Condé Nast to create entertainment division

[Melancholybaby]

TV and Film, From Condé Nast
By BROOKS BARNES
LOS ANGELES — Condé Nast is coming to Hollywood.

The magazine publisher’s biggest titles, especially Vogue and Vanity Fair, have long been hardwired into the movie capital. But Condé Nast as a company has been notably absent even as other publishers — Hearst, Playboy and National Geographic among them — have sought to diversify into television and movies.

Condé Nast, intensely focused of late on reducing its reliance on advertising (or at least finding ways to give current advertisers more value), plans to announce the creation of a full-fledged entertainment division on Monday. Developing television and online programming based on Condé Nast personalities, articles and general brands is the first priority, although movies are also a focus.

Running Condé Nast Entertainment will be Dawn Ostroff, who stepped down as president of the CW television network this year. Ms. Ostroff helped develop hits like “The Vampire Diaries” and “America’s Next Top Model.”

“We think this is going to be a big business for us,” said Robert A. Sauerberg Jr., the publisher’s president. “We see a very broad approach. This is not necessarily about doing magazine shows. Dawn’s mission is to unleash our intellectual property, our talent, our ideas and find the right way to connect with audiences.”

Mr. Sauerberg declined to say how much Condé Nast would invest in the initiative, how quickly he expected results or the degree to which advertisers would be included in the venture — although he clearly expected them to be. “We are not prepared to give you the full answer to our strategy at this point,” he said.

Ms. Ostroff said she was thinking big. “The possibilities are endless, including opportunities to do digital channels,” she said. “This is something that has never been mined before. It’s a real financial opportunity.”

“The September Issue,” a documentary about Vogue’s September 2007 issue, is one example of the potential. Condé Nast had no involvement, other than providing access, and the film took in more than $6 million at the global box office in 2009, a strong performance for a documentary.

nytimes.com

Sounds exciting to say at least.

 

[Squizree]

Please no reality shows. We have enough of them.

 

[Melancholybaby]

^Oh come on? Can you imagine them doing ''The Real Editros of Vogue: Extra Bitchy edition''? It would be priceless!

 

[Squizree]

^ That doesn't even sound that bad.

 

[TianSoFine]

I'd actually like to see some solid programs like the actual workings at the Vogue office, etc. Personally, I'd rather see that than producers egging editors on to be more dramatic and b*tchy. On the other hand, I do not want this to become exactly like fashiontv because we already have that.

This does sound interesting, though.

 

[tigerrouge]

"Journalist wanted for prestigious magazine, job requirements include performing dance routines for the camera."