Phoenix-based EMMA Magazine offers young women something they had previously been missing – a chance to explore the world of domestics, crafting and fashion in a non-threatening, creative and modern way.
Launched in November of 2012, EMMA is the brainchild of ASU alumna Sarah Hubbell. The magazine uses Central Phoenix’s Hotel Clarendon rooftop as the location for their latest Cinco de Mayo-inspired feature, which was released Monday.
Hubbell, 26, channels her creativity and passion for crafting into a hip, stylish, young, affordable take on food, home, fashion and décor.
“Real Simple, Martha Stewart or Family Circle, all of those are magazines for if you’re like 50,” Hubbell said. “There’s nothing really for the 20-somethings.”
Hubbell graduated in 2007 from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication with an emphasis in broadcast journalism. Right after college she was casted on MTV’s “Real World: Hollywood,” where she realized her life was better suited off-screen.
“After ‘Real World,’ I knew I wanted a break from TV,” Hubbell said. “That’s too much, too personal and too in your face.”
She then moved to New York with her husband, Ryan, so he could finish his doctoral degree in sociology and masculinity. He was offered a teaching job at ASU in 2009 and the two moved back to Phoenix.
Now starting a family, Hubbell said she realized she did not want to enter back into the uncertain world of broadcast so she returned to Phoenix unemployed.
Hubbell began working in a surgeon’s office doing everything from marketing to assisting with procedures.
“(The surgeon) was an entrepreneur and asked me what my dream job was, so I said, ‘I would kind of like to start a magazine,’” Hubbell said. He liked the idea.
Hubbell eventually attended classes and conferences to help build the skills needed to start a magazine. She was then put in charge of launching an online philanthropic celebrity magazine.
Hubbell said the magazine never actually launched and eventually she and her boss parted ways amicably.
Soon after the birth of her son, Hubbell decided to follow her dreams.
Shelly Sazdanoff, a longtime friend, said Hubbell approached her with the idea of creating a do-it-yourself magazine that catered to the younger generation.
“[Sarah] is creative at heart and she’s full of ideas. She needed an outlet to get her creativity out,” said Sazdanoff, who is also one of EMMA’s associate editors. “She’s a new mom and kind of looking for an adventure.”
Hubbell said she admired the creativity she saw in DIY blogs, but she wanted to separate EMMA from that world because there were already so many great blogs available.
“We didn’t want to compete with them, we’d rather support them and highlight what they’re doing as well as creating our own content,” she said.
The name for the magazine was chosen from a list of popular baby girl names for the year that the magazine launched, Hubbell said.
“We knew that people in their 20’s obviously liked these names because they were choosing to name their children them,” she said. “It was short, and sweet, and familiar.”
EMMA’s first issue was launched as a digital magazine that featured a holiday gift guide as a preview of future issues. The magazine now has a print version in addition to the online version.
The magazine is presented in a simple and sophisticated way with a variety of article styles. Each page infuses colorful images with minimalistic text. Editorial pieces feature stories of young, modern women. The articles are written in a Q&A format. DIY guides give step-by-step instructions paired with photographs.
Jessica Helgeson, one of EMMA’s associate editors said there is a large empty market for this kind of magazine currently because blogs can have limited content. Hubbell agreed and said having a magazine allows for more of that missing content.
“I think it’s important to keep certain skills alive like sewing and knitting and cooking,” Helgeson said. “[It] can easily get lost because we feel like it’s for an older generation, and we’re bringing it back to life in a modern, fun way.”
Hubbell, Helgeson and Sazdanoff said they have big dreams for EMMA.
Hubbell said she wants to use her broadcast background to create a Martha Stewart-type show along with the magazine in the near future.
“The biggest goal is to continue creating great content and continue audience building,” Hubbell said.
She said they also plan to create YouTube videos that feature behind-the-scenes content on building the magazine and eventually an auxiliary wedding publication.
Hubbell said she is really interested in hosting a day event where people can come and spend a day learning everything the magazine has to offer, from knitting to photography and everything in between.
“It’s important to keep all of our dreams alive, you know, all these girls that are at home want to still be creative and have fun,” Helgeson said.
Editor’s note: Alejandra Armstrong, a contributing reporter for the Downtown Devil , is an intern for EMMA Magazine but did not contribute to reporting on or writing this article.
Contact the reporter at Chantelle.Patel@asu.edu
