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About Us
Wordsmith Media, Inc. (WSM) is a communications company focused on creating synergetic and complementary products that speak to the importance of history, culture and lifestyle activities and to present engaging products in the media marketplace. Wordsmith Media, Inc. recognizes that specific media interests (niches) are integral to a loyal customer base and seeks to provide the means to facilitate this loyalty through its breadth of products including periodicals, books, films and DVD’s relating to intriguing topics that attract the maximum interest possible in its audience.
Background
Wordsmith Media began in 2005 as a shared vision of James Griffith and James Rietveld. They have been friends since 1987 and while taking courses together at California State University, Fullerton, they often discussed the need to bridge the gap between scholars and the general public, realizing that while various topics discussed within the academic circles had the potential to reach a broader audience, the manner of communication typically steeped in obscure, often arcane expressions, thwarted this very opportunity. This realization came to a head in early 2004 at a history conference, held in Washington D.C. Both Griffith and Rietveld, while excited and even inspired by the many topics discussed at this conference were, also bored by the presentations. They both equally wished this information could be expressed in a manner that was accessible to a larger audience---an audience that is typically captivated by the programming on The History Channel, A&E Network and Discovery Channel. They decided to start in the two fields they knew best, History and Religion and so Sacred History Magazine was born, taking vital information from the academy (the university world) and “smithing” it so as to be understood by a wider readership.
Naturally, a parent company needed to be established for this new venture and because it was one of their primary goals to “smith” the written word to make it accessable to a wider audience, “Wordsmith Media” became the natural choice for a name. Sacred History Magazine became an instant success, quickly finding distribution in Borders, Barnes and Noble, and Wal-Mart. Readers of all backgrounds and persuasions appreciated the open, editorial position of Sacred History Magazine, often viewing their own position mixed with many others. At the same time, readers were tantalized by the vivid, full-color illustrations as well as the general quality of each glossy magazine--a magazine that quickly became an “evergreen” product and even a collectible. In 2007, we were excited to realize that in the U.K. a ready-made culture numbering in the millions exists in those who frequent any of the more than 59,000 local -- and increasingly “chain” owned pubs. Pub culture in the U.K. is a time-honored phenomenon, part and parcel of the general lifestyle in England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. Yet, despite all this, no magazine existed specifically geared upon this rich culture. In response to this need, Pub & Ale Magazine debuted, a unique product which Wordsmith Media is developing more in close cooperation with long-established, UK-based partners. This same formula is being realized with other products in the Wordsmith Media family.