has only to think of the recent bidding war over Lance Armstrong’s first confessional interview). It is merely less so, replaced by a need for the sort of reliability and person- ality viewers associate with their favourite pundits.
Condé Nast is looking at systematically cre- ating video content for its titles. “We really need to take a look at all of the assets, all of the goals for all of the different compa- nies and brands, and really start to hone in on what makes sense for which brands and which magazines,” recently appointed pres- ident of the company’s entertainment divi- sion Dawn Ostroff says. “There’s so much opportunity across the board, be it features, or television for broadcast or cable, or digi- tal channels – who knows what other op-
portunities there might be for Condé Nast in the entertainment space.”
And Ostroff, as former president for enter- tainment of the CW’s broadcast network in the US, should definitely be open to cross- media opportunities – several of the CW’s most popular shows come via book packag- ers such as Alloy Entertainment (Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars, The Vampire Diaries).
Besides, if book trailers can be effective – video promoting a medium as inherently slow-moving as the traditionally-created print book – there’s no telling how far it could take something as boundary-pushing as the magazine.