The Business of Magazines

[Faith Akiyama]

Fabien Baron Out at Interview

Fabien Baron Out at Interview
by Stephanie D. Smith
Posted Thursday January 29, 2009
From WWD.COM


More turmoil at Interview: just a year after being hired as co-editorial director, Fabien Baron is leaving the magazine * and taking creative director Karl Templer with him.

No further details could be learned at press time.

Baron joined Interview when Brant Publications revamped the title under new management — which included bringing in co-editorial directors Baron and Glenn O'Brien to replace longtime publisher Sandy Brant and editor in chief Ingrid Sischy. The title is owned by Sandy Brant's ex-husband, Peter Brant.

This I did not see coming...

 

[tigerrouge]

I'd better savour the issue of Interview I bought today - and then file it away with Raygun under 'design now extinct'.

 

[nyc_art_style]

This I did not see coming...

WHAT?! NO!

 

[surrealseven]

OMG!


Not at this time when they are doing sucha great job!

 

[kimair]

here's more on fabien's departure from wwd...

Just a year after being hired as co-editorial director, Fabien Baron is leaving the magazine *and taking creative director Karl Templer with him.

Brant Publications Inc., Interview’s publisher, confirmed the departures. In a statement, the company said Baron, who owns and is creative director of the agency Baron & Baron “decided to resign in order to focus on that company’s business.” The company said Templer resigned “in order to focus on other projects.”

“It has been an adventure working with the DNA of such a legendary title and an exciting, not to mention sometimes challenging, experience to reinvent the magazine to make it relevant and inspiring for a whole new generation of readers,” said Baron, adding, “now it’s time to focus all my energy on my own business and the many clients that have been loyal to me over the years.”

Baron joined Interview when Brant Publications revamped the title under new management — which included bringing in co-editorial directors Baron and Glenn O’Brien to replace longtime publisher Sandy Brant and editor in chief Ingrid Sischy. The title is owned by Sandy Brant’s ex-husband, Peter Brant.

The exits come on the heels of the departure of another new member of management — publisher Alan Katz left two week ago, and was replaced by former Elle associate publisher Samantha Fennel.

M/M Paris, the French duo known for their work with designers and magazines including Vogue Paris and Purple magazine, is said to be taking over the creative direction of Interview, but that was unconfirmed as of press time.

i am excited about m/m taking over, as i loved their design for vogue paris...

 

[shirleebee]

http://gawker.com/5142508/fabien-baron-out-at-interview-again

obviously I am especially intrigued/worried by the news

 

[surrealseven]

M/M would be the perfect candidate to take over

 

[MissMagAddict]

source | guardian.co.uk

Harper's Bazaar to go jumbo for March

Fashion magazine Harper's Bazaar will defy the media downturn with a special super-sized edition for March.The fashion magazine will produce a jumbo 330mm x 245mm issue, in contrast with its normal 290mm x 215mm size, for its regular price of £3.99. Harper's Bazaar will use the extra space to showcase spring fashion.

Publisher National Magazines will carry the additional cost in paper and distribution as a "credit-crunch treat" for readers.

The larger magazine will still be on the shelves next month when rival glossy magazine publisher Condé Nast launches its long-awaited twice-yearly style title Love, edited by Katie Grand and costing £5.

Lucy Yeomans, the Harper's Bazaar editor, said: "At a time when everyone's thinking about cutting back and downsizing, it's wonderful to be able to treat our readers to this super-luxe, super-sized March issue at no extra cost.

"I'm delighted also to have British actress Emily Blunt on the cover. Having stolen the show in The Devil Wears Prada, Blunt steps into two major starring roles this month - like our issue she is, literally, the new big thing!"

Tess Macleod Smith, the title's publishing director, added that the magazine was an affordable luxury during the credit crunch: "We are delivering a very confident product and this month we're giving readers something extra-special at the newsstand. In these challenging times we continue to push the creative boundaries and deliver a magazine that showcases a wide range of product to exquisite effect."

The magazine continued its strong run of Audit Bureau of Circulations figures with a headline sale of 109,146 in the first half of last year. This was an 11th successive circulation increase, up 3.1% year on year and 0.1% on the second half of last year.

Previously, Harper's Bazaar, which used to be known as Harper's & Queen, has encrusted its masthead with Swarovski diamonds.

 

[MissMagAddict]

source | mediabistro

Page Six Magazine EIC Only Staffer To Remain As Weekly Goes Quarterly

The entire staff of Page Six Magazine will be packing up their desks on the heels of today's announcement that the weekly New York Post insert would move to a quarterly publication schedule. A former staffer tells FishbowlNY that the only full-time employee left standing will be editor-in-chief Margi Conklin, who will put out the magazine with a team of freelancers after the final weekly edition gets tucked into the Post on Sunday, February 15, 2009.

However, it's not all heartbreak once the mag moves to its quarterly schedule just after Valentine's Day...

Our tipster assured us "anybody who is [currently] involved with the magazine will probably be asked to help out" on a freelance basis when it's time for Conklin to put together those quarterly issues, since "everyone there really likes each other." Here's hoping, as the dishy, fashion and celeb-obsessed glossy had a reputation for paying handsomely, with some freelancers enjoying rates of $2/word. Still other media watchers aren't surprised, pointing out that the mag's delayed Web debut this summer -- nearly a year after the pub launched in 2007 -- didn't bode well.

Staffers are reportedly in the office for another two weeks, with their last day occurring sometime in early February. Representatives at the The New York Post declined comment on this story.

 

[Bryan Pereira]

a great insight, thanks for posting

 

[Miss Dalloway]

http://gawker.com/5142508/fabien-baron-out-at-interview-again

obviously I am especially intrigued/worried by the news

This is really surprising, wonder what prompted for them to leave so soon, but the idea of him having his own magazine is appealing aswell.Will see what happens with Interview.

 

[Manuva]

^But it's so curious to see why he would want his own magazine, espcially given the current times. I mean I'm very new to all this, but surely he'd have absolute creative control over at Interview? I'm sure (if the rumours are true) his new publication will be fantastic; but how long will it last?

 

[Miss Dalloway]

All great points Manuva, i would belive that he had full control at Interview, so who knows what lead to him leaving.And these are defo NOT the times to be going out with your own magazine, even if you are Fabien Baron. But he has given his magic touch to so many magazines (Harper' Bazaar in the 90s under Liz, then VP with Carine)that if anyone can pull it off i would think its him.But we will see....

 

[tigerrouge]

He was editor-in-chief and art director on Arena Hommes Plus, and in 2002, resigned from that. Does he get bored easily, or does his status in the industry mean he's less inclined to compromise with the people he has to work with/for?

If he really wanted his own magazine, surely he would have started it years ago, given that he's not lacking respect, collaborators, or income from all his other work. It seems he prefers working on a project for a while, then going off and doing something new.

 

[Manuva]

All great points Manuva, i would belive that he had full control at Interview, so who knows what lead to him leaving.And these are defo NOT the times to be going out with your own magazine, even if you are Fabien Baron. But he has given his magic touch to so many magazines (Harper' Bazaar in the 90s under Liz, then VP with Carine)that if anyone can pull it off i would think its him.But we will see....

I think he'll pull it off as well. It just seems a curious to time to leave Interview, a magazine that, imo, was still rising to its peak (after the revamp) it certainly hadn't peaked and started to get stale. However, the reception a magazine gets on TFS (I think Interview is one of the most popular) doesn't necessarily translate to big sale figures, so maybe it just wasn't selling enough, and isn't as popular as it appears to be?

I just saw as well he was only appointed in June, he must have got awfully bored very quickly.

I was trying to think of another magazine he could go to that needed a revamp instead of just starting his own. But I didn't get very far...

 

[nyc_art_style]

why would he even accept the position at interview, just to leave so soon? what's the point of creating just a few good issues. he could have held out for three years, then leave. his departure just seems kind of selfish. what about his readers and co-workers?

well i hope interview can handle the lost of Baron, and continues to be a great magazine.

 

[oswaldlv]

Today is the launching of Nylon Magazine Mexico!!! HAVE A GREAT DAY EVERYONE!!! I hope this will be a new star borning!!

 

[MissMagAddict]

source | wwd.com | January 30th

The Interview Back Story

Why did Fabien Baron and Karl Templer exit Interview?

According to several sources close to the magazine, Baron, who owns his own agency, Baron & Baron, simply spent too little time in the office and too much money on shoots.

"Fabien is a busy man. We haven't seen him a lot up here," said co-editorial director Glenn O'Brien, who arrived at Interview as the same time as Baron. "He's got a lot of employees, a lot of accounts, and he needed to put in more time at Baron & Baron, I'm assuming. We have to have our needs met here."

Moreover, said one insider, "he comes with a big price tag." That's something Interview owner Brant Publications' top brass knew when they brought him in a year ago as co-editorial director, of course. But as the economy tanked and advertising evaporated across print, Interview's bottom line was not as large as had been expected to cushion those big expenditures — particularly Baron's pricey fashion spreads. In 2008, ad pages at the title fell 27 percent, to 656.

When Baron was pushed out, Templer — whom Baron brought to Brant a year ago — chose to leave with him, according to sources. M/M Paris, the French art direction and graphic design firm, will take over the creative direction of the magazine beginning with the April issue.

Nevertheless, O'Brien remained diplomatic about the departures. "Fabien and Karl contributed a tremendous amount to Interview. It's a new magazine in part because of their efforts," he said of the duo. "[Fabien and I] have been friends for 22 years," he added.

But c'mon, were there fisticuffs, or at least screaming, when Baron left? "In any creative enterprise, there's always screaming," O'Brien said.

As for Baron's reaction? When reached by telephone to comment on his departure, he hung up.

 

[surrealseven]

Oh, so I didn't know the shoots for Interview were so expensive,
so sad that next month's issue would be his last. Hopefully, the cut in budgets for shoots
and everything else won't affect Interview's content starting from April

 

[j'adorekapusta]

^^ seems like another case of the 'Tom-Ford-the-Fashion-Superstar' syndrome