Jungle Media Group
632 Broadway 7th Flr.
New York, NY 10012
212.352.0840
http://www.junglemediagroup.com
The Wind Up
When Jon Housman and his two buddies, Jonathan McBride and Sean
McDuffy, graduated from the Stern School of Business and the
Wharton School of Business, respectively, in the late 1990s the
triumvirate saw a void in the magazine market for business school
graduates. So in 2000, after starting their own media firm, the
trio launched MBA Jungle -- focusing on biz school grads -- and a
year later applied the same editorial formula for law school
graduates with the launch of JD Jungle. But after a couple of years
they decided to branch out and expand their audiences; this past
September they changed the titles to Jungle (from MBA Jungle) and
Jungle Law (from JD Jungle). Both titles now target the
pre/during/post-grad/law school marketplaces, but with a heavy
twist on lifestyle.
"We felt that putting the degree name in front of each title ran
the risk of exclusion," says Ryan D'Agostino, editor in chief of
Jungle Law and interim editor in chief of Jungle. "If you're
thinking about law/biz schools or a couple of years out we didn't
want you to feel left out."
Readers for Jungle (125,000-circulation), which is distributed
by more than 300 business schools and runs eight times a year, are
broadly defined. Aside from aspiring and existing MBA students,
readers include recent graduates who have just started to work in,
say, marketing, investment banking or venture capital markets.
Jungle Law (80,000- circlation), meanwhile, which is distributed by
more than 125 law schools and runs five times a year, is also very
service oriented, with advice on how to get ahead in law school or
a law firm. Since the law impacts most everyone, however, it has a
larger focus on current affairs than Jungle, with pieces on legal
ethics, the death penalty, and public interest law, for example.
"Both books have career advice that is unlike anything readers will
find in the career office at their schools or business books they
can buy at Barnes & Noble," D'Agostino says. Both titles also
take pains to offer advice on proper business etiquette in myriad
situations.
The Pitch
Since they're appealing to a young audience (in the late-20s
range), both titles are laced with a little flavor from Rolling
Stone along with a dash of Details. Regular sections in Jungle
include the "Insights" column, which recently profiled the business
strategy of New York City street musician Shogo Kubo in "Trade
Secrets." "Insights" also offers case studies; Big Mouth Billy
Bass, Palm as well as the sales force of Jehovah's Witnesses are a
few of the recent subjects. (See contacts and story lists.) "We try
to be like your sort of cooler, older brother who went to business
school, who can tell what it's really like, how to get ahead, and
where to go on vacation," D'Agostino says.
Regular features in Jungle Law include "My Job," profiling an
attorney working off the beaten track, such as Edgar Holguin, a
public defender on the Mexico-U.S. border, and "The Life," which
recently ran a guide on London hot spots (for lawyers practicing in
the United Kingdom) and an article on how to beat jet lag. The
first issue of each year includes "The Jungle Law Buzz List," with
the lowdown on everything from lawyers in the news to hot legal
ethics issues to who's got the best dessert in the company
cafeteria.
The most effective way to initially contact editors is e-mail;
the did you get the e-mail follow-up telephone call an hour later
is frowned upon, but it's OK to follow-up by phone around a week
after the first pitch. In terms of lead time, edit tends to follow
the school year. For MBA graduates, for example, the fall is
recruiting season while academic trends heat up in the spring and
cool down in the summer. Other than staying abreast of the school
year, leave about three months out to pitch feature stories. Do
your homework. It helps your case if you offer a senior executive
for a specific column in either of the titles, say "Trade Secrets"
in Jungle or "My Job" in Jungle Law.
D'Agostino and his business managers are hopeful that they're
tapping into a burgeoning market. Law journals and business
school-oriented magazines "are useful but they [provide] hardcore
business/legal information, whereas these titles are how to live
your life as successful young lawyer or business person."
Jungle/Jungle Law Contacts
[email protected],
212.918.0146
Ryan D'Agostino
Editor in Chief - Jungle Law
Acting EIC - Jungle
[email protected]
Rob Medich
Senior Editor - Jungle
[email protected]
Dimitra Kessenides
Senior Editor- Jungle Law
[email protected]
Jungle Fever
Recent features in Jungle:
- Glass Breaking: A look at the current state of women breaking
through the glass ceiling in business. Article spoke to women on
the front lines, business authors, and a human resources director,
among other sources - Air Defense: How to make business travel easier, more
efficient, and comfortable? Quotes from travel consultants, biz
travelers and the "Today" show travel editor, among other
sources - Golf Course Behavior: This piece examined what a game of golf
can reveal about your boss, client and you. Interviewees included a
consulting firm specializing in performance issues, a golf pro and
a sportswear designer
Recent features in Jungle Law:
- Alone Together: The joys and challenges of a husband-and-wife
law practice - The Expat Files: Five stories of attorneys practicing
overseas - Gifts Inter Vivos: The 2003 Jungle Law Holiday Gift Guide