ABOUT US

The story of how TheLaunchMagazine.com came to fruition is almost as compelling as the content on the Web site. More than a decade ago, a former intern at The Source magazine and a freshman at Hofstra University had a compelling idea of creating a magazine for Roc-A-Fella Records based on terminology used by the label’s artists.  After pitching the idea to the label and getting no response, the student created his own Web site and business cards promoting the sections of what he labeled “The Roc Report.”  After attending industry events and distributing business cards which had the Roc-A-Fella logo on it and a tag line that read, “You are about to witness a publication like no other,” Roc-A-Fella finally agreed to a meeting.

After two meetings with a marketing manager and an executive assistant to the CEO, the student was convinced that he would have a meeting with the CEO to discuss the magazine in further detail.  But when he was dismissed he decided to take matters into his own hands and stormed into a meeting that another CEO of the label was having in order to make his pitch.  The label head looked at him attentively, told a joke, and then called for backup.  That was the last time that the student heard from the label.  Roc-A-Fella later produced their own publication, “America Nu Magazine” which is no longer in business.

The student eventually graduated college after completing an internship with Bill Clinton’s William J. Clinton Foundation in Harlem and later went on to gain more access to the music industry as an executive/personal assistant to the CEO of Arista Records, a publicity coordinator for Mary J. Blige and a manager in Corporate Affairs for SONY BMG.  Through it all, the Hofstra graduate never lost sight of his dream and TheLaunchMagazine.com now represents a dream fulfilled.

The site consists of entertainment news, thought provoking features, a Priority List of must-have items and where they can be purchased on sale, a Hate it or Love it reviews section, a Mogul of Month focus on extraordinary entrepreneurs, a Coming of Age look at future stars in their industry, and the Can I Live space which serves as an outlet for aspiring stars to promote themselves and seek direction from potential investors.

Get ready for the launch!

The Launch Writer