About Us
Aspire Media is the parent company of INTERWEAVE, one of the nation’s leading multiplatform art and craft enthusiast media companies with businesses in magazine and book publishing, online media, broadcast programming, video workshops, and consumer events. Founded by Clay B. Hall, an experienced publishing professional and former owner-operator of enthusiast magazines, with the backing of private equity firms Frontenac Company (www.frontenac.com) and Catalyst Investors (www.catalystinvestors.com), ASPIRE is actively pursuing acquisitions of enthusiast media companies that impart “how-to,” “where-to,” and “when-to” information to participants involved in crafts, hobbies, and certain other enthusiast interests.
Seeking To Acquire Other Enthusiast Media Companies
With the goal of building a business with revenues of $100 million or more, Aspire is currently seeking other arts and crafts acquisitions that can be integrated with Interweave Additionally, Aspire would like to acquire leading companies in certain other enthusiast media markets that it can build out in tandem with its building of Interweave. While Aspire is open to considering other markets, it is currently focusing on enthusiast market segments such as hobbies, collecting, cooking, fitness, health, home, pets, and photography among other in-home activities.
Characteristics We Seek
- Reliable Earnings Streams—Market leaders that are number one or number two in their fields.
- Markets with Robust Aftermarket Sales—Markets where enthusiasts must continually purchase products in order to participate in their hobby, sport, or field of interest.
- Large Universes of Endemic Advertisers—Strong, competitive marketplaces with an expanding number of endemic advertisers.
- Highly Valued Content—Audiences with a healthy appetite for information about their passions and publishers with a commitment to providing high-quality content.
- Vested and Loyal Audiences—Consumers who identify strongly with the subjects covered by the magazines and spend a significant amount of time and money to participate.
Offering Owners Fair Prices and Flexible Negotiations
Because we want to acquire well-run companies, Aspire is prepared to pay owners full and fair prices. We also recognize that we must be creative and flexible in dealing with owners’ financial, tax, estate, and operational needs. We are primarily interested in acquiring all or most of a company or its assets and are willing to pay cash now or structure a transaction in a way that allows owners to keep an ownership interest in a larger business. We’ve been very successful in acquiring companies from founder/entrepreneurs who’ve found that they can build more value together than they could alone. We are proud of the fact that 100% of the founders who’ve sold their companies to Aspire/Interweave, are still with us today and continue to build their businesses in partnership with us.
Financed For Acquisitions and Organic Growth
Aspire/Interweave is not burdened by high-leverage like many other media companies. Two leading private equity firms, Frontenac Company and Catalyst Investors L.P. joined Clay Hall, and other executives of the company to provide significant equity financing to Aspire. Together with responsible amounts of debt financing, this equity investment should facilitate building a company with revenues of $100 million or more. Because Aspire is funded by equity partners that understand the media business, have long-standing relationships with media lenders, and have worked together before, owners can be highly confident in Aspire’s ability to successfully complete acquisitions and do so expeditiously.
Operating with an Entrepreneurial Ethic within a Highly Disciplined Business Culture
Aspire’s CEO, executive team, and directors have years of experience leading both entrepreneurial and large media companies. As a result, the company incorporates the best practices of both worlds in order to build a top-performing company. Aspireis managed with an entrepreneurial ethic within a highly disciplined business culture. Owners can count on ASPIRE to be good operators and stewards of the companies they worked so hard to build.
Building a Top Notch Support System for Editors and Publishers
There are numerous ways to build companies that create shareholder value. Some buyers who have acquired media companies in the past have tried to “cost-cut” their way to prosperity. At Aspire, our partnership of seasoned media executives and experienced investors has found that making investments in talented people is the best way to create maximum shareholder value.
We recognize that regardless of how large a media company may grow, enthusiast media companies perform best when its publishers and editors are also enthusiasts themselves. Talented and experienced circulation, accounting, production, Emedia, technology, and administration executives support the company’s publishers and editors, who are the first and last contacts with customers.
Despite the challenging economic times in which we live, Aspire/Interweave continues to grow by being customer centric and medium agnostic.
