#MediaMonday – Eric Sells
Today’s #MediaMonday comes to us from Eric Sells, editor and publisher of Natural Awakenings magazine. Natural Awakenings magazine is a free monthly magazine focused on health and wellness, green living, sustainability, nutrition, fitness and personal growth.
So, Eric, time to share!
What do you want to tell the blogosphere about yourself today?
Fun fact: I love working with public relations professionals because I used to be one of them!
Before joining Natural Awakenings magazine, I spent most of my professional career in a public relations and marketing communications capacity, working for a local public relations firm when I moved here from the Cleveland area and, most recently, spent 14 years at Microchip Technology, in Chandler, leading their worldwide marketing communications department.
My bachelor’s degree is in journalism with a specialty in public relations, from Ohio University. I later obtained a master’s degree in marketing from Keller Graduate School of Management in Phoenix. I strongly believe that public relations professionals provide an invaluable service connecting members of the media with leading, innovative people and organizations, helping to bring their clients’ inspiring stories to life. Being on the publishing side, I can now appreciate the never-ending demand for content while adhering to space limitations in print.
I took over the reins of Natural Awakenings magazine in 2009, which was at the lowest point of the great recession. We are 100 percent ad revenue based. At that time, marketing budgets were being slashed, if not eliminated altogether. I have made it my mission to reinvest in the magazine to ensure we cultivate a growing readership which rests with offering cutting-edge editorial in green living and an extensive distribution network where people can pick up a free copy. Thankfully, this strategy has worked very well – we have enjoyed double-digit percent growth in overall advertising sales each year I’ve been with the magazine. This results from our advertising customers seeing a measurable return on their advertising investment.
What continues to inspire me is the significant number of local professionals dedicated to helping consumers live a healthier, more balanced life, which in turn helps make our community and world a much better place. I am proud to share their stories with our readers.
I had been a reader of Natural Awakenings long before joining the company – the older I get the more I’m drawn to living a healthier lifestyle. In my spare time, I enjoy hiking all over Arizona, gardening, and eating out with friends (mostly at healthy restaurants!).
