Earlier that day (June 10), in Bloomberg News's offices, Jim Docherty, (Pres. Hachette Filipacchi New Media) challenged some myths currently governing the online content industry for the Women in New Media. (www.winm.org) He had some interesting points about repurposing conventional media (not always a bad idea), how to succeed in the internet business, and that you don't have to always market your product as if it were produced by a guy with a shaved head. (You don't?!) Not everyone agreed with his views, but no one threw their morning bagels or fresh fruit at him (well, he asked us not to in the beginning of his talk). Afterwards, I had an enlightening conversation with John Motavalli, of Hachette, about the origins of Pathfinder's name. One of America's greatest writers, James Fenimore Cooper, had written a book with the same name. The Hachette representatives would claim the novel is better than the website, and current day Pathfinder only succeeded in diluting their brands. Some may beg to differ, and Karen Epper Hoffman, a new media writer, and Amy Fried and I discussed some of the finer points on our way out. Amy and I discovered we knew some people in common -- Andrew Gelman (currently an attorney with NBC) and Malcolm Maclachlan (who was also at the Burning Man festival last year). Amy just moved back to NY from CA and is busily immersed at Wert & Co.
(Appeared originally in @The Scene in the @NY newsletter)