By Paul Chaderjian
(Montebello) – At a Thanksgiving weekend wedding extravaganza at Bagramian Hall in Montebello, under the hovering lens of a video camera hanging from a crane, the buzz around table 14 is about the premiere issue of the glossy Armenian lifestyle magazine called Mosaix.
While waiters in white tuxedo shirts move swiftly, delivering plates of hummus and yalanchee, and some attendees in haute couture gowns move shoulder-to-shoulder in a circle dance, the elegant matron of the Sarkissian family, with a glass of white wine in her hand, talks about her recent cruise to the Baltics with the magazine’s publisher, Tamar Kevonian.
Navigating through the 450 guests toward the bar is the svelte Sabin Eisaian, dressed in a strapless aubergine velvet gown. She is eager to introduce a writer friend of her husband Alfred to Tamar. “She’s an incredible woman,” gushes Eisaian. “I can’t wait to tell her about you. Her magazine is about things of interest to Armenians whether it is about Armenian subjects or not.”
As the glamorous and petite bride and the dashing groom, Chris and Caroline Guldalian, are showered by dollar bills on the dance floor, Eisaian finds Kevonian’s empty chair with a copy of Mosaix holding her place. She looks around the lavishly decorated hall and spots Kevonian near table 14. She quickly greets designer and graphic artist Harry Vorperian and the other smartly dressed attendees at the table and tugs her writer friend toward Kevonian.
On the slick white tablecloth of table 14, underneath the shadow of a six-foot-tall vase with purple flowers, are copies of the premiere issue of Mosaix, featuring none other than Cherilyn Sarkisian LaPiere, the feisty Armenian-Cherokee who stole stone fruits from Fresno orchards before running off with Sonny Bono and defining the word “diva.”
“Mosaix is a high-end lifestyle magazine for the Armenian population in North America with a lot of crossover appeal to the mainstream reader,” says Kevonian, as all three handsome Sarkissian sons, including music video producer Mike, fill out subscription cards. Their mother, down from the Bay Area, tells her tablemates that her filmmaker son and his wife are expecting; it’s people news like this that will someday find its way into the pages of Mosaix.
“It takes guts and courage and a certain madness to dive into such a venture, and it is wonderful that you did it,” says writer and photographer Ara Oshagan, congratulating Kevonian on the quality and commitment she is putting into Mosaix. “I like the bold new lifestyle magazine approach, and I think this must be the first such magazine ever in the U.S. I will be giving gift subscriptions to family and friends this Christmas.”
“Niche publications serving very targeted markets have become very successful in the past few years,” says Mosaix Editor-in-Chief Ramon Jaime. “The Armenian population is served by other publications, though mostly in the political arena. We wanted to create a magazine that gave Armenians living in North America a sense of cohesion in both a social and cultural way.”
Kevonian says that since there was no monthly publication serving the Armenian population today, she and Jaime decided that they needed to create a magazine that targeted those who were raised or were born in North America. “They are much more worldly and sophisticated, desiring more than what is currently being offered out there,” she says.
With a decade of experience in the furniture industry, Kevonian is managing the business of publishing. She has been involved with bringing together all aspects of her furniture business — from design, marketing, sales, to vendor cooperation. Her background includes a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from Cal State University, Northridge, and a Master of Business Administration from Pepperdine University. As an avid supporter of Armenian media, Kevonian decided to bring her business sense, experience, and portfolio of issues that she would like to see frankly explored in this cross-cultural enterprise.
Editor Jaime brings to the formula a Bachelor’s degree in English and a Master’s degree in Journalism from New York City’s Columbia University. He has written for The New York Times, Newsweek, and Time Magazine, and he has also served as Editor-in-Chief and Chief Designer for Bent, a niche market magazine. In addition, Jaime has worked for Viacom, where he headed marketing for the media giant’s Showtime, Movie Channel, MTV, VH1, and Nickelodeon properties.
At table 14, Armen Minassian, whose film editing credits include City Slickers and Daredevil, thumbs through the premiere issue with its glossy photos of the top ten globally influential Armenians. This first issue also features articles about the celebration of the 100th anniversary of composer Aram Khachaturian, anger management, whether yoga is a good alternative exercise, a spread about fashion, and a book review of Aris Janigian’s Bloodvine.
Ten thousand copies of the second issue of Mosaix will be sent out before the holidays, and those who want to subscribe may do so through the magazine’s website: www.mosaixmag.com. “Subscription costs are extremely low, $19.95 for one year or $36 for two years,” says Kevonian. “We wanted to make the magazine accessible to everyone, and we don’t want the subscription fee to be a deterrent.”
Even though the cost of producing a magazine is extremely expensive, Kevonian thinks her nonprofit venture will pay off. “The lifeline of the magazine is the number of subscriptions,” she says. “The more subscribers we have, the more we will reinforce our desirability to advertisers.”
“Future issues will delve into a variety of subjects from entertainment to science, society to culture, but filtered with an Armenian perspective,” says Jaime. “We will touch on myriad subjects of interest to the population. Mosaix Magazine will constantly reflect the diversity and change of mores and opinions within the Armenian population. We will offer an edgy and contemporary reflection of the Armenian experience.”