D Magazine Intern Scores “A-” on Profile of Tim Rogers

Caitlin Myers is one of our capable interns. She’s a journalism student at SMU. When she asked if she could profile me for a student paper, I said sure, as long she didn’t mind my posting it on the blog. Below you’ll find her effort, submitted with a few comments.

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The (Endearing) Dictator of D: A Look at the Man Behind the Magazine

Tim Rogers acts kind of like the precocious kid that used to sit in the back of the class, with that smirk that says he knows what’s up. And he does.

As executive editor for D Magazine, he has his finger on the pulse of Dallas — the people, the politics, the pandemonium. [ed: That’s the first gross inaccuracy.] Heading up one of the nation’s leading city publications, the 38-year-old [ed: That’s the second. For the next few weeks, I’m still 37.] has every right to flash that prideful grin. But his success hasn’t come without a struggle. Cue the violin.

It was the early ’90s at the University of Notre Dame. The student magazine fired Rogers for writing jokes about condoms, repeatedly. He and his roommates wallpapered an entire room in their apartment with rejection letters from “every publication imaginable.” He graduated with a degree in American Studies and headed home to Dallas because, well, he had no job lined up.

After a little freelancing, he landed at job fact checking for the American Airlines’ in-flight magazine, American Way. “That was hell,” Rogers says inside his Highland Park office [ed: Our office is in Dallas.], slurping his microwavable minestrone soup. “I mean, it was a great experience in terms of learning stuff, but as far as hanging out with friends, you know, there was no ‘Let’s go grab a beer after work,’ going on.”

Making an about-face, Rogers quit his job at American Way after a year and went to work for friend and current coworker Eric Celeste at the now-defunct Met. With their office located above a bar, the job went a little something like this: work, go downstairs and drink, go back upstairs and work, repeat. [ed: Reading that reminds me of how totally cool I am. Sweet.]

“It was an absolute blast and a total wreck at the same time,” Rogers says. “There are not many places where you can have that much fun.”

From there, he became the top editor at Spirit and Cocktails, a national magazine specializing in the art of high-end inebriation. It folded during its third issue. Fast-forward through some more freelancing, two positions at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, a brief stint as a copywriter for the advertising agency Publicis and a gig as morning co-host for Merge Radio. Oh, and there’s the part where he got married to wife, Christine, a PR practitioner for The Richards Group, and had two kids, Burke and Stella, now eight and two and a half years old. Minor details, though.

“What the hell am I going to do now?” Rogers remembers thinking at the end of his marathon around the Dallas media scene. “I swore I would never, ever work for Wick Allison (co-founder and publisher of D). He had been a total a**hole to me, sh*t all over my ideas when I interviewed with him. And now I’ve been here for seven years. Go figure.” [ed: You know what’s cooler than drinking a whole bunch? Casual profanity.]

Although he says he has found some stability in his own life, the same cannot be said for the future of the journalism industry. “We’re still stumbling through technology,” he says. “It’s a matter of training your mind to not just think about, ‘Well, we come out every month,’ because we don’t. We come out constantly because of the Internet.” [ed: Genius.]

One reassurance Rogers provides is the differentiation between magazines and newspapers. With their glossy covers and elaborate, eye-appealing spreads, the monthly counterpart to the daily paper isn’t going anywhere, according to the editor.

“We’re insulated a lot from the stuff that’s kicking newspapers in the junk,” Rogers says. [ed: When D Magazine downsizes, and I’m laid off, please remind me I said this.] It all boils down to “figuring out DNA.” To survive, a publication must assess what it does well, modernize it and move forward. Trying to be all things to all audiences is a recipe for disaster.

And that’s precisely the philosophy he follows with his team at D. While the magazine does cover a wide range of topics, it devotes special attention to its renowned recommendations of all things Dallas. So, at a recent weekly editorial meeting, the executive editor threw out this idea:

“OK, picture this — the best iced tea in Dallas.” [ed: I swear to you, this was Adam’s idea.]

Blank stares.

“Seriously, guys, a big, beautiful two-page spread, condensation on the glass, little arrows explaining the anatomy of the perfect iced-tea-glass or plastic cup? Cubed or crushed ice? Straw or no straw?”

Some heads nodded in agreement. Some brows furrowed. One contributor staved off a yawn. [ed: I’m guessing it was Zac.]

“Dude, it’s the middle of summer, and people are thirsty,” he said in defense of his pitch.

After some more collaborative brainstorming, the idea turned into a multi-page spread on the best non-alcoholic thirst quenchers in Dallas. The best milkshake, lemonade, root beer float, and, yes, iced tea.

With a corporate culture that fosters honest feedback and constructive criticism, it’s no wonder Rogers’ idea was met with mixed emotions. However, such candor drives the magazine’s editors to produce paramount work, as Assistant Editor Sarah Eveans says writing under Rogers is “both terrifying and amazing.” [ed: My wife says the same thing about our lovemaking.]

“He has no problem telling me exactly what he thinks of what I’ve written, and he doesn’t mince words,” she says. “When he gives me a compliment, it’s just about the best day of my life.” [ed: [blushing]]

Rogers’ tough-love style of leadership continues to pay off for both his coworkers and the company’s bottom line. Eveans says “he is the best boss” she has ever had, and since he’s come to D the magazine’s circulation has increased from about 55,000 people to an impressive 70,000 readers each month. [ed: I’m fairly certain those numbers are made up.]

“He has so much confidence in all of us, which is something I’ve never experienced before,” Eveans says. “It’s so great to know your boss has your back.”

Although Rogers sits behind an executive desk rather than a school desk these days, his boyish grin is as wide as ever. After dabbling in nearly every media outlet Dallas has to offer, the editor has made his home at D. [ed: Until the layoffs.]

“I’m still not really sure what my job here is,” he says, laughing. “But I pretty much get paid to be curious. I get to find cool stuff around this city and write about it. And almost everything is interesting, if you think about it.”

That goes for you, too, Tim Rogers. – Caitlin Myers