Welcome to Technology for Publishing’s roundup of news about women’s roles, contributions, and achievements in the evolving media business. This latest installment highlights Architectural Digest EIC Amy Astley’s digital success, women who are disrupting the status quo in media and tech, how CEO Bonnie Kintzer made Trusted Media Brands a top digital lifestyle network, NewBeauty President Agnes Chapski’s plan to fill a market void, and more.
Designing a Digital Future
Architectural Digest’s digital transformation is well under way under the leadership of EIC Amy Astley, who joined the publication two years ago. Astley, who started out at House & Garden and then spent 10 years at Vogue, where she was a founding editor of Teen Vogue, says her strategy of focusing on breaking news and showcasing celebrity homes is delivering some impressive results: Traffic in February reached an all-time high, increasing 80% year-over-year across platforms; the brand has increased its Instagram following by 82% since last year, to 2.6 million followers; video views in March alone totaled 64 million, a year-over-year increase of 2,033%, and print subscriptions have increased 34% since 2016 to boot. In a Forbes interview, Astley details what’s behind the brand’s success and shares what her days look like, her most important role, and advice for young professional women.
Breaking Down Barriers
Adweek published its second annual Disruptor list, highlighting women who are challenging the status quo in media, advertising, and tech and pushing for greater inclusion and diversity. The list includes “executives, entrepreneurs, and innovators [who] have taken the lead, upending existing power dynamics while breaking down one barrier after another,” it says. Media leaders recognized this year include Women in the World CEO Tina Brown, CBS vice president Antoinette Clarke, NBCUniversal SVP Denise Colella, Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, and Libby Leist of the Today Show, and BET Chair and CEO Debra Lee, to name just a few.
Growing Digital Businesses
Trusted Media Brands appointed Bonnie Kintzer CEO in 2014 and today, thanks to a rebranding and reinvention Kintzer launched two years ago, the company is now among the top 25 digital lifestyle networks. Under Kintzer’s leadership, the publisher of popular brands including Taste of Home and Reader’s Digest added 10 million unique views across its digital properities last year, a 20% jump over the previous year, and saw 13% growth in digital advertising. In a Q&A with Chief Executive, Kintzer discusses the new product launches and innovations that are driving TMB’s growth, along with areas in which she plans to expand, what she looks for in new hires, and how she sees her leadership style.
Seizing Opportunity
Agnes Chapski, former publisher and chief revenue officer at Allure, is credited with “growing the brand from a mass-market beauty magazine to a diversified business, replete with a multimillion-dollar portfolio of ancillary revenue lines and brand extensions that generate Condé Nast millions in revenue each year,” according to Folio. Today, Chapski is focused on doing the same at NewBeauty, a quarterly beauty digest launched in 2005. In her role as president of NewBeauty and Beauty Engine, a new marketing services shop, she says her mission is to grow the business by increasing the brand’s visibility across platforms and filling a void in the market. “There is a mass segment of Gen-Xers and baby boomers and women in their 30s or 40s or 50s that is completely being ignored from a media perspective. NewBeauty speaks to that consumer, so we see a phenomenal opportunity,” Chapski says.
Hiring News Roundup
- Kristine Brabson was promoted to executive director of content strategy at Hearst Magazines Digital Media, where she previously was site director of Good Housekeeping and oversaw editorial on House Beautiful, Redbook, and Prevention.
- Sarah Bray, previously a style writer for Town & Country magazine, is now the editor in chief of Gotham.
- Nancy Dubuc is the new chief of Vice Media, replacing co-founder and CEO Shane Smith. Dubuc previously was CEO of A+E Networks.
- Erin Hover was promoted to creative director at Teen Vogue, where she most recently served as senior art director.
- Abbey Klaassen was named president of the New York office of ad agency 360i, having served as chief marketing officer for the firm since 2015. Klaassen had previously served as editor of Advertising Age.
- Melinda Lee was appointed BuzzFeed’s chief content officer, a new position at the digital publisher. Previously, Lee was SVP and general manager of video at Meredith.
- Sarah McConville is now senior vice president and group publisher at Harvard Business Review, where she will head HBR’s global growth in print, digital, and press divisions. A 20-year veteran of HBR, McConville previously served as deputy group publisher, vice president of marketing, and publisher of Harvard Business Review Press.
- Anetta Nowosielska took on the role of editor in chief of Hamptons magazine. Previously, she was EIC of Styled magazine and a contributor for Miami magazine.
- Karla Partilla was named the new publisher of Meredith’s Allrecipes. Partilla previously was VP of strategic sales at marketing platform LiveIntent.
- Gemma Postlethwaite, former CEO of PIRA Energy Group, was appointed CEO of SourceMedia.
- Rachel Rosenfelt was named the new publisher and vice president of The New Republic. Rosenfelt was the founder, publisher, and president of The New Inquiry.
- Brooke Siegel was named VP of content at Hearst Magazines Digital Media, where she had been executive director of editorial strategy.
- Mia Tramz has rejoined Time as editorial director of enterprise and immersive experiences. She was managing editor of Time’s Life VR.
- Maribel Perez Wadsworth is the new publisher of USA Today. Wadsworth, a 20-year veteran of the newspaper, was president of the entire USA Today network and head of its content strategy, duties she will continue to oversee in her new role.
- Jen Wong was named COO of Reddit, a position she previously held at Time Inc.
Let us know in the comments if there are any other recent stories or career moves you’d like us to include in our next Women in Media roundup.
Photo: Forbes
Technology for Publishing’s Women in Media blog highlights the news and achievements of female leaders and role models in the publishing and media industry. Look for our in-depth profiles and interviews of top women to watch. Is there someone you’d like to nominate for an upcoming Q&A? Drop us a note!
Posted by: Margot Knorr Mancini
