David Granger Elected to Magazine Editors’ Hall of Fame

Long-time editor of Esquire to be honored at 2020 Ellie Awards

New York, NY (October 22, 2019)—The Board of Directors of the American Society of Magazine Editors today announced the election of David Granger to the Magazine Editors’ Hall of Fame. Granger will be honored at the 55th-annual presentation of the National Magazine Awards at Brooklyn Steel, in New York City’s Williamsburg neighborhood, on Thursday, March 12, 2020.

“As the editor of Esquire—and earlier as an editor at GQ—David Granger was responsible for fostering the careers of some of the best magazine writers of our generation and for publishing their most memorable stories,” said Sid Holt, executive director of ASME. “His Esquire was a triumph of magazine making, boasting unforgettable covers, eye-popping design and inspired service journalism. During his nearly 20 years at Esquire, David’s swaggering enthusiasm for print journalism was matched only by his sense of mischief—just two of the reasons he continues to be so widely admired by his colleagues.” 

David Granger was the editor in chief of Esquire from June 1997 to March 2016. He also created and oversaw its style spinoff, Esquire’s Big Black Book, as well as Esquire.com. During those years, Esquire was a finalist for 72 National Magazine Awards and won 17, including awards for Reporting in 2001, Feature Writing in 2005, 2009 and 2012, Profile Writing in 2004, 2006 and 2010 and General Excellence in 2006. 

During Granger’s tenure, Esquire stretched the limits of print and digital media. In 2008, Esquire created the first “moving cover” of a print magazine by embedding an electronic-paper display in the cover of its 75th-anniversary issue. In 2009, Esquire created the first augmented reality issue of a magazine. In 2011, the magazine won the first National Magazine Award for mobile apps for its iPad edition. 

In 2013, Esquire partnered with NBCUniversal to create the Esquire Network, a cable channel that was available in 70 million homes. In conjunction with the publication of the 1,000th issue of the magazine in 2015, Esquire launched a complete digital archive called Esquire Classic (classic.esquire.com) and partnered with PRX to create a companion podcast, also called Esquire Classic. 

In 2006, Esquire worked with the advertising agency Droga5 to create the Tap Project, a nationwide campaign benefiting UNICEF’s clean-water initiatives. In 2014, the magazine partnered with three ad agencies—72andSunny, Makeable and Barton F. Graf 9000—to create the Esquire Mentoring Initiative. 

Granger was named the magazine industry’s Editor of the Year on three occasions: by Advertising Age in 2004, by Adweek in 2010 and again by Ad Age in 2013. In 2011, he was awarded the Missouri Honor Medal for Distinguished Service by the Missouri School of Journalism. 

Prior to Esquire, Granger worked for GQ, Adweek Magazines, The National Sports Daily and Sport Magazine. He began his career as an editorial assistant at Muppet Magazine. Since 2016, Granger has been working with Aevitas Creative Management as a literary agent. Among the projects he has represented are four New York Times best sellers, including Andrew McCabe’s No. 1 best seller, “The Threat.” In his own words, “Granger is available for weddings, bar mitzvahs and future best sellers.” 

The Magazine Editors’ Hall of Fame was established in 1995 by the American Society of Magazine Editors to recognize the editorial achievements and career-long accomplishments of leading journalists and honors distinguished service to magazine media. Among the members of the Hall of Fame best known to magazine readers are Graydon Carter, Anna Wintour, Martha Stewart, Tina Brown, Hugh M. Hefner, Gloria Steinem, Jann S. Wenner and Helen Gurley Brown. 

The American Society of Magazine Editors is the principal organization in the United States for the editorial leaders of magazines and websites. Founded in 1963, ASME strives to defend the First Amendment, support the development of journalism and promote the editorial integrity of print and digital publications. ASME sponsors the National Magazine Awards for Print and Digital Media in association with the Columbia Journalism School, conducts training programs for writers and editors and publishes the ASME Guidelines for Editors and Publishers. 

For more information about the Magazine Editors’ Hall of Fame and the Ellie Awards, please visit magazine.org/asme.

Contacts:
Sidney Holt
[email protected]
212-872-3723

Susan Russ
[email protected]
212-872-3732