Marketing Assistant Kory Saunders who attended the conference just last year.

And thanks to conferences like these, perhaps these students, too, can find themselves on that podium in no time.

Janie Ho is a contributor to amNewYork, a newspaper with Manhattan's largest daily circulation, and a former reporter for BusinessWeek Online. Her work has appeared on MSNBC.com, NYTimes.com and CBSNews.com.