Getting to Know Tova Gelfond, Editor-in-Chief of Eidé Magazine

A seasoned magazine pro and writer, Tova Gelfond is the former Editor-in-Chief at Blush magazine, Associate Editor of Atlanta Sports & Fitness magazine, Assistant Editor of JEZEBEL magazine, Contributing Editor of Tuxedo Road magazine, and the Assistant Editor of Women’s Health & Fitness magazine. She has written for numerous publications O: The Oprah Magazine and Brides and interviewed stars such as Kristin Davis, Kevin Costner, Paul Rudd, Jeremy Piven, Ludacris and Gavin DeGraw (to name a few), and continues to write for several local and national publications.

However, Tova’s current primary venture is as Founder of  Eidé  Magazine, which launched in Atlanta in order to celebrate design talent brewing in the South. These days,  Eidé is a nationally distributed publication through retailers like Whole Foods, Barnes and Nobles and several international airports.

Name: Tova Gelfond
Media outlet: Eidé Magazine
Title: Editor-in-Chief/Creative Director
Circulation: ~100,000 and growing exponentially
Twitter/Instagram: @eidemagazine

Give us the overview: What is Eide? Who is your audience? Where can we find the latest issue?

Eidé is THE Fashion Magazine of the South — seriously, the only magazine covering fashion and style of the South on a national level. Our mission is to share a new and enlightened narrative about culture focused on life, passion, style, people and truth – with a heavy focus on aesthetics. Since the magazine’s debut in November of 2011, the Eidé brand has produced a highly curated body of work, inspiring artists, fashionistas, health-nuts and music-junkies alike through its charismatic reporting and graphic appeal. It creates a balance that is intelligent, funny, sometimes simple and purely entertaining through a multi-dimensional, highly aesthetic platform.

How have you approached getting distribution? What’s that experience been like?

Our approach to distribution was a very surprising one — as in I was surprised how fast it happened! We started off as an online publication, and that was truly our goal. But the photo shoots, design and attention to detail really lent itself to a print medium.

I didn’t even think of going into print until I had an inundation of readers asking us to provide the magazine in print. I was surprised. At that point, we started doing smaller print runs at around $25 an issue. It was so much money, I thought no one would buy them. But we sold out!

That’s when we decided to do large scale print runs, and truly Whole Foods picked us up so fast and it’s like I blinked and we were in Barnes & Noble nationwide. Now we have a deal with airports pending. It’s been a great experience to see Eidé in the homes of people across the nation.

How do you prefer to receive pitches?

I love getting emails full of ideas and passion for a product or project. The best way is to email me, be succinct, but be inspiring!

How far in advance do you work?

On average, we work two issues ahead of publication.

What is the best time to reach out to you?

Probably first thing in the morning. My afternoons are always spent in meetings, and it’s hard for me to break away.

What types of pitches/stories are you looking for?

Anything about fashion, design, culture, food or beauty. We like an emphasis on Southern-made brands or brands with Southern ties, but we do not limit ourselves to that.

How can a publicist build a relationship with you?

I really want to have a relationship with most of the people pitching me, so a few emails back and forth works at the beginning. I usually can catch a few publicists at events and gatherings around the city, which is the perfect time to network and connect with publicists.

What is a guarantee that a publicist will never hear back from you?

Never hear back? If they are rude. That’s my deal-breaker.

Are there other editors who handle different beats? If so, who should we reach out to for what?

YUP! We have Tian Justman, who is the fashion director. She oversees all things fashion. Everything else gets funneled through Jaime Weinstein, senior editor, before I assign it out.

Senior Editor – Jaime Weinstein: hello[at]eidemagazine.com
Fashion Director – Tian Justman: tian.justman[at]eidemagazine.com

Thanks Tova! Connect with Eidé Magazine @eidemagazine and check out their 2014 Summer Playlist.