PHILADELPHIA – AUGUST 23, 2007 – Magazine BLU, the national lifestyle sourcebook for single affluents, is pleased to announce the launch of “Desert Consciousness: Diary of an Airman in Afghanistan,” at www.MagazineBLU.com. The daily stream-of-consciousness blog includes photos from around Afghanistan, as well as entries from the Desert Dude’s personal journal, dating back to March of this year. 

Magazine BLU’s Publisher, Kimberly Toms (a Naval doctor’s daughter and former wife of a career Airman) conceived the Dude in the Desert Internet journal, after reading her long-time friend’s journal excerpts. About the blog, she said, “I was immediately captivated. It is this detailing of day-to-day life that those of us awaiting a soldier’s safe return crave. We want to know the fine points, not the horrid sights one sees during warfare, so much as the simpler moments. For example, what sort of sleeping arrangements does he have? How do our soldiers and airmen spend their down time in the sandy deserts? Do they ever meet local citizens? What do they miss most about being Stateside?”

The Desert Dude will remain anonymous for now, to ensure his safety and that of those serving with him are not compromised. But, I will say that I have known and loved him for over fifteen years. He is a member of Magazine BLU’s demographic, that of unmarried professionals. Through his blog, Magazine BLU’s readers from throughout the United States, Canada and beyond borders will be treated to a glimpse of what it means to serve in Afghanistan as a member of the U.S. Armed Forces, including the day-to-day nuances of their life. 

“The response to Desert Dude’s blog thus far has been overwhelmingly positive and interactive. We receive not only blog comments, but emails every day from readers who feel a greater sense of connection to all of the men and women serving overseas. News of his writings is spreading quickly, due in large part to his unstructured, conversational writing style that we believe is best unedited and presented in its rawest, most engaging form. When he isn’t in the desert, he is a surfer, after all. We thought it best to hear his voice in his natural, easy and directly casual language. It just works,” Ms. Toms added. 

The Desert Consciousness blog may be accessed through www.magazineblu.com. The Dude in the Desert will be on R&R/approved military leave in the Northeast United States (Philadelphia, New York) at the end of September and through early October (dates TBA). Interviews and appearances may be scheduled through the publishing office of Magazine BLU, at 215.439.3983 or via email at kimberlytoms@magazineblu.com. Please respect the Desert Dude’s safety and privacy, by not printing his actual name. “Desert Dude” or “Dude in the Desert” are printable to identify him.

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Magazine BLU’s tagline of “Exploits, Indulgences, Decadence – Shared” confirms the publication’s direction toward presenting diversionary information and ideas sought and enjoyed by unmarrieds with the annual income of $75,000 or more. Distribution is both digital and ink-on-paper version that will be available throughout major booksellers and grocery stores coast-to-coast, as well as in Canada, as of March 2008.

NATIONAL MAGAZINE BLU TO CONDUCT LOCAL FASHION SHOOT,
GREENVILLE HIGHLIGHTED IN MAJOR EDITORIAL SPREAD

PHILADELPHIA – JUNE 27, 2007 – Magazine BLU, the national lifestyle sourcebook for single affluents, will conduct major fashion and editorial shoots throughout Greenville, Texas during the weekend of June 29 through July 1. The associated upcoming edition of the publication will feature several Hunt County businesses as part of a major two-piece spread, comprised of both fashion in local settings and an editorial entitled, “Can You Really Go Home Again?” 

Magazine BLU’s Publisher, Kimberly Toms, graduated from Greenville Senior High School in 1987 and is in town with a team of seven models and staff members to chronicle the experience of returning to her home town after an absence of almost twenty years, in conjunction with her own high school reunion. The magazine’s demographic of unmarried, affluent professionals from throughout the United States and Canada will be treated to this editorial, quality photographs and a sleek fashion spread dedicated to small town America, as opposed to the more typical fashion photography settings of major cities, historic sites or island settings. The piece will feature area contributions as well as both men’s and women’s fashion, jewelry, accessories and leather goods from New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Italy and Paris. Models are from NYC/Chicago, as well as the Dallas area.

“I am so overwhelmingly pleased with the talent we have acquired and with whom we have had the honor of working toward completion of this fun issue of Magazine BLU,” Publisher/President Kimberly Toms stated. “The photographer (Mark Margraff) is so talented, having worked with us throughout the Northeast on pivotal pieces. Our hair and makeup stylist (Suzan Margraff) is European-trained and the models are top notch. One model is also one of our frequent contributors, Jeff Wyatt, a NYC stand-up comedian who pens a piece for every issue entitled, ‘Musings of Jeff Wyatt.’ It is an intelligent, yet humorous piece about dating and relationships, from the male perspective. Together, we have planned for this shoot for over six months and have gained cooperation of some major publicity and fashion firms from throughout the world. It is very exciting to bring all of this back to Greenville, Texas!” 

A major portion of the fashion shoot will be photographed at Bright Star Bed and Breakfast on Old Mill Road, a small inn that epitomizes Texas Hill Country comfort and elegance. Bright Star is frequently host to executives and employees of L-3 Communications and other local corporations, as well as vacationers of the area. The inn will be featured both photographically and as part of the theme editorial. 

Magazine BLU’s tagline of “Exploits, Indulgences, Decadence – Shared” confirms the publication’s direction toward presenting diversionary information and ideas sought and enjoyed by unmarrieds with the annual income of $75,000 or more. Distribution is both digital and through the upcoming launch of the ink-on-paper version that will be available throughout major booksellers and grocery stores coast-to-coast, as well as in Canada.

Photo shoots will be open to local press only, for photographs and interviews. Interested parties may contact Magazine BLU at 215.439.3983 (Publisher’s private cellular), or through the website at www.MagazineBLU.com. Kevin and Marilyn Wineinger, owners and innkeepers of Bright Star Bed and Breakfast may be reached at 903.454.8230 or through their website of www.BrightStarBandB.com.

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LOCAL PEOPLE, LOCAL PLACES FEATURED IN NATIONAL DEBUT OF MAGAZINE BLU

PHILADELPHIA, PA – April 2007 – Magazine BLU, the lifestyles sourcebook for the United States’ most discriminating affluent, professional, single men and women, launched from its Philadelphia headquarters this week.  The magazine’s Debut Issue has been officially released, to rave reviews.  Magazine BLU’s demographic of unmarried professionals will be treated to highly informative editorials, quality photographs and a sleek format dedicated to fashion, furnishings, vacation destinations, food, beverages and much more.

The Debut Issue of Magazine BLU features the work of nine local writers and photographers, a large editorial about Philadelphia as a vacation destination, as well as both Eastern State Penitentiary and Water Works Restaurant as “must do” features within the City of Brotherly Love. Magazine BLU  Is designed and published by current Philly resident Kimberly Toms, including some of her writing and photography.

Ms. Toms said, “Magazine BLU has been extremely fortunate in finding local and national talent, as part of our growing team. Our photographers, including Mark Margraff, Patricia Reh, Rafael Henin, Daniel Mezick and James Jackson offer extraordinary talent as well as an eye for the type of visuals our demographic enjoys. Writers Scott Pruden, Curt Riedy, Helen Golombek, Kristen Held, Kate Wright and Charlie Seltzer, MD offer unique perspectives on varied subjects, as well as a driving enthusiasm for Magazine BLU, itself. I could not be more pleased with the initial results for the Debut Issue of Magazine BLU.”

Each issue of Magazine BLU  features two travel destinations. The first two portrayed cities are Philadelphia and New Orleans . Also as part of each issue is the feature On Common Ground,  which examines the two geographically distant cities and spotlights the small things they have in common, thus bridging the gap between associated residents, history and culture. The featured destinations and work of all of the associated talent, including Philadelphians, may be seen within the Digital Edition pages of Magazine BLU, at www.magazineblu.com. 

Interested parties may contact the magazine through the website at MagazineBLU.com, by email at info@magazineblu.com, via MySpace at www.myspace.com/magazineblu, or by telephone at 267.286.7466.

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Magazine BLU is the social, fashion and lifestyles sourcebook for the United States’ most discriminating adults. Male and female confident, professional, affluent singles aged over 30 years are the most underserved demographic in the consumer magazine community. Through utilization of a sophisticated, sleek format and sharp editorialization and reporting, Magazine BLU satisfies the intellectual side of these accomplished and upwardly mobile professionals, while also catering to the whimsical, spontaneous personalities typical of unmarried affluents.

PHILADELPHIA BASED, NATIONAL MAGAZINE BLU DEBUTS THIS WEEK, WITH AN INNOVATIVE EDGE

PHILADELPHIA, PA – APRIL 2007 – Magazine BLU, the lifestyles sourcebook for the United States’ most discriminating affluent, professional, single men and women, launched from its Philadelphia headquarters this week.  The magazine’s Debut Issue has been officially released, to rave reviews.  Magazine BLU’s demographic of unmarried professionals will be treated to highly informative editorials, quality photographs and a sleek format dedicated to fashion, furnishings, vacation destinations, food, beverages and much more.

Magazine BLU’s Founding Publisher, Kimberly Toms, knows there is a large audience for this type of publication and has received extremely positive feedback from both industry experts and readers. There are over 33 million single men and women in the age group of 30 to 50 years in the United States alone, with Magazine BLU being the first publication to cater directly to that large demographic.

"Magazine BLU’s readers are affluent, professional, single adults. Because of their unmarried status, the majority of professionals within this age bracket enjoy a quality of life above that of their married peers. These are people who are most capable of spending much of their income on luxury items, automobiles, clothing, entertainment, travel and disposable goods. They are also tech-savvy and interested in obtaining the latest in gadgetry and gizmos. So, in addition to offering cutting-edge editorials by talented writers, Magazine BLU serves as a lifestyles sourcebook, offering presentation and review of the latest and greatest of items available for purchase,” Ms. Toms stated.

Magazine BLU was conceptualized in 2003 and the business started in 2005. The magazine has already received accolades from members of the publishing, advertising, and marketing communities.  Likewise, the publishing office has received hundreds of inquiries from companies desiring to have their high-end products and services spotlighted within the publication.

"We are extremely pleased to announce our national  launch as of April 2007. The rapid growth of magazines such as Maxim, Lucky and others are certainly a great example of the momentum we want to see for our own publication," Toms said. “In the interest of reaching the overwhelmingly vast demographic and potential readership of Magazine BLU, we have launched our Digital Edition first, with the ink-on-paper version following in the next months. This method of debut has allowed us to have unlimited reach, versus about 50,000 paper copies thrown ‘to the wind,’ hoping they fall in the hands of interested individuals. Anyone who is interested may see the first issue, and we are pleased to be able to offer the first issue as a preview, for free.”

“In the past year, over ten major periodicals have ‘downsized’ to digital editions, versus their original format of paper. FHM, Teen People, ElleGirl and many others have closed their hard copy business units in favor of fully digital operations. Many other magazines are headed in that direction. Through research, we determined that launching as a Digital Edition allows us to penetrate the market more rapidly and thus, grow more steadily than a typical launch. Further, when paper magazines are considered frivolous expenditures in the wake of digital innovation, rather than downsizing to digital, we will be making a return to our roots. As far as we know, Magazine BLU is the first such launch of a major, national publication with a demographic of its size. We are extremely excited about that.”

Magazine BLU joins many other esteemed periodicals already in digital print. Playboy, TV Guide, Men’s Health, Business Week, Kiplinger’s, Redbook and others are already reaching large audiences through this format. According to a recent study by Texterity, Inc (a major digital magazine producer) in April of 2006, 85% of 6403 respondents (57.5% of whom were aged 30 to 50) preferred the digital magazine format to hard copy editions. 5-to-1 preferred renewing digital subscriptions, versus renewing print. Readers even admitted 10-to-1 that they share more articles with friends by means of the digital edition, versus sharing print articles.

“All in all, our demographic is ready for utilization of this medium. Magazine BLU’s Digital Edition does not require software downloads and is viewable instantly, at one click of the mouse. It is searchable and offers interactivity, starting with Issue Two in May 2007. Readers can click on advertising to reach advertiser websites immediately, view videos or hear music of emerging artists. Further, we are updating our web presence to include daily blogs by Katie O’Neal (our resident dater-at-large), as well as others in the near future. We are adding RSS feeds, working on video content and upgrading other technological aspects of the website to add to the reader experience and overall interactivity. We already have a sound presence within the growing realm of Social Marketing, by means of a MySpace page (www.myspace.com/magazineblu) wherein readers are able to interact with Magazine BLU's publisher one-on-one and reach the magazine’s key players immediately. This is an exciting era, and we are pleased to be able to launch by stepping forward into the latest-and-greatest realm of periodical publishing.”

Toms has a successful 25-year public relations and communications background, having consulted clients throughout the United States and Canada including Pepsi, Burger King, Proctor and Gamble , United States Air Force, BP, Arco, Texaco and the United States Postal Service as well as many celebrities, actors, music performers and over 20 first class inns. Her mediums of experience also include radio, television and film, where she has served in many communications capacities, including as publicist for celebrities and major film productions. Ms. Toms has also served as a guest producer for the Outdoor Channel and others during remote productions within places such as the wilderness of Alaska .

Interested parties may contact the magazine through the website at MagazineBLU.com, by email at info@magazineblu.com, via MySpace at www.myspace.com/magazineblu, or by telephone at 267.286.7466.

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Magazine BLU is the social, fashion and lifestyles sourcebook for the United States’ most discriminating adults. Male and female confident, professional, affluent singles aged over 30 years are the most underserved demographic in the consumer magazine community. Through utilization of a sophisticated, sleek format and sharp editorialization and reporting, Magazine BLU satisfies the intellectual side of these accomplished and upwardly mobile professionals, while also catering to the whimsical, spontaneous personalities typical of unmarried affluents.

PHILADELPHIA BASED MAGAZINE BLU TO DEBUT IN 2007

PHILADELPHIA – NOVEMBER 15, 2006 – Magazine BLU, the lifestyle sourcebook for single affluents aged 30-plus, will launch from its Philadelphia-based headquarters in April 2007. The magazine will be published bi-monthly for the first year, then will become monthly in 2008.  Magazine BLU’s demographic of unmarried professionals will be treated to highly informative editorials, quality photographs and a sleek format dedicated to socialization and sexuality, fashion, furnishings, vacation destinations, food, beverages and much more. The magazine’s demographic consists of over 33,000,000 single adults over the age of thirty in the United States alone, according to the 2000 US Census.

“I am so overwhelmingly pleased with the talent we have acquired and with whom we have had the honor of working toward completion of the first couple of issues of Magazine BLU,” Publisher/President Kimberly Toms stated. “The photographs are crisp, edgy and sleek. The editorials are provocative and based upon the viewpoint and interests of our demographic, both male and female. That is a difficult balance, ensuring both sexes are entertained within the same periodical, so we are very happy to see that our dual-perspective approach is working for us, without objectification of either gender.”

Ms. Toms continued, “The key point about Magazine BLU is that we do not fill our pages with stories about subjects such as ‘How to find your mate tomorrow,’ nor do we push remaining single versus eventually choosing to marry. Our perspective is that of the typical educated, professional, social individual who frequently might hear from friends and family, ‘So, when are you going to get married’ and ‘Why are you still single?’ Being independent in life is not an affliction. It may not always be by choice that we are unwed. But, more often than not, solo affluents find their way of life to be pleasurable, spontaneous and socially gratifying. For them, Magazine BLU brings continued insight, ideas and additional networking potential to the forefront.”

For those who are not enjoying their status in singledom, or who are newly divorced, Magazine BLU provides the information and insight to aid in return to single life, development of more enriching socialization and an enhanced experience down the path of individual living, dating and work/life balance.

Magazine BLU’s tagline of “Exploits, Indulgences, Decadence – Shared” confirms the publication’s direction toward presenting diversionary information and ideas sought and enjoyed by unmarrieds with the annual income of $75,000 or more.

Editorials within the first issue include:

·         Social Living: Lofts and Brownstones that Entertain

·         Socialization: Is Internet Dating Addictive?

·         Spotlight: Philadelphia – Independent Travel in America's 5th Largest Metro

·         Travel: New Orleans Misses Us

·         Food & Drink: Microbrews of the Northeast

·         Machines: Vintage Rides That Rev Your Engine

·         Art: Seeing Nature in a Whole New Light

·         Fashion: Fashion That Binds – The Evolution of Corsets and Neckties

·         He Said / She Said: Gentlemen’s Clubs – Not Just for the Boys Anymore?

·         Health & Fitness: Fitness in Small Spaces

·         Much more!

Interested parties may contact Magazine BLU at 267.286.7466, by email at info@magazineblu.com, or through the website at www.MagazineBLU.com. Publication photographs and cover images are available through the contacts listed above.

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