Betches' Aleen Kuperman on explaining new media to immigrant parents—and not wanting to write about 'The Bachelor' again

Aleen Kuperman is co-founder and CEO at Betches Media. The company has grown from a blog created in a dorm room at Cornell in 2011 to a sprawling media network including nine podcasts, New York Times-bestselling books and millions of Instagram followers. In this episode of the “Ad Block” podcast, Kuperman talks about growing up as the child of Russian immigrants who escaped the Soviet Union in 1988, a year before the Berlin Wall fell. In particular, it was a struggle to explicate what “Betches” was to her parents, who had always had high expectations for her future. “I had to explain to my parents, ‘I’m not going to medical school next year,’” she says. “I was terrified to have that conversation. They were like, ‘What’s a blog? How are you making money? What are you talking about?’” As with many new media startups, the business model evolved quickly, and as soon as she had gotten her parents on board, things would change. “They had just figured out Facebook, now they have to go learn Instagram,” Kuperman says. Tangible successes helped, like the book deal the team landed while still in college. “To my parents, that’s legit. A book, they understand.” Kuperman grew up hearing the stories of the family’s journey out of Russia, living in Vienna and Italy off the personal possessions they could sell before eventually being allowed into the U.S. and settling on Long Island. “Only now, I think back to all the things they instilled,” like her strong work ethic, she says. “It... Continue reading at 'Advertising Age'

[ Advertising Age | 2019-10-18 09:01:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #instagram followers #soviet union #high expectations #medical school #making money #long island #book deal

Other Publishing stories related to: ' Betches' Aleen Kuperman on explaining new media to immigrant parents—and not wanting to write about 'The Bachelor' again '


Gawker Media Invites Publishers onto Its Kinja Platform

Gawker Media is welcoming more than just readers into its Kinja ad-free community; now publishers are signing up and distributing content on the open commenting and blogging platform. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2013-10-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #gawker media #distributing content #blogging platform


OpenGate Capital Launches Media Acquisitions Group

OpenGate Capital, a global private buyout firm, splashed into media with the acquisition of TV Guide Magazine five years ago. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2013-10-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #opengate capital


The Power of Cookbook Writing

Michael Anthony, executive chef at Gramercy Tavern, discusses how writing the Gramercy Tavern Cookbook changed his life. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-10-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #cookbook writing #executive chef


Ad Age's Magazine A-List: Vice Media is Publishing Company of the Year

When Vice first appeared on Ad Age's Magazine A-List in 2010, it raised more than few eyebrows among industry stalwarts. For one thing, it was the first free-distribution magazine Ad Age had ever honored. And another thing -- OK, the main thing -- Vice is a cheerfully irreverent, quasi-rude... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2013-10-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #cheerfully irreverent #hbo -- #news magazine #ad pages #global distribution


Booking.com Has All The Hotels You Want, Including the Haunted Ones

It's almost Halloween -- and what better way to celebrate than to book a room in one of America's famous haunted hotels? Wieden & Kennedy Amsterdam and travel booking site Booking.com goes beyond the light humor that marked prior campaigns with a new spot set in the Queen Anne Hotel in San... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2013-10-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #media partnership #movie theaters


Dwell Media Expands, Relocates to NYC

San Francisco-based Dwell Media, publisher of high-end modern design magazine Dwell, is doubling its office space and moving its creative team to New York City. The move is the final step in a gradual eastward migration f Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2013-10-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #office space #creative team


1105 Media Hires President for Public Sector Division

1105 Media, a b-to-b media company serving the government, education, IT and health and safety markets, has hired James Causey to run its Public Sector Media Group. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2013-10-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Omidyar shares thoughts about his proposed mass media venture

Pierre Omidyar said Wednesday that after looking into buying The Washington Post over the summer, he’s in the early stages of creating a new mass media organization that will cover general news utilizing independent journalists. Omidyar, the eBay founder who founded Honolulu Civil Beat and is... Continue reading at Silicon Valley Business Journal

[ Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2013-10-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #pierre omidyar #early stages #ebay founder #forbes magazine #richest people


These (Fake) Self–Help Books Diagnose Nearly Every Way People Are Terrible On Social Media

American Psycho author Bret Easton Ellis is what's known in online circles as a world–class troll. For the uninitiated, a troll is someone who expresses a controversial and often contrarian opinion in order to get a rise out of people and draw attention to himself. If someone is widely... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2013-10-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #public library


One Year Later, Medium Is Changing the Way Its Writers Write and Its Readers Read

It was just more than a year ago that Ev Williams and Biz Stone created the publishing platform Medium. The Internet officially met the site in August 2012, and since then, Medium’s popularity has grown enough for even the most ske ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-10-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Tantor Media: More than Audio

Tantor Media’s decision last year to begin publishing print books to augment its audiobook and ebook titles has paid dividends, helping to boost total company sales in a number of ways. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-10-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ebook titles #paid dividends


Markus Dohle Explains It All For You

At the Frankfurt Book Fair 2013, Markus Dohle, CEO of Penguin Random House, spoke about the upcoming merger and his view on print and digital publishing. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-10-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #markus dohle #digital publishing


Baldacci to write children's fantasy novel

Thriller writer David Baldacci is to publish fantasy novel The Finisher with Pan Macmillan... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-10-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #write children #pan macmillan


Fewer, Smaller Media Acquisitions in 2013

M&A activity for media continued to drag through the third quarter as wariness over market conditions hung over potential buyers. The $21.9 billion Publicis/Omnicom merger drove industry averages up considerably, but underlying deal value declined 23 percent year-over-year to $43 Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2013-10-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ma activity #potential buyers


San Diego Reader Launches eBook Publishing Program to Re-Introduce Great Writing to New Readers

The San Diego Reader is mining gold from its rich archives and releasing the treasures as a collection of six eBooks, the first installment of a series that will showcase the literary quality and historic value of a collection spanning more than 40 y ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-10-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Fairfax Media to cut journalist jobs

Fairfax Media will shed at least 45 jobs across its publishing units amid continued challenging advertising markets.     Continue reading at The Sydney Morning Herald

[ The Sydney Morning Herald | 2013-10-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #fairfax media


Trevor wins new short story writing award

Irish writer William Trevor has been named winner of the inaugural Charleston & Chichester... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-09-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #named winner


Broadway becomes The Great Write Way

Roberta Pereira and Brisa Trinchero love working as Broadway producers and relaxing with a good book. But one night over drinks at Sardi's, the duo wondered why there weren't any good Broadway reads. A few cocktails later, they decided to start a Broadway-themed publishing firm, and Dress Circle... Continue reading at Crains New York

[ Crains New York | 2013-09-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #give people


Next Issue Media, the Hulu for iPad Magazines, Expands to Canada, Adds New Investor

Next Issue Media, the publishing industry's attempt to create a Hulu-style joint venture for digital magazines, is expanding to Canada and taking on a new investor. The JV, whose members include Time Inc., Hearst and Conde Nast, will add Rogers Communications' Roger Media unit as an equity... Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2013-09-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #issue media #ipad magazines #publishing industry #digital magazines #conde nast


‘Dr. Sleep’ Wakes Up Social Media

Stephen King’s follow-up to his 1977 novel The Shining was the most buzzed-about book on social media for the month of September. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-09-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #stephen king