David M. Granger
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David M. Granger is an American journalist. He was
editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...
of ''Esquire'' Magazine from June 1997 until March 2016. Granger is a literary agent and media consultant working with Aevitas Creative Management.


Education

Granger has a Master of Arts in English from the
University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with highly selective ad ...
and a B.A. in English and History from the
University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state ...
. Granger also attended the Radcliffe Publishing Course.


Early career

After moving to New York City in 1982, Granger's first foray into the magazine world was at ''Muppet Magazine'' as an editorial assistant. Granger also held positions at ''Family Weekly Magazine'', '' Sport Magazine'', ''Sports Inc. Magazine'', ''
Adweek ''Adweek'' is a weekly American advertising trade publication that was first published in 1979. ''Adweek'' covers creativity, client–agency relationships, global advertising, accounts in review, and new campaigns. During this time, it has cover ...
,'' ''
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,'' as well as '' The National Sports Daily.'' Before becoming editor-in-chief at ''Esquire'', Granger was the executive editor at '' GQ'' under editor-in-chief,
Art Cooper Art Cooper (October 15, 1937 – June 9, 2003) was an American journalist and magazine editor, the longtime editor of '' GQ''. Life and career Cooper was born in New York City and educated at Pennsylvania State University. In 1964 he became a repor ...
, for nearly six years.


''Esquire''

David Granger was named
editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...
of ''Esquire'' Magazine in June 1997 and served in that capacity until March 31, 2016, when he was replaced by (now former Esquire editor-in-chief) Jay Fielden. Granger got the job a year after writing to
Cathie Black Cathleen Prunty "Cathie" Black (born April 26, 1944) is a former New York City Schools Chancellor. On April 7, 2011, Black stepped down from her position after 95 days on the job. Her appointment to replace longtime Chancellor Joel Klein was annou ...
, then president of
Hearst Magazines Hearst Communications, Inc., often referred to simply as Hearst, is an American multinational mass media and business information conglomerate based in Hearst Tower in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Hearst owns newspapers, magazines, televis ...
, with a plan to revive the flailing men's periodical. Under Granger, the magazine entered its most successful era. During his tenure, Esquire was a finalist for 72
National Magazine Awards The National Magazine Awards, also known as the Ellie Awards, honor print and digital publications that consistently demonstrate superior execution of editorial objectives, innovative techniques, noteworthy enterprise and imaginative design. Or ...
, the industry's highest honors, and won 17. Many of the journalists Granger had established relationships with during his time at ''GQ'' followed him to ''Esquire'' and he was able to quickly build a troupe of award-winning, gritty staff writers that included Tom Chiarella, Scott Raab,
Mike Sager Mike Sager (born August 17, 1956) is an American author, journalist, and educator. A former ''Washington Post'' staff writer, ''Rolling Stone'' contributing editor, and writer at large for '' GQ'', Sager has been a contributing writer for ''E ...
, Chris Jones, Charlie Pierce, John H. Richardson,
Cal Fussman Calvin "Cal" Fussman is an American journalist and author. He is a Writer at Large for ''Esquire'' magazine, known for the What I've Learned column, where he interviews leaders in various fields,"How to do a What I've Learned Interview", ''Esqu ...
,
Lisa Taddeo Lisa Taddeo is an American author and journalist known for her book '' Three Women''. Taddeo's work has appeared in ''The Best American Political Writing'' and ''The Best American Sports Writing'' anthologies. Early life Taddeo was born in Short ...
, and
Tom Junod Tom Junod (born April 9, 1958) is an American journalist. He is the recipient of two National Magazine Awards from the American Society of Magazine Editors. Early life In 1980, Junod graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the S ...
.


Expanding the Limits of the Print Medium

Granger's ''Esquire'' career was punctuated by heights of innovation atypical to the print media industry. In the fall of 2008, Esquire created the first “moving cover” of a print magazine by embedding an
electronic paper Electronic paper, also sometimes electronic ink, e-ink or electrophoretic display, are display devices that mimic the appearance of ordinary ink on paper. Unlike conventional flat panel displays that emit light, an electronic paper display ...
(E-Ink) display in the cover of its 75th anniversary issue. In December 2009, ''Esquire'' created the first ever Augmented Reality issue of a magazine. ''Esquire''’s applications for the iPad were deemed groundbreaking and the magazine won the first-ever National Magazine Award for mobile editions in 2011. In December of 2012, ''Esquire'' partnered with Netpage to launch a proprietary phone application that allowed readers to share ''print'' content via e-mail or text and across all social networks. In 2013'', Esquire'' and
NBCUniversal NBCUniversal Media, LLC is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate corporation owned by Comcast and headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, United States. NBCUniversal is primaril ...
partnered to create the
Esquire Network Esquire Network was an American pay television network that was a 50/50 joint venture between NBCUniversal and the Hearst Corporation. The network carried programs aimed at a metrosexual audience centering on travel, cooking, sports and fashion ...
, a cable channel that was at its height in 70 million homes. In 2015, in conjunction with the magazine’s 1000th issue, Esquire Classic (classic.esquire.com) was launched as a complete and living digital archive. To promote the archive a companion podcast series, “Esquire Classic", was created in partnership with PRX.     


Other multi-disciplinary partnerships

* In the December 2006 issue, ''Esquire'' partnered with
Droga5 Droga5 is a global advertising agency headquartered in New York City with offices in London and Tokyo. History David Droga founded Droga5 in New York City in 2006. Droga said that he named the agency after the tag his mother used to sew into hi ...
, the advertising agency, to create The Tap Project, a charitable initiative designed to benefit UNICEF’s clean-water charities. The initiative eventually became the umbrella for the bulk of UNICEF’s fundraising. * In 2014, the magazine partnered with three different advertising agencies ( 72 and Sunny, Makeable and Barton F. Graf 9000), to create The ''Esquire'' Mentoring Initiative (mentoring.esquire.com). * Also in 2014, ''Esquire'' partnered with Jefferson’s Reserve Bourbon to create The ''Esquire'' Manhattan, a premade, barrel-aged cocktail available in better bars and liquor stores.


Awards

''Esquire'' was honored with numerous awards over Granger’s tenure. * The magazine was a finalist for 72
National Magazine Awards The National Magazine Awards, also known as the Ellie Awards, honor print and digital publications that consistently demonstrate superior execution of editorial objectives, innovative techniques, noteworthy enterprise and imaginative design. Or ...
and won 17. * The Society of Publication Designers named ''Esquire'' Magazine of the Year in 2001 and it was a finalist for the award again in 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2010. * It was listed as one of America’s Most Important Magazines, by the
University of Missouri School of Journalism The Missouri School of Journalism at the University of Missouri in Columbia is one of the oldest formal journalism schools in the world. The school provides academic education and practical training in all areas of journalism and strategic commu ...
. Granger has also received personal recognition for his magazine career: * He was named the magazine industry’s Editor of the Year on three occasions: by ''
Advertising Age ''Ad Age'' (known as ''Advertising Age'' until 2017) is a global media brand that publishes news, analysis, and data on marketing and media. Its namesake magazine was started as a broadsheet newspaper in Chicago in 1930. ''Ad Age'' appears in m ...
in 2004; by'' ''
Adweek ''Adweek'' is a weekly American advertising trade publication that was first published in 1979. ''Adweek'' covers creativity, client–agency relationships, global advertising, accounts in review, and new campaigns. During this time, it has cover ...
'' in 2010 and again by ''AdAge in 2013.'' *In 2012 he was awarded the Missouri Honor Medal by the University of Missouri School of Journalism for contributions to journalism. After news of his firing from ''Esquire'' leaked, he received a standing ovation at the National Magazine Awards in 2016 as he walked up to the stage to receive the magazine's award. Granger was set to receive the Magazine Editors' Hall of Fame Award on March 12, 2020 at the
National Magazine Awards The National Magazine Awards, also known as the Ellie Awards, honor print and digital publications that consistently demonstrate superior execution of editorial objectives, innovative techniques, noteworthy enterprise and imaginative design. Or ...
but the ceremony had to be postponed due to the
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...
pandemic.


Agenting career

Granger is currently working as a literary agent and media consultant working with Aevitas Creative Management in New York City. Current clients include: *
Andrew McCabe Andrew George McCabe (born March 18, 1968) is an American attorney who served as the Deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from February 2016 to March 2018 and as the acting Director of the FBI from May 9, 2017, to Augus ...
, former Deputy Director,
FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...
, whose '' The Threat'' (St. Martin’s, 2019) was a #1 New York Times bestseller. McCabe’s book vividly tells of his interactions with the current Presidential administration in the context of  his 21-year career, a period during which the FBI transitioned from a law-enforcement entity to an intelligence agency focused on counter-terrorism. * Julie Yip-Williams, whose posthumous ''The Unwinding of the Miracle'' (Random House, 2019), became a #6 NYT bestseller and was chosen as one of the NYT’s best books of 2019. *Senator Jeff Flake, whose book ''Conscience of A Conservative'' (Random House, 2017) was a #4 NYT bestseller, established a platform from which he became a national figure, and announced his as the first voice from the right opposing President Trump. *
David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
and Lauren Hogg, whose book #''NeverAgain'' (Random House, 2018) helped give voice to a rising generation and articulated a nascent movement’s goals. A NYT paperback bestseller. * Ed Stack, CEO of DICK’s Sporting Goods (Scribner, 2019) whose book ''It’s How We Play the Game'' blends business memoir with social conscience. *
Arthur Blank Arthur M. Blank (born September 27, 1942) is an American businessman and a co-founder of the home improvement retailer The Home Depot. He also currently owns two professional sports teams based in Atlanta, Georgia - the Atlanta Falcons of the ...
, CEO, the Blank Family of Businesses, including the Atlanta Falcons and PGA Superstores. Blank was a co-founder of
The Home Depot The Home Depot, Inc., is an American multinational home improvement retail corporation that sells tools, construction products, appliances, and services, including fuel and transportation rentals. Home Depot is the largest home improvement re ...
and ran the company for more than twenty years. His book will be published in the fall of 2020 by William Morrow. * Barry Sonnenfeld, director of many films, including the ''
Men in Black In popular culture and UFO conspiracy theories, men in black (MIB) are purported men dressed in black suits who claim to be quasi- government agents, who harass, threaten, or sometimes even assassinate unidentified flying object (UFO) witnesse ...
'' trilogy, ''
Get Shorty ''Get Shorty'' is a 1990 novel by American novelist Elmore Leonard. In 1995, the novel was adapted into a film of the same name, and in 2017 it was adapted into a television series of the same name. Plot summary The story centers on Ernesto ...
'' and two ''
Addams Family ''The Addams Family'' is a fictional family created by American cartoonist Charles Addams. They originally appeared in a series of 150 unrelated single-panel cartoons, about half of which were originally published in ''The New Yorker'' over a ...
'' movies. His memoir, ''Barry Sonnenfeld, Call Your Mother'', was published on March 10, 2020, from Hachette Books. *


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Granger, David M. 1956 births Living people American magazine editors Esquire (magazine) people University of Virginia alumni University of Tennessee alumni