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| Attorney Mark Geragos, the new co-owner of Los Angeles Magazine, in downtown Los Angeles. (Stefano Paltera/Image) |
Fefum.com, - Los Angeles Magazine, a long-running institution in the Los Angeles media ecosystem, has been acquired by attorneys Mark Geragos and Ben Maceras, it was announced Monday.
The acquisition marks a new chapter for the publication, which calls itself "Southern California's oldest glossy magazine and America's first urban magazine."
Geragos and Maceras also reportedly purchased the magazines Pasadena and Orange Coast. All three publications will be available at undisclosed prices and will be based in downtown Los Angeles under the auspices of a new company called Engine Vision Media.
"The company will immediately take over operations and retain all existing staff, including publishers and editors," reported Los Angeles Magazine. He added that he plans to invest in it.
Parallel announcements issued in Pasadena and Orange Coast magazines confirmed the change of ownership, with the Los Angeles magazine housed in the Engine Company No. 28 building downtown and a second Irvine office in Orange County Press. He said it would act as a bridgehead for
"We are honored to be part of the acquisition of these historic media properties," Micellas tweeted after the news broke. "Welcome to Southern California!"
The previous owner of the three magazines was Michigan-based Hour Media Group, which acquired Los Angeles magazine from Indianapolis-based Emmis Communications Corp in 2017.
Both new owners have celebrity-studded client lists worthy of an L.A. media property. Geragos' clients include the late Michael Jackson, Chris Brown and Winona Ryder, while Micellas has represented former NFL quarterback and racial justice advocate Colin Kaepernick.
Baggage is required for acquisition.
In September, the California Bar Association announced that Geragos was under investigation for processing a multi-million dollar settlement for victims of the Armenian Genocide.
That disclosure follows a Times investigation into corruption in the case, which found that part of the settlement money went to Geragos' pet charity, among other wrongdoings.
Geragos said he was not responsible for issues with the billing process, and told The Times that "all the money allocated has been accounted for."
Over the years, Los Angeles Magazine has served as the literary voice of a city often overwhelmed with award-winning journalism.
Its feature-length articles explored every nook and cranny of Southern California and featured a mix of celebrity profiles, true crime stories, and "best of" lists.
In recent years, magazines have been squeezed by budget cuts and a deteriorating advertising environment for print magazines.