National Magazine Venus Zine Announces New Ownership And Fresh Direction March 16, 2010

Venus Zine (www.venuszine.com), the leading source for coverage in music, art, film, fashion, crafting and culture, geared towards the smart and creative woman, announces its re-launch under new ownership and staff after 15 years. The new spring issue featuring covergirl Melissa Auf der Maur’s (former bass player in Hole and The Smashing Pumpkins) comeback, is the perfect fit for Venus Zine’s reemergence, debuting at South by Southwest on March 17 to 20, 2010.

Since acquiring Venus Zine in February 2010, new Owner/Publisher and Chicagoan Sarah Beardsley has brought new life to the magazine with her 20 years of leadership and management experience. With her past experience as Senior Vice President of major Fortune 500 companies and as the founder of 2nd Floor Advisors, Beardsley has used her business savvy combined with her belief in the power of female potential to evolve Venus Zine. Taking the next steps in the magazine’s transition, Beardsley secured a new Editor in Chief, Jill Russell, the former Associate Editor of Martha Stewart Living’s Body+Soul magazine. Along with Russell, the new talented staff at Venus Zine include: Art Director Denise Gibson, Music Editor/Events Manager Selena Fragassi, Fashion Editor Andrea Kasprzak, Verge Editor Kim Jeffries, and DIY Editor Maya Mackowiak.

“We’re now bringing Venus Zine to more women who love the same things you do: discovering new talent, reading about real people who are creating amazing things, and connecting with like-minded people. Venus Zine lives online, in our virtual community, in print and at events,” says Beardsley

VenusZine’s new spring issue features multi-platform artist, Melissa Auf der Maur – the quintessential cover girl that signifies the evolution of the magazine. Auf der Maur, known for her role as the former bass player for Hole and Smashing Pumpkins, has taken a new turn in her solo career with her newest projects (solo album, short, film and comic book). Venus Zine gets the dish on how she’s branching out on her own as a multi-platform artist. To celebrate the new issue, Venus Zine is offering one lucky winner a Gift Pack featuring a shiny

new Daisy Rock guitar among other items (offer details: to enter, send an email to feedback@venuszine.com, with your name, address, and phone number. One lucky winner will be randomly selected on April 25 and featured in Venus Zine’s summer issue). Venus Zine’s new layout will feature the following sections, which are in tandem with the direction of the magazine:

• Verge | Short, witty pieces on rising trends, cultural phenomenon, quirky tastemakers, and personalities. Features regular columns on travel, interesting careers, tech/gadgets, and profiles of creative entrepreneurs.

• Music | The backbone of the magazine, which includes interviews and profiles of both on-the-rise and legendary musicians in a variety of genres, usually with upcoming album releases. Back of the book also includes a selection of album reviews.

• Style | Shows how to combine styles for an individualized look, drawing from up-and-coming designers and product lines, emerging trends, and fashionable personalities and bloggers from all over the globe. Style inspiration columns include “Style Idol” and “The Lazy Belle.”

• Culture | Features profiles on rising pop culture stars and classics subdivided into Screen, Books, and Art.

• Final Section (to-be named) | Gives a realistic approach to creating a personal life with interior, design, cooking, easy at-home projects, and home entertaining. Includes clever how-to pieces, stories about creative DIY artists and entrepreneurs, and trends.

The spring issue of Venus Zine will be available at Schecky’s Girls Night Out in Boston (March 2 4– 26), Chicago (April 7 – 8), D.C. (April 14 – 15), and L.A. (May 19 – 20), and will hit the newsstands on March 30, 2010.