The cover of the premiere issue of Prince George's Suite magazine is titled "Celebration" -- as in celebrating Prince George's County's burgeoning economic development, its small business community and middle-class lifestyle, said publisher and editor Raoul Dennis.
The bimonthly publication was launched this year by Dennis and business partner Dale Hopper with a $65,000 personal investment. Like two other recently launched regional publications, Maryland Life magazine and Bethesda Magazine, Prince George's Suite seeks to appeal to residents' connections to their community and also promote the place to outsiders.
The current issue includes advertising from the county Chamber of Commerce, whose chairman called the magazine "a breath of fresh air."
(Courtesy Of Raoul Dennis)
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"Prince George's County stands toe-to-toe with any place in the region, but it is under-recognized as a destination point," said Dennis, who refers to the magazine as an ambassador for Prince George's. "You have some very high-profile people who are very interested in this area now. There is an embrace. [Ervin] 'Magic' Johnson and Gladys Knight are investing here. We [also] want to invest in the image of the county."
Johnson, the former basketball star, opened a 12-screen Loews Cineplex movie theater in Landover last year, and Shanga Hankerson, the son of singer Gladys Knight, is set to open a new restaurant near the theater this spring. Also, Kwame Jackson -- the Harvard MBA finalist last year on "The Apprentice" TV show -- is a partner in a 500-acre commercial and residential development in Upper Marlboro, scheduled to break ground next year.
The magazine has five full-time staff members and about a dozen freelance writers. Dennis aims eventually to create a magazine of the same caliber as New York magazine or Washingtonian, but with a focus on Prince George's. Stories about National Harbor, Lt. Governor Michael Steele, the City of Laurel and caterers based in the county appeared in the first two issues.
"It is about finding places that are intersecting spots to go to that you didn't know about," Dennis said. "You don't have to go out to D.C. or Baltimore to find it."
The audience for the magazine's first issue was handpicked by Dennis and his staff, who mailed it free to about 14,000 Prince George's politicians, leaders of community associations, members of the county Chamber of Commerce and other business owners and homeowners with incomes over $125,000. They will receive the magazine free for two years.
About 25,000 copies of the second issue were mailed a few weeks ago. The magazine also has begun offering $12 annual subscriptions, available through its Web site. The magazine is not sold at newsstands. Dennis said he and his company, Radenn Media, expect to spend another $50,000 in start-up costs and are looking for investors and advertisers to continue funding the publication.
After shopping around his idea last year and showing prototypes to potential advertisers, Prince George's Suite brought in $40,000 in ad revenue -- not enough to break even, but a start, Dennis said. County government and local businesses have been big supporters, he said.
"They are saying, 'You make us look good,' and we need the advertising dollars," Dennis said. "We're not so much interested in breaking news. We're more interested in 'this is a great place to eat,' and 'Did you see what so-and-so was wearing?' In a fun and prideful way, we want to get at the county's bling-bling."
The magazine's February/March issue features a cover story about County Executive Jack B. Johnson, titled "Man of the People," and an announcement about Black History Month paid for by the county government. The Prince George's County Chamber of Commerce also bought an advertisement.
"Being that we represent businesses in the county, we feel very strongly that a magazine like this should succeed," said Ralph Bazilio, chamber chairman. "It is a breath of fresh air."
Arthur Turner, president of the Towns of Kettering Homeowners' Association, said he began receiving his complimentary subscription earlier this year and sees the magazine as a place for local businesses to promote themselves.
"Seemingly it is very difficult to have the warm and fuzzy reports of Prince George's County in the major media -- radio, TV and print. Prince George's Suite seeks to show Prince George's County in a different light," Turner said. "They have articles that introduce people to the county. I learned more about Piscataway" from an article it published.
Dennis, who is from New York, worked in print media locally for Gannett Co., Black Entertainment Television and the Gazette newspapers. He lived in Bladensburg for five years, left the region in the 1990s and returned in 2000. He now lives in the District.
"I'm looking for a home in Prince George's," Dennis said.
