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Mindy Walker at The Week Junior

Congratulations to Mindy, who just started in her role as Deputy Editor at the brand new newsweekly for kids ages 8 to 14. Mindy is a veteran magazine editor, holding senior roles at SELF, American Baby, and Parents. Before TWJ, she led content strategy for Cheree Berry Paper and the Bright parenting app. She will work as #2 to Andrea Barbalich, the EIC of TWJ, and their team as they launch their first issue this spring. “I’m both thrilled and grateful to welcome Mindy to our editorial team, says Andrea. “Her incredible experience, broad range of skills, and genuine passion for our mission are exactly what we need to make this magazine superb and successful.”

I’ve actually known Mindy for 20+ years and we worked together at Parents. It was a special thrill to make this match between her and Andrea. I actually brought them back together after TK years. They worked together briefly at Child magazine in the Tks! Before Mindy took off to London for an orientation of sorts with her new company, we caught up about her new big move at The Week Junior.

Talent Fairy: What was it about this job at The Week Junior that was so appealing to you? 

MW: Wow, where to start! There was so much that appealed to me about this job! I’ve spent the last several years working in the parenting space, creating content that helps moms and dads do everything from choose a baby name to manage the mental load. In a way, this new magazine will also support parents because it’ll help them encourage their kids to read and form opinions. I’m also super psyched to create news content, a departure from my service content experience. Now when a story breaks, I’ll need to immediately think, “How can we cover what just happened for our young readers?”
TF: Why go back to print?
MW: I grew up dreaming of making magazines and I moved to New York City from a small town in Missouri waaayyyy back in 1997 to reach that dream. The high I get from holding something in my hands that began as a bunch of story ideas still feels magical. But I also realize that the traditional ad-driven revenue model for print isn’t the success it used to be. What differentiates this magazine is that it’s a subscription-based revenue model. In that respect, it’s not that different from paying to subscribe to an app, which does feel like the future to me. If we keep our subscribers happy, the product will succeed.
TF: Why is this the right move for you now?
MW: I listened to my gut! Pro/con lists can’t hold a candle to tuning into what your body is trying to tell you. The idea of this job made me feel inspired and creative, not stressed or downtrodden. I wasn’t always good at listening to my gut, though ! It took me a long time to throw out the pro/cons lists, but now I’m a firm believer!

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About Chandra Turner