From a new category honoring podcasting and an additional one honoring video, to the warehouse-themed Williamsburg venue that would host a concert by Haiti’s hottest DJ the following night, to the slew of first-time winners, the 54th annual National Magazine Awards were far unlike any of the 53 that preceded them.

Among newcomers at the “Ellies”—named for the elephant-shaped trophy—was Topic, the “visual storytelling” hub launched less than two years ago, which swept both video categories and was one of just three publications to earn multiple awards (the other two being The New Yorker and The New York Times Magazine).

But outside of a standing ovation for outgoing New York magazine editor Adam Moss’s induction into the ASME Magazine Editors Hall of Fame, the largest ovation of the night arguably went to another first-time winner: Erin Bried, the founder and sole staffer responsible for Kazoo, the three-year-old, print-only magazine aimed at girls aged 5–12, which became the first-ever children’s magazine to pick up an Ellie award for General Excellence.

“I thought there was no chance. I’m going to try not to cry,” said Bried in her acceptance speech, thanking the judges for not dismissing Kazoo, the other magazines in the room that had given Kazoo press and the subscribers and contributors that have allowed it to succeed as an independent, ad-free magazine. Met with protests from the crowd, a musical cue intended to curtail Bried’s speech immediately relented.

For full story, click here.

Remnick’s haul means that The New Yorker has won 48 times since he took the helm in 1998.

The awards were moderated by CNN’s John Avlon, a former chief editor of the Daily Beast, and held at the East Williamsburg music venue Brooklyn Steel, marking the first time in the 54-year history of the prestigious honors that they were held outside Manhattan.

The highlight of the night was the standing ovation that was given to Moss upon his induction into the magazine editors Hall of Fame.

“Reporting, writing, photography and design, the 67 magazines and Web sites we honored tonight do it all,” said ASME CEO Sid Holt.

“But what made the occasion especially significant — and especially touching for many readers and journalists who have been influenced by his work — was the presentation of ASME’s Hall of Fame Award to one of the most thoughtful and innovative editors of our time, Adam Moss,” Holt said as he introduced Moss.

A humbled Moss quipped, “Thirty-five years of work reduced to a 150-second video.

“This organization has been very good to me for a long time. The first time I stood on an Ellie stage, Dan Quayle was still vice president of the United States, they were still making episodes of ‘Golden Girls.’

“And the event was at the Waldorf Astoria in Manhattan.

For full story, click here.

Jerry Saltz won his second Ellie Award for New York at the National Magazine Awards in Williamsburg last night. Saltz’s cover story from November 2018, “How to Be an Artist,” was picked in the Leisure Interests category. Saltz announced last week that he’s turning the piece, which is structured as a set of “rules” for how to live life more creatively, into a book. Saltz’s first Ellie for New York came in 2015 for Columns and Commentary. New York’s Olivia Nuzzi was also recognized with an ASME NEXT Award for Journalists Under 30.

The New Yorker led all winners of the night with four awards, and The New York Times Magazine and Topic picked up two each.

For full story, click here.

The New Yorker raked in four Ellie Awards at the annual National Magazine Awards for print and digital media event Thursday night. Hosted by CNN analyst and former editor in chief of The Daily Beast, John Avlon, nearly 500 industry leaders attended the awards ceremony at Brooklyn Steel.

The New Yorker raked in four Ellie Awards at the annual National Magazine Awards for print and digital media event Thursday night. Hosted by CNN analyst and former editor in chief of The Daily Beast, John Avlon, nearly 500 industry leaders attended the awards ceremony at Brooklyn Steel.

The New York Times Magazine and Topic were the only other publications to win more than one elephant-shaped award as they each took home two. For New York Times Magazine, it won in categories in essays and criticism for Getting Out, an essay about ex-convicts seeking a second chance in life, and in digital innovation for its Voyages issue. Topic took home its first two Ellies, in two video awards—for news and opinion for Black 14 as well as lifestyle for Noodle School.

The New Yorker took home the prize in four categories: reporting (Shallow Graves), feature writing (A Theory of Relativity), columns and commentary (three pieces by Doreen St. Félix) as well as public interest (No Refuge).

“Print and digital magazines continue to achieve new levels of excellence,” said Sid Holt, chief executive of the American Society of Magazine Editors. “Reporting, writing, photography and design—the 67magazines and websites we honored tonight do it all.”

For full story, click here.

Las Vegas is a dining destination every day, but “Strip restaurant prom” comes but once a year. This year it’s May 9 to 12, when the annual Vegas Uncork’d by Bon Appetit is back in session, with it celebrity chefs and media personalities as well as scores of hungry fans ready to learn the art of cocktail mixing, sample bites from the city’s best restaurants and mingle with famous food industry faces like Michael Voltaggio, Roy Choi, Christina Tosi and Gordon Ramsay.

Although some events have already sold out, there are still plenty of opportunities to learn, eat and party in Las Vegas. The Venetian’s Mott 32 will host a Cantonese dim sum brunch with a menu designed by Michelin-starred group executive chef Man-Sing Lee. From Amalfi, With Love will welcome diners to the Amalfi Coast via Wynn Las Vegas with an outdoor brunch featuring Mediterranean seafood, pasta and cooking demonstrations. At the new NoMad Pool, an evening party will include tasty bites, beats from On the Record and the promise of surprises.

For full story, click here.

Plenty of cities claim to host one of the country’s best food and wine festivals, but Las Vegas really does.

Now in its 13th year, Uncork’d by Bon Appetit again gets you up close and personal with well-known mix masters, master sommeliers and some of the world’s most popular chefs from May 9-12. 

The four-day event lets you rub shoulders with headline chefs such as Hell’s Kitchen star Gordon Ramsay, Food Network icon Guy Fieri, sushi master Nobu Matsuhisa, Iron Chef star Masaharu Morimoto and brothers Michael and Bryan Voltaggio of Top Chef  fame, plus Michelin-star chef Guy Savoy, NoMad co-owner Will Guidara, Milk Bar’s Christina Tosi, chefs Michael Mina and Susan Feniger, and Los Angeles’ favorite culinary son, Roy Choi, who recently debuted his first Vegas restaurant, Best Friend, at Park MGM.

For full story, click here.

To engage cardholders in perks and exclusive access at the Sundance Film Festival, while giving prospective cardholders a taste of what the card and brand has to offer, Chase Sapphire Preferred, a presenting sponsor, activated Chase Sapphire on Main in Park City, Utah, Jan. 22 to Feb. 1.

Inside the venue, the brand hosted panel discussions with film talent. There was an Oculus Rift activation in partnership with the Sundance Institute and its New Frontier program that celebrated technology and film. In it, attendees viewed footage from a new VR-based documentary “Zero Point.” Through a partnership with Bill White Restaurant Group, Chase offered samples and cooking demonstrations featuring different chefs from the area in a program called A Taste of Park City.

The venue also served as a home base for cardmembers who took advantage of the card’s weeklong and weekend travel packages to Sundance. Through these packages, Chase cardmembers had access to opening night screenings, private cast parties and VIP experiences. At the Chase Sapphire Priority Box Office, cardmembers could get access to tickets that typically sell out fast. And in partnership with Bon Appétit, cardmembers could use a dining concierge service for reservations at restaurants typically booked solid during the festival.

For full story, click here.

In late January, I attended the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah for the first time. The idea of skiing fresh powder by day and escaping the cold to see a showcase of newly-released international, independent films with popcorn and soda by night was extremely appealing. So, when Chase Sapphire invited me to head out west for the weekend, I happily obliged.

Chase Sapphire is a presenting sponsor of the Sundance Film Festival and my Sapphire Reserve Card made it easy for a New Yorker like me to immediately gain access to the Chase Sapphire Lounge at Chase Sapphire on Main and private cast parties. The concierge service provided by Bon Appétit and available to Chase Sapphire card members was particularly helpful as most restaurants were pre-booked weeks in advance with little availability. In many cases Chase held tables for Sapphire card members and obtaining one of them was as simple as stopping by the concierge desk in the card member lounge. Chase Sapphire on Main served as my home base throughout the weekend and to be frank, it would have been much more difficult to navigate the festival without a Chase Sapphire card.

One event that stood out this past week was the Après Lounge at the Montage Deer Valley featuring a chef tasting and pairing with Veuve Cliquot and Chase Sapphire. They constructed a Yurt in the snow at the base of Deer Valley mountain and brought in Bon Appétit’s Brad Leone to cook up hors d’hoeuvres while Veuve Clicquot kept everyone’s champagne glasses full. While it was cold and snowy outside, the warm and cozy ambience inside kept Chase Sapphire card members smiling.

For full story, click here.