Today we’d like to introduce you to Rhonda Reinhart.
Rhonda, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
When I got to college, I really didn’t know what direction I wanted to take with my studies, so I signed up for a bunch of random courses, including introduction to media. During that semester, something just clicked. I knew I wanted to major in journalism. Soon after, I started working at The Battalion, which is Texas A&M’s student newspaper. There, I wrote some pretty terrible stories, including a review of the movie Gattaca in which I boldly proclaimed that co-stars Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman had no chemistry. Much to my surprise, they married a year later. While I was still in school, I snagged a job as a copy editor at the local paper, The Bryan-College Station Eagle, and that was my first taste of what it was like to produce a professional publication. Putting all the little pieces together every night was like working a puzzle. I loved it, and I’ve been doing some version of that ever since. Now I’m the editor-in-chief of Modern Luxury Interiors Texas, a luxury lifestyle magazine focused on architecture and interior design across the state, and I also serve as senior editor of Modern Luxury Dallas and Modern Luxury Weddings Dallas.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The print publishing business has definitely seen some hard times. I’ve helped launch startup publications, then watched them fold. I’ve seen friends and colleagues lose their jobs and had budgets get cut, then cut again. But I’m hopeful for the future. For me—and I think this is true for others—nothing beats reading a real book, holding a real newspaper or flipping through a real magazine. With Modern Luxury Interiors Texas, my goal is to make a magazine that’s not disposable, that readers will want to display on their coffee tables or in their showrooms and that they’ll return to again and again for inspiration. I think that’s what makes us valuable to our readers and our advertising partners.
Modern Luxury Interiors Texas – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Modern Luxury is the nation’s largest local luxury media company, and we produce 84 titles in top markets across the country. My favorite, of course, is Modern Luxury Interiors Texas. It’s my baby, and I love watching it grow issue after issue. We focus on high-end residential design and architecture, but we also feature beautiful hospitality and commercial projects from time to time.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
That’s a tough question for an editor. Unlike salespeople or publishers, we don’t have dollar goals to meet. Our work is judged much more subjectively. A story one reader might find engrossing might not resonate at all with another reader. This is especially true for the subject matter we cover at Modern Luxury Interiors Texas. You’re not going to personally love every room you see in the magazine. You’re not supposed to. So, I tend to feel successful about basic things, like putting the magazine to bed on time and on budget and even just crossing things off a to-do list. I mean literally crossing things off. I keep a handwritten list by my keyboard, and every time I complete a task I’ve deemed worthy of putting on the list, I mark through that sucker, and it’s a glorious feeling every time.
Contact Info:
- Address: 3333 Lee Parkway, Suite 350, Dallas, TX 75219
- Website: www.modernluxury.com/interiors-texas
- Phone: 214-647-5676
- Email: rreinhart@modernluxury.com
- Instagram: @rhondareinhart; @modluxinteriorstx
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/modernluxury.InteriorsTexas
Image Credit:
Portrait by Steven Visneau
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