Updated April 11, 2017 at 2:39 pm.
A major shakeup unfolds at Dwell…
Abrams
Michela O'Connor Abrams — who spent the past 15 years as CEO of home design magazine-turned-technology platform Dwell — has left the company, Folio: has learned. Re-taking the reins is Lara Deam, who has served as chair of Dwell Media's board since founding the magazine in 2000.
"It has been my distinct pleasure leading this brand and I am taking a much needed break for a few months before joining my next venture," wrote Abrams in a prepared statement.
Abrams is not the only high-profile exec to leave Dwell over the past few months. Chief technology officer Bobby Gaza, who was brought in from Apple in 2015 specifically to lead Dwell.com's digital shift from straightforward media site to a more community-minded, "collaborative platform," departed the company in December before resurfacing in February at Pandora as VP of engineering.
It's worth noting that Abrams' and Gaza's respective departures do not necessarily herald a walking-back of Dwell's strategy to become a social platform for design enthusiasts; in August, Abrams told Wired that the pivot had been a topic of discussion for at least a decade, and was further spearheaded in recent years by investors like Facebook alum Dave Morin.
► Update (4/11/17, 2:39 pm): Dwell CEO Lara Deam confirms to Folio: that Abrams left the company in mid-January, concurrent with a repositioning of Dwell magazine that reduces its frequency to bimonthly, lowers its rate base, and increases its paper stock.
"This year, we are laser focused on print and digital," writes Deam in an email. "Advertisers and readers are responding very favorably."
From the job board…
Havas Media needs a New York-based media planner with at least two-to-three years of experience. Responsibilities include conducting research, developing online media plans, and negotiating with sales reps.
See this and other new listings at careers.foliomag.com.
A nature magazine in the crosshairs…
One item in Wisconson Governor Scott Walker's proposed budget for the next three years has outdoor enthusiasts up in arms in America's Dairyland: the suspension of Wisconsin Natural Resources, a bimonthly magazine published by the state's Department of Natural Resources since 1919.
Department secretary Cathy Stepp argues that the magazine — which is funded entirely by subscription fees, according to former editor Natasha Kassulke — is outside of her core mission, stating at a March 30 briefing, "We at DNR are stewards of resources and not magazine publishers."
Critics see it differently, arguing that the proposed shutdown is little more than the result of a thinly-veiled political agenda under the Walker administration that's also seen the rollback of environmental regulations within the state and the removal of any references to climate change on the DNR's websites.
Walker's proposed $76 billion budget still requires approval from the state legislature, where it is currently being considered by the GOP-controlled Joint Finance Committee.
Join Folio:, Ann Shoket, and the Top Women in Media…
On June 7 at the Edison Ballroom in New York, Folio: will honor the 2017 class of Top Women in Media, our fourth annual list of female visionaries, mentors, and rising stars who have made a significant impact on their companies and helped push the print and digital publishing business forward.
The Folio: team is thrilled to reveal keynote speaker Ann Shoket, former editor-in-chief of Seventeen from 2007 to 2014 and author of The Big Life, a new book aimed at inspiring young women with wit and wisdom in both their personal and professional lives.
Join Folio: and the 2017 class of Top Women in Media for a celebratory luncheon, and view the full list of honorees here.
Award season is upon us…
If you thought magazine media's awards season started and ended with the Ellies in February, boy, were you mistaken.
Connectiv unveiled the winners of the 63rd annual Neal Awards, recognizing editorial excellence in business media, and crowned Penton's Aviation Week with the program's utmost honor: the Grand Neal Award for best overall brand. It's the first-ever Grand Neal for the 101-year-old title, which Penton purchased from McGraw-Hill in 2013.
View the full list of Neal Award winners here.
Next, IMAG, the independent wing of the MPA which represents about 75 companies from Active Interest Media to Yankee Publishing, revealed the finalists for the 2017 Imagination Awards, to be honored at the annual IMAG conference next month in Marina del Rey, Calif.
IMAG awards are offered across six categories: audience, content, digital, events, leadership, and revenue — which is further split into "advertising," "native," and "other."
A finalist in every category, TEN: The Enthusiast Network leads the way with nine total nominations, including three each for Motor Trend's OnDemand video platform and the Dew Tour series of extreme sports events. Active Interest Media and AFAR Media earned four finalist nods each. View the full list of finalists here.
Finally, we have the Pulitzer Prizes, formerly reserved for newspapers, but for which magazines are newly eligible across all 14 journalism categories.
Last year, The New Yorker earned a pair of Pulitzers — for feature writing and criticism — in a first for magazine media. This year, David Remnick's weekly extended their lead by picking up a third: a repeat win in the criticism category, this time for theatre critic Hilton Als.
And while credited simply as a contributor to The New York Times as a whole, C.J. Chivers also earned a Pulitzer Prize for feature writing for this story that ran in The New York Times Magazine. View the full list of Pulitzer Prize winners here.
