Silver Anniversary
Under the leadership of founding publisher Josh Danzig, Where Y'at Magazine withstood tribulations for 25 years. "We're a unicorn, as I like to call it—a print
publication that's active, relevant, and still prospering."
"In many other cities around the country, print is not surviving at all. I think we've done a really good job of finding our niche, and what we cover is unique," Danzig says. "There's a need for it in the city."
The Beginning
Josh Danzig was captivated by New Orleans culture, and he chose to fully explore the city by pursuing an American Studies degree at Tulane University, although he didn't think that this would be the basis for his career after graduation. However, the business of promotion of New Orleans culture would eventually find him. "I studied things including New Orleans history, literature, architecture, and music because I really loved the culture here. For a career, I was planning on getting into sports marketing because I interned with the Saints and the World Cup. When I graduated Tulane in 1995, I moved back to Atlanta to get a job with the Olympics. While I was working that job, I went to work with this free college monthly publication called University Reporter that was owned by Shane Finkelstein—now the producer of Top Taco, Food Fight, and more—because my brother was working there, and he asked me to sell advertising.
I went on to break all their sales records at the time. After the Olympics, I was getting a little tired of Atlanta, missed New Orleans, and had a girlfriend back here. I got a call from one of my contacts from the Saints who said they were building a baseball stadium for the Zephyrs, if I wanted to move back. So I came back, did that, bounced around, worked for this guy named Steve Rehage who was going to be starting a new festival called Voodoo Fest. He invited me to move to New York with him to be his marketing guy, but it didn't quite work out. So then I was like, 'I'm going to start a publication. It's not going to be a music magazine—it's going to be young and hip. It's not going to be a college paper like I worked for in Atlanta. It's going to be for young professionals.'"
First Publication of Where Y'at
Where Y'at Magazine published its first issue in October of 1998. Things were going well for the fledgling entertainment magazine, but trouble lay ahead just months into its life as Josh wanted to "make a splash" for Where Y'at's first Mardi Gras issue in 1999. He recounted, "I had a good friend who was renting an apartment in the French Quarter in the Pontalba Buildings. You could climb out the window and up to the roof and see the Cathedral. I said for Mardi Gras, why don't we get two models and cover them in beads and put them on the roof with the Cathedral in the background. We did it, and our graphic designer at the time Jennifer Hill pointed out that in one of the best photos that you could see part of one of the women's nipples. She suggested photoshopping a bead in there so you can't see it. I said, 'No, go ahead and leave it.' The issue came out, and we were ready for the proverbial shit to hit the fan."
Consequences came swiftly, but not entirely due to the scandalous photo. Where Y'at was cited for trademark infringement for other content in the magazine. Others in the community told him that the photo was indeed offensive, and the fallout from the photo made Josh rethink how to create an eye-catching, but not outrageous cover in order to strike a balance between getting readers and keeping advertisers.
"Everybody in my circle loved it. It was raunchy, but in a Mardi Gras way. I learned quickly that New Orleans is a very paradoxical city in that when most average Americans think of Mardi Gras, they think of people flashing and going crazy, but New Orleans is very conservative, Catholic, and straight-forward. There are covers and stories that I could have done in Atlanta that I couldn't do here without getting a lot of criticism. And now having done this for 25 years, I try to continue to push the envelope but not as much as we did then."
Enduring Any Storm
Josh took a chance on a potentially provocative cover feature for the September 2005 issue which was distributed three days before Hurricane Katrina barreled into the city. Though the magazine was already proving controversial as evacuation orders were being sent, the storm ensured that few would ever see that issue. "There was an article about gentlemen's clubs, and on the cover we had a dancer going around a pole. The day the issue came out, I got a call from someone who said you need to get your magazines out of here because this is filth. Three days later, I saw one of our outdoor distribution boxes floating down Canal Street on CNN."
Despite floods, shut downs, and controversy, Where Y'at has earnestly promoted New Orleans culture for 25 years. Josh remains optimistic that the project he began a quarter of a century ago will endure for many more years in some form. "All we can do is prepare for the future as far as being ready to evolve into a digital-only outlet. That being said, I do think there's a little bit of pushback against digital and social media. I think people are burnt-out from being on their phone and people might go back to something they can hold in their hands just to be able to turn off all the noise."
25 Years of Where Y'at
Josh Danzig helped bring back the relevance of print publications. In the 25 years of publication, Where Y'at has given its readers the best of the Big Easy and the latest on New Orleans news, events, culture, and cuisine.
