Sara Moonves
Born (1984-11-26) 26 November 1984 (age 39)
Los Angeles, California
NationalityAmerican
Occupationeditor
ParentLes Moonves
  • Nancy Wiesenfeld

Sara Moonves is an American magazine editor.[1] She was promoted to editor in chief of W, a fashion magazine, in 2019. Her appointment stirred vigorous scrutiny and discussion, with The New York Times article about her being entitled "The Most Watched Editor at Fashion Week".[2][3]

Early life

Moonves's father, Les Moonves, was a television executive, and The New York Times described her childhood as being surrounded by celebrities.[1] It reported that future actor Jonah Hill was a good friend. Moonves has a younger brother, Michael, who was born in 1988. Moonves is Jewish. Her parents divorced in 2004, and her father eventually remarried Julie Chen Moonves, host of The Talk and Big Brother. She also has a younger half-brother, Charlie, who was born in 2009.

She attended high school in Los Angeles at the Harvard-Westlake school and earned a degree in journalism from the New York University Gallatin School of Individualized Study.[1]

Career in publishing

Moonves interned at Vogue magazine, another fashion magazine, during her studies, and was hired there, after her graduation.[1] She left Vogue, from 2010 to 2013, to follow Sally Singer, a senior editor who had mentored her, who had been hired to become editor of T: The New York Times Style Magazine.

She followed Singer back to Vogue to become a contributing fashion editor.[1]

W magazine hired her as Style director, in 2017.[1] On June 25, 2019, Condé Nast sold W to Future Media, and Moonves replaced the previous editor, Stefano Tonchi.[4][5]

On March 25, 2020, Moonves laid off most employees. Employees in the online department were remaining, but at reduced salaries. Her boss, Marc Lotenberg, CEO of Future Media, said the magazine had to be put into "survival mode", because “[T]he bottom has dropped out of the luxury market.”[6]

On August 14, 2020, W magazine was acquired by a group of new investors.[7] They retained Moonves as editor in chief. Daily Front Row credited Moonves with lining up the investors.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Jacob Bernstein (2019-09-30). "The Most Watched Editor at Fashion Week". The New York Times. p. D1. Retrieved 2020-03-26.
  2. ^ Charles Manning (2019-06-25). "Stefano Tonchi exits W as the magazine is sold to Surface Media". Daily Front Row. Retrieved 2020-03-26. Moonves will be W's first female editor-in-chief since its creation, 47 years ago. 'I am excited to be a part of the future of W, an iconic brand that has always inspired me,' said Moonves. 'W is W because of our amazing contributors, and I look forward to continuing to work with them in my new role. It is an honor to be able to guide this brand into its promising future.'
  3. ^ Kaly Hays (2019-07-02). "W Magazine Transition Off to Bumpy Start Under New Owner". Women's Wear Daily. Retrieved 2020-03-26. As for those who signed on to work for Surface/Future, while some are looking forward to a new day for the publication under new editor in chief Sara Moonves, there's also some concern about what they may have gotten into.
  4. ^ Marc Tracy (2019-06-25). "Condé Nast Sells W Magazine; Stefano Tonchi Out as Top Editor". The New York Times. p. B3. Retrieved 2020-03-26. The company acquiring W, Future Media, said Sara Moonves, currently the magazine's style director, would become the next editor in chief. She succeeds Stefano Tonchi, who has held the title for nine years and is leaving W and Condé Nast.
  5. ^ Trilby Beresford (2019-06-25). "Sara Moonves Named Editor-in-Chief of W Magazine Amid Brand Acquisition". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2020-03-26. Amid the acquisition, Sara Moonves, daughter of Les Moonves, has replaced longtime editor-in-chief Stefano Tonchi as the first female editor-in-chief in 47 years of the magazine's history. Formerly at Vogue and T: The New York Times Style Magazine, Moonves has worked at W Magazine since 2017 as style director.
  6. ^ Jacob Bernstein (2020-03-25). "W Magazine Goes on Hiatus, Furloughs Much of Its Staff". The New York Times. Retrieved 2020-03-26. The magazine had appeared to be off to a good start under Ms. Moonves, who became its editor after the acquisition by Future Media.
  7. ^ Freya Drohan (2020-08-14). "Investor Group including Karlie Kloss and Kaia Gerber acquire W magazine". Daily Front Row. Retrieved 2020-10-04. Sara Moonves, the glossy's first female editor in chief in its 50-year history, assembled the group, led by model and entrepreneur Karlie Kloss. Other celebrity investors include fashion fixtures Lewis Hamilton and 18-year-old Kaia Gerber.
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