Eric Easter, Johnson Publishing - EbonyJet.com

Chicago New Media Summit : Tuesday, September 16th, 2008 : 2:00 pm : Media and Publishing

The Talk: Legacy magazine publishers are struggling with the digital world for reasons that might not always be so obvious. Minority publications have an even greater challenge.

But once they embrace that digital is not just a new publishing medium but a platform to reinvent the brand and “re-contextualize” a wealth of assets for a whole new audience, the opportunities are endless.

BIO: Eric Easter is doing his dream job, leading one of Chicago’s most famous companies, Johnson Publishing, and its groundbreaking brands, Ebony and Jet, into a new and critical digital future. The job started with the launch of EbonyJet.com, a daily online magazine that is the foundation of a broader strategy including multiple platforms and newly created brands.

He came to Johnson Publishing from Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive, where he developed marketing and communication strategies for award-winning sites including washingtonpost.com, Slate and newsweek.com.

He got his professional start in political media where he developed innovative media outreach and advertising strategies for the presidential campaigns of Jesse Jackson and Howard Dean, and the Virginia gubernatorial campaign of Mark Warner, among others.

He writes frequently on technology, politics and global culture and is frequent lecturer on the impact of technology on the images of minorities.

ON CNMS: Chicago’s been waiting to take its rightful place in the world of new media innovation. I hope the New Media Summit is the spark.