Publishing Gurus Reunite to Create Cutting-Edge Media Firm

Aug. 2, 2011 - PRLog -- Not long ago, Julian Taylor and Mike Kelly's media firm, RedCoat Publishing, was purchased by an outside conglomerate, and the two men parted ways. Taylor left the company to pursue other ventures, mainly founding JVH Media Group (a publishing company with a deep roster of internationally distributed lifestyle magazines), while Kelly stayed on board to operate RedCoat under the new management. Six years later, RedCoat’s parent company, Schofield Media, suddenly pulled the plug, even though it was a profitable business model.

The absence of RedCoat left a huge void within the industry, so Taylor and Kelly decided to take a shot at creating another powerhouse media company.

SteelFish Media, the brainchild of Kelly and Taylor, will become the sales arm of JVH Media Group, selling on all titles of the company which include AllAbout Golf Magazine, AllAboutBikes Magazine, AllAbout Snow Magazine, and AllAbout Luxury Magazine. The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania based  JVH Media Group will now transition into managing production for all of the titles.

JVH will also create several new titles that are to include AllAbout Retail Merchandiser, AllAbout Executives, AllAbout Beverage World, and AllAbout Education Executives. These B to B titles will include independent editorial departments to reach the consumer demographic that may be interested in those industries.

SteelFish headquarters is based in Boston, not far from the old offices of RedCoat. For Taylor and Kelly, it’s a return to the old glory days.

“It’s an exciting time for our business. I’m extremely happy with the team we have in place and I’m looking forward to the rest of the year,” said Taylor. “It’s been an interesting past few years for the publishing industry. While experts say that print is dying, many companies are still seeing substantial revenue and advertisers are spending.”

On how they came up with the name, Taylor stated:

“SteelFish Media is the merger of two great cities. Pittsburgh is known for being a tough town, you have the steel industry that once thrived, and you can’t forget about the Steelers, they run Pittsburgh. When I think of Boston, the first thing that comes to my mind is the toughest fishermen in the states and the best seafood around.”

Taylor, who’s been in the publishing industry for over twenty years, founded JVH Media Group in 2009 and the company has seen great success in its titles. The “AllAbout” catalogue of magazines has been well received by consumers and advertisers alike. The company’s flagship publication, AllAboutBikes Magazine, is now nationally distributed through Kable Distribution, one of the largest magazine distributors in the world. Outlets include Books-a-Million, Barnes&Noble, and other high-volume retailers.

“There are people you just can’t reach through the web, and that’s where print comes in,” said Rodney Burrell, Taylor’s managing partner/executive editor of JVH Media Group, who operates the production office in Pittsburgh. “Consumers still love to read print; and advertisers still want that type of exposure. The web adds a dynamic component to print, but a hard copy always garners more legitimacy.”

SteelFish has an aggressive business plan for the remainder of 2011. “We need to make up some ground, but I’m supremely confident in my team’s ability to hit our mark for the rest of the year,” said Mike Kelly, co-founder of SteelFish Media. “The business model that Julian and I created years back was wildly successful, and I don’t anticipate any different with SteelFish.”

Kelly’s optimism is well founded, as he had the ability to handpick one of the best sales teams in the area. After Schofield Media abruptly closed the doors, leaving 55 people looking for employment, SteelFish Media made a home for many of the employees, leaving less than two weeks for them being out of work. “We’re appreciative of the opportunity that SteelFish has presented. It’s time to get back to work and make something exciting happen, said Joy Francesconi, SteelFish’s General Manager.

In a closed door meeting with former employees looking for work, Kelly said, “If you want a job, you have one.”Currently, SteelFish employs fourteen staff members, with an open door policy for other displaced RedCoat employees. Kelly and Taylor stated, “We’re willing to give anyone a chance that can contribute and make a difference in this exciting project.”

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JVH Media Group is a publishing firm based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded in 2009 by Julian Taylor, the company produces multiple lifestyle publications in print and digital format. The company’s interactive content delivery system (Vertical Information Portal), which was accepted by Wikipedia in 2010 as a valid content delivery platform, includes video, social networking applications, landing pages, contests, and other interactive content.