The American Society of Magazine Editors Hall of Fame, which we are delighted to report still exists, inducted Anna Wintour yesterday. Now, the time has come to reflect upon what exactly Wintour’s dominance means.
R.J. Cutler, director of The September Issue, has written a HuffPo column detailing the lessons he learned during his time with the Vogue editor.
Primarily, he learned that she is very powerful:
Her absolute power over a single industry reminded me of Mike Ovitz when he did, in fact, rule Hollywood and all deals seemed to somehow pass through his desk. Or of Frank Rich when he was the Head Drama Critic for the New York Times and his review alone determined a new production’s fate — advance sales, other critical responses and celebrity names on the marquee be damned.
He also learned various managerial pointers–for instance, “Keep Meetings Short,” “Trust Your Instincts,” “Surround Yourself with Great Talent,” and “Don’t Look Back.”
So what can we learn from R.J. Cutler?
Perhaps that Vogue shenanigans make for highly marketable entertainment. CBS has planned an hour-long special around the 2010 Fashion’s Night Out, Wintour’s second annual festival of oddly self-righteous shopping.
The program is set to air on September 15, 2010, five days after [FNO] takes place in 13 cities across the globe.
Much like The September Issue, the special will focus on the logistics and creative work that goes into producing something where the end result will (hopefully) make everyone involved a lot of money.
