Claudia Smukler |

March 5, 2012July 2, 2018

Record Attendance at the Women’s Leadership Conference

Bd President-WLC2011 Over 225 women and men are expected to attend EWIP’s Women’s Leadership Conference and Awards Luncheon on Wednesday, March 7, 2012. This is the fourth year EWIP has held the annual conference and award presentation in San Francisco. In recognition of the success of the event, EWIP received a thank you letter from Democratic Leader, Nancy Pelosi who extends a warm welcome to all participants. In her letter she recognizes the value of those working to help women become strong leaders and applauds the group for providing “examples of great partnerships and collaborations, and [providing attendees with] opportunities to interact with innovative leaders” in publishing and media.

Thea-Colleen-WLC2011 There are over 30 speakers in the all-female roster who will speak to the theme, Taking Our Next Step: Content, Community, Collaboration in the highly interactive conference.

A highlight of the Women’s Leadership Conference is the Exceptional Woman in Publishing Award presentation, an opportunity to publicly honor an influential leader. Michela O’Connor Abrams, president of Dwell Media is the 2012 Exceptional Woman in Publishing Award recipient and will be honored during the March 7th luncheon.

Sponsors for the 2012 Conference include, Brown Printing Company, Dwell Media, Graphic Communications, Infogroup, PM Digital, Publishers Press, RR Donnelley, The Magazine Manager, Time/Warner Retail, Verified Audit, and Zinio.

Tickets for the nearly sold-out event are available online till 8:00 pm PST on Tuesday. For more details on the conference program, session schedule visit the registration site online.

Photos courtesy Kathryn MacDonald

February 1, 2012July 2, 2018

Women’s Leadership Conference – Year Four

EWIP’s 2012 Women’s Leadership Conference is now in its fourth year. We think it is going to be better than ever. This year’s program is designed to give you a clear window into emerging best practices with a highly interactive program featuring cross-platform expertise, examples of great partnerships and collaborations, and innovative leaders in publishing and media ready to share their strategies for new content and revenue opportunities.

Register today. You will come away from this event with 5 key steps to take your organization or publication to the next level, meet 10 new contacts, hear smart ideas about partnerships, and best of all, get a renewed sense of inspiration for the challenges ahead.

Fourth Annual Women’s Leadership Conference
Taking Our Next Step: Content, Community, Collaboration
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
~•~
2012 Exceptional Woman In Publishing Award Luncheon
honoring the 14th recipient
Michela O’Connor Abrams
President, Dwell Media
Award presentation by Dorothy Kalins, who received the 2009 EWIP Award

Twitter hashtag: #WLC2012

PARC 55 HOTEL
55 Cyril Magnin Street, LEVEL FOUR
San Francisco • Near Union Square
Parking and Directions
The special conference rate of $269/night is available for reservations made before February 14th. Please reference Women’s Leadership Conference when calling 1-800-697-3101 for a reservation. Reserve via email.

January 3, 2012July 2, 2018

Michela O’Connor Abrams of Dwell Media Gets EWIP Award

Michela O'Connor Abrams
EWIP is pleased to announce that Michela O’Connor Abrams is the 2012 Exceptional Woman in Publishing Award recipient. Ms. O’Connor Abrams will be presented with the award at the fourth annual Women’s Leadership Conference on March 7th in San Francisco. Exceptional Women in Publishing has bestowed this honor that recognizes publishing and media’s best female leaders, since 1999. Ms. O’Connor Abrams is the fourteenth recipient of the annual award that includes Gloria Steinem, Katrina vanden Heuvel of The Nation, Laurel Touby, founder of mediabistro.com, and Ardath and Marie Rodale of Rodale, Inc. The full list can be viewed here.

Michela O’Connor Abrams is president of Dwell Media, an award-winning media company founded in 2000. Her nine years of leadership there has led to General Excellence at the National Magazine Awards, a 2009 finalist in the corporate category for the prestigious National Design Awards, and National recognition for both circulation growth and newsstand sales. In 2005, she conceived and launched Dwell on Design, the largest design show on the West Coast hosting 20,984 design professionals and enthusiasts. She has led the development and growth of Dwell Media’s digital platforms including web, mobile, and tablet products which were recently recognized as “#1 Most Innovative” in Affinity Research’s August 2011 survey.

Ms. O’Connor Abrams was honored in 2005 by Media Industry News as Sales Leader of the Year. She is President of the Board for Goodweave (formerly RugMark), Chairman of Home & Gift for Project Angel Food’s Divine Design, sits on the boards of Magazine Publishers of America’s Independent Magazine Advisory Group, Linguastat, Halogen Media, Afar Media, and serves on the Board of Trustees for Marin Horizon School.

Michela O’Connor Abrams has been a strong supporter of EWIP (and WIPP) for many years and has presented at the 2009, 2010 and 2011 Women’s Leadership Conferences. She is the first recipient of the EWIP award who hails from the West Coast. Please join the EWIP board of directors at the conference luncheon to celebrate and honor this dynamic woman, who is, for all who know her, leadership in action!
Congratulations, Michela!

Photo courtesy of Dwell Media.

November 23, 2011December 6, 2016

Hear Me Now?

As a feminist who came of age in the 70s I’ve spent much of my life trying to upend the status quo that simultaneously diminishes the challenges women and girls face and trivializes our actions and accomplishments. I’ve long since tired of the offerings of the corporate media, television, movies, and even my own industry (publishing) that so often miss represents “reality”. I know I am not the only one who has consciously sought out progressive voices in books, music, film, and art, for ideas and entertainment that reflect on our world with a passionate and creative female voice. Despite the considerable effort made by many to increase the diversity of voices, there is damning evidence that we have seriously lost ground against the juggernaut that is the global consolidation of media corporations. The misrepresentation of women has contributed not only to the under-representation of women in positions of power and influence but is a reversal of the gains made last century.

That is the message of a powerful new documentary called, Miss Representation, written and directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom. This film premiered in 2011 at Sundance and aired nationally in October on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, and reports in a dramatic and relentless fashion how awful the present situation really is for girls and women. In a recent post by Marianne Schnall, founder of feminst.com, she said the film prompted “an inner tsunami of epiphanies and emotions”. I too, felt the essential truth of the message and still hear many of the words from the film’s speakers, including Katie Couric, Rachel Maddow, Caroline Heldman, Jean Kilbourne, Jennifer Lawless, Nancy Pelosi, Jennifer L. Pozner with the largest impact for me coming from the young and articulate men and women interviewed in the film. As part of the curriculum for media literacy that is flowing from the film’s producers, supporters are encouraged to take the pledge.

“I pledge to use my voice to spread the message of Miss Representation and challenge the media’s limiting portrayal of women and girls”

EWIP will screen this film in San Francisco, in January. (Details to be announced soon.) We know it will be an emotional and insightful experience. This documentary is important and we intend to make a special effort that boys and men will be there to see it too. In the meantime, check out the trailer and take the pledge. Miss Representation Trailer (8:52 min.).