A STYLE ALL HER OWN
—
Maggie Bullock: Last month, the big, bad headline in the world of women’s media was the shuttering of the groundbreaking feminist website <a href="https://jezebel.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jezebel</a>. We’ve since learned that Jezebel could be revived, but who even knows what that means? Regardless, the “closure” unleashed a wave of mourning, even among magazine fanatics like us who’ve become a little bit inured to the decimation of the legacy magazines that Jezebel was invented to skewer. Rachel, Jezebel was supposed to be the radical “antidote to the establishment”—and it didn’t have to contend with the print and circulation costs that sink bigger ships. When that topples, you have to ask yourself: What era of women’s media are we in now? 
Rachel Baker: That’s what makes it such an interesting time to talk to Stella Bugbee. Ask any 30- or 40-something today about the one women’s media brand that is absolutely a daily must-read, and she will say New York magazine’s <a href="https://www.thecut.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Cut</a>—the site that, starting in 2012, Stella built. The Cut was not just a women’s magazine re-sized for the internet, but a whole-cloth reinvention of the form. Jezebel (which was founded in 2007) was as much its forebear as the Elles and Vogues of the world: The Cut had the irreverence and voice-yness and political savvy of new media and the high-caliber production value of old media. And it was built to last: While we may have lost Jezebel, The Cut is still operating, more or less, on the blueprint that Stella created—and going strong. 
Maggie Bullock: What we’ve always found fascinating about Bugbee is that she started out as a designer—she worked at a creative agency and on the visual side of a ton of cool indie magazines (like Interview and Topic) and had a stint at The New York Times before becoming the design director of the original Domino. But then when that magazine folded, she somehow totally switched teams, becoming an editor and a really great writer. I can’t think of anybody else who did that, can you? It's no surprise that The New York Times tried for years to get Stella to come to run the Styles desk. Somehow, the middle of the pandemic—when most of the Times was still working remotely, when she was unable to meet her team in person—felt like the right time for her? 
Rachel Baker: Now I think you can really see the Stella touch in the way they package their stories. Like, a couple weeks ago, when the section ran a cover story titled, “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/19/well/ozempic-thanksgiving-food.html#:~:text=People%20feel%20fuller%20faster%2C%20and,seem%20fundamentally%20incompatible%20with%20Thanksgiving." rel="noopener noreferrer">Ozempic vs. Thanksgiving</a>.” The idea sounds almost obvious, but I’d argue that it’s a masterclass in headline writing—it demonstrates a specific Bugbee-an ability to survey the culture and zero in on the thing everyone is thinking about—like when Styles spotlighted the “girl dinner” over the summer. My group texts are still full of photos of “cheese plates for one,” how about yours?
Maggie Bullock: Totally. So should we stop yammering so folks can listen to what Stella has to say?
Rachel Baker: Let’s do it.
—
This episode is made possible by our friends at <a href="https://commercialtype.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Commercial Type</a> and Freeport Press.
A production of Magazeum LLC ©2021–2025

<description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A STYLE ALL HER OWN&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;—&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Maggie Bullock: Last month, the big, bad headline in the world of women’s media was the shuttering of the groundbreaking feminist website &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://jezebel.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jezebel&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;. We’ve since learned that &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jezebel&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;strong&gt; could be revived, but who even knows what that means? Regardless, the “closure” unleashed a wave of mourning, even among magazine fanatics like us who’ve become a little bit inured to the decimation of the legacy magazines that &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jezebel&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;strong&gt; was invented to skewer. Rachel, Jezebel was supposed to be the radical “antidote to the establishment”—and it didn’t have to contend with the print and circulation costs that sink bigger ships. When that topples, you have to ask yourself: What era of women’s media are we in now? &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Rachel Baker: That’s what makes it such an interesting time to talk to Stella Bugbee. Ask any 30- or 40-something today about the one women’s media brand that is absolutely a daily must-read, and she will say &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;strong&gt;New York&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;strong&gt; magazine’s &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.thecut.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Cut&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;—the site that, starting in 2012, Stella built. &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Cut&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;strong&gt; was not just a women’s magazine re-sized for the internet, but a whole-cloth reinvention of the form. &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jezebel&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;strong&gt; (which was founded in 2007) was as much its forebear as the &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Elle&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;strong&gt;s and &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Vogue&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;strong&gt;s of the world: &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Cut&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;strong&gt; had the irreverence and voice-yness and political savvy of new media and the high-caliber production value of old media. And it was built to last: While we may have lost &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jezebel&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;strong&gt;, &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Cut&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;strong&gt; is still operating, more or less, on the blueprint that Stella created—and going strong. &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Maggie Bullock: What we’ve always found fascinating about Bugbee is that she started out as a designer—she worked at a creative agency and on the visual side of a ton of cool indie magazines (like &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Interview&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;strong&gt; and &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Topic&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;strong&gt;) and had a stint at &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The New York Times&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;strong&gt; before becoming the design director of the original &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Domino&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;strong&gt;. But then when that magazine folded, she somehow totally switched teams, becoming an editor and a really great writer. I can’t think of anybody else who did that, can you? It's no surprise that &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The New York Times&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;strong&gt; tried for years to get Stella to come to run the Styles desk. Somehow, the middle of the pandemic—when most of the &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Times&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;strong&gt; was still working remotely, when she was unable to meet her team in person—felt like the right time for her? &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Rachel Baker: Now I think you can really see the Stella touch in the way they package their stories. Like, a couple weeks ago, when the section ran a cover story titled, “&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/19/well/ozempic-thanksgiving-food.html#:~:text=People%20feel%20fuller%20faster%2C%20and,seem%20fundamentally%20incompatible%20with%20Thanksgiving." rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ozempic vs. Thanksgiving&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;.” The idea sounds almost obvious, but I’d argue that it’s a masterclass in headline writing—it demonstrates a specific Bugbee-an ability to survey the culture and zero in on the thing everyone is thinking about—like when Styles spotlighted the “girl dinner” over the summer. My group texts are still full of photos of “cheese plates for one,” how about yours?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Maggie Bullock: Totally. So should we stop yammering so folks can listen to what Stella has to say?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Rachel Baker: Let’s do it.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;—&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;This episode is made possible by our friends at &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://commercialtype.com" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Commercial Type&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt; and Freeport Press.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A production of Magazeum LLC ©2021–2025&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

A conversation with editor Stella Bugbee (The NY Times Styles, more)

Best of PID: Stella Bugbee (Editor: The New York Times Styles, more)

THE JOY OF READING
—
Newspapers are in trouble and that’s not news to you. Print is expensive, the ads moved to Facebook and Google, the classifieds bled over to Craigslist. You know all this.
So, hats off to the newspapers that succeed today. And the ones that do, the big ones, the legacy media, have a surprising thing in common: magazines. The New York Times. The Times of London. Le Monde. Germany. Italy. All over Asia. A lot of them produce print magazines as editorial add ons, supplements, not just for reader loyalty and engagement, but as a way to expand inventory for advertisers and a way to diversify business and the brand.
That’s what The Guardian newspaper is doing and, being The Guardian, they are also doing it differently than their competitive set. How? By taking an existing feature of the newspaper, The Long Read, and reproducing their favorites in a stand alone magazine. A kind of greatest hits package if you will. Well designed. Very printy. Heavy stock. Debossed covers.
So why do it? Who benefits? What is the business rationale behind it? To answer those questions, I spoke to David Wolf, the editor of The Long Read, the section and the magazine, about these topics and, mostly, about the joys of immersive storytelling, the state of journalism today, and the absolute joy of long reads in a world of shortened attention spans and general slop.
—
This episode is made possible by our friends at Freeport Press.
A production of Magazeum LLC ©2021–2025

<description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;THE JOY OF READING&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;—&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Newspapers are in trouble and that’s not news to you. Print is expensive, the ads moved to Facebook and Google, the classifieds bled over to Craigslist. You know all this.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;So, hats off to the newspapers that succeed today. And the ones that do, the big ones, the legacy media, have a surprising thing in common: magazines. &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The New York Times&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;strong&gt;. The &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Times of London&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;strong&gt;. &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Le Monde&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;strong&gt;. Germany. Italy. All over Asia. A lot of them produce print magazines as editorial add ons, supplements, not just for reader loyalty and engagement, but as a way to expand inventory for advertisers and a way to diversify business and the brand.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;That’s what &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Guardian&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;strong&gt; newspaper is doing and, being &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Guardian&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;strong&gt;, they are also doing it differently than their competitive set. How? By taking an existing feature of the newspaper, The Long Read, and reproducing their favorites in a stand alone magazine. A kind of greatest hits package if you will. Well designed. Very printy. Heavy stock. Debossed covers.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;So why do it? Who benefits? What is the business rationale behind it? To answer those questions, I spoke to David Wolf, the editor of &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Long Read&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;strong&gt;, the section and the magazine, about these topics and, mostly, about the joys of immersive storytelling, the state of journalism today, and the absolute joy of long reads in a world of shortened attention spans and general slop.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;—&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;This episode is made possible by our friends at Freeport Press.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A production of Magazeum LLC ©2021–2025&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

A conversation with David Wolf, editor of The Guardian Long Read

David Wolf (Editor: The Guardian Long Read)

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 last a lifetime. 
To hear him talk, though, it’s not at all about being judgy. Priest is just naturally consumed with all things visual. He has been since childhood. (He gets it from his mother). To him, design is everything.
Priest has dedicated his 50-plus-year career to the relentless pursuit of taste, style, and fashion. And it shows. He has led design teams at all of the big magazines: GQ, House & Garden, InStyle, Newsweek, and Esquire (Twice!)
But there’s another side to Robert Priest. He’s a huge sports fan. And designing magazines is his sport. Indeed, like a head coach, he’s hired to win. And the trophies in this case are readership, advertising, circulation, and buzz—and when that’s all taken care of, the design awards start to pile up—they certainly have for him.
We talked to Priest about his early days in London, when he—and The Beatles and the Rolling Stones—were just getting started, about why soccer is the real football, and the rise and fall of one of the biggest magazine launches in history, Condé Nast Portfolio.
—
This episode is made possible by our friends at <a href="https://commercialtype.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Commercial Type</a> and Freeport Press.
A production of Magazeum LLC ©2021–2025

<description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;AN ENGLISHMAN IN NEW YORK&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;—&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;If you can count yourself among the lucky ones who’ve met Robert Priest in person, any chance you remember what you were wearing?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;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 last a lifetime. &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;To hear him talk, though, it’s not at all about being judgy. Priest is just naturally consumed with all things visual. He has been since childhood. (He gets it from his mother). To him, design is &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;strong&gt;everything&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;strong&gt;.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Priest has dedicated his 50-plus-year career to the relentless pursuit of taste, style, and fashion. And it shows. He has led design teams at all of the big magazines: &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;strong&gt;GQ&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;strong&gt;, &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;strong&gt;House &amp; Garden&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;strong&gt;, &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;strong&gt;InStyle&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;strong&gt;, &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Newsweek&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;strong&gt;, and &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Esquire&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;strong&gt; (Twice!)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;But there’s another side to Robert Priest. He’s a huge sports fan. And designing magazines is &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;strong&gt;his&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;strong&gt; sport. Indeed, like a head coach, he’s hired to win. And the trophies in this case are readership, advertising, circulation, and buzz—and when that’s all taken care of, the design awards start to pile up—they certainly have for him.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;We talked to Priest about his early days in London, when he—and The Beatles and the Rolling Stones—were just getting started, about why soccer is the real football, and the rise and fall of one of the biggest magazine launches in history, &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Condé Nast Portfolio&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;strong&gt;.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;—&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;This episode is made possible by our friends at &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://commercialtype.com" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Commercial Type&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt; and Freeport Press.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A production of Magazeum LLC ©2021–2025&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

A conversation with designer Robert Priest (8x8, Esquire [twice!], GQ, House & Garden, more)

Best of PID: Robert Priest (Designer: Daily Beast, Cosmo, Marie Claire, more)

AN ART BAR FOR EVERYONE
—
ArtBar is the perfect name for ArtBar magazine and that’s not always the case with the names of magazines. Founded by photographer and filmmaker Sarah Ingram in LA, ArtBar is like a dive bar for artists and their art. It’s democratic in its tastes, and wide in its scope. And fun.
Sarah wanted to hang with artists and so she created a space for them. Literally. From a recent editorial: "Art Bar is a hole in the wall where the graffiti artists, punks and poets, filmmakers, philosophers, painters, photographers, musicians, and wild-eyed creatures find themselves at the end of the day to tell our stories and share our work."
So. A dive bar. And that bar was going to be in print. And she wanted to get the magazine in your hands no matter where you lived. ArtBar is widely distributed, available on newsstands, and seeks more. Sarah wants to create a community, of course, all editors do, but she also wants to create a community of indie magazine folk. She wants to break things and rules and invite like-minds to her art bar and hang out and see some cool stuff and do some cool things. Think I’m taking the dive bar thing too far? Here’s that editorial again: "We wanted to foster a place to gather, a common ground to share the stories of our human experiences and how they shape our work. This is a place where we can break things, break rules, get our hands dirty."
I wasn’t joking. I may joke about a lot of things but not about a magazine set up like a dive bar for artists. Are you kidding? Doesn’t this sound like a place you might want to hang for a bit? Can you tell I love dive bars?
—
This episode is made possible by our friends at Freeport Press.
A production of Magazeum LLC ©2021–2025

<description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;AN ART BAR FOR EVERYONE&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;—&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;ArtBar is the perfect name for ArtBar magazine and that’s not always the case with the names of magazines. Founded by photographer and filmmaker Sarah Ingram in LA, ArtBar is like a dive bar for artists and their art. It’s democratic in its tastes, and wide in its scope. And fun.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Sarah wanted to hang with artists and so she created a space for them. Literally. From a recent editorial: "Art Bar is a hole in the wall where the graffiti artists, punks and poets, filmmakers, philosophers, painters, photographers, musicians, and wild-eyed creatures find themselves at the end of the day to tell our stories and share our work."&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;So. A dive bar. And that bar was going to be in print. And she wanted to get the magazine in your hands no matter where you lived. ArtBar is widely distributed, available on newsstands, and seeks more. Sarah wants to create a community, of course, all editors do, but she also wants to create a community of indie magazine folk. She wants to break things and rules and invite like-minds to her art bar and hang out and see some cool stuff and do some cool things. Think I’m taking the dive bar thing too far? Here’s that editorial again: "We wanted to foster a place to gather, a common ground to share the stories of our human experiences and how they shape our work. This is a place where we can break things, break rules, get our hands dirty."&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I wasn’t joking. I may joke about a lot of things but not about a magazine set up like a dive bar for artists. Are you kidding? Doesn’t this sound like a place you might want to hang for a bit? Can you tell I love dive bars?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;—&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;This episode is made possible by our friends at Freeport Press.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A production of Magazeum LLC ©2021–2025&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

A conversation with ArtBar founder Sarah Ingram

Sarah Ingram (Founder: ArtBar)

THE LAST CELEBRITY MAGAZINE EDITOR
—
Maggie Bullock: It’s 2016. Rachel and I are sitting at our desks on the 24th floor of the Hearst Tower working at Elle magazine when the glass double doors blow open—or at least that’s how I remember it—and a vision of white-blonde hair, metallic pants, and checkerboard platforms, breezes into the office speaking in a commanding British accent to two or three minions in her wake.
There are no cameras in sight, but it’s as if we’re watching a grand entrance and a reality TV show. You can almost feel the wind machines in the air, which is what it’s like pretty much any time you witness a Joanna Coles appearance in the corridors of Hearst. There’s just something cinematic about her.
Rachel Baker: Joanna started her career as a reporter in London, moving to New York in the late 1990s to be The Guardian’s New York bureau chief. Next, she shifted into editing. First, as an articles editor at New York magazine, then over to More magazine.
By 2006, she grabbed hold of the editor-in-chiefship at Marie Claire, part of Hearst, and in 2012 became the editor-in-chief of the company’s largest title, Cosmopolitan.
Maggie Bullock: By the time she strode into the Elle offices in 2016, she was much more than an editor. She was also a reality TV star, a television producer, an author, a public speaker, a driving force of the “girl boss” movement, besties with Sheryl Sandberg, and a celebrity in her own right, who famously ran meetings from the helm of a treadmill walking desk.
Rachel Baker: The Jo-Co who walked into our office in 2016 had been newly-crowned as Chief Content Officer of Hearst Magazines—the first to hold the title—and tasked with consolidating the creative side of the 100-year-old publishing giant in the new digital-first era.
Maggie and I are a longtime print editors, so you can imagine how that sounded to us. But even through our fear goggles, we could also see that Joanna was ready to do the necessary surgery that other print editors didn’t have the stomach for, so that legacy magazines might live to see another day.
Maggie Bullock: Joanna was certainly the most famous women’s magazine editor at Hearst at that time. But what wasn’t clear back then, and is undeniable now, is that she was the last of her breed. There was a rich history of iconic women’s magazine editors that came before Joanna, but can you think of an iconic, larger-than-life one that came after her?
Rachel Baker: Joanna left Hearst in 2018, roughly around the same time that both Maggie and I did, and today she’s a board member for major tech companies like Sonos and Snapchat and an executive producer for major Hollywood projects, including an upcoming Amazon series starring Priyanka Chopra.
And she is, as ever, a baller.
Setting up our interview, with what lesser individuals might call a “personal assistant,” but Joanna has anointed Chief Get-It-Done Officer, when we met JC via Zoom, she was without pretense or treadmill desk. She was disarmingly down to earth.
Maggie Bullock: And yet somehow she still emanated that chutzpah or moxie—or maybe we should bring back the word “pizazz” to describe it. The X-factor that, in a 44-floor media empire brimming with big egos and considerable talent, made her one of media’s biggest stars.ng.
—
This episode is made possible by our friends at <a href="https://commercialtype.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Commercial Type</a> and Freeport Press.
A production of Magazeum LLC ©2021–2025

<description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;THE LAST CELEBRITY MAGAZINE EDITOR&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;—&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Maggie Bullock: It’s 2016. Rachel and I are sitting at our desks on the 24th floor of the Hearst Tower working at Elle magazine when the glass double doors blow open—or at least that’s how I remember it—and a vision of white-blonde hair, metallic pants, and checkerboard platforms, breezes into the office speaking in a commanding British accent to two or three minions in her wake.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;There are no cameras in sight, but it’s as if we’re watching a grand entrance and a reality TV show. You can almost feel the wind machines in the air, which is what it’s like pretty much any time you witness a Joanna Coles appearance in the corridors of Hearst. There’s just something cinematic about her.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Rachel Baker: Joanna started her career as a reporter in London, moving to New York in the late 1990s to be The Guardian’s New York bureau chief. Next, she shifted into editing. First, as an articles editor at New York magazine, then over to More magazine.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By 2006, she grabbed hold of the editor-in-chiefship at Marie Claire, part of Hearst, and in 2012 became the editor-in-chief of the company’s largest title, Cosmopolitan.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Maggie Bullock: By the time she strode into the Elle offices in 2016, she was much more than an editor. She was also a reality TV star, a television producer, an author, a public speaker, a driving force of the “girl boss” movement, besties with Sheryl Sandberg, and a celebrity in her own right, who famously ran meetings from the helm of a treadmill walking desk.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Rachel Baker: The Jo-Co who walked into our office in 2016 had been newly-crowned as Chief Content Officer of Hearst Magazines—the first to hold the title—and tasked with consolidating the creative side of the 100-year-old publishing giant in the new digital-first era.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Maggie and I are a longtime print editors, so you can imagine how that sounded to us. But even through our fear goggles, we could also see that Joanna was ready to do the necessary surgery that other print editors didn’t have the stomach for, so that legacy magazines might live to see another day.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Maggie Bullock: Joanna was certainly the most famous women’s magazine editor at Hearst at that time. But what wasn’t clear back then, and is undeniable now, is that she was the last of her breed. There was a rich history of iconic women’s magazine editors that came before Joanna, but can you think of an iconic, larger-than-life one that came after her?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Rachel Baker: Joanna left Hearst in 2018, roughly around the same time that both Maggie and I did, and today she’s a board member for major tech companies like Sonos and Snapchat and an executive producer for major Hollywood projects, including an upcoming Amazon series starring Priyanka Chopra.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;And she is, as ever, a baller.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Setting up our interview, with what lesser individuals might call a “personal assistant,” but Joanna has anointed Chief Get-It-Done Officer, when we met JC via Zoom, she was without pretense or treadmill desk. She was disarmingly down to earth.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Maggie Bullock: And yet somehow she still emanated that chutzpah or moxie—or maybe we should bring back the word “pizazz” to describe it. The X-factor that, in a 44-floor media empire brimming with big egos and considerable talent, made her one of media’s biggest stars.ng.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;—&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;This episode is made possible by our friends at &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://commercialtype.com" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Commercial Type&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt; and Freeport Press.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A production of Magazeum LLC ©2021–2025&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

A conversation with editor Joanna Coles (The Daily Beast, Cosmo, Marie Claire, more)

Best of PID: Joanna Coles (Editor: Daily Beast, Cosmo, Marie Claire, more)

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