The People

Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management, July 1, 2003 by Susan Thea Posnock

Byline: Susan Thea Posnock

Julie Lewit-Nirenberg was ready to wash the magazine business right out of her life. The former publisher of several women's lifestyle titles, including Mademoiselle and Mirabella, decided she had had enough when, following the terrorist attacks of 9/11, Mode, her magazine at the time, shut down in October 2001.

"I had spent 30 years in publishing," says Lewit-Nirenberg. "I was looking to do something totally non-publishing."

In the past couple of years, she's had plenty of company. A brutal ad economy, followed by a slew of layoffs and magazine closures, has sent a parade of execs scampering for cover. But most of them haven't landed far from the magazine biz, finding safe haven in such adjacent industries as marketing, consulting, or advertising.

Lewit-Nirenberg, however, wanted a clean break. Earlier this year, the former publisher found it when she launched Ladies Who Launder, an upscale service based in Manhattan.

Her muse, as it turns out, was her maid. "I have a cleaning lady who comes in and either cleans or does laundry, but never both. And I thought I probably wasn't the only person who had this problem," says Lewit-Nirenberg. She soon drew up a business plan for a boutique operation - the type of service she had always craved as a busy New Yorker.

The service does washing, folding, and dry cleaning. Laundered items are served up in a reusable box, wrapped in oh-so-chic leopard tissue paper. To date, the service has about 300 clients, reports Lewit-Nirenberg. And while she's not into magazine publishing anymore, magazine publishing is into Ladies Who Launder. "I get some people from Martha Stewart Living and Town & Country who use the service," she says.

The company is still a bootstrap organization, but the founder of Mode isn't the one actually monitoring the spin cycle - she employs six full-time people for that. Too bad, really. I tested the service myself (love the tissue paper, great fabric softener!), and somehow it would have been more fun (though admittedly a bit weird) to imagine Lewit-Nirenberg separating my whites from my colors.

Much as she did during her publishing days, Lewit-Nirenberg is out pounding the pavement in search of ways to grow the business. Already she's looking to take it to Brooklyn, and she hopes to go national with franchises. Dealing with non-publishing types has, however, taken some adjusting. "The real eye-opener," she says, "is not everyone wears Prada."

People on the Move:

ADVERTISING & SALES

Outside named Skip Gilbert eastern advertising director. Most recently, he was vice president of corporate partnerships and publishing for the Arena Football League.

Kathleen Fleming has been hired as fashion manager, advertising, for Playboy. She joins the magazine from Men's Journal, where she was director of fashion.

Steven Rousseau, group advertising director for Primedia's Motor Trend and Automobile magazines, has been promoted to regional vice president and managing director for advertising sales for the company's Detroit region. He will continue to maintain his current responsibilities.

Vivian Mur of Publicitas Miami will serve as senior account manager for Smithsonian magazine.

Beth Brandes has been promoted to fashion and beauty manager at Premiere, from account manager at the magazine.

Amy Dorfman was named classified sales executive for Cable World magazine, Kagan World Media, and Simba Information. Recently she was an advertising sales assistant at Antiques.

CORPORATE

Primedia promoted Robert Metz to executive vice president. He will maintain his current roles and responsibilities as corporate officer and president & CEO of Primedia's Consumer Guide Group. The company appointed treasurer Matthew A. Flynn to the additional role of chief financial officer. And Robert J. Sforzo was named to the newly created position of chief accounting officer; he had been corporate controller.

TransWorld Media, a subsidiary of Time4 Media, hired Glenn Rogers as vice president and group publisher. Most recently, he was a consultant for Kilmer Capital.

Charles McCullagh joined Magazine Publishers of America as vice president/international. He had been managing director/international for Scientific American.

The Association of Interactive Marketing announced the appointment of Amanda G. Watlington and Heather Lloyd-Martin as cochairs of its Search Engine Marketing Council. Watlington is the director of research for iProspect, while Lloyd-Martin is the president of SuccessWorks.

William T. Kerr has been selected chairman of the International Federation of the Periodical Press. Kerr is chairman and CEO of Meredith Corporation.

EDITORIAL & ART

Greg Williams, editor of Dennis Publishing Maxim Fashion and one-shot Maxim Goes to the Movies, has been named editor at Maxim. The company also promoted James Heidenry to co-executive editor.

Peter Sikowitz has been tapped as editor-in-chief of Men's Fitness magazine. He was formerly editor-in-chief of the publication from 1992 to 1997.