NEW YORK — Singling out stars in a room full of potential poachers isn’t exactly the best staffing strategy. But that didn’t stop Popular Science editor in chief Mark Jannot from praising Mike Haney during this week’s National Magazine Awards. After winning the new award for best section, Jannot passed most of the credit along to the young Haney, who was hired as an assistant editor fresh out of Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism in December 2003.
It wasn’t as if Jannot didn’t know any better. Just last year, Scott Mowbray — who was then editor of Popular Science but has since been promoted to Time4 Media’s editorial director — won the magazine’s first ASME for general excellence and thanked his design director, Dirk Barnett, from the stage. Two months later, Barnett left for Premiere.
According to Jannot, Haney, now associate editor, had vowed to win his first ASME by age 30. Since the plucky 29-year-old just checked that off on his to-do list, WWD caught up with him to talk about “How 2.0” and the Popular Science tradition of passing around a Patrón bottle post awards. Here’s a shocker: the overachiever abstained.
WWD: So what’s a respectable tequila shot count for a first-time ASME winner?
Mike Haney: I’m not a big tequila drinker, so for me, it’s zero.
WWD: How many phone calls have you received since Wednesday?
M.H.: I’ve received a few congratulatory phone calls from friends, and my mom and dad are pretty excited. But that’s about it.
WWD: So no job offers yet?
M.H.: No.
WWD: Science isn’t exactly a sexy magazine subject. What made you want to work on a science title right out of J school?
M.H.: My background isn’t as much in science as it is in tech. I’ve long been a fan of gadgets, so it was a huge thrill to come here and work on this section and this magazine, which has had an amazing turnaround in the last few years.
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WWD: What was the how-to behind “How 2.0”?
M.H.: The section was already conceived when I was hired. Mark [Jannot] and Scott [Mowbray] had come up with the general idea and had some of the stories and columns in mind. We launched very quickly. About a month after I was hired, we closed the first issue.
WWD: As a tech editor, do you actually have to read instruction manuals cover to cover or do you skim like everyone else?
M.H.: I don’t even look at them until something’s almost broken. Then if I’m frustrated and turning bright red, I might open one up.
WWD: Does that mean you just have the tech gene? Or can the layperson learn TiVo, too?
M.H.: I think it’s absolutely something the layperson can learn. The magazine is written for people who don’t consider themselves experts. All you need is a curiosity about [gadgets] and a willingness to play with them.
WWD: Do you ever get calls from friends to hook up their DVD players?
M.H.: Yeah, I get those calls. “Should I buy an iPod?” or “What’s the best TV?” It’s nice to be in this part of the business.
WWD: Which is harder: Getting pictures off of a cell phone, setting up WiFi or filing your taxes online?
M.H.: I would argue that all three of those are fairly manageable tasks. But getting a really good picture from a cell phone, that’s tricky.
WWD: Now that you’ve got the ASME by 30, what are you aiming for next?
M.H.: It’s all downhill from here. I just want to keep doing good work here. And keep winning awards. I think [Mark Jannot] is on number seven, so I’ve got a long way to go to follow in his footsteps.
WWD: So who gets custody of the Ellie? You or Jannot?
M.H.: It will be on display in Mark’s office. But he has nice windows, so I can look in anytime and get a peek.