It’s the end of an era

This is what happens when one gains perspective over the holiday break. In breaking news thanks to our gossipy god mothers at the Telegraph…

Editor finally calls it quits

AFTER what Paula Joye described as one of the hardest years of her life, the Madison editor has finally resigned from her post at ACP.

After suffering criticism over falling circulation and a personal battle with pneumonia in 2009, the move is no doubt a relief for Joye.

Speaking to Hush yesterday, she insists she harbours no bad feelings towards ACP.

“Really and truly. I am going to take some time out: I’ve got two young kids,” she said.

“I want to do some other things but the company has afforded me great opportunities over my 15 years there.”

Joye is on leave for another week and will return to the position until the end of her tenure in February.

Yes, it will be the end of an era at ACP when Joye leaves. What will the girls do? Gravitate towards Bronwyn McCahon and Alison Veness McGourty I guess.

Question is, what will Joye be doing after magazines? All bets point to a career in other media like her bestie, Mia Freedman. Will it be a career in television, starting a mummy’s blog that regurgitates content or writing a book first?

Oh you’re still here?

What a year its been for me. Life outside of blogging every little secret is refreshing. And I met a man who made me want to better myself, and being a bitch isn’t being a good person.

Nonetheless. Updates:

• I’ve joined Twitter. Not that I tweet. Print is web ignorant. Or so the saying goes.
• Sorry I never blogged during fashion week this year but who has the time between downing Rosemount wine between shows?
• I have news. Stories. Going going gone (?) to the highest bidder. If Mia and Zoe can write books, then so can I. I may need a good editor though, but then don’t most magazine writers?

2010 shall be a big one ladies. If you want magazine gossip that is above board, read about it on Girl With a Satchel.

Until next time, fly my pretties, fly.

Who cares? Magazines are over

I haven’t posted here in months and I love it.

Though I couldn’t help but laugh wickedly when goss about ACP moving to a cheaper building…. North Ryde. Won’t those glossy hags throw a fit and wished they were as lucky as Sig and her new gig at Vogue Australia. Though one does have to wonder how much work she actually does, wooing advertisers and all when Kristie Clements is basically endorsing Olay in their new Definity ads. Sure the copy reads “Vogue readers recommend” but who’s granny-bobbed head is talking in the first few seconds of the ad?

Good to see Grazia keeping her recontructed chin up with news of, not a closure, but of a price reduction. 50% off on your newsstands now! Down from $5 to $2.50. That’s cheaper than your morning skim-cap, which I would not give up for a copy of Grazia. Have you seen the dribble they have in the kitchen?

Also I’ve been meeting a lot of former mag hags these days in my world. One gushed about her time with Murdoch Mags then ACP. Snoooze. Eight years in mags and now you’re teaching non-mag-ish stuff? WTF?

Then there is the Queen Bee on Twitter, with the former Queen Bee / BFF on Twitter too. Love fest darlings, love fest. I refuse to comment on the other hags on Twitter because it simply came around too late for me to give you all updates on Big Bird, the Sesame Street Gang and of course my darling friend Andie and her boss… DAILY. Imagine how fun that would have been.

By the way, I would like to report that Big Bird has a new friend on the *muah muah* circuit. Wish I could tell you my name for her, but it may offend *wink wink*. I should be sad I’m no longer BB’s event circuit friend anymore, but unfortunately I always looked better in photographs and I got more fabulous invites – of course.

Oh and it’s fashion season so one would be following the fashion girls around to see what’s news. But since they’re all working over time or at least pretending to, we’ll have to wait to see them come out of their sparkling wine haze around RAFW time. FUN!

Time to fly. I’ll be back soon. Promise.

Does anyone…

Happy new year mag-ites/gots!

Just a few things to kick things off in the new year.

• Does anyone care about Vogue anymore? Cathy Horyn doesn’t. I especially love the paragraph saying:

“There are too many stories about socialites – or, at any rate, too few such stories that sufficiently demonstrate why we should care about these creatures… Ditto staff-member accounts of spa treatments and haircuts.”

All Australian beauty “editors”, I’m looking at you.

• Does anyone care about magazines? No matter how many newsagents are willing to sell them (they have to be willing, what else would they sell?) I’m over all their glossy page preaching to me like I need their advice on what to buy, who to gawk over and how to get a ‘red lip’.I think I need a new job and to figure out this web thing to join other mag hags turned web hags.

Hands up if…

… you want to see the Australian Grazia team take a leaf out of their British counterparts and make an entire issue of the mag from a shopping centre.

The British team are working out of the new Westfield in London this week, so how would you like to see the Australian girls set up shop in your local shopping centre?

All bets are on that this will be pitched to shopping centre’s and major department stores in Australia, but would you actually see Alison Veness-McGourty “working” out of a pop-up office? Or any beauty ed’s actually spend time at their desk’s?

Until then, we will have to settle with watching the fabulous British Grazia team work out of their stark white walls.

Watch as the British team discusses how they will move 46 staffers into one shopping centre and still manage to put a magazine out. A lot of pre-production I’m assuming. It all sounds like one big mag promo according to the video anyway.

Tough times ahead

The economy is going bottoms up and there are rumours of magazine closures left right and centre.

Perhaps working in magazines isn’t the way to go after all?

I see the little work experience girls – usually two by two – riding the lifts to “go fetch” and I think, is it worth it? Will there be a mag hag job at the end of the tunnel that will somehow pay the rent?

While we’re all holding tightly to our seats, hoping that it won’t be pulled out from under us like it was for those PR/Events girls in house, should us print girls look around and see the light? But then, wasn’t Gen Y (which 80% of mag hags are these days) raised to think the world is their oyster and we can have it all?

Well we can, just not in a dying industry where people don’t want to pay $5 a week for a magazine which isn’t all that relevant or is just rehashing content from Perez or Defamer a week too late. Yes you weeklies, I’m talking about you.

The only exclusive contact weekly magazines have is the “real people stories” and the celebrity stories they pay for. And they don’t even pay for good stories – do we care that Michael Clarke and Lara Bingle got engaged in New York and some magazine was conveniently there to sign the check and take the pictures? Or that Kyle Sandilands and Tamara Jaber got hitched and her dress cost more than most mag hag’s salaries?

If we must stay in print, perhaps we should all learn how to design, style fashion and beauty shoots, know how to write (which I can proudly say, Big Bird can do to some degree now), edit and kiss arse with advertising clients.

You can have it all ladies, as long as you can do it all.

P.S. as per a comment – does anyone care why Amy Sinclair left? After all no one is asking about that other ex-editor, Nedahl Stelio, now. But just for fun, she has popped up here in agency land. You have to love good old Google.

Cleo + Cosmo = Closmopolitan?

This was just too comical to not mention…

The Media section of the Australian said ACP aren’t making enough money, and the bosses at PBL happy. And PBL may combine competing magazines which share similar audiences.

Two nominated mags (besides the men’s ones) is Cleo and Cosmopolitan.

“there is concern the two titles are cannibalising each others’ markets and may be forced to merge”

Can you image…

• Perennial competitors, Bron and Sarah would have to work together! Or would one lady have to make way for the other? No prizes for sharing who you think deserves the job as EIC of Closmo, but where would all the glossy mag hags go? They can’t all fit on the one masthead and there are only so many jobs at inhouse mags, Madison, Shop, Grazia (which isn’t doing so well apparently), Dolly and Harper’s Bazaar… perhaps the girls should hope that Aus Glamour still have some jobs available?
• Speaking of Aus Glamour, Cleo are hoping to get a jump start on the soon-to-be-launched title by making a handbag sized version of the mag. Didn’t they try that a few summers ago and it wasn’t worth it? The old girl’s gotta try something I guess.
• If the girls go out of a job, who else will buy up the junk at that bargain basement shoe store next to McDonald’s?

Who/what else do you think will be affected if Closmo ever happened?

P.S. We got a mention in the Australian too.

Well hello there

And in that time frame, so much has happened! I just caught up with all the newest comments – which had me cackling with glee. I’m glad the truths about certain people had come out in the time while I was on hiatus.

The other day I heard a few girls talk about this little baby and it reminded me that it was quite fun in a naughty way, so I might have to return to semi-regular updates.

Since it has been a while, I need to know a few things:

• What do you think of Huckbody’s Bazaar? Chica than Vogue?
• Is Grazia worth it’s $20 a month price tag?
• What did you think of Paula Joye’s performance on Project Runway Australia and the gushing contestants who were in awe of her title.
• Did you hear that nasty rumor flying around about the “‘gong blonde“? I definitely need to talk to her one of these days and get to know her, she sounds like my kinda gal 😉
• Is anyone looking forward to Australian Glamour? After waiting for it to launch since Shop first did, does anyone actually care for another Marie Claire/Madison/Cosmo/Cleo-esque title? Zzzzzzzzzzz. At least Sig has a full time job to call home again.

So the final question on your glossed lips are – where have I been? Oh darlings, that is a secret I’ll never tell.

Gosh how cliched. But that the world of glossy magazines and lip gloss right?

So tell me, what have YOU been up to?