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Local Arts Magazine Thrives - Some Tips on How It’s Done

By Renita Freeman

When Julian Spalding purchased Albuquerque Arts Magazine over 10 years ago, the magazine was struggling. They had commitments for advertisements, but no contracts, and in the publishing industry, without advertising contracts, revenues were impossible to predict.

According to Spalding, “What drives a publication is ad sales—without ad sales, there was no publication.” So he set out to overcome the first hurdle of floundering revenues by acquiring the necessary advertising contracts. He stepped out into the community and did the necessary public relations legwork. He got local residents behind the publication by involving them in such a way that they had some ownership in the magazine’s success. Next, he set out to “beef-up” the editorial section of the publication, addressing the concerns of the art community. “Your business has to be relevant to what’s going on, so people can relate it to themselves,” says Spalding.

Once he had the community behind the publication and the contracts in hand, he went to work on changing the face of the magazine. It had originally been in black and white, and he converted it to color, which was more typical of arts magazines and thus more appealing, so people would want to pick it up. Albuquerque Little Theatre’s Artistic Director, Becca Holmes says, “As a reader of the publication, I think it’s quite effective. They did a beautiful job on the ‘Words Afire’ production for the recent M.F.A. Playwrights Festival. I like their format. It’s very clear and overall really great.”

After 10-plus years of growing the magazine, Spalding’s efforts paid off. He recently sold Albuquerque Arts to Stephanie Hainsfurther, formerly with New Mexico Business Weekly, who will take over publication in June. “Stephanie knows the community, and I see it growing and becoming an even better magazine,” he says of the recent change of ownership.

Terry Davis, director of public relations for Popejoy Hall, was slightly apprehensive when he learned the magazine was changing hands, but his concerns were quickly alleviated after talking with Hainsfurther. “I think her ideas are going to be very helpful for the publication. She will be able to cover more events and make it an even more interesting publication for people looking for things to do in Albuquerque. The key criterion is that the publication is healthy. I’m feeling confident that she’s got what it takes to make things happen. It has a good solid history in the community and a fresh look is always helpful.”

With the seasoned experience of having purchased a small business and turning it into the current-day success story, Spalding urges entrepreneurs to do the up-front legwork before the purchase of the business is final. “Do your research on how a business is valued,” he states. “There are specific formulas for placing value on a business that should be adhered to for the protection of both the buyer and the seller.” He lists four essential professionals to be included in your business decision-making team while making the final decisions associated with a business purchase: a good attorney, a good accountant, a consultant specific to the type of business under consideration and an individual in the community who has successfully managed this type of business before. His final pearls of wisdom, “Have adequate cash reserves on hand. Don’t try to do it all yourself— use the proper team to assist in all of the initial major decisions.”