Graphcom Acquires Frederick Gorilla Magazine
GETTYSBURG, PA—March 19, 2012—Graphcom Inc., a G7 Master Printer and full-service marketing and publishing firm, has acquired Frederick Gorilla magazine from All Saints Publishing of Frederick, MD. The acquisition expands Graphcom’s successful publishing business segment and provides opportunities to further develop its presence within the Frederick community.
In making the announcement, Graphcom President Matt Livelsberger, a resident Frederick for more than 13 years, said, “We’re very excited to bring the Frederick Gorilla into our family of publications. Frederick has been an important part of our business for many years and the place that I chose to raise my family. I was immediately impressed with the smart, engaged audience that the Frederick Gorilla quickly commanded in less than one year.
“Graphcom recognizes the importance of providing a medium that allows Frederick area residents to engage in honest, open dialogue about issues that impact their daily lives. We are committed to continuing to deliver the authenticity—Frederick Gorilla’s hallmark—that readers have come to expect in each issue.”
Frederick Gorilla’s core subject areas focus on business, life and politics in Frederick. Given its distinctly sharp focus on these core subject areas, Frederick Gorilla is distinct from, yet complementary to, titles in Graphcom’s existing publishing business. Frederick Gorilla appeals to a wide variety of readers from diverse occupations and walks of life in Frederick.
Additionally, the core subject areas provide Graphcom significant opportunities to couple the company’s in-house editorial, advertising and marketing industry experts with its state-of-the-art print, digital and online media technologies. These capabilities will allow Graphcom to continue to deliver the same high quality, well researched, timely information about Frederick city, Frederick County and surrounding municipalities that Frederick Gorilla readers have already come to expect from the magazine.
Frederick Gorilla magazine was launched in August 2011 by Pattee Brown and Harby Tran. Its editorial emphasis was driven from the philosophy that hyper-local journalism is the future of publishing. The gorilla in its title reflects the magazine’s approach to citizen journalism in the Frederick community: “Be vocal. Seek knowledge. Decide for yourself. Speak your truth. Be the Gorilla.”
Since its debut, Frederick Gorilla has embraced open communication from residents across the Frederick region, sharing diverse perspectives on a range of topics relating to the core subject areas of business, life and politics. This approach has quickly attracted the attention of readers of all ages, lifestyles and professions across Frederick.
Frederick Gorilla, which is published six times a year, distributes 10,000 copies with a readership of 40,000 per issue.
“Since its debut in August 2011, Frederick Gorilla has been steadily gaining new readers with each issue. These individuals understand and appreciate the value of a magazine that isn’t afraid to tackle the tough topics that other media sources gloss over or ignore completely,” said Snjezana Arthur for Frederick Gorilla. “I am pleased to have been a part of the team that helped to bring Frederick Gorilla to the community, and I am equally excited for Graphcom, Inc. and its new role in the management and production of this publication.”
The acquisition of Frederick Gorilla follows Graphcom’s successful first quarter launch of Celebrate Family magazine, a regional family resource publication for Adams and York County, PA. Frederick Gorilla joins Celebrate Gettysburg, Celebrate Dining & Entertainment and Celebrate Family as the fourth publication under Graphcom Publishing.
Troy Dean, creative director for Graphcom Creative (a full-service marketing and creative firm), will serve as creative director for Frederick Gorilla. While business operations for Frederick Gorilla will shift to Graphcom’s Gettysburg production facilities, its contributing writer, photographer and illustrator base will remain headquartered in Frederick.
“This opportunity is very exciting for me, as it gives me a chance to reconnect with Frederick from a creative perspective. I began my career in Frederick and have stayed involved with the creative community by being a board member of AIGA Blue Ridge and AAF Greater Frederick,” Dean said. “The Frederick Gorilla will allow my team at Graphcom Creative and me to really embrace the area, once again, and produce something great every other month. Our goal with each issue is to provide readers with unique and compelling content in an attractive, visually-driven format.”
About Graphcom
Founded in 1982 by S. Gregory and Christine Allen, Graphcom Inc. is a full-service marketing and publishing firm and G7 Master Printer located in historic Gettysburg, PA. Since its founding, the company has evolved from a small print operation into a full-service graphic communications firm with a keen focus on delivering results for clients through the execution of various custom workflow partnerships, media campaigns, traditional marketing collateral items and interactive/new media solutions. Graphcom believes in consistently achieving measurable results and showing a positive impact on the clients’ bottom line.
Source: Graphcom.