• by Tony Silber , January 10, 2022

Bob Guccione, Jr., founder of Spin magazine and other high-profile media ventures, is partnering with the owner of the Florida regional magazine Beach Happy to expand the brand into new markets.

Beach Happy is a coastal-lifestyle publication founded during the pandemic. It covers a stretch of the Florida Panhandle from Panama City to Santa Rosa Beach. It is published by the 30A Company, named for a stretch of county highway in the area.

Guccione will lead Beach Happy’s expansion into other coastal regions, including a new Northeast edition covering beach culture from New York to Maine, scheduled to launch in June. Other editions will follow, with half a dozen in the U.S., and potentially more around the world, especially in the Caribbean, Europe and Asia, the 30A Company said in a statement.

 “I think we all need more happiness in our lives, especially right now,” Guccione said. “The world is too divided and extraordinarily anxious. We could all use a bit more of the serenity and fun that beach life inspires.”

Guccione describes Beach Happy as “a celebration of beach culture, from coastal cuisine to beach bars, from tropical music to lesser-known destinations. It’s also, very meaningfully, about the people and organizations worldwide who are working so hard to protect our coastal habitats.”

Although a regional magazine, Beach Happy is available on newsstands nationwide, including every Books-A-Million and Barnes & Noble in the country, as well as at a variety of grocery chains.

For its part, the 30A Company has 1.5 million social-media followers, making it one of the largest communities of beach lovers in the world. It has an interesting brand-extension model, with a wide array of branded items, including apparel. It brands marketing partner to its own name, as well, with website sections such as “30A Rentals” and “30A” real estate.

“Beach Happy presents a global opportunity,” said 30A founder-CEO Mike Ragsdale. “Bob is a legend in the publishing industry, and he knows how to build brands with international reach and appeal." Guccione sold Spin in 1997. His previous publications inluded Gear and the science magazine Discover.