The Assistant Files, Vol. 76: Dan Koday, xoJane’s Jane Pratt

Jane Pratt is a legend in the world of mags, first launching the outspoken Sassy in her early 20s, then founding Jane, and now she’s the voice that drives xoJane, which recently entered Time Inc. territory. Like any well-oiled machine, xoJane needs someone to help run the show. Enter Dan Koday, Pratt’s managing editor, who fled Jersey in pursuit of the fairytale NYC publishing scene. OK, so this isn’t really a true “Assistant Files,” but we couldn’t pass up a chance to chat up the dynamic duo.

What was your first taste of the magazine biz?
When I was at Fordham, during my fall semester senior year I interned at Seventeen. Then I started a PR internship, which I didn’t like. I was about to quit and Seventeen asked me back to freelance. It was one of those rare cases where I had a job before I left college, but I also graduated before the 2008 crash. It was different times back then. 

Did you grow up reading Sassy?
Sassy was a little bit before my time, but I definitely remember it as a kid. Jane was definitely around, and I was reading it around the time Jane [Pratt] was editor-in-chief, before Brandon Holley. I remember in the school library…I would pick up Jane, YM, Seventeen, and all the girly teenage magazines, and I would try to read them without getting caught. They were all in this corner stack that faced the wall, so I would pretend I was looking at other magazines.

You’ve had a digital role since the beginning. How’s the job different today?
When I first started doing it in 2006 you used to create magazine-like stories for the Web. Our CMS’s were not very advanced, so it took more time to create content. Today, everything is dictated by the news cycle, and the Internet is how people get their news in real time. There’s this factor of immediacy, and everything has to happen really quickly. There also was no social media to guide the news cycle. Now you wake up, go on Instagram, a celebrity has changed their hair, you see that, and that’s a news item in 15 minutes.

From the onset, why did you choose digital over print?
I was the kid in my high school who would be in his room reading books about HTML and creating websites. It sounds so dorky but it was fun for me. It was a way that I could get my writing out there. I’m talking about geo-cities kind if stuff. I always knew I wanted to write, but I didn’t connect that the Internet could be the medium for my writing, because it wasn’t as respected for journalists at the time. I studied magazine journalism because there wasn’t a new media or digital media major at that point.

How did you end up at xoJane?
I was freelancing at Time Inc., before xoJane was acquired. I was working on another brand called Mimi, which is now a part of The InStyle Collection. Our GM asked me something like, if we acquired a new site, would you be interested in a managing editor role? Before I knew it I was having lunch with Jane at Capital Grille in our old building at 1271 Avenue of the Americas. We sat in a booth, chit-chatted, and we hit it off really quickly. Jane and I have a rapport. Sometimes we finish each other’s sentences and we have this weird telepathy where I kind of know what she’s thinking as she’s thinking it and vice versa. We were finishing each other’s sentences that day, and I guess she got a really great impression of me.

What was the conversation like?
She asked me about the site, the content, how it was performing, and areas that they could improve on. We talked about everything from SEO to imagery to PR to native advertising to making money for the site, partnerships, and social media. Jane is known for casting characters. She definitely wanted to know about my personal life. In the beginning I thought it was just conversational, but in retrospect I think it was an audition as a character to get a sense of who I am, my sensibilities, and what I stand for.

Did she ever tell you why she picked you?
It came back to me indirectly. There were certain things that we touched on in our meeting, and I think she knew I could help her start some of these new projects.

Did your perception of Jane and the brand different change after you joined the team?
My perception of Jane before meeting her was that she was this very glamorous editor-in-chief with all of these celebrity friends, so I was a little nervous in that first meeting that I wouldn’t be glamorous enough for her. Jane is all of those things, but she is also the most down-to-earth person and boss that I have ever had. She keeps us smiling, thinking, and challenges us. She has a reputation for being best-in-class in terms of editor-in-chiefs, and she is, so it held up to my expectations. The thing that surprised me about xoJane in general was how passionate and engaged our community is, and how vocal they are. A lot of contemporary websites are used to churning out tons of content and not getting much feedback from their readers, but our reader is on the site giving us in-the-moment feedback whether it’s good, bad, or ugly. That changes the strategy a little bit, and the way that you approach content. 

How do you handle negative reader reactions?
We’re a site that values all opinions, and we want that confluence of voices on the site. We are not the site that goes about banning trolls; it’s the reality of Internet content, whether you’re xoJane or a site with huge followings. We like to interact with readers; we give them a little peek into our lives and behind the scenes without revealing too much, and that’s what keeps them interested. 

How often do you do assistant-like things?
Jane recently texted me and said, “Can you text the hair and makeup girl and make sure she gets in an Uber?” I said “Hey Jane, you’re with the hair and makeup girl.” But honestly, I’m not an assistant so there isn’t a lot of that stuff. Jane really operates very self-sufficiently; it’s very rare but sometimes she asks me to text and call someone.

What’s the work environment like?
It’s always fun, challenging, a lot of laughs. There are so many sites out there right now that look and feel the same and we are not that. On our site, honesty trumps all else—every day we have to challenge ourselves to tell women’s stories in an authentic way. There’s no one else better to do it than Jane and the team that’s in place now. We’re a small and mighty team. 

What do your days look like?
Jane’s up very early. Before I’ve woken up, I have a bunch of emails from her. She has a daughter, so she’s getting her ready for school, but working at the same time. She’s got a million different things going on—calls, meetings, appearances, sometimes she has lunches and events. Her schedule can be a little random, and as her right hand I have to predict all of that and know when or not I should bother her. My day is more structured. I wake up, scan the news, see what we need to be talking about and assigning. I’m interacting with the team very early in the day, making sure that content is lined up, edited, the photos are right. That’s when my random day starts. I’m in meetings, and keeping up with Jane and the staff, scheduling content, working with writers and contributing editors to make sure they’re fulfilling their end of the bargain. I’m also the main point of contact for all of the other departments of Time Inc, acting as a representative for the brand within the larger company. So for me, it’s managing many hats.  

What’s the funniest thing she’s said during an editorial meeting?
Jane has built her career on people telling her very personal things about themselves, and she was recalling a tale when she was in an Uber, and the driver was disclosing a little too much, essentially asking her if she thought he was gay. Because he enjoyed getting certain things done to him by other men. And Jane could not shut him up about that. She even filmed part of it and sent it to me, which sparked an idea we have for an upcoming series. At least one story like that is normal during an edit meeting. 

Where do you draw the line when it comes to what you write about?
I actually haven’t written too much for the site yet, just because I’m busy with so many other things. I don’t really draw a line. I think that’s one of the things that’s unique to xoJane. Anything is on the table as long as you’re willing to tell that story and it’s personal and truthful. I’m probably the most boring out of the xoJaners.  

Have you helped Jane hire writers?
I’ve been a big part of that process since the brand got to Time Inc. We are working on developing a ton of new writers, and bringing back some fan favorites. Jane has a list of writers that she wants to approach, and I’ll go out and try to track these people down, whether it’s LinkedIn, Facebook, friends of friends. People are normally really excited once Jane or xoJane reaches out to have their writing featured on the site.

What is Jane’s office style?
It’s casual with a side of glam. She is always in fantastic Phillip Lim pants. Today, she was casually in Proenza, and then she put on a jacket from the InStyle closet. 

How do you vibe off each other?
Jane dictates strategy. As managing editor, I motivate the staff to implement those strategic things, and see that the overall ship is running smoothly, content is getting up, and deadlines are being met. On the flip-side, I go to Jane a lot with strategic things that I think we should be doing, and she takes them into consideration more times than not. She trusts us and I think we all have a lot of autonomy. 

What are some of her biggest pet peeves?
Jane does not like to be uncomfortable. For example, if it’s very loud, or someone’s voice is loud, which can happen in open office spaces, Jane goes into one of the focus rooms or conference rooms, because she can’t deal with the noise. I think it’s something we all struggle with and it’s becoming more prevalent in publishing. But she’s good about it; she’ll text us saying, Alright, peace out, I’m going to a conference room, if you guys need me meet me there. 

What do you think it’ll be like working with Ariel [Foxman]?
Jane and Ariel have known each for years, so it’s going to be a very loving relationship, I’m sure. We all respect Jane and her vision, and I know that Jane really respects Ariel and his vision. It’s about figuring out how our two brands play well together and still retain the things that are unique to each of them. 

What are you looking forward to as a part of The InStyle Collection?
It’s nice to feel that we have a little more support, because we’re one of the smaller teams within Time Inc. And the fashion closet is nice! Also, to be able to strategize with them on things that have crossover potential is great. 

What have you learned from Jane?
Jane has taught me how to engage with audiences; she really understands audiences at a personal level. Our reader is living the same experiences as us, and that’s why it’s relatable over being aspirational. To that end, everyone on our site is a character and so there are challenges to that too because you are exposing more of yourself as a journalist. But I’ve really learned how to navigate that process, when to dangle the carrot and not to dangle the carrot, so to speak.

Is there anything you’ve found out about her from her more personal articles?
Weekly, in her open threads, I find out anxieties I didn’t think she had. But she’s such a good manager and good at her job, which is to motivate and lead people, so I never see it. Then you’re kind of like, Oh wait, you were in panic mode too? That’s kind of funny. 

What’s next?
We’re working on building up our regular contributors, amping up our content volume, adding new faces and voices to our site, bringing back fan favorites. We just recently brought back Courteney Cox. We’re really trying to grow social and our community, and build up the team, along with our video and native content.

A moment with JANE PRATT…

What was your first impression of Dan?
Instantly, I thought he had a ton of energy. He came bounding into the [meeting]. I could tell he was going to be a lot of fun, and was very energetic and sharp. I immediately got the impression that he wanted to use our time efficiently, which I really appreciated. I could tell he felt a real responsibility to the work he had to get back to at Mimi, and that said a lot. Like, OK, great, he’s not just checked out and into hanging out.

Why did you choose him?
For all those reasons, and because he had been working at a digital-only publication Time Inc., and I hadn’t—I mean, I had worked there maybe 20 years ago. On top of being the best candidate, he also knew the ins and outs of a publication at Time Inc., so that could really help me hit the ground running.

How would you describe your relationship?
We have a lot of fun. We’re both extremely results-driven and we liked to be productive and efficient. We can sit down for 45 minutes and come to 10 important decisions, and have them executed as soon as the meeting is over. At the same time, we also make each other laugh a lot. That’s important.

What are some of the interests you share?
We both love food, good restaurants, and travel, so we share tips about where we should go on our next trip or where we should go to eat. We’re both a little bit addicted to ClassPass. We both try to get the most out of our monthly fee!

What is something you can always count on him for?
I count on him for absolutely everything. I don’t require that he always be available, but he makes himself always available. I can send a note at 2 in the morning about something I woke up thinking about, not expecting a reply. He will reply at 2:10. He’s always on. 

Is there something you were surprised to learn about him?
How young he is—not that he looks older, but he conducts himself like someone who has had many more years of experience than he actually has.

So far, what’s the biggest perk of working with the InStyle team?
One is working with Ariel. I just adore him. And, as evidenced by this shoot, getting to borrow clothes from the InStyle fashion closet. That rules.

What’s your relationship with Ariel?
We previously knew each other a little bit socially, seeing each other at fashion shows over the years. We have a very collaborative relationship. He’s a mix of very open-minded and results-oriented. We manage to have a lot of fun together. He’s a friend and a boss, all in one. I wrote him a note that said, “I think I hit the boss jackpot when I got you.”

You’re starting to add more contributors. What do you look for in a writer?
It’s almost the opposite of what most other editors look for—someone who does not have, what I consider, a ‘magazine-y’ voice. I look for someone who may not be as experienced a writer, but has a great story to tell. And someone who can write the way that they talk—that’s my favorite thing. It’s harder to do than you would think.

Do you get a lot of feedback from readers?
An insane amount. It rules my life. When I put up a post, like I do every Friday evening, if I don’t get in the quadruple digits of comments within the first few hours, I’m like, What’s wrong? Did the site go down? It’s not just people saying, Yes, No, I was here first, Hello. They are long, opinionated diatribes. They’re stories. Our readers are passionate about everything they love about the site. That’s how I find a lot of writers and story ideas. All 5 million of them are very invested the success of the site, so they’ll say, You should get rid of this writer, or, They give really good story ideas.

From the looks of the numbers, site traffic is sky-rocketing. What is some of the traffic-driving content?
We’ve introduced many more categories since coming to Time. We’re dealing with more home, food, drinks, travel, fashion, and beauty than we use to do. People really respond to the first-person stories. About two weeks ago, we got someone who was a campaign strategist for Donald Trump to write about her experience. We can do a first-person story from someone who is in the middle of something in the news. That just goes wild for us.

What does the new generation of journalists look like to you, compared with when you first entered the biz?
The kind of writing that I was always looking for, even 25 years ago, is that quick, write it as you’re experiencing it style, and you see much more of that. People complain a lot about millennials, but I feel like I relate to them—I think that I was millennial, before it was millennial. I came out of college thinking, Why am I not editor-in-chief already? C’mon! Now I’m surrounded by people who have that attitude. Dan is not really like that. He puts in his time. He expects a lot, but he expects to work really hard for it too.

Who was the “Dan” back in the day?
There was someone I worked with at Jane for many years, Debbie McHugh. She was, like Dan, really good with people and managers. She understood the creative but was really business minded.

What will you do next?
A bunch of things! We’re doing more video, we’re expanding columns, so you’ll see a little more variety with travel and home. We’ll share more content with InStyle and some of the other brands. The site will have a more polished look, but will still have the same types of content. That’ll happen over the next few months. 

Photography: Giorgio Niro