Medium Rare Content Agency has announced Deborah Bibby will be joining the company as editor-in-chief of David Jones’ new customer magazine and app, due for launch in August 2016. Bibby was previously editor at Bauer’s Real Living and Homes+ magazines.
After studying fashion and textile design at Sydney College of Arts, Bibby started her career as fashion editor at Cleo before graduating to Editor of Dolly. After editing the teen title Look Now in the UK, Bibby came back to Australia to become editor-in-chief of Follow Me and FMG magazines.
She set up her own independent publishing house, Box Press, in the 1990s before becoming head of creative development at BTG Studios.
Her tenure at Real Living saw one of the most successful magazine launches of the past decade, resulting in consistent circulation and readership growth, often against market trends, and the launch of a range of brand extensions, including events, workshops and a homewares line.
David Jones’ quarterly magazine will be distributed in store and direct mailed to its highest- spending customers, providing a guaranteed circulation of 250,000 copies. The publication will be augmented by an app for mobile and tablet that will be updated on a weekly basis.
About the appointment, Gerry Reynolds, managing director of Medium Rare, said: “Deborah is a multi-talented professional who will bring a wealth of knowledge, experience and creativity to the role. Her combination of substance and style make her the perfect fit for launching David Jones’ magazine and app. We very much look forward to her joining our team.”
Deborah Bibby said: “I feel privileged to be offered the opportunity to launch and edit the David Jones’ magazine and app. It’s a dream come true to work with such an iconic brand with its huge following. I look forward to igniting a conversation with the David Jones’ reader, creating highvoltage content and a little of the unexpected across all platforms.”
