They started on TV and have done a remarkable job of creating a growing online presence. And now “Entertainment Tonight” is clicking to a new channel and launching a series of print magazines.
“The series of special edition collectible magazines will launch with “ET: Before They Were Famous,” which hit newsstands Sept. 15,” writes Jacob Bryant in Variety.
“Each issue, distributed by Topix Media Lab, will be a single topic, 100-page, glossy magazine that will include celebrity photos, stories and commentary,” Bryant continues, noting that they will be sold through more than 50,000 newsstands and online.
The first issue, featuring a young but immediately recognizable Angelina Jolie (long before adding the -Pitt), “will look into the early lives of some of the biggest and most popular celebrities and chronicle their journey from virtual obscurity to super-stardom. The issue will feature before-and-after star stories, childhood photos, embarrassing first jobs, young romances and more,” Bryant notes.
It looks like a lot of fun, and an interesting way to leverage 35 years’ worth of existing content.
“I am thrilled that after 35 years of leading the way in entertainment news, ET has pulled from our vast archives to create our first glossy magazine revealing a side of celebrity rarely seen,” ET’s executive producer Brad Bessey said to Bryant.
It’s yet another nod to the ability of print to help broaden a brand’s reach and engage readers on another channel. Even with the availability of digital media in all shapes and sizes, readers still love print magazines. Kudos to ET for recognizing this.