Background: After serving 2 years as managing editor, I was asked by the board to take the helm of The New Individualist (TNI), a print and digital politics and culture magazine published by The Atlas Society. TNI was the organization's most important project at the time.
In this role I built and managed a remote content team that included writers, photographers, videographers, graphic designers and illustrators, and other vendors. I also managed the budget, cutting costs while scaling growth and quality.
In this role I built and managed a remote content team that included writers, photographers, videographers, graphic designers and illustrators, and other vendors. I also managed the budget, cutting costs while scaling growth and quality.
Objective: Take the organization's flagship magazine, and most popular product, to a new "level" to energize the base, engage subscribers, spread the ideas more effectively, engage donors, and grow readership.
Decisions:
- A bold visual rebranding of magazine. The rebranded magazine featured a future-leaning aesthetic coupled with an old world gravitas befitting a serious intellectual enterprise and its "philosophy for the future"—a philosophy that celebrates achievement, individualism, reason, and freedom. (Image above: The first issue featured an 8-page barrel foldout with a high-resolution panoramic photo, by German photographer Josh von Staudach, of the Berlin Reichstag dome.)
- A new emphasis on narrative non-fiction: Along with engaging visuals, the new TNI featured world class narrative non-fiction written by top talent from journalism schools. I identified, recruited, and developed productive relationships with a small handful of the nation's top storytelling talent. Sometimes our storytelling came from supporters, like Molly Sechrest, who penned a remarkable memoir "Atlas Shrugged in Haight Ashbury." The warmth of the narrative story-telling made a memorable impression on readers and cut through like no academic lecture could.
- To improve the magazine quality while lowering costs, e.g. a decrease 74% for postal costs and a decrease over 30% for printing costs.
"stunning"
Results: Enthusiastic praise from subscribers and donors. "Blown away," "superb," "exceptional," and "stunning" were some of the remarks captured after the first issue was published. Subscriptions rose by 36% and high donations, in appreciation of the magazine's work, followed suit. The passion that readers felt for the magazine was epitomized by fashion entrepreneur Betsy Fisher when she sent flowers and gourmet chocolates to express her gratitude for it.
NOTE: See "Editorial" section of this website for sample content from the magazine.
