Dauphin Media opens New York office based on success of Holmes magazine
[This post has been updated]Dauphin Media Group, the publishers of Canadian Architecture & Design magazine, has seen its Holmes: The magazine to make it right take off so successfully that the Toronto company has opened a New York office.
The first U.S. issue was on newsstands mid-November and already the magazine has been expanded to 10 issues annually in both Canada and the U.S. TV handyman Mike Holmes has a strong following in both Canada and the US, where his programs Holmes on Homes and Holmes Inspections are carried on HGTV.
Dauphin launched Holmes in Canada in November 2009. Last summer, it struck a deal with Time Warner Retail to partner on U.S. distribution and the second, 112-page issue of Holmes hits newsstands January 14. A release from the company said that the magazine is gaining 1,000 subscribers a week. Holmes himself did a multi-city tour in the U.S. in November to promote the shows and the U.S. edition launch.
The U.S. edition is edited by Kelly Beamon, formerly of This Old House and Interior Design. Creative director is Nick Torello, formerly of Business Week and Conde Nast.[Update: see comment, which seems to indicate that, rather than having two editions, the Canadian edition has been discontinued.]
Dauphin Media is led by Mike Dunphy, a former commercial contractor turned publisher and, in addition to Holmes and Canadian Architecture & Design, is planning the launch of Male Perspective.
Maclean's published a profile of Holmes in its December 13 issue that reveals the unlikely star's gritty back story.
Labels: launches
posted by D. B. Scott at
1:24 pm
22 Comments:
That's great. Meanwhile, half a dozen writers are still awaiting payment from Dauphin Media's now defunct North of 89 magazine.
This sounds like there's a second office and a second edition, but the "US edition" has replaced the Canadian magazine. U.S. sources are now preferred, the new NYC-based editor replaced the Toronto-based editor, and other Toronto staff are gone too. Writers are waiting for payment, and the new editor is horrible at returning emails.
Wow. Has anyone had luck with the accounting department? Just tried leaving a message, but yes -- all of my Toronto office contacts are gone.
Sorry, is anyone else confused?
Did Dauphin Media just hand over control of the book to it's US partner? It sure sounds like the Canadian contribution has been hacked.
So this is another bad news story for Canadian magazine professionals - but good news for our stateside friends.
Good talent is hard to find in any market. The New York office is a huge step for Holmes Magazine in a positive direction and the team will continue to grow both in Canada and the US! That said, the US and Canadian editions will continue to grow in both markets with record sell through numbers for both magazines.
Fact: There remains a Toronto staff and Toronto office.
Fact: The US and Canadian versions differ by advertisers.Editorial content is the same.
Fact: Accounting department handles payments. You can contact Diane at diane@dauphinmedia.com for payment resolution.
Fact: US sources are certainly not favoured over Canadian.
Question: Can diane@dauphinmedia.com resolve payment issues concerning North of 89 magazine?
Fact: Your complaints about unpaid invoices have humiliated and exposed the dirty laundry of the Canadian publishing system.
Fact: Freelance writers are being taken advantage of, and will continue to be mistreated by publications unless we do something about it.
Fact: Keep posting stories here. It will make other publications think differently before releasing any flashy news stories gloating about success when they have other issues going on.
I don't agree with being ignored when I am owed for a story. I contacted the Dauphin Media Group like I would any company that owed me money and they actually sent my cheque via courier the very next day. It might have been slower than I would have liked but they did pay me. However, I have found that the larger the publisher the longer it takes to get paid, if at all.
In my opinion, slandering Dauphin or any publishing firm in this public forum isn't going to help our cause. Companies like Rogers aren't going to stop their PR train because we post negative comments on internet blogs.
Dauphin media sent me a cheque by courier too - only after months of evasion and blatant lies on their part, and after I eventually had to threaten them with small claims court. And I know I'm not the only contributor who had to resort to that route for them to "make it right."
The funny thing about slander, is that it most often stems from truth. Down with deadbeat publishers.
Mike Dunphy,
If you think the fact that you DID pay all your outstanding invoices means that we should show you gratitude, you are mistaken. You were SUPPOSED to pay freelancers. It would be like us writers pretending to be innocent after not turning in an article for days or months past the deadline. No one is claiming you didn't make an effort to honour our contracts, but the effort was made in bad faith since you waited till the very last minute, and then some to pay us.
And yes, Rogers, Transcontinental, StarMedia, St. Josephs and other larger organizations play similar shell games with checks. The next time there's a news story on the Walrus, wait to read the comments from irate freelancers. They will be posted either here, or on Masthead.
I had a friend who worked at Dauphin Media who said it was the most unprofessional experience of this particular person's publishing career.
"And yes, Rogers, Transcontinental, StarMedia, St. Josephs and other larger organizations play similar shell games with checks."
No, they don't. (Although I can't speak from experience when it comes to StarMedia, since I've never written for them.) I despise what the big publishers are trying to do with their rights-grabbing contracts, but I have NEVER had a problem being paid by them. (The Walrus is, however, another matter.)
I don't write for the dinky publishers like Dauphin for a variety of reasons, but key among them is that they are far less accountable to their writers than the big guns are.
My mistake, I couldn't edit it as 'Anonymous.' (Some) Of the other media companies do things that cost writers time or money in their own way, is what I meant.
I knew that Anonymous #9 was just a plant from Dauphin trying to shift the blame to Rogers.
I'd agree that the big guns--Rogers, Transcon, Torstar, Totem--are very good about paying on time, 99% of the time. The few times checks have gotten lost it's usually due to staff turnover and the issue is very quickly resolved. St Joe's always pays, just a bit more slowly.
Rights issues notwithstanding, there are real benefits to working with the majors.
Freelancers really need to be aware of smaller publishing entities; while it's nice to think of yourself as supporting/being part of a tight, indie venture, often that can end up biting you in the ass.
My rule of thumb for working with small titles is don't do it unless getting paid would be a nice little surprise bonus. In other words, do it for a free press trip/swag/fascinating subject matter/making contacts/branching out into a new subject realm/build your portfolio, but don't do it expecting to get paid, b/c it may not happen. (And if it does: hey, cool!)
I'm not excusing the bad behaviour of douche-bags like Dauphin media, just saying it happens a lot, and most of the time (Quebecor/Que-Net being the exception that proves big companies do it too) it's the small publications that are sticking it to freelance contributors.
Sorry to say, in my experience (20 years plus) "accounting problems" are more often the fault of lazy editors who cant be bothered to shepherd an invoice through the process. Then, rather then just admit to their part in the delay, they just blame the accounting dept or publisher.
This company owes me thousands of dollars, does not communicate with its contractors or send back signed copies of its contracts...FREELANCERS BEWARE!
CAD is dunzo and TMP is missing in action.
Dauphin Media pays the worst wages in the industry.
SMH.
I did a rush job for Dauphin Media in October and still have not been paid. They leave me no other choice but to inform the NFL of their criminal business practices.
Shame on the NFL for letting them publish their magazine.
What is happening with regards to Holmes Magazine and their owing subscription fees to customers? Why cant I reach Dauphin now that they owe me money?
Dauphin owes me subcription fees for defunct Holmes Magazine and cannot be reached????
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