A new lifestyle magazine dedicated to New Haven released its first issue last month.
In September, Seasons Media, which produces and distributes magazines to different areas across Connecticut, released the first issue of Seasons of New Haven, a new publication that will be sent to Greater New Haven households six times a year. For the first issue, local writers and photographers produced material relating to arts and culture, business and public figures.
“We try to make sure there’s a little bit of everything for everybody,” said Jim Tully, the owner and publisher of Seasons Media. “It’s not about celebrities. There [are] other places you can just go online and find all that out. But it absolutely is about people, places and history.”
Seasons of New Haven is free to the public online and sent to households in the New Haven area that have an income of $75,000 or more. Households not in the magazine’s mailing zone can also subscribe online to get home delivery. The magazine relies on advertising partners to support the printing, postage and general cost of production for the magazine.
Tully said he contacted the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce five months ago about boosting exposure for another Seasons publication focussed on the Connecticut shoreline. The chamber asked Tully whether Seasons would consider starting a publication that focused on New Haven. After meetings with advertisers and local businesses, Tully and the Chamber worked out an arrangement to start Seasons of New Haven Magazine.
According to Cara Rosner, who will become the editor of Seasons of New Haven on Nov. 1, the magazine is different from other publications focused on New Haven in its focus on long-form, in-depth journalism.
“It’s kind of lifestyle issues, like what are the fun, great things around New Haven,” Rosner said. “We’ll also look at some more serious issues, but a lot of it is just celebrating the vibrant sense of community here.”
Since its founding in 2006, Seasons Media has gone on to develop lifestyle magazines in Farmington Valley, Glastonbury, West Hartford, Northwest Hills, the Connecticut Shoreline and now New Haven.
Unlike Seasons’ other publications, Seasons of New Haven will run six times a year, not quarterly. Additionally, it will be a larger magazine and the only Seasons magazine to focus on an urban center.
Kim Tran, owner of CandiTopia on Chapel Street, read another Seasons magazine over the summer and said she would be interested in reading Seasons of New Haven.
“They have a lot of information regarding the area and things like that, but it’s not like news that I need to know,” said Tran.
For Tully, hearing that Seasons magazines are slow reads is a compliment, stating that his magazines focus on “real editorial and real stories.” According to Tully, people can pick up the magazine whenever and read it. Since publications are released only a few times a year, Seasons magazines do not attempt to cover breaking news.
The first edition of the Seasons of New Haven Magazine features a back-to-back photo of local chef, Samantha Moore, with Mario Batali, chef and owner of restaurants across the United States, including Casa Mono in New York City and Chi Spacca in Los Angeles. The edition also included a Q&A with Mayor Toni Harp, an article on the steady economic recovery of New Haven and a list of upcoming events in Greater New Haven.
“There’s nothing controversial typically in it,” said Stacy Wright Murray, creative director of Seasons Media. “It’s all just really good stories. It’s really good information.”
Seasons of New Haven will have a circulation of approximately 12,000.
Carly Wanna | carly.wanna@yale.edu