Media

MGoBlog hires 4 team members as it expands U-M coverage

By Newsroom

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October 10, 2012

MGoBlog was riding high last year, clocking big gains in readership as the University of Michigan went through the turmoil of a coaching change, a surprise run in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, and a largely unexpected 10-win season in football. Growth was spiking nicely for the leading U-M athletics fan site until things flattened this year. Brian Cook knows what happened and who caused this dip. He epically double points at U-M Head Football Coach Brady Hoke. "We had a pretty bad summer (readershipwise). I blame Brady Hoke," says Cook, founder of MGoBlog, with his tongue planted in his cheek. "He had the entire (football) recruiting class signed up by March." As a diehard U-M football fan, Cook knows that landing most of a top-tier recruiting class before spring officially arrives is good for the team's long-term prospects and therefore good for MGoBlog and his own sanity on football Saturdays. But recruiting news is what keeps sites like his going in the college sports offseason between the NCAA Basketball Tournament and the first game of football season. Success can be painful sometimes. That dip hasn't been fatal for the growing media empire based in Ann Arbor that is MGoBlog. The 7-year-old website had expanded to a three-person team when we check in with Cook in 2011. Since then it has grown its team to five people, bringing on a photographer and sales manager. It has also had to replace two of its writers after more established competitors with deeper pockets (Rivals and ESPN) cherry picked its two writers. "It was kind of upsetting and validating at the same time," Cook says. MGoBlog has also expanded into the football season preview magazine market with its initial offering of "Hail To The Victors" this fall. The glossy magazine done in MGoBlog's distinctive voice became a reality thanks to a $26,000 Kickstarter campaign that largely came from the site's legions of fanboys. Cook sees working out the kinks in the magazine and solidifying its readership as one of MGoBlog's top goals in the next year. "The most important thing for us to do is to solidify the magazine," Cook says. "I really want year two of the magazine to be solid and turn into a product that can be sold year after year." Source: Brian Cook, founder of MGoBlog Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Latest in Media

Road & Track magazine to move HQ from California to Ann Arbor

By Tanya Muzumdar

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Arts and Culture

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June 6, 2012

Road & Track, the longest-running automotive magazine brand in the U.S., will be relocating its headquarters from California to Ann Arbor. The 65-year-old title joins Hearst Magazines' other major automotive monthly, Car and Driver, also based in Ann Arbor. "When Hearst acquired these two brands from Hachette Filipacchi in 2011, we made a commitment to invest in them in order to fully realize their potential. Building a new home for Road & Track in Michigan allows us to be close to the heart of the automotive industry," a spokesperson for Hearst Magazines says. Road & Track has a readership of 600,000, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations. Larry Webster, previously the automotive editor of Hearst's Popular Mechanics, will be Road & Track's new editor. The current office in Newport Beach, Calif. will remain open into the fall as the new headquarters in Ann Arbor is readied. The publisher is actively looking at possible locations and is in talks with staff about relocating to Ann Arbor, the spokesperson says. Specifics on the timing of the move, an office location, and headcount are not yet available. Source: Hearst Magazines, publisher of Road & Track Writer: Tanya Muzumdar Larry Webster photo by Charlene Plagens

Breaking Down Barriers: Wesley Taylor

By Natalie Burg

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General

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May 9, 2012

Wesley Taylor says he lives in Ann Arbor but does in Detroit. As an artist-musician-entrepreneur he has found places where the two communities connect ...and others where the barriers need to come down. Given the incredible scope of his work and ambition, Taylor may be just the guy to make that happen.

MichBio, KnowledgeWatch grow through new media partnership

By Newsroom

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Arts and Culture

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October 12, 2011

A local start-up and economic development non-profit are forming a new partnership they believe will not only spur more business growth in Ann Arbor's bio-tech sector, but also the economy for the state overall and eventually the country. MichBio and KnoweldgeWatch, both based in downtown Ann Arbor, are collaborating to create miBio NewsWatch, a news and information gathering channel for Michigan-based biosciences companies. The news service, created and managed by KnowledgeWatch, will aggregate concentrations of bioscience news with content that focuses on their market segment. "We're accessing some 20,000 bioscience articles everyday," says Don Hogan, CEO of KnowledgeWatch. "That's from about 875 bioscience sources out there." The new miBio NewsWatch will allow users to search for relevant stories and pieces of information with key words, instead of wading through numerous headlines each day. The news service will be available to MichBio's members. Non members are eligible for a free 14-day trial. Hogan and MichBio president and CEO Stephen Rapundalo believe this new service will first gain traction in Ann Arbor and Michigan before spreading to the dozens of other states that are working to develop bio-tech industries. Source: Don Hogan, CEO of KnowledgeWatch Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

ICON Interactive adds programmers, project managers to staff

By Newsroom

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Arts and Culture

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July 20, 2011

ICON Interactive slimmed down when the auto industry tanked and the recession took full effect. Now the downtown Ann Arbor-based firm is hiring again after nailing down steady work and planning for near-future expansion.The 16-year-old Internet-marketing company recently hired a few programmers and project managers, bumping its staff to 20 people, dozens of independent contractors, and the occasional intern. The company handles work for clients in the bio-tech, automotive, and service industries."Things have been much more stable and we're targeting some growth again," says Rob Cleveland, CEO of ICON Interactive, formerly ICON Creative Technologies Group. "It's likely we'll hire 1-2 more people throughout the rest of the year."ICON Interactive plans to increase its revenue by 10-15 percent this year, providing more work for its staff in the former second home of the Ann Arbor Art Center. The digital marketing firm moved there two years ago.Source: Rob Cleveland, CEO of ICON InteractiveWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Accent Reduction Institute adds big name clients, adds staff

By Newsroom

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Arts and Culture

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June 22, 2011

The Accent Reduction Institute recently hired an intern that graduated from the University of Michigan, a relatively new practice that is paying off quickly for the downtown Ann Arbor-based firm.The 6-year-old company that helps people reduce their accents started its intern program three years ago, and has since hired two of its participants. That new talent pipeline has helped the company grow and round out its staff to 14 people."It's not just that they know the material and how to teach it," says Judy Ravin, president of the Accent Reduction Institute. "We know they have that passion to help people eliminate language barriers and maintain their cultural identity."The Accent Reduction Institute, which calls Kerrytown home, has watched its revenue jump substantially over the last year. It has also added some big-name clients, including NATO and Hewlett Packard, among others. Its existing customers, such as Ernst & Young, have also heavily increased their workload.Part of what is making that growth possible is the establishment of new technology such as a software system that works a lot like Facebook, Ravin says. "We are developing these learning communities online."Source: Judy Ravin, president of the Accent Reduction InstituteWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

PWB Marketing hires as it ramps up web-based work

By Newsroom

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Arts and Culture

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March 16, 2011

PWB Marketing & Communications had one goal in 2009: stay in business. The Ann Arbor-based firm accomplished that and more, beginning a web-based rebound last year that is carrying through today.The 28-year-old company has watched its definition of integrated marketing evolve and broaden. This has prompted it to find new ways to integrate online and traditional media, such as making sure social media and billboards are on the same page."There are ways to brand your YouTube page so it looks like your website and its brand," says Sean Hickey, COO of PWB Marketing & Communications. "There are a lot of doors to the message now. You have to make sure all of your doors are covered."PWB Marketing & Communications' new philosophy has allowed it to hire one person to focus on social media over the last year as it has added new clients and grown business with existing ones. The agency expects to add a few more staffers this year as it continues to expand its client list and even bring a few dormant accounts back to life.Source: Sean Hickey, COO of PWB Marketing & CommunicationsWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Splink Media links area musicians and businesses

By Newsroom

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Arts and Culture

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February 23, 2011

Vaughan Taylor, AKA Texture, worked the underground music scene in Ann Arbor for much of the last decade as an emcee and producer for locally renowned hip-hop crew Athletic Mic League. That experience, along with a degree from the University of Michigan and an MBA from the University of Central Florida, laid the groundwork for Taylor to launch Splink Media, a marketplace for linking artists and businesses. "I noticed the strengths of independent artists were in their ability to organize and get followers," says Taylor, CEO and co-founder of Splink Media. "It's not in selling records."The Ann Arbor-based start-up provides a platform for companies to tap into the creativity of local artists for marketing campaigns and advertising while also promoting these artists. The 1-year-old start-up is allowing that access on an invitation-only basis while its team of four works out the last of the website's bugs. Taylor expects to open up the site to more people by this summer."We'd like to see this as a local ecosystem for local artists and businesses," Taylor says. "[This could] be like a phone book for local artists."Source: Vaughan Taylor, CEO and co-founder of Splink MediaWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Video The Business Of Making Music

By Roger Rayle

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Arts and Culture

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February 2, 2011

If you missed last week's speaker event with Sam Valenti IV fear not. We've got you covered. Check out this video copy of Sam's talk, which included the who, how and why of Ghostly International, what they're doing now, where they're headed next and why Ann Arbor is the perfect home base for this cutting edge music label.

Concentrate Speaker Event: The Business Of Making Music

By Concentrate Staff

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Arts and Culture

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January 12, 2011

It used to be, if you wanted to be in the music industry you had to head to the coasts. Sam Valenti IV didn't like those rules so he followed in Berry Gordy's footsteps and made a few rules of his own. Today he runs Ghostly International, Ann Arbor's highly successful and hipper than hip music label. Sam kicks off Concentrate's 2011 Speaker Series with a talk about the evolution of his company here in Ann Arbor. The event is Thursday, January 27th. Sign up today!