John Brown Media

History

Originally based in Ladbroke Grove in London, the company was formed in 1987 by John Brown, who had previously run Virgin Books. The business was launched with two magazines: the adult comic magazine Viz, for which John Brown had secured the rights, and HotAir, Virgin Atlantic's inflight title.

In 1989 John Brown acquired the comics fanzine Speakeasy, converting it to a proper magazine. In mid-1991 it launched the comics magazine Blast!.

While going on to publish several other newsstand titles, however, it was the customer magazine side of the business that grew most dramatically, with early clients including Debenhams, IKEA, the Dorchester, and Eurotunnel. (John Brown shut down both Speakeasy and Blast! by the end of 1991.)

In 2001 the company disposed of its consumer titles (including Viz) in a £6.4 million deal with I Feel Good (IFG), a company belonging to ex-Loaded editor James Brown, to concentrate on customer communications, and quickly absorbed Citrus Publishing. This helped move establish John Brown as the UK's largest customer publishing house.

In 2004, CEO Andrew Hirsch (formerly of Pearl and Dean) initiated a successful management buyout. A broadening of the group's activities and a number of acquisitions followed as did board appointments in marketing and strategy. In 2008 the senior management team restructured all the acquired businesses to trade under the single John Brown banner.