Print-First Futures Symposium

Print-First Futures is a gathering of the women building what lasts—editors, publishers, creatives, and brand leaders shaping the next generation of print media. Hosted by In Real Life Media and Head Hi, the symposium brings together cultural and commercial voices to explore how print magazines continue to shape community, belonging, and brand value in our ever-changing world. Print-First Futures is supported by Freeport Press and Spacely, with drinks provided by Rosadito.

Case Study Presentation (2:15-3:00pm): Womanly Magazine, Attia Taylor

Creative producer, health advocate, and musician Attia Taylor will share the story of launching Womanly Magazine, a print publication centered on the lived experiences of women and non binary people through the lens of art and health. She will offer insights on building a team, leveraging your network for expansion, cultivating an online and IRL community, and forming creative partnerships to support long term sustainability.

Case Study Presentation (3:15-4:00pm ): Untapped, Tiffany Jow

In this focused case study, Tiffany Jow of Untapped highlights why the publication is not glorified catalogue for its publisher, the design company Henrybuilt, but a strategic asset. She’ll show how a print platform can deepen trust, articulate brand values, and turn readers into long-term believers—while simultaneously contributing to the wider design industry and to journalism in genuine, tangible ways. This is a candid look at what happens when a brand stops chasing attention and starts building cultural authority instead.

Panel: The Print-First Advantage in 2026: Building Trust, Revenue, and Cultural Authority (4:14-5:00pm)

Panel participants include Beth Mach, Spacely, Mimi Cheng, i-D (Bedford Media), Nikki Igol, Library 180. Moderated by: Megan Schertler, In Real Life Media.

Drinks & Magazine Browsing (5:00-6:00pm)

Grab a drink, meet the participants, and browse and shop a variety of magazines selected for the occasion.

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About the participants and organizers:

Attia Taylor is a Brooklyn-based creative producer, director, and musician. She is the founder of Womanly, a creative studio and publication founded in 2017 to provide preventive health information through art to Black and Brown women and non-binary folks. Her work is rooted in social justice and health advocacy to bring inclusive and culturally relevant content to print and film. She is passionate about building and cultivating communities through storytelling, research, and creative production. Tiffany Jow is a writer and editor who is interested in how creative expression—in architecture and design in particular—can promote new ways of thinking, seeing, and feeling. Since 2022 she has served as founding editor-in-chief of the design journal Untapped. Prior to that, she was marketing director for Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects, where she contributed to its winning proposal for Chicago’s Obama Presidential Center. She has also worked as design editor for Surface magazine, contributed to exhibitions at New York’s Museum of Arts and Design and London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, and been a guest critic at Barnard College, New York University, Pratt Institute, and the School of Visual Arts. She lives in Brooklyn.

Beth Mach brings over 28 years of experience driving growth through marketing, media, and technology solutions for Fortune 500 brands. She is currently the Co-founder and COO of Spacely Media and an advisor and moderator for The Room. Beth actively contributes to several start-ups such as Compliant, Brandstory Architech, Women In Automotive, and MotoBella. She is also an accomplished public speaker, mentor, angel investor, and active volunteer. Beth holds a B.A. from Walsh College and is pursuing a CME through Harvard Business School.

Mimi Sheng is a Partner at Bedford Media, where she is helping relaunch the iconic i-D and LIFE brands as modern, multi-platform media businesses. She previously spent over a decade in the tech industry scaling companies, including Whatnot—the largest livestream shopping platform in the U.S., where she launched the luxury and fashion vertical—as well as TikTok and Uber.

Nikki Igol is an image archivist and researcher specializing in visual culture, providing research and reference materials for leading figures in the fashion industry. Alongside Steven Chaiken, she co-founded Library180, a New York–based nonprofit public reference library dedicated to preserving and activating print culture.

In Real Life Media is a strategy and partnerships agency dedicated to building the next generation of legacy print media, bridging the gap between creative vision and commercial strength. We’ve sat on every side of the table—from independent magazine publishing to distribution to brand strategy—and we know what it takes to make print both culturally powerful and financially sustainable. Our mission is to strengthen the magazine publishing ecosystem by helping founders, brands, and institutions build print-first businesses that last, creating publications with integrity, relevance, and real-world impact.

Head Hi is an organization dedicated to art, architecture and design specializing in publications and cultural programming with an espresso bar located in Fort Greene, Brooklyn by the Navy Yard. We feature a curated selection of publications from around the globe. Working with local and international artists, designers, publishers, community members and organizations in various fields, Head Hi is a space for exploration and interaction that hosts talks, book launches, art shows, music performances and other events. 

Supported by:

Freeport Press is a nationally recognized leader in the print production of high-quality niche publications and catalogs, and has been in continuous operation since 1880, now centrally located at their facility in New Philadelphia, Ohio. They've made a name for themselves as one of the most efficient printers in North America through innovative business practices, continuous investment in state-of-the-art technology, employee development and training, plus the strategic implementation of systems and process controls. Their customers know they can expect not only great printing but real solutions to problems that every publisher faces. Freeport Press was also awarded “Best Web Printing (United States)” at the America’s Print Awards 2025.

Spacely: The first transactional marketplace for premium media, Spacely brings innovation forward for those channels that have not received the same outsized attention to automation that the digital counterparts have over the last decade. Buying a page in a magazine or on a billboard in 2025 is the same as purchasing an airline ticket in 1995. It’s time-consuming. It’s insecure. But it doesn't have to be. With Spacely, media buyers get instant visibility into which magazines have open ad space and where their ads will go, while media sellers get a sense of who is shopping their shelves. A resource that cuts through the industry noise, Spacely has finally ushered premium media into the 21st century.

Rosadito: Noah Tovares and Antonio Bassalone are the founders of Vinos Chidos, the first independent wine shops in Mexico City. With Rosadito, they sought to highlight Mexico’s robust viticultural history while making a minimum-intervention wine for everyday enjoyment, accessible to a new generation of Mexican wine drinkers. In 2021, Noah and Antonio partnered with winemaker Cristian Spisso and an organic vineyard in Colón, Querétaro, at an elevation of 6365 ’ to produce their first vintage. The vineyard is located within a certified organic dairy ranch, where the cows graze freely in wide, green pastures. In 2024, they launched their first wines in bottle, under the Glu Glú label. These are zero-intervention ethical wines with vibrant character.