Sixteen-Page Insert Offers Dwell Readers Sneak Peak Inside Travel’s Most Exciting Trend

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (April 2009) — Greg Sullivan, founder and CEO of AFAR Media, and Michela O’Connor Abrams, president and publisher of Dwell, today announced a sneak preview of AFAR, the breakthrough experiential travel publication.  As part of a strategic partnership between the two independent San Francisco-based titles, the 16-page AFAR insert will appear in the September issue of Dwell, on newsstands July 28th. AFAR debuts in late August 2009 with an initial frequency of six times a year.

The strategic partnership capitalizes on the demographics and psychographics shared by AFAR and Dwell.  A special combination advertising package — featuring a page in the Dwell preview and in the first two issues of AFAR — will be jointly sold by the Dwell and AFAR sales teams. The partnership also includes shared marketing and production resources, as well as shared office space in both New York City and San Francisco.

“This partnership represents a new model for independent media companies in this challenging environment,” said Abrams. “Just as Lara Deam sought a fresh perspective on modern design when she envisioned Dwell, Greg Sullivan is bringing a new voice to modern travel with an entrepreneurial sensibility we fully embrace.”

The partnership leverages existing relationships between the titles. AFAR’s president and publisher, John Sheehy, has been a long-time consultant to Dwell and developed Dwell’s original launch plan. Abrams chairs AFAR Media’s board of advisors.

“We were initially drawn to Dwell because of their independent spirit,” said Sullivan. “We admired the way they shook up the shelter category when they first came on the scene, and then carved out a very successful and defensible niche as a multi-platform media company. It’s the model we want to apply to travel.”

Highlights from the preview include:

Resident: Sophie Howarth¸ the founder and director of London’s School of Life, featuring Sunday “sermons” on pessimism, punctuality, curiosity, and other topics. Howarth shares the local treasures of her London East End neighborhood, a place of “tension and wonder” and the curry center of the city.

Spin the Globe: With no more preparation than a plane ticket, veteran foreign correspondent Frank Viviano visits Caracas where he learns that the key to Venezuela is todero—mixing everything together.

Feast: AFAR explores Bunny Chow, the rabbit-free, apartheid-era Indian take-out dish that became South Africa’s national street food.

About AFAR Media:
AFAR and its companion website afar.com are published by AFAR Media, headquartered in San Francisco, California. The company will have an office in New York, with sales representatives based in major advertising markets in the country and worldwide. The magazine will have an initial frequency of six times a year. The first two issues will have a rate base of 50,000, increasing to 100,000 in 2010 and eventually growing to 300,000.  The subscription rate is $19.95 per year and the cover price is $4.99.

About DWELL:
Dwell was created to expand perceptions of the word “home” and champion an aesthetic in design that is modern, idea-driven and sensitive to social and physical surroundings. Their inherent passion for “bringing good design to everyone” has added fresh dimension to what it means to be At Home in the Modern World.  Dwell® and Dwell on Design ® are registered trademarks of Dwell, LLC. For more information, visit www.dwell.com <http://www.dwell.com>

Contact:
Diane Stefani, Diane@rosengrouppr.com
212.255.8455