Synopses & Reviews
andlt;Iandgt;Essence andlt;/Iandgt;magazine is the most popular, well respected, and largest circulated black womenand#8217;s magazine in history. Largely unknown is the remarkable story of what it took to earn that distinction.andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;The Man from Essenceandlt;/Iandgt; depicts with candor and insight how Edward Lewis, CEO and publisher of andlt;Iandgt;Essence,andlt;/Iandgt; started a magazine with three black men who would transform the lives of millions of black American women and alter the American marketplace. Throughout andlt;Iandgt;Essenceandlt;/Iandgt;and#8217;s colorful and storied history, Ed Lewis remained the cool and constant presence, a quiet-talking corporate captain and business strategist who prevailed against the odds and the naysayers. He would emerge to become the last man standingand#8212;the only partner to survive the battles that raged before the magazine was sold to Time, Inc. in the largest buyout of a black-owned publication by the worldand#8217;s largest publishing company. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;By the time Lewis did the deal with andlt;Iandgt;Time,andlt;/Iandgt; a little magazine that limped from the starting gate in 1970 with a national circulation of 50,000 had grown into a powerhouse with a circulation of more than a million and a pass along readership of eight million. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;The story of andlt;Iandgt;Essenceandlt;/Iandgt; is ultimately the story of American business, black style. From constant battles with a racist advertising community to hostile takeover attempts, warring partners packing heat, mass firings, and mass defectionsand#8212;all of which revealed inherent challenges in running a black businessand#8212;the saga is as riveting as any thriller steeped in high drama, hijinks, and juicy dishing. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;In this engaging business memoir, Ed Lewis tells the inspiring story of how his own rise from humble South Bronx beginnings to media titan was shaped by the black women and men in his life. This in turn helped shape a magazine that has changed the face of American media.
Review
and#8220;Who knew that andlt;Iandgt;Essenceandlt;/Iandgt;, a magazine that has celebrated the stories of millions of black women for more than 40 years, has its own juicy story to tell? Bravo to Ed Lewis, cofounder, CEO, and publisher of andlt;Iandgt;Essenceandlt;/Iandgt;, for telling it with guts and honesty.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;Ed Lewis tells it like it is in andlt;Iandgt;The Man from Essenceandlt;/Iandgt;, a great romp about the amazing years in the life of a cultural touchstone, andlt;Iandgt;Essenceandlt;/Iandgt; magazine. He delivers a juicy story that captures the euphoria of the hard work required to win against the odds and be the "last man standing." Bravo!and#8221;
Review
and#8220;Ed Lewis invites us on the journey of a lifetime, and shows us how persistence, resilience and plain old-fashioned grit are still the keys to achieving the American Dream.and#8221;
Synopsis
Essence magazine is the most popular, well respected, and largest circulated black women's magazine in history. Largely unknown is the remarkable story of what it took to earn that distinction.
The Man from Essence depicts with candor and insight how Edward Lewis, CEO and publisher of Essence, started a magazine with three black men who would transform the lives of millions of black American women and alter the American marketplace. Throughout Essence's colorful and storied history, Ed Lewis remained the cool and constant presence, a quiet-talking corporate captain and business strategist who prevailed against the odds and the naysayers. He would emerge to become the last man standing--the only partner to survive the battles that raged before the magazine was sold to Time, Inc. in the largest buyout of a black-owned publication by the world's largest publishing company.
By the time Lewis did the deal with Time, a little magazine that limped from the starting gate in 1970 with a national circulation of 50,000 had grown into a powerhouse with a circulation of more than a million and a pass along readership of eight million.
The story of Essence is ultimately the story of American business, black style. From constant battles with a racist advertising community to hostile takeover attempts, warring partners packing heat, mass firings, and mass defections--all of which revealed inherent challenges in running a black business--the saga is as riveting as any thriller steeped in high drama, hijinks, and juicy dishing.
In this engaging business memoir, Ed Lewis tells the inspiring story of how his own rise from humble South Bronx beginnings to media titan was shaped by the black women and men in his life. This in turn helped shape a magazine that has changed the face of American media.
Synopsis
In this remarkable life story, andlt;Iandgt;Essenceandlt;/Iandgt; magazine cofounder and philanthropist Ed Lewis tells how he rose to become one of Americaand#8217;s premier publishers and entrepreneurs.andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Ed Lewis grew up in a South Bronx neighborhood plagued by drugs and violence. Nonetheless, his parents ingrained in him a strong determination and work ethic that served him for years to come. After graduating from high school, Lewis received a football scholarship to attend the University of New Mexico, where he was one of twelve black students on a campus of more than 8,000. It was during the height of the American civil rights movementand#8212;a defining moment for America as well as Lewis. Yet his dreams surpassed the roadblocks, and after graduating from college, he landed a job in New York City and steadily rose through the ranks in the financial industry. More than anything, it was his desire to start his own businessand#8212;a uniquely black businessand#8212;that drove him forward.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;In 1969, Lewis made his mark on Americaand#8217;s magazine industry, starting andlt;Iandgt;Essence andlt;/Iandgt;magazine with cofounder Clarence Smith, another young black businessman from the Bronx. Initially the magazine opened with a modest print run of 50,000 copies, but it has now grown into what andlt;Iandgt;The New York Timesandlt;/Iandgt; called the and#8220;pre-eminent voice for black women,and#8221; with a readership of more than 7.5 million.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;The Man from Essenceandlt;/Iandgt; is more than a rags-to-riches story: It tells how the idea of the and#8220;andlt;Iandgt;Essenceandlt;/Iandgt; womanand#8221; permeated American culture; how all the high drama, hijinks, and challenges brought on by thirty-five years in magazine publishing were not enough to keep Lewis away from the business; and how he became one of the greatest entrepreneurs of his generation. Ultimately, it is the story of how Black men and women defied the odds, shaped historyand#8212;and it proves that Lewis's success was no accident.
About the Author
Edward Lewis, propelled by the extraordinary success of andlt;iandgt;Essence andlt;/iandgt;magazine, has become one of the most successful and respected magazine publishers in the country. In 1969, he cofounded andlt;iandgt;Essenceandlt;/iandgt; and later founded andlt;iandgt;Latinaandlt;/iandgt; magazine. Mr. Lewis was honored with the Henry Johnson Fisher Lifetime Achievement Award, the Time, Inc. Henry Luce Award, and was a 2014 inductee into the Advertising Hall of Fame by the American Advertising Federation. He is the former chairman of the Magazine Publishers of America and currently serves as Senior Advisor for Solera Capital, a New Yorkand#8211;based private equity firm.Audrey Edwards, coauthor of andlt;iandgt;Children of the Dream: The Psychology of Black Success,andlt;/iandgt; is a veteran award-winning journalist and editor. She has served as executive editor and editor at andlt;iandgt;Essenceandlt;/iandgt; magazine. She has held the executive editor position at andlt;iandgt;Black Enterpriseandlt;/iandgt; magazine and senior editor positions at andlt;iandgt;Family Circleandlt;/iandgt; and andlt;iandgt;Moreandlt;/iandgt; magazines. In addition, she hasandnbsp;written for numerous magazines, including the andlt;iandgt;New York Times Sunday Magazine, O, The Oprah Magazine, Glamour, Seventeen, andlt;/iandgt;and the andlt;iandgt;Columbia Journalism Reviewandlt;/iandgt;. She has also written for the online publications TheRoot.com and Salon.com.Camille Cosby is a producer and educator. She coproduced the Tony Award-nominated andlt;iandgt;Having Our Say,andlt;/iandgt; which won a 1999 Peabody Award for television, and has also served as executive producer of numerous film projects.