Lisa Hickey, CEO of Good Men Media Inc. and publisher of The Good Men Project Magazine
Hi, Lisa! So what’s the good men movement all about?
The Good Men Project is asking the question “What does it mean to be a good man?” But it’s asking that question in a slew of different ways: across media, across platforms, in written words, videos, images, events, workshops, conversations.
What does Good Men Media Inc. encompass?
Good Men Media inc. is the for-profit arm of The Good Men Project. A portion of the proceeds goes to The Good Men Foundation, which helps at-risk boys. We are a true media company. The heart of the company, the front-facing part of the brand, is The Good Men Project Magazine. But we also have books, films, videos, events and even Broadway play in production.
How did you become the publisher of The Good Men Project Magazine and also CEO of the company?
The Good Men Project Magazine - webpage example
Back in early 2009, venture capitalist Tom Matlack, was putting together an anthology of stories, about the defining moments in men’s lives. The moment when a guy was confronted with the realization that he had just been kicked out of the house for being a drunk and a cheat, or that his son had autism no matter how hard he tried to ignore the signs, or that he had been to war and could no longer be a civilian because the allure of the battlefield was too great, or that he had unwillingly traded his career for a diaper bag. Those moments. The stories later became the first book, The Good Men Project: Real Stories from the Front Lines of Modern Manhood.
And while putting together the book, Tom had the insight that in all of these stories, men were struggling with the notion of what it meant to be good. Tom wanted, as he put it, to “spark a national discussion around what it means to be a good man.”
The book
I was in awe of both the stories and the idea. And I said to Tom, “I don’t know if I can sell a million copies of the book, but I can sell a million people on that idea.”
So we – Tom, myself, his original partners on the book, James Houghton and Larry Bean – along with dozens of others who really believed in the vision – set out to do just that. Publish a book of stories, build a social media platform around the idea, and spark a national discussion. Much of the success to date has been from Tom’s incredible perseverance and belief in just what was at stake here.
I’m now here as CEO of Good Men Media and Publisher of The Good Men Project Magazine simply because I believed in not only the idea but in the opportunity for a business model based around the idea. The magazine came to life when the incredibly talented Benoit Denizet-Lewis saw the potential and signed on as editor to help get it off the ground.
While I did much of the hard work of creating a plan, figuring out an operational structure, raising investor funding – I really wouldn’t be here without the clarity of that initial vision by Tom Matlack and the help of countless people who contributed along the way.
Panel discussion including founder, Tom Matlack
And yes, well over a million people have gotten involved in the discussion – we get a million pageviews a month at the magazine at the moment.
What’s the benefit of having a woman in charge of a business that’s all about men?
It’s not so much a benefit as a non-issue. Because I was one of the people early on who believed in the importance of the discussion and the viability of the business model, I was willing to take risks by working long hours on figuring out how to make things happen. The benefits I bring to the table are simply the results I’ve gotten to date.
That said – that was the business side of me talking – this is an amazing project to be a part of as a woman. Although I’ve always worked in male-dominated environments (for several years, I ran the only woman-owned creative ad agency in New England), for much of my life I felt there was a wall between men and myself.
You know, on the very first episode of Mad Men, Don Draper was wining and dining a potential women client. And she said “until this moment, I never realized that men have problems, too.” As simplistic as it sounds, working on the Good Men Project has been that type of an eye-opener. “Men have problems, too.” They are different than women’s problems. They are messy, complicated, raw, honest problems, and there are men who want to have thoughtful discussions about those issues. And when you get an engaged group of people talking about their problems, and then you provide them with products and services that solve those problems, you’ve got yourself the start of a business model. And that was the opportunity I saw.
(Here’s a hint to my fellow women: If you want to break the glass ceiling, try breaking down the walls first.)
What’s your favorite article from the magazine?
I have dozens of favorites. One is “Confronting Life,” about a man’s run-in with abortion protesters on ‘the worst day of his life’; the day he found out he and his wife’s unborn child had zero percent chance of viability and they had to make the difficult decision to abort it. That story “went viral” as they say, spreading from person to person across the web. In part because it told the story of a guy, who, when faced with a horrific choice, one with moral implications, stood up for what he believed in. And many of the stories I like best have that element – they draw me in because I can be there in that moment — when faced with a difficult choice, a defining moment, an unexpected test, what would I do? The other articles I like best are one’s that give me unique insights into men, especially around the issue of sexuality: “Inside a Strip Club” or “Why do We Demonize Men who are Honest about their Sexual Needs?” beautifully crafted writing: “Ouch” and “The Night is Full of Bicycles” or articles that are just out and out funny: “Protecting Your Balls during a Workout.”
You also write for the magazine. What’s your favorite article that you’ve written?
“Why I’m Social-Media Promiscuous”, which is a personal narrative of the ways in which social media has changed my life, created social change and ultimately led me to be a part of the Good Men Project.
So what role is social media playing in the success of the business?
Everything. Social Media is not just an add-on to the business; social media is the business. We talk about stuff that’s important to guys, and people share that content with their friends. Publically, across a wide array of social networks.
The reason social media has the ability to transform businesses (and individuals) at a core level is this: it connects people who have problems with people who have solutions. It connects people without resources to people with resources. And it connects people with ideas to people who know how to act on those ideas.
What are some of the quotes about the magazine from notable publications that you’d like to share?
I loved that mainstream press immediately started talking about us in ways that got at the heart of what we were trying to do. The Boston Globe called us “The evolution of masculinity” soon after we launched. The New York Observer acknowledged we were setting out to do “something revolutionary.” The Chicago Tribune interview with Tom Matlack talks about us “continuing the dialogue with future generations” through our work with teens.
Others:
“Stellar reporting. thoughtful writing, and killer interview subjects. Inspiration for readers to embrace the available new media tools and comment, “like,” and generally share “Good Men” with their social networks and further raise the profile of this new progressive model.” — from YPulse
“It will make you rethink the idea of a men’s magazine…the editors take a stand against patriarchal, authoritarian, heterosexist, racist masculinity.” — from Ms.
Good Men Media Inc. helps support The Good Men Foundation. How is this charity making a difference?
The Good Men Foundation is setting out to helping boys and men at risk. This is a huge segment of our society that needs to be addressed – boys who are low on the economic scale, who aren’t privy to the same educational and social resources as others, or who already have gotten in some type of trouble and need to figure out how to move forward.
The Foundation helps in any number of ways – often by providing funds for much needed resources to national 501(3)c charitable organizations who have a history of successful results with this population. Organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters, The Boys and Girls Club, Street Potential. But we also help – these boys, these particular organizations, and many other organizations doing good — by providing a platform to talk about the issues and challenges. By helping to spread the word about what’s working. And by going into organizations and on a very tactical level, helping these boys. For example, one of our ongoing contributors for the magazine, Matt Salesses, recently ran a Good Men Project writing workshop (in conjunction with 826 Boston) with inner-city teen boys who wanted to be able to articulate their stories, become better writers and help others through shared writing about the difficult moments in their lives.
Likewise, The Good Men Project co-founder Tom Matlack has traveled to schools and non-profits and spoken with boys many times. In his own words, “I think our boys are being assaulted with this stuff, and no one is really talking—no one’s talking about race, no one’s talking about divorce, no one’s talking about war, no one’s talking about pornography. And these boys are trying to figure it out. They want to be good. They want to have an impact on the world.”
How will the company evolve over the next 5-10 years?
The first is to become highly profitable, so we can continue to have the discussion, create positive change, and give back to the Foundation. The second way is to increase the amount of distribution channels – through technology such as mobile apps or as yet to be invented channels. The third is to expand our products – whether it’s media products such as films and books or other things that are most helpful to men.
And the company will evolve by continuing to do what it does best – sparking a conversation about the stuff ‘guys don’t usually talk’ about and watching in awe while that actions that happen as a result of those conversations actually change the world for the better.
For more information about The Good Men Project, please visit…
http://goodmenproject.com/
