Waterfront Media, founded and headquartered in Brooklyn, New York, is a Dot-com publisher that builds websites for top self-help brands and experts. The company has produced websites for popular self-help topics like dieting, health, personal finance, and religion.
Originally known as Agora Media, the company was co-founded by Ben Wolin and Mike Keriakos after working together at Beliefnet. The company first saw success with a website for The South Beach Diet, and attracted attention from a number of investors. After an influx of capital from Rho Capital, [Village Ventures], and Time Warner Ventures, the company was renamed Waterfront Media and continued to expand.
Today the company operates several dieting websites (The South Beach Diet Online and The Zone Diet Online), a fitness website (Denise Austin s Fit Forever!), two health websites (Heidi Murkoff s What to Expect Online and Dr. Andrew Weil s My Optimum Health Plan), a personal finance website (Jean Chatzky s Your Road to Financial Security), and several religious websites (including The Search for Jesus and The Left Behind Prophecy Club). Waterfront Media also publishes over a dozen free email newsletters.
The company is interesting because in some ways it represents one vision for the future of publishing and online content. As more and more people go online for support, help, and information, the self-help industry is following these consumers. Waterfront Media is also an example of the growing number of companies using a mixed profit model to support itself, relying on both subscribers and advertisers to pay its bills.
=External links=
[http://www.waterfrontmedia.com Official Site] Waterfront Media s corporate site
[http://www.southbeachdiet.com The South Beach Diet Online] Official site of The South Beach Diet
[http://www.zonediet.com The Zone Diet Online] Official site for Dr. Barry Sears Zone Diet
[http://www.deniseaustin.com Denise Austin Online] Online home of fitness expert, Denise Austin
[http://www.whattoexpect.com What to Expect Online] Online pregnancy guide based on Heidi Murkoff s What to Expect When You re Expecting
[http://www.myoptimumhealthplan.com Dr. Andrew Weil s My Optimum Health Plan] An eating, health, and wellness plan from Andrew Weil, M.D.
[http://www.jeanchatzky.com Jean Chatzky s Your Road to Financial Security] A guide to debt-reduction, saving money, and financial security from Jean Chatzky
[http://www.searchforjesus.com The Search for Jesus] An essay course and religious debates about the life and times of Jesus Christ
[http://www.leftbehindclub.com The Left Behind Prophecy Club] News, articles, and religious discussion for fans of the Left Behind series
[http://www.johnshelbyspong.com Bishop John Shelby Spong s A New Christianity for a New World] Weekly editorials from former Episcopal bishop, John Shelby Spong
[http://www.secretsofthecode.com Secrets of the Code] An online guide to the secrets of The Da Vinci Code
[http://www.passionpapers.com The Passion Papers] An e-book exploring the controversy and truth of Mel Gibson s The Passion of the Christ
[http://www.cheapskatesbacktoschool.com Everyday Cheapskate s Back-to-School Savings] A money-saving guide for parents from Mary Hunt, the Everyday Cheapskate
[http://www.villageventures.com Village Ventures]