 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | publishing |
| Founded | 2003 |
| Founder | Wind Point Partners, Efrem Zimbalist |
| Headquarters | Grand Avenue, Des Moines |
Key people | |
| Owner | B&W Communications |
Number of employees | 400 |
| Website | www |
Active Interest Media (AIM) is a publisher specializing in "niche enthusiast magazines" (i.e. magazines targeted at hobbyists).
The company was formed in 2003 by private-equity investment firm Wind Point Partners by the acquisition of Sabot Publishing, a "special interest" publisher based in Richmond, VA which had been established in 1999 by James Causey and Colonnade Capital. [1] In July 2017, the company announced that it had acquired the United States Team Roping Championships and the TRIAD Classification Agency. [2] In 2020, AIM sold these properties in conjunction with the sale of many of its largest divisions to Pocket Outdoor Media. [3]
Active Interest Media publications are organized in two "groups", the Home Buyer Group (home improvement, architecture, interior design etc.); and the Marine Group (sailing, yachts, etc.).
On 7 November 2012, PixelMags Inc. announced that they had reached an agreement with Active Interest Media to distribute magazine content digitally. [4]
In March 2017, Active Interest Media sold its Yachting Promotions Inc. division to Informa for $133 million. [5] The sale included the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, Yachts Miami Beach, the Palm Beach International Boat Show, the St. Petersburg Power and Sailboat Show, and the Suncoast Boat Show. [6]
On 30 April 2013, Active Interest Media purchased the SKI and Skiing magazines, Warren Miller Entertainment, and NASTAR from the Bonnier Mountain Group. [7] In 2015, Active Interest Media purchased August Home Publishing, publisher of Woodsmith magazine. [8] Chairman and Chief Executive Officer is Efrem Zimbalist III (the son of Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.), formerly of Times Mirror Magazines, a subsidiary of Times Mirror .
In 2019, Active Interest Media acquired the “collectibles” magazines from F+W Media, which includes Coins , Numismatic News , Writer’s Digest , Popular Woodworking , and Horticulture . [9]
In 2020, Active Interest Media sold off divisions including "several of its largest publications" to Pocket Outdoor Media of Boulder, Colorado (which was renamed to Outside Inc. the following year); the sale included the magazines Backpacker, Better Nutrition, Clean Eating, Climbing, Muscle & Performance, NatuRx, Oxygen, SKI, Vegetarian Times , and Yoga Journal , as well as the digital outlet SNEWS and the action sports film studio Warren Miller Entertainment. [10]
In 2021, Wind Point sold AIM to B&W Communications, a company founded by CEO Andy Clurman. [11] In 2021, Active Interest Media sold its Equine Network properties to Growth Catalyst Partners. [12]
On December 3, 2023, Active Interest Media acquired The Taunton Press, publisher of Fine Woodworking, Fine Homebuilding, Threads, Keep Craft Alive, and Fine Gardening . [13]
Harris Publications Inc. was an American special interest media company, operating over 75 brands with print, digital, mobile and live event platforms prior to its sale to Athlon Media in 2016. It produced magazines that educate, entertain, inform and inspire. Subject matters spanned an array of interests including decorating, gardening, beauty, automotive, entrepreneurship and small business, sports, outdoor living, history, tactical, entertainment and wellness. Harris' titles covered a variety of markets and focused on niche special interests, primarily in the United States.
UBM plc was a British business-to-business (B2B) events organiser headquartered in London, England, before its acquisition by Informa in 2018. It had a long history as a multinational media company. Its main focus was on B2B events, but its principal operations included live media and business-to-business communications, marketing services and data provision, and it principally served the technology, healthcare, trade and transport, ingredients and fashion industries. UBM was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.
RentPath Inc. is a media company that owns Rent.com, ApartmentGuide.com, Lovely, and Rentals.com, which combined see 16 million visitors each month. It was previously called K-III and PriMedia. The company was acquired by Redfin in April 2021.
Equus is a quarterly magazine for horse owners that was first published in November 1977.
Practical Horseman is an American equestrian magazine that focuses on English-style riding, most notably hunter/jumpers as well as dressage and eventing.
The Monaco Yacht Show (MYS) is an annual trade show in Monaco, organised by the British events and publishing company, Informa. It was launched in 1991 as a broker-oriented event focused on superyachts over 20 m (66 ft) in length. It is held in Port Hercules, and is Europe's biggest in-water display of large yachts.
Bonnier AB, also the Bonnier Group, is a privately held Swedish media group of 175 companies operating in 15 countries. It is controlled by the Bonnier family.
F+W was a media and e-commerce company headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1913 in Cincinnati, F+W published magazines, books, digital products, produced online video, offered online education, and owned and operated e-stores, as well as consumer and trade shows.
Black Belt is an American magazine covering martial arts and combat sports. The magazine is based in Hollywood, California, and is one of the oldest titles dedicated to martial arts in the United States.
Miller Freeman, Inc., was a San Francisco–based publisher of trade books and business magazines, as well as a manager of trade and industry expositions. It was an innovative force in business technology and communications in the 1990s until its breakup in 2000. A substantial part of the company was owned by UBM which is now owned by Informa.
Backpacker is an American lifestyle magazine publication that features information on wilderness hiking and adventure. It has been published since 1973. Backpacker magazine is currently published by Outside and is based in Boulder, Colorado.
Penton was an information services and marketing company. The company's three largest revenue streams came from events, digital and marketing services. Although Penton had a long history as a trade publisher, in 2015 it reported that 35 percent of its EBITDA derived from digital products, 54 percent from events, and 11 percent from print. The main industry segments served by Penton include agriculture, transportation, natural products/food, infrastructure, and design and manufacturing.
Farm Progress is the publisher of 22 farming and ranching magazines. The company's oldest publication began in 1819. Farm Progress Companies is owned by Informa.
Taunton Press is a publisher of periodicals, books, and websites for the hobbyist and building trades based in Newtown, Connecticut. It was established in 1975 by Paul Roman and his wife Jan.
Bonnier LLC is an American "outdoor adventure" company that originally operated numerous U.S.-based media brands but struggled in the magazine publishing industry, leading to the decline or closure of several well-known titles. Formed in 2007 after Bonnier Group's acquisition of publishing assets from Time, today it operates events within the vertical of outdoor recreation.
The Times Mirror Company was an American newspaper and print media publisher from 1884 until 2000.
Vegetarian Times is an American publication focused on food, culture, health and lifestyle for vegetarians, vegans, and all people interested in plant-based eating. Vegetarian Times promotes an eco-friendly lifestyle with recipes, and healthy food wellness information, cooking techniques, and information on "green" products. Vegetarian Times ceased publishing a print magazine in 2016, and transitioned to a web-only publication by 2017. In 2020, Vegetarian Times was acquired by Pocket Outdoor Media, now known as Outside, Inc.
Belvoir Media Group headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut, is one of the nation's leading multi-channel publishers of consumer-interest websites, newsletters, magazines and books. It publishes more than 30 monthly titles across a wide range of interest sectors, including human health, pets, marine, aviation and organic farming. Belvoir also publishes more than 100 special health reports — thirty-thousand word white papers on topics that include Macular Degeneration and the Aging Eye, Heart Failure, and Living with Diabetes. The company owns numerous websites published in concert with its many titles, and runs the publishing operations of Harvard Medical School and Tufts University.
John Fry invented the Nations Cup of alpine ski racing by which the relative strengths of the world's national ski teams are ranked annually. Fry created Nastar, a system for recreational skiers to experience the thrill of racing, in use at more than a hundred U.S. ski areas. He worked as a journalist and as chief editor of large-circulation magazines devoted to skiing, golf, and outdoor recreation and travel. He served as editor-in-chief of SKI Magazine and founding editor of Snow Country Magazine. He wrote more than 300 published articles and opinion columns about skiing. He is the author of the award-winning Story of Modern Skiing, about the revolutions in the sport that happened after World War II. He was Chairman of the International Skiing History Association, publisher of Skiing History Magazine.
Outside Inc., formerly called Pocket Outdoor Media until February 2021, is an American company focused on sports and recreation, fitness and nutrition. It has various ventures such as Outside magazine, Outside TV, the Gaia GPS and Trailforks trail mapping apps, Climbing magazine, Peloton magazine, Rock & Ice magazine, Women's Running magazine and Yoga Journal. The company is headquartered in Boulder, Colorado.
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