Maer Roshan

Maer Roshan is an Iranian-American editor, writer and entrepreneur who has founded and edited a series of prominent American magazines and websites. He currently serves as Co-Editor in Chief of ''The Hollywood Reporter''. Previously he was Editor in Chief of ''Los Angeles'', Deputy Editor of '' New York'', Editorial Director of '' Talk'' and Senior Editor of ''Interview''.
He also launched a number of influential national publications including ''Radar'' Magazine, Radaronline.com FourTwoNine.com, and Punch! NYQ, an award-winning LGBTQ weekly he co-founded in 1992, was later purchased by Time Inc. The Fix.com, launched in 2006, is the first daily news site about addiction and recovery.
He has written for ''The New York Times,'' the ''Miami Herald'','' New York'', ''The New Republic'', '' The Advocate'', '' Details'' and ''Harper's Bazaar''.

Early life

Maer Roshan was born to an Iranian Jewish father and American mother. Roshan moved to New York in 1979 with his mother and siblings, shortly after the Islamic Revolution. His father fled Iran 7 years after and died after arriving in the United States. He began his media career in 1989 after graduating from NYU as a crime reporter at the '' Key West Citizen'' and launched his first magazine, the gay weekly ''QW'' in 1991, at the height of the AIDS crisis, recruiting a prominent group of writers and editors including Andrew Solomon and David Rakoff. The magazine's coverage of politics and culture earned it a General Excellence Award from the Alternative Press Association. Soon after, Time Inc. hired him to create a national gay glossy, ''Tribe''.

Career

In 1994, Roshan was hired by Kurt Andersen as Deputy Editor of '' New York''. He produced notable features, including the first interview with Donatella Versace after her brother Gianni Versace's murder and the first post-impeachment interview with Monica Lewinsky. In 2003, he received an Emmy for his work as Executive Producer of the New York Awards, a televised special on NBC.

Later that year, Tina Brown appointed Roshan as Editorial Director of '' Talk'' magazine. Following an editorial overhaul, he was credited by '' Adweek'' with "turning around the struggling publication, doubling circulation in ten months." Brown described him as "the only real natural male magazine editor of his generation."

After ''Talk'' ceased publication in 2002 due to the post-9/11 advertising downturn, Roshan launched ''Radar'', a monthly magazine focusing on politics and pop culture. ''The New York Times'' hailed it as the year's most anticipated launch, with its first two test issues selling out nationwide. He secured $10 million in funding from investors including Mort Zuckerman and Jeffrey Epstein, with additional backing from Ron Burkle's Integrity Multimedia. Under his leadership, ''Radar'' integrated print and online media, attracting 1.5 million unique visitors monthly. In May 2008, ''Radar'' was nominated for a General Excellence award by the American Society of Magazine Editors.

In April 2011, Roshan launched TheFix.com, a daily website that became a leading addiction and recovery portal. In 2012, he founded Awesome Projects, a Los Angeles-based consultancy providing editorial services to companies including The New York Times, Yahoo!, Snapchat, The Hollywood Reporter, and Telepictures. In 2016, he became Chief Content Officer of FourTwoNine, a national LGBTQ-focused magazine and website.

In 2019, Roshan was appointed Editor-in-Chief of Los Angeles Magazine, serving until 2022. In 2023, he became Co-Editor-in-Chief of The Hollywood Reporter, sharing the role with Shirley Halperin.

References

External links

Maer Roshan Profile/Newsday Profile/Baltimore Sun

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roshan, Maer
1967 births
Living people
Iranian Jews
American magazine writers
Jewish American non-fiction writers
American male non-fiction writers
American LGBTQ writers
21st-century American Jews