1/1 Interview With Dave Leskusky, NAPCO Media President And Visionary Agent Of Change

When I saw the news that North American Publishing Company had changed its name to NAPCO Media early January, I have to admit I was skeptical. The whole PSP/MSP thing has really soured me on name changes that have proven to be no more than name changes in most cases, with little or no substance behind them. I got out my shovel and started digging deeper into the situation and found that the name change was just the tip of the iceberg as far as what was going on in Philadelphia… and it is really COOL!

First off – it takes CAJONES for a publishing company that publishes largely for the print industry to move away from using the word publishing. It may be just a word to those outside the industry, but there is a storied history behind it that has major significance to most of us in it. The new name sends a clear signal that the times, they are a’ changin’, and NAPCO is evolving to meet those changes head on, and lead others along the way. That is inspirational, and I think we are really lucky to be able to watch them from the launch of their new direction… which isn’t so much new as it is broader as far as opportunities to reach and communicate with their audience – also known as us!

I sent a few questions over to Dave Leskusky, President at NAPCO Media, and he was kind enough to send over his responses in between the planes, trains and automobiles of his work travels. I hope this interview provides a bit more insight into NAPCO’s new offerings, and those who can, take advantage of them – especially PIX! I am going to start lobbying for a channel now!!!

DC: Let’s start off easy… why the change from NAPCO Publishing to NAPCO Media, and how long did it take to get everyone to get on board with your new direction?

DL: Simply put, our new name better represents our evolving portfolio of services. We still publish a lot of engaging print and digital content but we are also in the marketing consulting business. We are creating services to better help our advertisers utilize our (or their) content along with our audience to generate an ROI. The term ‘publishing’ was a bit restrictive and no longer defines who we are as a company. It was important to us that we not forget our roots and maintain the NAPCO brand, so NAPCO Media was born. It didn’t take very long to get buy in once we clearly laid out the direction we were moving. Everyone jumped on board quickly and there’s been a renewed energy around the office as a result.

DC: Do you think this move sends a positive or negative message to the Print Industry? Have you had any backlash?

Printers have been changing their name for years as their product offerings have evolved and we are doing the same thing. I only see this as a positive for NAPCO Media and the printing industry.. As our service offerings have increased, we’ve actually seen an increase in traditional print media in some markets so I think that’s pretty positive. In no way are we forgetting about the importance of print in an integrated marketing campaign, we just want to make sure everyone knows that we offer a lot more than print publishing services.

DC: Your press release about the name change includes this line: NAPCO Media retains the best of our past and combines it with the vision of our future… What is your vision of the future?

I think the biggest winners moving forward will be the best listeners. I’m a strong believer that our customers, readers and team members will determine what our next products will be. We are doing a better good job of actively listening to our customer’s needs, spotting consistent trends and bringing those products to market. A great example of that is NAPCO Video Services. We had been outsourcing our clients video needs when we realized it was much more profitable to bring this in-house. After all, video is just another content channel and when you package that with distribution in our e-newsletters, web sites and even print offers via augmented reality, you add great value to your customers. Our future offerings will be decided by where our customer’s needs take us.

DC: What new offerings are available to readers and advertisers from NAPCO Media vs NAPCO Publishing?

DL: We’re developing new offerings all the time.. As an entrepreneurial family owned business, we have the luxury of flexibility and can launch new products and services quickly. In the past two years alone we’ve created a Video Services Group, launched an Events Group and increasing our Marketing Services offerings. Our goal is to become a strategic partner with our advertisers, understand their goals and objectives and create integrated campaigns that achieve these goals. We are part traditional publisher and part advertising agency. There’s really nothing in a marketing budget that we can’t help facilitate.

DC: Does social media factor into your new direction, and how?

DL: Social is a much bigger part of our individual branded sites. Our content creators are pushing out content via market specific sites like Printing Impressions or Target Marketing all the time. We are still finding our voice for the NAPCO Media brand but this will be more of a focus moving forward.   I see us using NAPCO Media social sites for recruitment and though leadership. This is the biggest opportunity and the biggest challenge we face. If we can become a destination for the best and brightest that have the ability to see what others don’t, we will be successful. Assembling the best team is the most difficult part of leadership and the most critical. Jim Collins, author of Good to Great summed it up best: “A company should limit its growth based on its ability to attract enough of the right people.” I believe social media can be a vehicle to help us achieve this.

DC: I have to say I LOVE your new site and logo. Who helped you create those – they deserve a shout-out!

DL: Thanks! I appreciate the kind words. I’m proud to say that this was designed and built in-house. Dave Tomko was our lead designer for the site and he knocked it out of the park. Ambrose Crenshaw, our Director of Digital took Dave’s vision and made it happen from there. I have to be honest, at first I wasn’t a huge fan of the concept, but as things began to take shape, I loved the direction they took. They really did a great job. The logo was also designed by Dave with input from the design team and management team.

As an aside, we were under some tight deadlines so we were forced to launch the desktop version before the site was responsive. The mobile experience will be much better in a few weeks when this is addressed. Ideally we would’ve launched with a digital optimized format but time was not on our side. You’ll also see more video incorporated under the main pages of the site to give you a better feel of the NAPCO Media culture and environment.

DC: Lastly… can you give us a little info about anything coming to NAPCO Media that hasn’t been announced yet? I love exclusives!!!

Since you asked….all of our individual brand sites, starting with Printing Impressions, will be re-launched in 2015 with the most innovative IAB ad units and a huge focus on video. Check out PIWorld.com in early March to see what Mark Subers has developed as a video content play for the printing industry. The concept’s name is the Printing Impressions Xchange (codename: PIX). As video continues to play an ever-increasing role in our day-to-day lives, we wanted to create an educational experience that was thought-provoking and engaging for our audience. This will not be the “talking heads” experience that heretofore has been the norm. We will be producing two live video events a month with printers and other industry experts with the goal of driving the conversation forward on multiple topics for the benefit of all. These will be hosted by Mark Michelson, EIC, Printing Impressions.

In addition to the live events that will be archived on PIWorld.com in the “PIX” platform, the platform will include other video channels such as “This Week with Julie G” – a weekly series to summarize all of the top stories of a given week. Erik Cagle, Senior Editor, will present an Op/Ed series named “Cagle’s Corner” which will cover the major trends and their impact to the industry. New Direction Partners, a marketing partner of Printing Impressions, will provide M&A content as well as a monthly update for the major transactions. All of this and much more will be included into PIX. Stay tuned as additional content sources and channels are added to the lineup. I’m very excited to see the buzz that PIXchange will create in our industry.