Being a chief editor of a women's magazine and site: all the secrets behind the glitter!
While the general public's perception is still dominated by "The Devil wears Prada" stereotype of female media executives, the reality seems to be very different from the Hollywood movie.
Moderator
Stelios Sofianos, Chief Media & Content DPG Media
Experts
Galateia Laskaraki, Chief Editor of Marie Claire, marieclaire.gr
Eleni Karagianni, Chief Editor of Madame Figaro
Dionysia Kalapotharakou, Chief Editor of Queen.gr
While the general public's perception is still dominated by "The Devil wears Prada" stereotype of female media executives, the reality seems to be very different from the Hollywood movie. Three chief editors of the biggest women's monthly magazines and sites talk about the glamor but also about the challenges, the anxieties and their wonderfully feminine everyday life.
- What is the profile of a chief editor of a women's magazine?
- Has the job changed in the era of the pandemic?
- What are the new skills required of women's magazine editors in the digital age?
- Do women's sites threaten the existence and/or primacy of women's magazines?
- What are the challenges of a print magazine chief editor and how do they differ from a digital magazine chief editor?
- Is there still glamour around magazine editors?
- Do women's magazines and sites approach women only from their side of interest? Fashion and beauty?
- To what extent did the pandemic play a catalytic role in the formation of a new context in the subject matter of women's magazines and sites?
- What are your biggest anxieties?
- What is the secret of your success?
- Many young girls dream of running a printed or a digital magazine. What advice would you give them?
- What has been the most beautiful moment in your career so far and what has been the most difficult to deal with?
- What makes the profession of a female media manager so attractive?
- How do you build a relationship of trust with your audience that will be dynamic and lasting?
- How do you manage news as a women's monthly magazine?
- How important is the social footprint in the subject matter of a printed magazine or site?
- What is the profile of the women who prefer printed magazines and what is the profile of the women who prefer women's websites?
- Is there fierce competition between the editors of rival magazines and sites?
- Do numbers and sales stress you out and how much do they influence your choices in terms of subject matter and strategy?
Stelios Sofianos has served as a senior executive in digital and print media for a number of years. Among others, he served as Digital Content Director at the Lambrakis Press Group, Editorial Director at "To Vima" and Director of the "Vima tis Kyriakis". Later he became an executive of communication companies as well as a partner of protagon.gr.
Galateia Laskaraki studied theater in Athens, journalism in Cardiff and started working at “Vima” shortly before the turn of the millennium, i.e. old enough to be exposed to plenty of second-hand smoke and journalism porn material to make fun of the younger ones today. Although she wanted to be a war correspondent because of her love for long-dead photojournalists (love you always, Robert Capa), she ended up going into lifestyle because, okay, the other thing seems pretty difficult. She worked on the Sunday paper before working in the magazines and she also worked in the magazines (Bhmagazino, Bhmadonna) since the first issue and wrote in publications that are no longer existent (Status, Glamour, Life&Style). She is now a chief editor at Marie Claire.
Eleni Karagianni is a graduate of the Department of Communication and Media of the University of Athens and has been working in the magazines since 1997. She has collaborated with the largest women's publications in Greece, while she has been the editor-in-chief of ELLE, Mirror and Celebrity magazines. For the last 4 years, she has been part of the Madame Figaro team, where she first joined as Content Manager of madamefigaro.gr and then served as senior editor of the print edition of which she took over the management in September 2021.
Dionysia Kalapotharakou is the Chief Editor of the leading women's site, Queen.gr, coming from the position of Fashion Director for all the publications of DPG Digital Media. Dionysia Kalapotharakou has been working in the field of print and digital journalism since 2008. She has collaborated with international publications (Madame Figaro, Esquire, InStyle) in executive positions in the field of lifestyle and fashion, while during her career she has covered important fashion events , such as Fashion Weeks in Milan, New York and Paris.
