The Reinventionists: Doug Olson & David Adler on Personal & Publishing Evolutions

How can mentoring lead to a whole new career? How do dinner conversations and AI come together to drive entrepreneurship? How are some people changing the world as they change gears? Talk about REINVENTION!

Well, I did. Meet two more honorees of the Folio: awards named to the Hall of Fame, in this “two-fer” episode on Doug Olson and David Adler, both of whom have gone from being presidents of publishing companies to reinventing themselves…and parts of the industry.

First up: Doug Olson.

Doug went from a career in the tech side to the publishing side, ultimately running Meredith Magazines (think: “Time,” “People,” “Better Homes & Gardens”…) to NOW hangin’ with the digital natives doing bling-meets-social media, as Co-CEO of “Bomb Party,” with its TikTok-famous jewelry reveals! Bet you didn’t see THAT coming.

Creating Partnerships

He discusses the evolution of Meredith, its major acquisitions, the partnership he headed with Walmart, and how Meredith navigated its own transition — adding digital to print media.

“Reveals” on TikTok

Doug also describes his transition to #BombParty, a thriving and unique jewelry company that uses social media to engage customers. 

 

Then there’s David Adler.

I cannot even keep track of all the ways David has reinvented himself: from launching a magazine on DC society back in the 70s, which he sold 10 years later for a handy profit — and is now turning those archival images into songs and content! I kid you not.

But wait, there’s more. He helmed big PR shops, but is perhaps best know for founding one of the best magazines on events, called “BizBash.” And now? SO MUCH — from recently launching an online events mag, “GatheringPoint.news” to yet another startup.

.css-j9qmi7{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;font-weight:700;margin-bottom:1rem;margin-top:2.8rem;width:100%;-webkit-box-pack:start;-ms-flex-pack:start;-webkit-justify-content:start;justify-content:start;padding-left:5rem;}@media only screen and (max-width: 599px){.css-j9qmi7{padding-left:0;-webkit-box-pack:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;justify-content:center;}}.css-j9qmi7 svg{fill:#27292D;}.css-j9qmi7 .eagfbvw0{-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;color:#27292D;}