Bonnie Fuller the queen of cover line teasers is President and Editor in Chief of Hollywoodlife.com. Fuller has been responsible for some of the magazine world’s most well recognized titles, including having served as Vice President and Chief Editorial Director of American Media (Star, Shape, Men’s Fitness, Natural Health, and Fit Pregnancy), Editor-in-Chief of Us Weekly, Glamour Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, YM and Flare magazines. Generally credited with inventing the “celebrity lens” school of journalism, she is also a frequent contributor to a variety of media outlets including Huffington Post, Advertising Age and regularly participates on media industry panels. Find out what drives Bonnie, how hollywoodlife.com was born and what she considered to be her most stressful position.
LW: Your career has been based in the media world. What sparked your interest in publishing?
BF:I’ve always had an interest in publishing. As a teenager I loved reading the paper which motivated me to become a reporter which led me to magazine journalism. I love anything that is visual and images that tell a story. Combining the two was a match made in heaven and happens to be the way I like to write stories. I got into digital publishing because I felt the audience of young women ages 18-35 needed a voice. They love being online, are driven and know what they want immediately.
LW: You have held many positions such as Vice president and Chief Editorial Director to name a few, what position stressed you the most as far as your growth in publishing?
BF: I think this is when I became Editor in Chief at YM Magazine. I was only 26 and taking over an operation I had never managed before was a bit overwhelming. I was in charge of everything that went in the magazine so there was a lot of responsibility, but well worth it.
LW: Tell us how Hollywoodlife.com was born?
BF: I felt there was a place for celebrity women’s needs. Women often view their own lives as if they were part of a celebrity’s life and I felt there was no destination for young women. We talk to their audience; we interact and communicate with them. For example: Under celebrity news, we reported that Kate Middleton would be separated from Prince William for 10 weeks. So we interacted with our audience and ran a poll on what women thought about their
situation. It’s important for us at Hollywoodlife.com to engage our audience with celebrities and how it relates to the readers life.
LW: How do you manage to recreate yourself while remaining in the industry? What sparks your creative flow?
BF: I’m very curious. I love art. I love going to art shows, new openings, fashion shows, reading the paper ect.
LW: What is the great difference for you concerning Hollywoodlife.com and the other publications that you have worked for?
BF: Content is king! The digital world is instantaneous. Instead of working with a weekly editorial calendar, which closes on a Monday and is a 3-day lag time; online you put it up immediately. It is real time. It is whoever delivers news first. It’s about operating quickly.
LW: Hollywoodlife has a very fun, flirty, girlie approach to gossip. Was this an intentional concept to be your readers “BFF?”
BF: yes
LW: Describe Bonnie Fuller in five words.
BF: Determined, curious, committed, mother and wife
LW: We have many hard working aspiring young women entrepreneurs who read lorensworld.com.
LW: What advice would you give those trying to get in the industry? What do you recommend they do?
BF: Don’t over raid the value of your handwork. There are lots of places today that offer a lot of opportunity. There are a number of interns that don’t take this opportunity seriously and don’t treat it professionally. They come in late and they leave early. There is a lack of level professionalism and behavior. I advise them to make a commitment on taking assignments. Take it seriously even if it’s only temporary because you never know what the internship can lead you to. You are the beneficiary and this is a learning experience for you. Take the opportunity to make an impression. We have had many interns who have received recommendations for other positions or that we hired at an entry level. Be professional and responsible.
