Monocle 24’s “The Stack” speaks to Kristina O’Neill, editor in chief of ‘WSJ’, the lifestyle magazine of the ‘Wall Street Journal’, on the title’s expansion and plans for 2020.
Kristina O’Neill is the editor in chief of WSJ. Magazine, The Wall Street Journal’s glossy luxury-lifestyle publication, appearing monthly with the weekend edition of the newspaper, as well as its website. Since being tapped in October 2012 by News Corporation to reinvigorate the magazine, she has been responsible for all editorial content in the publication, which was nominated for awards for best cover and best photography in 2016 and 2017 by the American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) and consistently leads the industry in editorial and commercial excellence. Ms. O’Neill also oversees all of the magazine’s live journalism, in addition to its annual Innovator Awards, held each November at New York City’s Museum of Modern Art, which attracts luminaries across a range of disciplines including art, design, philanthropy, fashion and technology. Prior to joining the Journal, Ms. O’Neill served as executive editor of Harper’s Bazaar magazine.
As you will see from my portfolio, travel plays a huge part in my image-making. I visited nine countries in 2017 alone, and close to twenty since my journey into architectural photography began. I have always been fascinated by different cultures, foods, textures and colours. It is this love for travel, combined with my deep passion for photography, that keeps me motivated and dedicated to putting in the long lonely hours of research and logistical planning to then get out with the camera time and time again.
In February, 1925, Rea Irvin, The New Yorker’s first art editor, designed the cover of the magazine’s inaugural issue. That cover’s central character, a dandy peering at a butterfly through a monocle, would come to be known as Eustace Tilley, and he has graced the cover of the magazine nearly every February in the ninety-five years since. This is all a matter of historical record—but Barry Blitt, in this year’s Anniversary Issue, tells a different origin story. We recently talked to Blitt about drawing a familiar face.
Is being an editor in chief again something you’d ever think about doing?
With imagery from the likes of David Bailey, Duffy and Terence Donovan, designs from Peter Blake, David Hockney, Gerald Scarfe and fledgling artist Ian Dury plus words and opinions from those riding high on the city`s cutting-edge, London Life remains the coolest document from the capital’s most exciting period.
Rosa Park is founding editor of Cereal, which is dedicated to thoughtful travel and lifestyle stories and known for its pared-back aesthetic. Here she reveals her love of Bath’s sandstone buildings, the unique style of her family home – and why you’d better not call her a minimalist.
Boomers Daily 