Where Are They Now? Top Editors Share Their Lives After Magazines

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Ever wonder what your favorite former top editors are up to these days? Ditto! So we checked in on some media fixtures’ current whereabouts.

Adam Moss

Former New York Magazine editor-in-chief, 2004–2019 Latest project: Wrote The Work of Art: How Something Comes from Nothing in 2024. Spurred by his own (“agonizing,” in his own words) foray into painting after leaving New York mag, Moss decided to write a book about how artists of all stripes work, interviewing 40-plus creatives in the process. Post-media office space: A small painting studio on the LES, dubbed “a den of torture” by Moss in his tour of it for NPR.

Ariel Foxman

Former InStyle editor-in-chief, 2008–2016 Now working on: “I oversee placemaking and branding for Boston’s newest neighborhood: Boston Seaport. And I continue to write for Architectural Digest.” Media diet: “Amy Poehler’s podcast, “Good Hang,” “Crime Junkie” podcast, anything by Blakely Thornton.” I still can’t believe my media job a decade ago involved… “Weeks-on-end travel in Europe…and assistants.” Now-defunct publications I miss most: “Dynamite and Details.” This fall, I’m most excited to… “See the Wicked: For Good press tour.”

Jessica Giles

Former Cosmopolitan editor-in-chief, 2018–2024 Latest project: Works at Code and Theory, a “technology-first creative agency” as managing director, media and publishing. Hard launch of the new gig on IG: “I’m joining an all-star team of tech and creative talent who are just as excited as I am to make cool s**t with cool people. If you’re a creator, brand, or media disrupter and you want to change the game, I’m your girl.” Post-Cosmo field trip: Guest speaking at Oxford University’s debate society, The Oxford Union.

David Granger

Former Esquire editor-in-chief, 1997-2016 Now working on: “I’m a literary agent with Aevitas Creative Management, working mostly on nonfiction. Stephen Starring Grant’s book this summer, Mailman, was lovingly reviewed everywhere and is selling nicely. It’s a paean to the good government does in a time when the government is being torn down. Massive books from Scott Eden, Paul Kix, and Jacqui Detwiler-George are coming soon, too.” Media diet: “NYT in print, and digitally, WSJ and WaPo; Matthew Belloni of Puck; Marya Hornbacher and “This Week Paul Likes” on Substack; Court Theory, an excellent tennis newsletter; NY Mag in print; Mountain Gazette; and books. Lots of books.” I still can’t believe my media job a decade ago involved… “Several million readers every month for…a print publication. Plus, having people at my office for drinks.” In 10 years, the media industry will probably… “Be at the start of a new golden age.” This fall, I’m most excited to…“Self-publish my memoirs about how fantastic everything was when Graydon Carter, Keith McNally, and Barry Diller were young.”

Anne Fulenwider

Former Marie Claire editor-in-chief, 2012–2020 Latest project: “Alloy Health, the company I left Marie Claire to launch with Monica Molenaar. We’re reinventing how women navigate perimenopause and menopause. After years of editing stories about women’s lives, it felt natural to rewrite one of the biggest untold stories myself. We’re flipping the script on one of the last taboos in women’s health, helping women feel strong, confident, and informed, because this life chapter deserves more than whispers and outdated advice. While it’s deeply personal, it’s also smart business; the women we serve are powerful, ambitious, and long overdue for better options.” Media diet: “The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal are my daily anchors. Bloomberg keeps me honest on business, Fast Company sparks ideas, and New York Magazine is my not-so-guilty pleasure. I love Town & Country—[EIC] Stellene Volandes has a way with headlines—and Women’s Health is my new bible. And, of course, The New York Post because it’s just part of the ritual, and how can you not? Then, there’s the scroll: Instagram for culture, LinkedIn for industry chatter, and Substacks for the sharp voices that keep me on my toes.” I still can’t believe my media job a decade ago involved… “Filming Project Runway, jetting off to Paris for Fashion Week, then hosting a Golden Globes party back in L.A. It was slightly surreal, especially compared to my current nights, which are less champagne-soaked and more focused on growing a business that actually changes women’s lives.” Now-defunct publications I miss most: “Jane, because it had such attitude, such a strong voice, and was so stylish; Details, which was so ahead of the culture; Wallpaper, the cool kid of design media; and Vitals, which was like an encyclopedia of trends.” In a decade, the media industry will probably…“Feel like a choose-your-own-adventure. Everyone will have a hypercurated mix of feeds, newsletters, Substacks, and podcasts, while legacy outlets try to hold their ground. The differentiator won’t be volume, it’ll be trust.”

Lucy Danziger

Former Self editor-in-chief, 2001–2014 Latest projects: “I’ve always loved real estate, so when my consulting business had a lull last winter, I studied and got my real estate license. Now, I go to open houses and think about the stories that these houses can tell. These days, I’m writing, consulting to media companies, and selling houses in Bellport, Long Island. Come visit!” Media diet: “I read a lot of business newsletters, and of course political news, all online. The Information, Reliable Sources, Air Mail, and my favorite, The Atlantic. I do some political fundraising and communications consulting for local elected officials, so I read pretty much everything I can!” I still can’t believe my media job a decade ago involved… “Helping women advocate for their own health and wellbeing. Who would’ve thought we would be again fighting for our own reproductive rights? The laws about men are the same in every state, but women can’t determine their own healthcare and reproductive choices equally across the country and there’s no telling when this will be rectified.” Now-defunct publication I miss most: “7 Days. It had a bold irreverence we need right now.” In 10 years, the media industry will probably…“Be owned and operated by Elon Musk.” This fall, I’m most excited to…“Welcome my first grandchild. It gives you perspective on what’s important, the values you cherish, and what you want your legacy to be. I want my grandson to be kind, empathetic, and courageous—and stand up for what he believes in, like social justice for all.”

Cindi Leive

Former Glamour editor-in-chief, 2001-2018 Latest project: Co-founder and CEO of The Meteor, a media outlet that creates “groundbreaking events, audio, video, and digital media—all around issues of gender equity,” per LinkedIn. Recent spotted on IG: In Gloria Steinem’s living room, co-hosting an event for The Meteor, and at the UN, for the Global Women in Law & Leadership forum.

Linda Wells

Former founding editor-in-chief at Allure, 1991–2015 Now working on: Graydon Carter’s post-Vanity Fair publication, Air Mail, as a columnist and editor of its beauty and fashion focused offshoot newsletter, Air Mail Look. Bona fide beyond media: Launched her own beauty brand, Flesh Beauty in 2018, during a two-year stint as Revlon’s CCO.

All images: Courtesy

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