Career Spencer Bailey

1 career

1.1 work (2005–2010)
1.2 bloomberg businessweek , new york times magazine (2010–2014)
1.3 surface media (2010–present)

career
early work (2005–2010)

bailey s first interest in journalism happened in high school studying fiction , poetry, , in college, realizing never going make living writing fiction or poetry, , needed outlet. ended working @ college s alumni magazine, dickinson magazine. there got work editor, sherri kimmel, showed me ropes. had few professors made me realize wasn’t of writer , had push myself become better. has cited former cosmopolitan magazine editor-in-chief kate white mentor.

in summer of 2009, took fiction-writing workshop led gordon lish. of lish class, bailey told interviewer, whole concept of class learn how write story, period. class did strip down barest essential, sentence. really, word, actually, , sentence, , had build first word. idea 12th class, able have full story. few people made full story. some, humiliating. ... made 2 , half pages. more sentence, never finished story. inspired lish, sort of terrified of him. ... taught me, really, power of language, thinking of words not poet on base level, making sure put out there counts.

in december 2009, while studying @ columbia, wrote story new york daily news on how cupcake shops contributing gentrification. january may 2010, interned @ vanity fair. in september 2010, published first major magazine story, profile in poetry magazine of poet timothy donnelly.

bloomberg businessweek , new york times magazine (2010–2014)

from 2010 2013, bailey frequent contributor bloomberg businessweek, , 2011 2014, new york times magazine. first assignment new york times magazine, in october 2011, led him spending night @ zucotti park , nearby mcdonald s during occupy wall street movement. on next 3 years, interviewed authors, celebrities, politicians, , cultural figures such al sharpton, tony hawk, rodney king, , cyndi lauper how ... column in new york times magazine. bailey s interview rodney king 1 of king s last before fiancée found him dead @ bottom of swimming pool. bailey wrote in june 2012 blog post that, of how ... interviews date, 1 king has stuck me most. in interview, king told bailey, when leave here, when final day on earth up, want leave in peace. want have peace in heart.

surface media (2010–present)

from may august 2010, bailey worked @ daily beast, , in september 2010 hired assistant editor @ surface.

at surface, bailey has interviewed hundreds of leading architects, artists, designers, , others, including david adjaye, tadao ando, thom browne, zaha hadid, frank gehry, john pawson, ian schrager, philippe starck, , kanye west. in june 2013, bailey promoted executive editor of magazine, , in january 2015 became editor-in-chief. june/july 2013 issue—bailey’s first editor—surface unveiled major design overhaul created in partnership consultancy noë & associates. in august 2013, bailey helped launch design dialogues conversation series, moderating talk between ian schrager , george yabu , glenn pushelberg of yabu pushelberg. has since moderated design dialogues talks michael kimmelman , annabelle selldorf, stefan sagmeister , jeffrey deitch, , david rockwell , marcel wanders, among others.

prior bailey taking on editor of surface, magazine known covering design world ; pivoted covering world through lens of design, appeal wider audience. told politico, re not shelter title. re not lifestyle book. re not trade journal. re american general interest magazine , re bringing design larger conversation. important our readers understand [...] design deep-seated , connects how live now. don t think it’s ever our agenda stand out advertisers, @ end of day, strongest thing have in terms of attracting advertisers authenticity. re talking craftsmanship , creativity , going directly people make these things, creating physical world live in. when can tap culture , have voice streamlined, focused, , thoughtful, have power. in august 2015 interview wwd, bailey described approach way: @ surface start-up, though we’re 23-year-old media company.

surface interviews bailey have garnered attention in media. interview conducted artist julian schnabel, published in november 2013 issue, quoted in page six: find less , less care if people understand me, schnabel told bailey. didn’t want interview, did because if people interested in work, should support them. in interview bailey reported june/july 2014 issue, real estate developer aby rosen called tom wolfe buffoon. interview kanye west, published in december 2016/january 2017 issue, covered internationally. page 6 called conversation between bailey , west strange ; billboard called thoughtful.

in 2014, ceo marc lotenberg, bailey formed surface media. in may 2016, lotenberg , bailey created surface studios, has partnered companies including adidas originals, leica, nike, , tumi.

in january 2017, bailey named editorial director of surface media.