FAMED PARIS-BASED MAGAZINE “L’OFFICIEL” LAUNCHES U.S. EDITION
Jalou Media Group and the GEM Group are excited to announce the launch of L’Officiel USA Inc., debuting the international digital platform on Monday, November 6 and the first print edition in February 2018. The L’Officiel title is owned by Jalou Media Group, a family-owned media group based in Paris and led by CEO Benjamin Eymere.
Lofficielusa.com will be a fully-integrated, digital newsroom offering consumers international coverage of high fashion, accessories, art, travel, and lifestyle. Approximately 40 percent of content will be American-centric and locally produced, while the remaining 60 percent will focus on international news.
L’Officiel USA’s print issues, which will hit newsstands in February 2018, will reflect the online platform and merge all content categories. There will be six issues a year, selling at $1 per issue. Each issue will have a unique mix of men’s and women’s fashion, art, travel and lifestyle. The American title marks a milestone for the brand’s image worldwide, as it rounds out its global offering to readers. Communication and distribution will focus on the top 5 American cities and on all lifestyle events during the year such as fashion week, art fairs, and music festivals to name a few.
The U.S. business will operate out of New York and Los Angeles. New York will house the web and editorial team with 10-15 people on staff. The Los Angeles office will serve as a platform to commercialize and house nearly 100 years of article and video intellectual property through the development of original content for television and film, with the aim of becoming the Entertainment Division of L’Officiel USA. The U.S. team will also be launching a new B2B third-party syndication platform to further exploit L’Officiel’s and the Jalou Media Group’s global content offering.
“We have transformed in the past 18 months a 100-year old media company into a digital lifestyle hub,” said Benjamin Eymere, CEO of Jalou Media Group and L’Officiel USA Inc. “We are reaching an audience of millions of people across the world by connecting curated lifestyle content from our presence in 30 international markets by making L’Officiel truly a global platform.”
In addition, L’Officiel USA has appointed Joseph Akel as editor in chief and editorial director. Based in New York City prior to joining L’Officiel, Akel was the editor of V and VMAN, as well as editor of At Large magazine.
“L’Officiel is a storied publication and it is exciting to think about the ways in which we can translate its perspective while also establishing a new vision for it, not just replicating what is already there,” added Akel. “I think, in many ways, it is bold to make a move like this—to launch a new title—but I also think we live in a time when culture—smart, open-minded, creative culture—is a necessary antidote to the world around us.”
The company has begun to form its Board of Directors, naming Chris Brown from the GEM Group as Chairman. Other members will include Benjamin Eymere (CEO and Managing Director), Anthony Romano (CSO), Maria Cecilia Andretta (Vice President), Nicolas Reynaud, and Patricia Landeau.
Global Emerging Markets (GEM) has been investing in emerging and international markets for over 20 years, having completed 375 transactions in 70 countries. L’Officiel USA is the anchor investment for GEM’s recently launched media investment strategy housed in their newly opened Los Angeles offices.