Last Updated on 08/04/2017 by Chris Gampat
Hi everyone,
There comes a point with many publishers and publications where they need to evolve; and the Phoblographer has done so a number of times over the years. A lot of it has to do with the types of content we provide and how that content is delivered. Part of evolution often requires trying something new; and that’s what we’re officially announcing next week in a press release.
And of course, I’ve giving readers of this site first dibs.
We’re working with a company called Madavor Media. They’re a magazine/publishing company that has been around for years and years now.
The Phoblographer has been a blog which has grown up in many regards. And like most business owners, I’ve faced obstacles and found ways around them or broke right through them. There are challenges, and I’ve not only noticed them myself but I’ve also listened to people who read the site–more so to the folks who understand the needs of small business owners vs those who simply troll. And so our deal with Madavor is one that is going to promote growth in many ways. But in order to do that, I should explain to you all a bit about what Madavor is.
Madavor was brought to my attention by David Schloss: the Editor of Digital Photo Pro Magazine, my old editor at PIX magazine, and overall just a very good friend. They’re a real, legitimate magazine and publishing company–the first we’ve ever worked with. And when you fuse what I’ve built with the web and their polish, approach, and capabilities, you get a whole lot of potential, considering I still own 100% of Phoblographer. You read that right; Madavor hasn’t purchased any bit of the Phoblographer: I still own 100% of the company. In the past few years I’ve turned down around five buyout offers. They just didn’t feel right, or those negotiating with me belittled the site in an attempt to simply take over the SEO and community building work I’ve done. But this deal indeed feels right. Madavor has a number of other photography related publications under it including Digital Photo Magazine, Digital Photo Pro magazine and Outdoor Photographer magazine (the latter is incredibly popular). So our relationship is one focused on revenue sharing on top of symbiotic development of content with the other publications. As I type this, talks have begun to find a way to give Phoblographer readers more, paying La Noir Image subscribers even more, and Madavor’s current customers even more.
Now, I’ve worked with many companies over the years on advertising relations; it’s standard practice for a lot of blogs. But where Phoblographer actually makes its strongest plays is in the fact that it’s honestly survived this long while adhering to journalistic ethics. Let me justify how powerful that statement is. There are specifically two other photography blogs subsidized by larger wedding businesses (I’m sure you can figure out what they are). One was started with venture capital from something previously sold (one of the largest photo blogs, actually), and there are also a number of others flat-out deceiving their audience by trying to hide sponsored content (that is bound to one day get them slapped with an FCC lawsuit). But I assure you – the Phoblographer is 100% independent and I’m 100% upfront with everyone. My background is in tech journalism where I learned how operations work at PCMagazine and Geek.com, and then I spent some time at Magnum Photos (yes, that Magnum Photos). I’ve always done things in a very ethical way with full disclosure. I can’t say the same for a lot of others. And that’s not me trying to make my company look better, that’s me speaking from the heart.
We’ve had folks attack us and say Fujifilm, Canon, or Sony are sponsoring our reviews. And in truth, they don’t. I’m very forward about labelling what’s sponsored on The Phoblographer, and also sponsored series’. I flat out refuse to do sponsored reviews because they’re incredibly. They’ll never be done on our website. Phoblographer’s sponsored content always needs final approval from me, and I often work on creating the content myself with you folks in mind. So there’s going to be more sponsored content on the Phoblographer (within reason) in order for the company to grow and produce better content overall. But I won’t be inundating you with it and it’s all still going to be valuable. There’s also hopefully going to be more news content, videos on our YouTube channel, social collaborations, cultural content, reviews, tutorials and features. Something I genuinely miss are magazine-like features that I used to do but no longer have the time for. This deal will hopefully change that; and I’m very positive it’s going to change things for the better.
So let me explain this again because I’ve had to do it a number of times:
- The Phoblographer is still 100% mine and independant
- Madavor is handling our advertising relations and inventory
- I still own 100% of the Phoblographer
- Madavor’s publications and I will be working closer together
- I still own 100% of the Phoblographer
- This relationship will give us access to more staff and resources to grow the site
- I still own 100% of the Phoblographer
Again, I still own 100% of the Phoblographer LLC.
What I’m trying to do with this relationship is solidify the Phoblographer into a better place on the web. We’re in a pretty darned good spot as it is, but at almost eight years old I’m not looking for the Phoblographer to slow down. In many ways, I’ve always found it to be ahead of the curve.
Most importantly, I want Phoblographer to always be the place where folks come for the news other places eventually pick up on, as we always have been. My vision for the Phoblographer has always been for it to be a place where people can be informed about what’s going on in the industry from a different but informed perspective, inspiring people, delivering real world reviews with a sense of practicality, and educating people on the technical, creative, business and emotional parts of photography. I’ve got a vision for the site, and getting it to that point is a journey I genuinely feel like Madavor can help with.
If you’ve got questions, feel free to email me at chrisgampat[at]thephoblographer[dot]com. And in the meantime, thank you for being a reader.
Sincerely,
Chris Gampat
Editor in Chief and still 100% owner and Publisher of the Phoblographer