It’s been a decade since former Duke University journalism students William Pearson and Mangesh Hattikudur launched the startup,mental_floss, with hopes of creating a unique publication. Ten years later, the magazine is better than ever with fresh, educational and humorous editorial, and a new managing editor Jessanne Collins at the wheel.
“I’m really excited to be working at a magazine that I’ve always admired, both in terms of its content and in its ethic,” she said. “I think it’s really smart and interesting and funny, and it has always had a very DIY vibe that appealed to me. “
Collins, along with new editor in chief James Kaminsky, is closing their first issue as a team, and the newly appointed managing editor has been busy from the second she joined the magazine.
“In the three weeks I’ve been here, we’ve put together an entire issue from the ground up. Every page has been designed from scratch,” Collins explained. “There have been a lot of late nights and long weekends, but the issue looks fantastic – worth the effort.”
One of Collins’ main goals as managing editor is to find the balance between being organized and focused on future issues and maintaining the distinctive voice of the publication.
“Like any managing editor, I want to make the magazine run like an efficient machine. But I want it to be a very mental_floss machine,” she said. “This is an incredibly unique publication and it’s got a very unique history and culture for a magazine. I’m here to figure out how to run things in a way that works best for us, so that we can put out an amazing publication and have fun doing it.”
One way to do that is to stay connected to their audience via the social media arm of the magazine. Mental_floss keeps up with Twitter, Facebook and frequently updates the blog. Its Twitter handle is followed by over 118,000 users and has a Klout score of 77, making it a highly influential publication.
“MF has a great Twitter feed; it’s honestly one of my favorites and that has nothing to do with my job. It’s just fascinating and very retweetable,” Collins said. “In a way our content lends itself to that snappy content style – it’s not breaking news, but it’s of evergreen interest and it’s short, digestible tidbits of really fun information.”
Collins finds the growth of social media very interesting and thinks it’s important to follow it closely. “We’re continually having a conversation about what ‘real journalism’ is exactly. I think change happens fast, and it’s essential that we stay engaged in conversations about what these shifts mean,” she said. “The more dynamic journalism can be, the stronger it can be, and I always want there to be strong journalism out there.”
Even for a busy managing editor, Twitter is quick enough to check and Collins says she gets most of her news from the feed. “It’s integrated almost seamlessly into my day. In fleeting moments of downtime or when switching gears, I’ll just scroll through so that I can stay connected and conversant,” she explained.
Collins certainly hopes to learn as much as possible while taking the magazine to the next phase. “That’s really what the magazine is about, and that’s who it’s for – people who are insatiably curious and like to know all the random details.”
The magazine is currently going through a major makeover and will be growing a lot, both in scope and in reach, Collins mentioned. “I’m so excited that I’m going to be a part of that process, of taking something I really admire and helping to make it even better.”
Pitching Tips
Collins advises PR professionals to send materials with an interesting, wide appeal. “Our coverage is evolving right now, but off-hand I’d say we’re interested in interesting non-fiction books, documentaries, art and other culture beats. Cultural happenings, events, etc. in the U.S.,” she said. “We’re developing some new coverage so people will want to check out the magazine to see what we’re about.”
A pet peeve of hers is receiving press materials that are not relevant. “It’s going to be tricky because we’ll want to be covering stuff that’s off the beaten path. People should always, always read a current issue of the magazine and see that what they’re pitching applies to what we do,” she said. “Even better if they can tell me where it would actually fit in the magazine. This is especially important now as we’re evolving. I’d recommend checking out the Sept/Oct issue when it’s on the stands.”
She added, “Just tailor as much as possible and I don’t mean just slap my name in-make sure you are offering me something of value,” she said.
Collins prefers to receive press materials via email and will respond if interested; no need for follow up emails or phone calls. Attachments are best in the body of the email.
Collins can be found on Twitter at @jessannecollins
