• by Melynda Fuller , February 8, 2019

In anticipation of Valentine’s Day, Entertainment Weekly has unveiled a romantic-comedy-centric issue called “Hollywood’s Greatest Untold Stories: The Rom-Com Edition.”

The print issue, which features a cast reunion of “My Best Friend’s Wedding” on its cover, hits newsstands today, with other reunions, including the cast of “27 Dresses” taking place on its pages.

“Reunions do very well for us,” EW EIC Henry Goldblatt told Publishers Daily, adding that the casts of shows like “Dawson’s Creek” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” chose EW because of its reputation for treating their projects with respect.

As Hearst properties Harper’s Bazaar and Town & Countryfound during the royal wedding last spring, content centered around an event or holiday allow a brand to create many organic cross-platform connections for its audience, in addition to collaboration with other like-minded publications.

In addition to print editorial about “My Best Friend’s Wedding,” readers can find extras on EW’s website, including videos and a gallery from the cover shoot. To engage its audience across social media and digital platforms, EW developed the hashtag #LoveEWstyle on Twitter and Instagram, along with the designated URL www.ew.com/rom-com.

Readers are prompted to visit the URL throughout the print issue.

EW’s Best Rom-Com Ever bracket, which pits beloved movies against each other to determine the top, and its Pop Culture Index, introduced last year as a way to engage readers through a “Front Row” membership panel that rewards participation with prizes and access to special events, further deepen the print-digital connection.

Other online-only stories include one about 10 things that almost happened in iconic rom-coms, videos from a “(500) Days of Summer” viewing party that took place with stars Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt and secrets from the writers of “He’s Just Not That Into You” on its 10th anniversary.

Through Valentine’s Day, other behind-the-scenes looks at cast reunions, an oral history of "Bride Wars" and the results of EW’s Best Rom-Com Ever bracket will be published digitally.

EW is a “rabid contributor” to PeopleTV, said Goldblatt, and each reunion featured in the print magazine will have a 20- to 30- minute show on its OTT platform, including two shows: the "My Best Friend’s Wedding" reunion special and the full "Untold Stories: Rom-Com Edition."

“The social feeds, the site, PeopleTV and EW the magazine all work in a symbiotic fashion to drive audiences back and forth through various plugs,” said Goldblatt. “The rom-com issue has been doing very well so far. I imagine we’ll do it again next February.”