Dan Wakeford (born March 3, 1975) is an English-born American Journalist. He is the former editor-in-chief of The Messenger, People magazine and editorial director of Entertainment Weekly from 2019 to 2022. Prior, he was editor-in-chief of In Touch Weekly and Life & Style Weekly.
Early life and education
editWakeford grew up in a small village in Hampshire, UK with his twin brother and younger brother. He graduated from Leicester University in 1996 with a B.A. in American Studies.
News career
editWakeford started his career in journalism working at News UK and then onto become news editor of Heat magazine.[1] In 2002 he moved to America where he worked at In Touch Weekly and Life & Style Weekly eventually becoming the editor-in-chief of both titles.[2]
In 2013, Wakeford was called upon to defend his magazine company in court after Tom Cruise accused the owners of the company of racism.[3][4]
In 2015, Wakeford became a deputy editor at People magazine. In 2019, he was promoted to editor-in-chief.[5] At People Wakeford created and executive produced the crime documentary series People Magazine Investigates on ID[6] and Discovery+ and two prime time four-hour documentaries on the royals for ABC: The Story of Diana and The Story of The Royals.[7] Wakeford regularly appeared on camera for People Magazine Investigates and many other television shows including Dateline,[8] the Today Show,[9] GMA,[10] the Kelly Clarkson Show,[11] the Drew Barrymore Show[12] and CNN.[13]
During his tenure at People he pushed the brand into podcasts, video and new social platforms and grew the digital footprint to 76 million unique visitors and the whole brand footprint to 88 million consumers a month.[14]
Wakeford broke exclusive news stories during his time at People, including interviews with Linda Evangelista about her cosmetic procedure lawsuit,[15] Vanessa Bryant in her only interview after death of her husband Kobe and daughter Gigi,[16] and the world exclusive first look at Friends: The Reunion.[17] He oversaw interviews with notable figures, including Prince William on his Earthshot initiative,[18] President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden's first interview post-inauguration[19] and George Clooney on his humanitarian work.[20]
During his time at People magazine, Wakeford launched programs to encourage COVID vaccinations,[21] and celebrate Companies That Care.[22] He instituted the brand's first-ever issue on LGBTQ+ Pride.[23] Under his stewardship, People magazine won the 2021 Folio Eddie and Ozzie Award for the best Consumer, Lifestyle magazine issue,[24] the 2021 GLAADD Award for Outstanding Magazine Overall Coverage,[25] and Adweek's 2020 Hot List, celebrating the best in TV, Publishing, Digital and Brands,[26] and the Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services 2020 Erasing The Stigma Award for the mental health initiative Let’s Talk About It.[27]
He was editor-in-chief of The Messenger, which opened in May 2023 and folded in January 2024.[28][29]
Personal life
editIn May 2018, Wakeford married actor Lucas Baker.[citation needed]
References
edit- ^ "In Touch and Life & Style Bid Adieu To Dan Wakeford, Bring On David Perel". Daily Front Row. March 7, 2014. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
- ^ "In Touch and Life & Style Bid Adieu To Dan Wakeford, Bring On David Perel". Daily Front Row. March 7, 2014. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
- ^ "Shocker! Tom Cruise's Racially Charged Libel Lawsuit Compares Jewish & Gay Journalists To Cotton-Picking Slaves". RadarOnline. November 14, 2013. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
- ^ "Tom Cruise's lawyers compare Jewish and gay journalists to cotton-picking slaves". DNA India. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
- ^ Gardner, Chris (March 14, 2019). "Dan Wakeford Replaces Jess Cagle as People Magazine Editor-in-Chief". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
- ^ "Breaking News - ID and People Launch a New Season of Riveting Mysteries in the Hit Series "People Magazine Investigates" | TheFutonCritic.com". www.thefutoncritic.com. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
- ^ "'The Story of The Royals,' A Two-Night Television Event From People and Four M Studios, Debuts On ABC, Wednesday, Aug. 22, And Thursday, Aug. 23". Meredith Corporation MediaRoom. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
- ^ "'Dateline' examines murder of Maurizio Gucci". WWLP. December 3, 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
- ^ "Royal wedding countdown: 2 experts reveal the latest details". today.com. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
- ^ People magazine reveals its 2019 People of the Year l GMA, retrieved June 27, 2022
- ^ "Patricia Heaton, Dan Wakeford, Stephanie Bowman, Kelly Clarkson". Getty Images. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
- ^ Drew and People's Dan Wakeford Are Over the Term "Girlboss" Like Shonda Rhimes | Drew's News, retrieved June 27, 2022
- ^ Garvey, Marianne (November 14, 2019). "Inside the 'Sexiest Man Alive' selection". CNN. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
- ^ Turvill, William (July 8, 2021). "People magazine editor Dan Wakeford: Instagram is our biggest competitor". Press Gazette. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
- ^ Sheeler, Jason (February 16, 2022). "Linda Evangelista Shares First Photos of Her Body Since Fat-Freezing Nightmare: 'I'm Done Hiding'". people.com. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
- ^ Wakeford, Dan (March 3, 2021). "Introducing People's Women Changing the World in 2021". people.com. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
- ^ "'Friends' cast poses for new People cover, shares 1st details from reunion show". today.com. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
- ^ Perry, Simon (October 20, 2021). "Prince William to People: 'There Is Reason to Be Hopeful' About Protecting the Planet". people.com. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
- ^ Sobieraj Westfall, Sandra (February 3, 2021). "In First White House Interview, Joe & Jill Biden Talk Marriage, Family, Prayer — and the Challenges Ahead". people.com. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
- ^ Leonard, Elizabeth (December 2, 2020). "George Clooney Opens Up About Family, Giving Back and His Faith in America's Future: 'You Can't Give Up'". people.com. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
- ^ Wakeford, Dan. "Editor's Letter: Why I'm Getting Vaccinated". people.com. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
- ^ "People Companies that Care® 2021". Great Place to Work®. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
- ^ Wakeford, Dan (June 10, 2020). "Why Anderson Cooper Is Co-Parenting with His Ex: 'I Would Want Wyatt to Be Surrounded by Love'". people.com. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
- ^ "2021 Eddie and Ozzie Awards". Eddie & Ozzie Awards. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
- ^ Yang, Rachel (April 8, 2021). "Watch Niecy Nash host GLAAD Media Awards, plus see the full winners list". EW.com. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
- ^ "Meredith Corporation's People, Allrecipes And InStyle Named Winners Of Adweek's 2020 Hot List". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
- ^ "Mental Health Heroes – Erasing the Stigma Campaign". Retrieved June 27, 2022.
- ^ Wakeford, Dan (May 15, 2023). "Welcome To The Messenger". The Messenger. Archived from the original on May 15, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
- ^ Baragona, Justin (January 31, 2024). "The Messenger Didn't Bother to Tell Staff Before Flaming Out". The Daily Beast. Retrieved January 31, 2024.