NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Time Inc.’s PEOPLE, the world’s most successful entertainment magazine brand reaching more than 53 million consumers weekly, and WhoSay, the first media company powered by celebrities themselves, announced a deal that will enhance the consumer experience, as well as create unique opportunities for brands. For the first time, celebrities can now immediately publish content directly on PEOPLE.com, along with their current social channels Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and China’s WeChat and Tencent.
WhoSay’s content will have a dedicated channel on PEOPLE.com, and PEOPLE’s editors will have the opportunity to feature WhoSay’s content both online and in print. In addition, the latest news from PEOPLE.com will be integrated into WhoSay’s “Top Stories,” which is editorially-curated content from WhoSay’s Members. Advertisers will have the opportunity to simultaneously be associated with content that is created by WhoSay’s celebrity Members, as well as the authoritative and trusted editorial perspective that PEOPLE brings to its celebrity content.
“We are excited that PEOPLE is the first mass media brand to open its platform for celebrities to self-publish,” said Liz White, Vice President and General Manager, PEOPLE Digital. “We believe that the integration of personal photos, videos and experiences from celebrities using WhoSay creates an enhanced experience for the PEOPLE audience.”
The PEOPLE distribution is part of WhoSay’s new invite-only publishing app for celebrity Members, which is designed to make creating and sharing content easy. This includes the first-ever “Talking Selfie,” in which talent can add audio captions to their pictures as a way to talk directly with their fans.
“Now our celebrity Members are able to publish directly into a mainstream publication just as they do with their social channels,” said Steve Ellis, CEO and co-founder, WhoSay. “We see this as a first step to bring fans a deeper experience that leverages the context and perspective of PEOPLE’s editorial with WhoSay’s unfiltered flow of content to give fans a real-time perspective from the celebrities themselves. It’s creating a best of both worlds experience for both fans and brands.”
WhoSay’s 1,500 celebrity Members represent some of the most influential names across TV, movies, sports, and music, such as Matthew McConaughey, Channing Tatum, Novak Djokovic, Rory McIlroy, Tom Hanks, Sofia Vergara, CeeLo Green, Steven Tyler and many more. Combined, Members have more than 1 billion social media connections.
About PEOPLE
PEOPLE revolutionized personality journalism when it launched in 1974, and is now celebrating its 40th birthday in 2014. Each week PEOPLE brings more than 53 million consumers the latest news, exclusive interviews, and in-depth reporting on the most compelling people of our time. In addition to unparalleled access to the entertainment community, the stories of real-life “Heroes Among Us” remain an essential component of PEOPLE’s editorial approach. PEOPLE.com is the premier web destination for celebrity news, photos, style, and entertainment coverage. With reporters across the globe, PEOPLE is headquartered in New York City and is published by Time Inc. For more information visit www.PEOPLE.com.
About Time Inc.
Time Inc., a division of Time Warner, is one of the largest branded media companies in the world reaching more than 130 million Americans each month across multiple platforms. With influential brands such as TIME, PEOPLE, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, InStyle, REAL SIMPLE, Wallpaper, Travel + Leisure and Food & Wine, Time Inc. is home to celebrated events and franchises including the FORTUNE 500, TIME 100, PEOPLE's Sexiest Man Alive, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED'S Sportsman of the Year, the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen and the ESSENCE Festival.
About WhoSay
WhoSay is a first-of-its-kind digital magazine built by and with celebrities. For decades, celebrities have powered valuable media businesses in print, television, and digital with their pictures and their fans. Now, for the first time, WhoSay has created a media company and business by and from celebrities themselves - for their most loyal and engaged fans. The free WhoSay iOS app and website provide fans with a customizable, digital entertainment magazine that combines celebrities’ real-time social content with deeper, richer editorial about their work and passions.
WhoSay is based in New York City with offices in Los Angeles and London. WhoSay was co-founded by Steve Ellis and Creative Artists Agency (CAA) in 2010. The company is venture backed by notable investors including Amazon, Greylock, Comcast Ventures, Tencent, and High Peaks Ventures.
