A Letter from the Editor
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As PEOPLE Magazine turns 50, editor in chief Wendy Naugle reflects on the brand's legacy and the milestones to come
As PEOPLE’s anniversary loomed, it seemed like a daunting task to decide how to celebrate. First off, who should grace our cover? When our team sat down to brainstorm, we couldn’t decide on just one person. This issue, we agreed, should be a celebration of the people who have helped shape the culture and will do so for years to come. Our cover stars — with a combined 14 Primetime Emmys, 16 Golden Globes, five Oscars, four Tonys and 14 Grammys — have absolutely done that. Our birthday crew also includes three Sexiest Men Alive, two EGOTs, multiple humanitarian-award winners, a world champion and a GOAT.
It’s been said that a copy of PEOPLE is the most requested item to put in time capsules, and I believe it. Every day at PEOPLE, we try to chronicle what’s happening — the stories that touch our hearts, delight us, surprise us. Our goal is to take our readers up close to our subjects so that we can all understand what motivates them and to find the commonality of the human experience, the ups and downs, the tragedies and the triumphs. As Drew Barrymore told us, when someone shares their story, we feel less alone.
Preparing for our 50th, I’ve found so many of those stories in our archives. Tina Turner, in 1981, revealed in our pages how she had survived an abusive marriage, fleeing husband Ike with only 36 cents to her name. In 1998 Michael J. Fox disclosed his Parkinson’s diagnosis in a PEOPLE cover story, and he’s since changed the course of research for the disease. In 2010 Sandra Bullock revealed her emotions after adopting son Louis: “The first time I met Louis it was like the whole outside world just got quiet. He was so small, so still. All the trivial things that I had allowed to take up so much of my time just didn’t have room in life anymore.” In these difficult times, I’m always heartened that something as simple as sharing a story can connect us.
Our entire team worked tirelessly on this issue: Julie Jordan, Lizz Leonard, Melody Chiu and Andrea Mandell wrangled our cover stars; David Walters oversaw the whole package; Jessica Iavazzi helmed the stunning videos you’ll see on Instagram and YouTube; Phoebe Weekes and Dean Markadakis led design; and our fearless director of photography, Ilana Schweber, coordinated every photo shoot and did countless hours of archival research. This issue wouldn’t be possible without the help of Garnier, our 50th anniversary sponsor Smirnoff (the brand will be spicing up the opening night of our special exhibit at Fotografiska in New York City on May 9) and, most of all, you, our loyal readers. Thank you.
Someday there will be another editor sitting in this chair, planning a 75th or 100th anniversary of PEOPLE that will live on the page or a screen or in 3D or on some new spatial plane yet to be invented. What tips would I give them? Matthew McConaughey’s advice to his younger self sums it up: “I’d let him figure it out. . . . Take feeder roads off the highway. Get confused, get frustrated, feel lost and overcome it.” And I’d add: Make it fun. Make it fabulous.
Wendy Naugle
Editor in Chief
THE ART OF THE COVER
How do you get the most popular stars in America together for one photo shoot? It’s impossible. So we turned to celebrity photographer Art Streiber, who shot our cover stars separately — measuring every chair and place setting precisely — and worked with set designer Anthony Altomare and retoucher Angie Marie Hayes to create the work of art that became our cover. (And did you spot our launch issue, with Mia Farrow, on the table?) For more on how it came together, read about the making of our 50th Anniversary cover.
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