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Janice Min
Min in 2011
Born (1969-08-13) August 13, 1969 (age 55)
Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Education
Occupations
  • Editor
  • Writer
TitleCo-owner, CEO, and Editor in Chief of Ankler Media

Janice Byung Min (born August 13, 1969) is an American media executive. She started her career in journalism, working at People magazine and InStyle, and was editor-in-chief at Us Weekly from 2002 to 2009. As an executive, she revamped entertainment industry publications The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard.

Early life

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Janice Min, the youngest of three children, was born in Atlanta,[1][2] to Nungsun Min, an IRS agent, and Hong Min, a zoology professor turned businessman.[1][3][4] Her father taught at the University of Georgia[5] and later became an executive for a medical supply company.[6] Min's parents emigrated to the United States from Seoul, South Korea.[3][4]

Min grew up mostly in Littleton, Colorado, where her family moved just before she started first grade.[4] She excelled in school, skipping third grade and graduating high school at age 16. As a child, Min was a fan of journalist Connie Chung.[3] Min said her parents were "oddly permissive" of her interest in journalism for Asian-American immigrants.[3] Min also had an interest in fashion, ever since she was a little girl.[1]

When Min was 13, she lied about her age, saying she was 14, to get a job at McDonald's.[4] In middle school and at Heritage High School, she contributed to the schools' student newspapers.[4] Min worked at a clothing store in a local mall, became a cashier at Target, and sold cosmetics at Foley's during a summer break in college.[4] She interned one summer at MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour.[7]

Min moved to New York City to attend Columbia University when she was 16.[4] There she met her future husband, Peter Sheehy,[4] and graduated in 1990 with a degree in history.[7] She also obtained a master's degree in journalism from the same university.[5]

Career

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Early work

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Min began her journalism career in 1991 as a reporter for The Reporter-Dispatch in Westchester County, New York.[8] She covered the crime beat, as well as local school board and planning committee meetings, among other topics.[7]

Min joined People magazine in 1993 as a staff writer.[1][9] She did not have an interest in celebrity gossip, but was looking for a job and had a friend that worked there.[4][10] At first, Min struggled at People. According to one of her former coworkers, she was a "poor writer". Paula Chin, then-senior editor of the magazine, mentored her.[1] Min became better suited for the position as People began to focus on lighter stories. She covered fashion for the "Style Watch" section, which became a regular weekly feature.[1] Min was promoted to senior editor in 1997.[1]

After five years at People,[7] Min left the paper and briefly joined Life Magazine[1] as the assistant managing editor.[2] According to Adweek, she was "bored and miserable" at Life, because of the slower pace of a monthly publication. Min left in 1998, after less than a year at Life, to work for InStyle under the same job title.[1][2] There she led the development of InStyle Weddings and InStyle Makeover.[1] In 2001, Min quit InStyle and started looking for another position.[1]

Us Weekly

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In 2002, Min applied for the editor-in-chief position at Us Weekly and was instead hired as an executive editor under Bonnie Fuller, who became editor-in-chief.[1][6] The following July, Fuller resigned and Min was appointed to take her place.[7][8][11]

According to The New York Times, Min turned Us Weekly into one of the magazine industry's "major success stories".[12][13] Public interest in celebrity news was growing, as was the magazine's circulation.[3] In her role at Us Weekly, Min had a significant impact on popular culture[1][13] and was influential in creating an industry for celebrity gossip.[14] For example, Us Weekly was largely responsible for the popularity of the reality TV show about a couple with eight children, Jon & Kate Plus 8, after it featured John and Kate on the cover of eight sequential issues.[14] Min focused much of the publication's editorial on reality TV stars, rather than actors and singers.[15] According to Adweek, Min positioned celebrities as the reader's friend who "can take a little good-natured ribbing" and fostered more cooperative relationships with celebrities.[1][10] According to Elle, Min depicted celebrities as people that "may make dumb, even craven, moves, but are never villains".[3] According to The Los Angeles Times, Min "softened the tone and made it much more friendly to stars".[15] Min also created a calmer environment in the workplace, which had previously been dramatic and contentious.[12] Under Min's tenure, the publication's circulation grew from 800,000 copies per week in 2000 to 1.9 million by 2009.[14]

Min had negotiated a contract that partially tied her compensation to the number of magazines sold. As distribution increased, her salary peaked at $2 million a year.[5][14] She left in August 2009 as her contract was up for renewal and ad revenues at the publication were decreasing.[12] For her work at Us Weekly, Min was named AdWeek magazine's Editor of the Year.[1][4] While in-between jobs, Min received job offers from women's magazines, but was not interested. She spent ten months with her family.[5]

Min was influential in creating an interest in celebrity pregnancies in popular culture through her work at Us Weekly.[16] Shortly after she left, Min got a deal with St. James Press to write a book, How to Look Hot in a Minivan: A Real Woman's Guide to Losing Weight, Looking Great, and Dressing Chic in the Age of the Celebrity Mom.[3][16] In August 2012, she wrote a column in The New York Times complaining about unrealistic weight and beauty expectations for new moms, set by celebrities. She was criticized in blogs and social media for criticizing an aspect of popular culture she helped establish. Min said the magazine was responding to reader interests, not creating them.[16]

The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard

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Janice Min in her Los Angeles office

In December 2009, the CEO of Prometheus Global Media, Richard Beckman, acquired The Hollywood Reporter.[17] According to The Daily Beast, The Hollywood Reporter was "in a death spiral".[5] It had become too friendly to the celebrities it covered and was losing readership to competitor Daily Variety.[3][11] After seeing in The New York Post that Min was moving to Los Angeles, Beckman began courting her to lead the publication's turnaround.[3] She was named editorial director of The Hollywood Reporter in May 2010.[11][18]

Four months after Min took the position, The Hollywood Reporter was re-launched[17] as a weekly, glossy magazine.[18][19] She focused the publication's editorial on in-depth feature stories and visuals.[19] According to The New York Times, "she published 3,000-word profiles of and about Hollywood, plus plenty of juicy photo galleries and lighter items" as opposed to "quick blurbs about comings and goings".[11] She avoided the re-written press releases and industry jargon that were common in prior issues. Some of the subjects upon which she focused included box office numbers, controversies, fashion and personal celebrity news.[3][17] Min created art and photography departments and hired more journalists.[17] The publication also began hosting Oscar and Emmy award parties for nominees.[18][19]

Min led the modernization of the publication's website as well.[18][19] The Hollywood Reporter's web traffic increased 800 percent under her tenure at the publication and revenue increased 50 percent.[11][17]

In January 2014, Min was promoted to co-president/chief creative officer of the Entertainment Group of Guggenheim Media. In this role she became the head of both The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard.[18][19] Billboard was still considered the most reputable magazine in the music industry, but it was losing readers and writers due to a tumult in the music industry. Min was appointed to lead a similar turnaround as the one she facilitated at The Hollywood Reporter.[19]

Quibi

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In 2018, Janice Min joined Quibi, Jeffrey Katzenberg's video startup business, to lead its daily news shows rubric called Daily Essentials. In September 2019, Min exited Quibi, ahead of its April 2020 launch.[20]

Ankler Media

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In 2021, Min collaborated with Richard Rushfield to launch Ankler Media, which expanded the Substack newsletter focused on entertainment news called The Ankler into a larger media business to include podcasts and events, also covering the entertainment business.[21][22] Min currently serves as co-owner, CEO, and Editor in Chief of Ankler Media.[23][24][25]

Min and Rushfield took part in an incubator program for this venture through Y Combinator to raise seed capital in June, 2022.[26][27]

Awards and Recognitions

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Year Nominated work Category Award Result
2005 US Weekly Editor of the Year[28] Adweek Won
2006 US Weekly 40 Under 40[29] Crain's New York Won
2007 Journalism Distinguished Achievement Award[30] Columbia University of Journalism Won
2007 US Weekly 50 Most Powerful Women in NYC (#18)[31] New York Post Won
2009 Achievement in Journalism[32] KoreAm Award Won
2012 Career Achievement[33] National Entertainment Journalism Luminary Award Won
2014 The Hollywood Reporter in Focus: The Wolf of Wall Street Arts and Culture/History[34] Emmy Award Won
2015 The Hollywood Reporter General Excellence in the Special Interest Category[35] National Magazine Award Won
2015 The Hollywood Reporter Best Fashion Issue Of A Non Fashion Magazine[36] Fashion Media Award Won
2016 Significant Contribution to the Communications Industry[37] Matrix Award Won
2016 Honor Medal for Distinguished Service[38] Missouri School of Journalism Won
2016 The Hollywood Reporter Print and Digital Media[39] National Magazine Award Won
2016 The Hollywood Reporter Roundtables Variety (Video Series & Channels)[40] Webby Award Nominated
2017 Close Up With The Hollywood Reporter Outstanding Special Class Series[41] Daytime Emmy Award Nominated
2017 The Hollywood Reporter-Billboard Media Exceptional Woman in Publishing[42] Exceptional Woman in Publishing Award Won
2023 The Ankler Leading Women of 2023[43] Ad Age Won
2023 The Ankler 11 Most Consequential Media and Technology Figures of 2023[44] CNN Won
2023 The Ankler Independent Publisher[45] Webby Award Nominated
2024 The Ankler Independent Publisher[46] Webby Award Nominated

Personal life

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Janice Min currently resides in Los Angeles, with her husband, Peter Sheehy, who is director of a nonprofit organization called KidUnity and a history teacher at Harvard-Westlake School.[3][47][48] They have three children - Lila, Tate and Will.[49][50] In 2019, it was reported that Min purchased an $8 million mansion located in Brentwood, Los Angeles.[51] She previously bought two properties in the Pacific Palisades in 2010 and 2017 respectively.[47]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "brad or britney? Britney or Brad? It's 9 o'clock". Adweek. March 14, 2005. Archived from the original on December 25, 2015. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
  2. ^ a b c Hughes, Aria (February 15, 2012). "So what do you do, Janice Min, Editorial Director of the Hollywood Reporter?". mediabistro.com.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Axelrod, Nick (October 13, 2011). "Janice Min Takes Hollywood". Elle. Archived from the original on August 9, 2012. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Brown, Douglas (October 30, 2005). "Gossip goddess". The Denver Post. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
  5. ^ a b c d e Bernstein, Jacob (May 26, 2010). "Can Janice Min Conquer Hollywood?". The Daily Beast. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
  6. ^ a b Richardson, Lynda (February 25, 2004). "Celebrity Weekly Shocker: Editor Is No Diva!". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 11, 2016. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
  7. ^ a b c d e Lorge Butler, Sarah (March 2005). "Min Makes Her Mark". Columbia College Today. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
  8. ^ a b Sherman, Gabriel (July 3, 2006). "Us Editor Janice Min Dictates: In Raw Times, Jessica, Jen, Jolie". The New York Observer. Archived from the original on July 9, 2015. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
  9. ^ "Janice Min says K-pop needs authenticity". The Korea Times. October 8, 2014. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
  10. ^ a b Swanson, Stevenson (September 30, 2005). "It's science! It's instinct!". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
  11. ^ a b c d e Carr, David (May 29, 2011). "An Outsider Making Waves in Hollywood". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved September 9, 2012.
  12. ^ a b c Perez-Pena, Richard (July 20, 2009). "Janice Min, Us Weekly Editor, Is Stepping Down". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 27, 2015.
  13. ^ a b McDonnell, Jen (May 21, 2011). "Janice Min dishes on celebrity at Cannes". Calgary Herald. p. D.4.
  14. ^ a b c d "Janice Min helped Us Weekly feed a hunger for celebrity". Los Angeles Times. July 22, 2009. Archived from the original on December 25, 2015. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
  15. ^ a b Fritz, Ben; Abramowitz, Rachel (May 27, 2010). "A Dramatic Makeover for the Hollywood Reporter". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
  16. ^ a b c Hanes, Stephanie (August 23, 2012). "Janice Min and the post baby bump "momshell" wannabe phenomenon". The Christian Science Monitor. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved September 9, 2012.
  17. ^ a b c d e Alimurung, Gendy (May 15, 2013). "Janice Min: The Hollywood Reporter's Editor". LA Weekly. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
  18. ^ a b c d e Lewis, Randy (January 9, 2014). "Billboard shake-up puts Hollywood Reporter's Janice Min in charge". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
  19. ^ a b c d e f Carr, David; Sisario, Ben (January 7, 2014). "New Leader at Billboard Sees Future in Visuals". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
  20. ^ Jarvey, Natalie (September 4, 2019). "Janice Min Departs Jeffrey Katzenberg's Quibi Ahead of Launch". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  21. ^ "Janice Min Joins Richard Rushfield's The Ankler in Newsletter Expansion". December 14, 2021.
  22. ^ magazine, Los Angeles (December 14, 2021). "Janice Min and Richard Rushfield Team Up for Ankler Expansion". Lamag - Culture, Food, Fashion, News & Los Angeles.
  23. ^ Wagmeister, Elizabeth (December 17, 2021). "Janice Min Loses First Hire at Ankler Newsletter to Rolling Stone (EXCLUSIVE)".
  24. ^ Rushfield, Richard. "Hello Ankler Family, From Janice Min". theankler.com.
  25. ^ Robertson, Katie (December 14, 2021). "The Ankler, a hit Hollywood newsletter, charts an expansion". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
  26. ^ Fischer, Sara (June 21, 2022). "Exclusive: The Ankler raises $1.5M seed at $20M valuation". Axios.
  27. ^ "The Ankler: Subscription entertainment news". Y Combinator.
  28. ^ "MIN THERE, DONE THAT – TOP HONOR COULD AID EDITOR'S TALKS WITH WENNER MAG by Keith J. Kelly". NY Post. May 11, 2005. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  29. ^ "40 Under 40 - Janice Min, 34". Crain's New York. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  30. ^ "2007 Columbia University Distinguished Achievement Award Honorees". Columbia Alumni Association & Asian Columbia Alumni Association. October 13, 2007. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  31. ^ "New York Post Names NYC's 50 Most Powerful Women For 2007". Global Custodian. June 8, 2007. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  32. ^ "Janice Min Wins Achievement in Journalism at the 2009 Unforgettable Gala". Character Media. December 6, 2009. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  33. ^ "Jane Fonda, THR's Janice Min Honored at National Entertainment Journalism Awards". THR. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  34. ^ "Winners of the 66th Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards Announced" (PDF). Emmys. July 26, 2014. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  35. ^ "NATIONAL MAGAZINE AWARDS 2015 WINNERS ANNOUNCED". February 2, 2015. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
  36. ^ "Wiz Khalifa, THR's Co-Pres Janice Min Celebrate Win at Fashion Media Awards". Billboard. September 10, 2015. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
  37. ^ "New York Women In Communications Announces The 2016 Matrix Award Honorees Bravo TV's Andy Cohen To Emcee Ceremony". NY Women in Communications. December 15, 2015. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
  38. ^ "6 to Receive the Missouri Honor Medal for Distinguished Service in Journalism". Missouri School of Journalism. June 8, 2016. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  39. ^ "ELLIE AWARDS 2016 WINNERS ANNOUNCED". ASME. February 1, 2016. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  40. ^ "Honoring the Best of the Internet". The Webby Awards. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  41. ^ "Daytime Emmys: 'Days of Our Lives,' 'Trollhunters' Top Creative Arts Awards". The Hollywood Reporter. April 28, 2017. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  42. ^ "Exceptional Woman in Publishing Selects Janice Min, Eldridge Industries Strategist Who Turned Around The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard, as Its 2017 Award Recipient". Exceptional Women in Publishing. March 24, 2017. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  43. ^ "ANKLER MEDIA'S JANICE MIN TURNED AN INDUSTRY NEWSLETTER INTO A THRIVING MEDIA COMPANY - The co-founder and CEO is among Ad Age's Leading Women 2023 by Parker Herre". Ad Age. May 21, 2023. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  44. ^ "Here are the 11 most consequential media and technology figures of 2023 — and the six losers by Oliver Darcy". CNN. December 20, 2023. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  45. ^ "Honoring the Best of the Internet 2023". Webby Awards. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  46. ^ "Honoring the Best of the Internet 2024". Webby Awards. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  47. ^ a b McClain, James (November 5, 2019). "Janice Min Nabs Stately Brentwood Mansion". DIRT. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  48. ^ Cosgrove, Natalie. "Peter Sheehy joins History Department". The Harvard-Westlake Chronicle. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
  49. ^ "My HealthySELF: Magazine Editor Janice Min on Losing the Baby Weight (With Help From Heidi Klum and Jennifer Lopez)". SELF. September 21, 2012. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
  50. ^ "kidunity | ABOUT". KidUnity. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  51. ^ McClain, James (November 5, 2019). "Janice Min Nabs Stately Brentwood Mansion". Variety. Retrieved February 3, 2020.

Further reading

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