TV presenter backs ‘alpha males’ title

Dragon’s Den presenter Peter Jones is backing a new men’s title, Man About Town, which will launch in August and target affluent 30to 45-year-old males.

Man About Town will initially have a print run of about 140,000 and has secured advertising from fashion brands like Paul Smith, Gucci, Marc Jacobs and Dolce & Gabbana.

The title will be priced at £5 and will initially run as a bi-annual, but its founders are hoping to publish it more frequently, depending on its success. It will cover technology, fashion and business, among other subjects.

Man About Town will be stocked in outlets such as WH Smith’s, Borders and independent retailers with distribution also in New York and other world cities. 

It is the second title launched by Huw Gwyther, a winner on BB2’s Dragons’ Den, who is editorial director and publisher of the new title. It follows the launch last year of luxury title Wonderland, a bi-monthly, which was partfunded by Jones.

Gwyther secured backing from Jones after he was the only one of the show’s five so-called experts on the TV show Dragon’s Den to back his project.

He secured a £175,000 investment in return for a 40% stake in Visual Talent, Man About Town’s parent group. Gwyther says the new title will target “alpha males” and says the enterprise is “self-financing”.

Man About Town’s advertising director Job Musters says too many men’s magazines have “lost touch with their readers”. He adds:”They try to be too many things to too many people”. It is understood that, initially, some copies of the title will be given away free to financial institutions.

Separately, former IPC editorial director Mike Soutar is launching a men’s weekly aimed at 18to 35-year-old ABC1 men, which will be distributed free. Soutar has secured backing from film producer Matthew Vaughn and French Connection founder Stephen Marks.