This is a time for celebration for all of us at 270 Media! As one of the original co-founders of Marin Magazine, I couldn’t be happier to be back at the helm of this incredible brand. As some of you know, I left the magazine as Publisher at the end of 2019, effectively to retire. That didn’t work out so well. I guess I’m not the retiring type.
The unprecedented situation with Covid-19 in 2020 — when we were all forced to isolate — gave me much time to think. I realized I wanted to get back in the media world and coincidentally, another local publisher, Nikki Wood, formerly with Where San Francisco (yes same name as me, and it does get confusing!) was also looking for her next adventure. To make it even more fun, my daughter, Mimi Towle (Marin Magazine editor) wanted to join us. In early 2021, the three of us formed 270 Media. In June of 2021 we launched Local Getaways, a travel and lifestyle brand serving California and Hawaii markets with both print and digital products.
When the opportunity to purchase Marin Magazine was presented to us, we moved quickly to make it happen and were thrilled when Susan Noyes at Make It Better Media accepted our offer. Thrilled for many reasons. Marin Magazine is near and dear to our hearts. On some level, “it’s our baby.” The passion we all felt for Marin when we first began back in 2005 was intense and has never wavered. Readers and advertisers embraced us from the start and the success of the magazine was due to our commitment to reflect the audience we serve, and to help build community in this very special place. We’re looking forward to bringing back the original essence of Marin Magazine and some of the popular departments’ readers loved. At the same time, we know it is a different environment and innovation is crucial for us to stay relevant.
The world is changing, and as digital communication becomes more prevalent, we acknowledge that fact and at the same time are strong believers in the value of a good print magazine. One that you can curl up with on the couch or read with your morning coffee or take with you on your next plane ride.
@marinmagazine Meet our hardworking 270 Media team & come tour our office 👀 #270Media #LocalGetaways #MarinMagazine #Marin #MarinCounty #Sausalito #SF #NorthBay #BayArea ♬ Full House – The Hollywood Prime Time Orchestra
So, once again as we start this journey we could not be more excited to work with the multi-talented Marin team: Leah Bronson, Alex French, Maeve Walsh, Lesley Cesare, Sharon Coleman, Jessica Gliddon and Jessica Hamilton. In addition, our amazing 270 Media team includes Mimi Towle, Nikki C. Wood, Kasia Pawlowska, Mikalia Wood and Paula Phommounivong. Bringing these two powerful brands and teams together is a dream come true.
We look forward to your comments and suggestions. The future lies ahead!
—Nikki N. Wood
In the Beginning…
The year was 2005; it arrived in the mail — and it was a surprise. At the time, Marin had over a quarter of a million residents, was adjacent to a world-class city and possessed a nominal national presence (President George H. W. Bush referred to it as, “Mare-in County.”). At the time, what the county didn’t have was its own magazine.
Adding to the surprise of Marin Magazine’s first edition was the fact that its creators were newcomers to Marin. Having arrived only three years earlier, few in the county knew us; and we knew hardly anyone. When I say we, I mean my wife Nikki, who had a successful Southern California publication already to her credit; Lisa Shanower; a 30-something whiz of a national ad sales guru who was tired of traveling; and myself, an aging idealist who continued to believe the written word could change the world.
Where does one start when publishing a regional magazine? The first step was to hire our daughter, Mimi Towle, who had already been working with Bay Area magazines and lived in Marin for years and knew the lay of the land. And then, we identified Mount Tamalpais the “heart” of Marin County. “It is a symbol of strength and beauty,” we editorialized on page 24, “that all of us enjoy and can be inspired by.” How many recall that photo of Lisa, Nikki and me sitting on a slope of Mount Tam? our first issue had a run of 45,000 copies, each of which landed in a Marin mailbox on or about April 1, 2005.
Stories in that initial issue included “Curtain Up,” announcing Lucy Mercer’s opening of 142 Throckmorton Theatre in Mill Valley; “On A Roll,” descriptions of paths in Marin that accommodate strollers; and “Dawn of a New Age,” a detailing of Novato’s hillside I. M. Pei structure that houses the Buck Institute on Aging. To avoid being provincial, we added “Finding India,” my accounting of a month-long tour of the world’s second most populous nation.
What did that first issue lack? We overlooked putting a date on its front cover. Other than that, Marin Magazine was off to an ideal start.
—Jim Wood
