New York magazine, fresh off its stellar performance at the National Magazine Awards for editorial excellence, is in the process of building out an in-house branded content studio.
The department, which will include about 11 staffers once additional hires are made and some staffers move from other departments, is being led by Justin Montanino, who began at New York on Feb. 22. Mr. Montanino came from Fusion, where he served as director of development for branded content.
New York is already active in the branded content space; 33% of the company's digital ad revenue in 2015 came from native ads and custom executions. But publisher Larry Burstein said that New York will become more proactive, pitching branded content campaigns rather than simply including branded elements when requested in RFPs.