How Essence ACTUALLY Built A $200 Million Black Media Empire. In 1968, Black women made up 12 percent of America, yet not a single national magazine was made for them. Less than two percent of total U.S. advertising budgets were directed toward Black consumers, leaving a massive cultural gap. Enter Essence. Started by four men with zero publishing experience and a $13,000 loan, it shattered the mold to become a $200 million Black media empire that now commands over 16 million readers.
Discover the untold story of how Essence survived industry resistance, internal chaos, and corporate takeovers to remain a cultural cornerstone:
– A Risky $13,000 Beginning: Founders Edward Lewis, Clarence Smith, Cecil Hollingsworth, and Jonathan Blount scraped together a $13,000 loan from Freedom National Bank to launch the magazine in May 1970. Facing near-collapse, they survived by taking a controversial $250,000 loan from Playboy Enterprises in 1971, causing Hollingsworth and Blount to leave the company.
– The Susan Taylor Era: A 23-year-old single mother and licensed cosmetologist with no journalism degree walked into the Essence offices and got hired as the first beauty editor. Susan Taylor eventually became editor-in-chief in 1981, holding the position for 19 years and growing the publication’s paid circulation to over one million.
– The Revlon Boycott: In 1986, after Revlon’s president publicly insulted Black-owned businesses, Essence chose principle over income and banned Revlon’s ad dollars from its pages entirely. The industry took notice, and Revlon eventually returned as an advertiser.
– The Essence Festival: Created in 1995 to celebrate the magazine’s 25th anniversary, the inaugural New Orleans festival drew 142,000 attendees. By 2024, attendance reached half a million, generating an economic footprint that exceeded $300 million annually for Louisiana.
– Corporate Takeover to Black Ownership: Time Inc. fully acquired Essence in 2005, putting the publication under the control of a white-controlled conglomerate. In January 2018, Sundial Brands founder Richelieu Dennis successfully purchased the magazine, returning it to Black ownership and awarding equity stakes to its all-Black female executive team.
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Nah, it’s tragically bad.
Susan Taylor is an amazingly, inspirational woman. I grew up on reading Essence and used to read it every month
Thank you for sharing that! It’s always so heartwarming to hear how deeply Essence and Susan Taylor impacted people’s lives.
Edward Lewis is my cousin, I see him every year at the family reunion. He started Essence in honor of his mother ( My aunt Jewel).
Thank you so much for sharing that personal connection and the heartwarming detail about his mother, Jewel. It adds such a beautiful layer to the story.
All of them
Does anyone remember Essence By Mail fashion catalogue? Ooh, I loved it! Sone of my more beautiful outfits came from that catalogue. I still have a few drop-dead gorgeous hats I bought from them. Just wonderful ❤!
AWESOME SHARE! …Yet SOME BA want to say that Caribbean people have not contributed anything to US/Black US…nuts.
I loved Essence and Susan’s articles.
So glad you enjoyed the share! It’s comments like yours that make all the research and effort worthwhile.
Its NOT black owned!
Susan Taylor’s