Publishers Bound Round and Elwin Media have announced a merger that will result in the formalisation of the largest family travel editorial platform in the Asia-Pacific region.
Effective immediately, consumer travel brands Family Travel and Out & About With Kids will operate as a singular brand, Family Travel.
Out & About With Kids magazine will continue to be published quarterly under the Family Travel masthead, with the Out & About With Kids brand continuing as a recurring section within the title.
Online, the merger of the two brands will be a longer transition. Outandaboutwithkids.com.au will continue to operate alongside familytravel.com.au for the remainder of 2018, with content and campaigns to run across both sites and to both audiences.
Bound Round founder and CEO Janeece Keller said: “This is an exciting new chapter for Family Travel.
“Over the years, both brands have established themselves as innovative and trusted names in the family travel segment.
“Joining forces enables us to operate with increased scale and improved efficiencies, as well creating opportunities for us to create and deliver more market-leading content and family travel offers for our community.
“I am proud and excited to be leading a combined team of passionate, experienced and creative individuals to help families make the most of the 18 summers (or 51 school holidays) they have with their kids.
“This merger lets us build on the strengths of both businesses and reach new heights together as one brand.”
As a result of the merger, Elisa Elwin has been appointed as head of Family Travel’s magazine and partnerships, and executive editor at Bound Round.
She will be responsible for the delivery of the editorial strategy and direction of Family Travel in collaboration with Bound Round’s Natasha Keller, who is responsible for the brand’s digital offerings.
“Partnerships are key to the success of any independent publisher,” Elwin said. “While the broader print industry may be undergoing a period of strain and disruption caused by the growth of digital, this is also a time of great opportunity.
“As a small, independent publisher, now was the perfect time to harness the power of a collaborative partnership. Family Travel and Out & About With Kids share strong, complementary brand values focused on ethical business practices and a reader-first editorial approach.
“Our combined team is focused on high-quality, unique, compelling content and a distinct collaborative approach to partner marketing initiatives.
“I’m excited by the immense value we can offer our readers, partners, and community, and for the future growth of the Family Travel brand.”
Following an exhaustive recruitment process, Bound Round has appointed Tatyana Leonov as editor of the publication, which will continue as Out & About With Kids until relaunch in the second half of 2018.
