January 06, 2025

Why W Magazine Matters (Again): A Conversation with Sara Moonves

41 minutes

The Best Performances issue of W Magazine is here, marking the unofficial start of awards season with its iconic event this past weekend. To kick off our own season, we’re sitting down with the woman behind it all: editor-in-chief Sara Moonves.

Born into a world of celebrity and culture in Los Angeles, Sara’s path to leadership was anything but handed to her. From high school internships to assisting legends like Sally Singer and Phyllis Posnick, she built her career with determination and a deep passion for the arts.

As W's first female editor-in-chief in its 53-year history, Sara has revitalized the brand, expanding its print cycle to meet the demands of its thriving digital audience. Today, W Magazine remains a collectible beacon of creativity, bridging the worlds of art, cinema, music, fashion, and celebrity.

Episode Highlights:

Moonves grew up in Los Angeles, voraciously consuming arts and culture from a young age.

While still in high school, Sara interned at Vogue and later assisted legends like Sally Singer and Phyllis Posnick before becoming a fashion editor herself.

Upon inheriting a nearly defunct W Magazine as its new Editor-in-Chief, Sara had to convince reluctant advertisers that the brand was still a worthy investment.

In March 2024, W debuted its first digital cover featuring Beyoncé, timed to the release of her album Renaissance. The most awarded artist in Grammys history generated over 3.5 billion press impressions and 348 million social impressions, sparking overwhelming demand for a print edition.

While other print publications scaled back their number of print editions due to industry-wide reductions in readership and ad spend, W's print issues were so successful that the brand added another to its lineup in 2024.

Overall, W Magazine saw double-digit revenue growth year-over-year in the first half of 2024, encompassing all three platforms: print, digital, and experiential.

By bringing cultural icons like Steven Spielberg into the fashion fold for the first time, W’s brand world and content offerings are often more varied than many of its contemporaries.

Sara became the first female Editor-in-Chief in the brand's 53-year history.

Published by Rizzoli in 2022, W Magazine: 50 Years/50 Stories was the first of what Sara envisions as many brand extensions that leverage the magazine's storied history.

For Sara, being contemporary means pushing boundaries, tuning out the noise, and always moving forward rather than backward.

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