Buttrose to chair tablet publishing firm Reddo
Magazine doyenne Ita Buttrose has been appointed chairman of a startup aimed at helping publishers turn their content into tablet apps.
Reddo Media Services will offer print publishers the ability to effectively outsource production of tablet editions.
The company is the brainchild of former CBS Interactive commercial director Troy Martin and Shane Mitchell, who has stepped aside as MD of content company HS3 to focus on Reddo.
Mitchell is CEO while Martin is chief operating officer. HS3’s commercial director Andy Corlett has stepped up as MD following Mitchell’s move.
Reddo uses Adobe’s Digital Publishing Suite to produce the apps. As well as helping develop the tablet content, the company also offers to work with publishers as an advertising sales house including developing tablet ads.
Mitchell said: “Traditional publishers are under increasing pressure with falling readership and an increasingly difficult ad market. I believe that outsourcing is a critical strategy for any publisher wishing to reduce cost, maintain profitability and improve competitiveness.”
He added: “We are the first company in Australia to offer this platform-specialist service to advertisers and publishers. We believe that tablet publications have the potential to become the premier way to advertise to consumers via tablet.”
Mitchell said that app editions might follow the same publishing cycle as print editions, or could differ. There are also opportunities to create brand new products.
Meanwhile Buttrose, former editor of magazines including Cleo, Cosmopolitan and Australian Women’s Weekly, said: “The old ways that once served us well are no longer the way of the future. Tablet publishing is a far more cost-efficient, modern way to produce a magazine.”
Former News Limited publisher Alasdair Macleod is among the investors in the company. Early clients include Switzer Medi’s RUSSH magazine.
Tim Burrowes founded Mumbrella in 2008. He worked on Mumbrella until 2021. At various points he was editor, content director and editor-at-large.
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Excellent!
This is what we need. More Australians innovating in the continually evolving digital world.
Kudos to Troy and Shane for recognising a need, backing themselves, and working their asses off to make it happen.
Well done boys.
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That’s a lot of “C” level executives in an office of four people!
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