• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, July 7, 2006

Dylan and Cole Sprouse--twin actors who might be the adolescent male answer to Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen--are expanding their pop culture footprint with the launch of a new magazine, Sprouse Bros. Code, on July 18th, according to the Olsen twins' Dualstar Entertainment Group, which has partnered with Leisure Publishing LLC to produce the title. The launch of the magazine is part of a multi-platform Sprouse brand initiative including merchandise and retail partnerships, promising another twin teen commercial juggernaut.

The Sprouse brothers have accumulated pop culture cred among the 8-14 set with a variety of roles, including a movie, "The Suite Life of Zack & Cody," and Sprouse Bros. Code will leverage this authority as an "exclusive inside guide on what Dylan and Cole identify to be cool," according to Dualstar. The publication is not a fan magazine, but rather a consumer guide for tweens covering movies, TV, music, the latest gadgets and technology, sports and athletes, Web sites, and animals.

Sprouse brand-licensed merchandise is being produced by Trends International, beginning with posters retailing for $5.99, to be followed by 2007 calendars from MeadWestvaco. Cole Sprouse opined: "Having our own magazine gives us the opportunity to help kids discover their interests and spotlight the best of everything from new movies and CDs to young athletes we think are amazing." The magazine will receive business and editorial supervision from Robert Earl, founder of Planet Hollywood and publisher of Popstar! Magazine, as well Matthew Rettenmund, founding editor in chief of Popstar!

TV Guide Launches Multi-platform Coverage of TV Critics' Event

TV Guide announced a coordinated multi-platform media campaign timed around the Television Critics Association's (TCA) bi-annual press tour at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Pasadena, running from July 10-28. TVGuide.com will cover TCA events with daily blogs from columnist Michael Ausiello and senior television critic Matt Roush. Meanwhile, TV Guide magazine will offer recaps of TCA news in a daily electronic newsletter, focusing on the new season's broadcast network programming, as well as broader overviews in its print editions on July 24 and July 31. And TV Guide Channel's Lisa Joyner will interview television show creators and stars in an hour-long special to air on Monday, August 7 at 9 p.m.

Maxim Boasts Ad Boom, Bows Comedy Tour

Maxim's September issue will be the biggest in 15 months--mostly attributable to 114 ad pages, a 17 percent jump over the September 2005 issue, according to a Maxim spokesman. After months of depressed ad sales and speculation that the lad mag market is over-saturated, Maxim's ad-filled issue suggests lad titles are still kicking. Following up on the September issue, Maxim is also launching a stand-up comedy tour in cooperation with Anheuser-Busch and AEG Live. After kicking off on September 28 in St. Louis, the "Maxim/Bud Light Real Men of Comedy Tour" will reach 20 cities with performances by Joe Rogan, Charlie Murphy, and John Heffron. The tour will also feature a local comedian search in each city.

Working Mother Names Suzanne Riss Editor in Chief

Suzanne Riss has been named editor in chief of Working Mother magazine, Working Mother Media announced Thursday. Riss previously served as special projects editor, and replaces Susan Lapinski. Riss has managed special editorial projects such as "Best Companies for Women of Color" and "Best Small Companies," as well as "100 Best Companies."

Custom Publishing Excels, Accelerates The custom publishing industry is enjoying a fifth year of growth, according to a new study from industry organization the Custom Publishing Council. The success includes an increase in specialist roles in editorial and design positions--which grew 51 percent and 28 percent, respectively, over last year--as well as an almost 50 percent increase in total number of staff over 2001. Other measures were up too: the number of unique pages per employee, for example, reached an all time high of 453--a 168 percent increase over 2001.