The Making of a Cover Story
Tuesday, June 02, 2009 by Jayne Haugen Olson.
I am really excited about our June issue. So, here’s the back story:
We learned in November that we would be the publisher of Sky for Delta Air Lines. And for our part we’ve pretty much been told to create a great magazine—a magazine that reflects Delta’s position in the market as the world’s largest airline. Sure, they suggest certain countries be written about when new service has been announced to said country. But in my mind, it’s like customer research. I figure, if the demand is there to have the airline establish service to [insert city name], that means there is customer/reader interest.
When I was named editor-in-chief in December, the list of to-dos from our client was pretty short: June needs to be a New York issue. Having come off of a city magazine prior to joining Sky, I knew it would be a no-brainer to create an issue all about New York. (Bonus: Our global lifestyle editor, Jason Oliver Nixon, lives in Brooklyn.)
I knew that first we needed a cover. But who? Sure there are the classics: Letterman, De Niro, Scorsese. Buzz-worthy women: Tina Fey, Sarah Jessica Parker. High-profile media types: Matt Lauer, Katie Couric, Anderson Cooper.
But we wanted someone fresh. Someone whose got something new. Someone that people are talking about.
One of my colleagues, Steve Marsh, a terrific writer who represents one of my pop culture barometers (I rely on a short list) was talking late last year about Jimmy Fallon’s new Late Night show, which would be debuting in March. Full disclosure: Steve interviewed with Fallon’s people for a spot as a writer. (Each time I take in an episode of Late Night’s mock soap opera, 7th Floor West, I imagine what it would be like if Steve was one of those writers around the table.)
Anyway, my gut was telling me that Jimmy Fallon was the guy to approach. So, I asked Steve to work his connections to see if we could get an interview, but more importantly, would Fallon agree to do the cover? Celebrities are offered covers all of the time. And our 5-million-plus readership is very attractive to those who have something to promote, such as a new late-night show. But our “ask” came at a point in our development that we only had a mock-up of our new concept. So Fallon and his team had to take a leap of faith (as did Heidi Klum and Ricky Gervais for our first and second issues, respectively).
Steve closed the deal and interviewed Jimmy during his first week on the air and was back stage during Late Night’s first Friday night show.
The result: Fallon anchors our My New York feature that includes 14 noted New Yorkers (Isaac Mizrahi, Soledad O’Brien, Donald Trump, Donna Karan, Mary Louis Parker, Wynton Marsalis, Edie Falco, Derek Jeter and more). If you’re not flying this month, read the digital magazine. Enjoy.
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