Dan Bolton (Daniel W. Bolton)
Dan is a freelance editor, writer, podcaster, and blogger who has covered the beverage industry for the past 20 years. He was a newspaper reporter and editor for 20 years. He transitioned to magazines in 1995 as the CEO of California Beverage Publications, publishers of the Beverage Bulletin and Patterson’s Beverage Journal (Los Angeles). Dan has worked as editor and publisher of Tea Magazine and as editor and publisher of World Tea News (2010-2020), managing editor of STiR Tea & Coffee Magazine, editor-in-chief of Specialty Coffee Retailer, and founding editor of Natural Food Magazine (San Francisco). He led the successful crowdfunding of Tea Journey Magazine in 2016. He launched the Tea Biz Blog in 2013, hosting the Tea Biz Podcast weekly (185 episodes).
Dan, who is 70, lives with his wife, Susan, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. They have four adult children and nine grandchildren.
Dan began his publishing career as a newspaper reporter and editor (1975-1995), followed by a 20-year magazine career. Along the way, he held P&L responsibility at six publishing companies, managing publications that earned from $1-3 million in business units that grossed $10 million annually. Dan has published quarterly, monthly, and bi-monthly consumer and trade magazines distributed in every combination of print, web, and mobile apps. Custom publishing projects include magazine and directory start-ups, tabloid news magazines, tradeshow dailies, buyer’s guides, and professional services directories. Audited circulation of business-to-business publications ranged from 5,000 to 25,000 copies. Management roles include supervising national and global sales teams and overseeing circulation, marketing, and editorial teams of up to 50 in multiple offices in the U.S. and overseas. He has worked in cable television, local radio, and as a podcast producer for a business.
MYSTIC MEDIA, Winnipeg, Canada
2002 to present (22 years)
Founder | President
Mystic Media hosts a weekly podcast and provides editorial support, including video, photography, and audio for print and online publications owned by publishing companies, trade associations, and business ventures. Clients include STiR Coffee and Tea, a global title focused on the tea and coffee supply chain, and World Tea News. Recent projects include developing the Tea Biz Podcast and Tea Journey, a consumer magazine for tea enthusiasts optimized for mobile that launched with $128,000 in Kickstarter donations in June 2016 to “give voice to origin” and authentic tea knowledge from the tea lands.
- Tea Journey is a globally distributed digital consumer title for tea drinkers launched via Kickstarter after donors contributed $128,000 (CDN), making it the third highest funded of 1,095 periodicals. It is a boot-strapped collaborative effort of journalists and tea experts in the East and West. The structure is sole proprietor\dynamic equity split (Slicing Pie). Click for the latest issue.
- Tea Magazine was a consumer title sold in tea rooms and by grocers (including 250 Whole Food Markets in the U.S. and Canada). Following a March 2012 re-launch, the paid and social media audience grew from 2,000 to 26,000 in one year.
- Below the Line, a 15,000-circulation tabloid distributed to film & television crews with a successful Hollywood screening series and online production listings (btlnews.com). This title employed five and grossed $1.3 million annually. Mystic Media provided editorial content and editing support for two years. Initial client investment: $10,000.
STiR coffee and tea international / October Multimedia, Inc.
January 2013 to Present
Managing Editor (ending December 2019) | Tea Correspondent
STiR is the successor to Tea & Coffee Trade Journal Asia, a trade publication founded in 1994. The magazine circulates globally to coffee and tea professionals and is headquartered in Bangkok, Thailand. On behalf of this client, I assigned and assembled the six print editions annually, as well as a twice-monthly newsletter, an interactive online digital edition, and a website (www.stir-tea-coffee.com).
As a tea correspondent, I write newsletter articles, cover features, and digital content for the magazine’s Tea Report.
WORLD TEA NEWS / World Tea Media (Division of Penton Media, acquired by Informa)
December 2011 to January 2020
Editor/Publisher (2011-2013) | Contributing Editor (2013-2020)
World Tea Media publishes World Tea News, an online weekly newsletter delivered to 15,000 professionals worldwide. It also hosts the World Tea Expo, an annual tradeshow with up to 5,000 attendees and 250 exhibitors. In December 2019, Questex acquired the company. (www.worldteanews.com)
EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
TEA MAGAZINE / ITEM Media, Inc.
January 2012 to May 2013
Editor/Publisher
Tea Magazine is a lifestyle consumer magazine celebrating tea culture in North America. It was founded in 1994 as the first paid subscription consumer title for specialty tea drinkers. The magazine was acquired in 2012 on my recommendation. I was responsible for the production of six print and online editions a year: a LinkedIN Group, Twitter, Facebook page, Pinterest social sharing site. Responsibilities include editorial and support for sales, marketing, and distribution. (www.dailytea.com)
NATURAL FOOD NETWORK / M2Media360, San Francisco, Calif.
2003 to 2011
Founder/Editor-in-Chief
Conceived and launched the Certified Organic Food Directory in 2003 and the online Natural Food Network. Revenue from the directory financed a bi-monthly trade magazine launched in 2005 and circulated to in-store buyers of natural and organic foods in seven retail channels. I devised the strategy, created sales and marketing materials, supervised a successful BPA audit at 15,112 copies, and initiated the sale of the property to M2Media360. Then, I led the successful transition to new owners in the fall of 2007. (www.naturalfoodnet.com)
SPECIALTY COFFEE RETAILER / M2Media360, San Francisco, Calif.
2008 to 2011
Editor-in-Chief
In September 2008, M2Media360 named me editor-in-chief of Specialty Coffee Retailer, a 20-year-old monthly circulated to 12,500 coffee shops and tea houses nationwide. A typical folio is 64- to 112 pages with a website updated daily, digital editions, a forum, LinkedIN Group, Facebook, Twitter, and a monthly e-newsletter. Staff includes clerical, a national sales manager, and a team of veteran freelancers. (www.specialty-coffee.com)
411 PUBLISHING COMPANY, Reed Business Information, Los Angeles, Calif.
1998 to 2001
Publisher
This team produced a half dozen directories, a magazine, and a show daily for the film and video production industry worldwide, with a staff of 45 located in two U.S. offices and in London, England. The lead directory won a Western Publications Assoc. Maggie Award in 1999 for excellence. I was hired to stimulate fast growth by launching several titles before putting the property up for sale. The property tripled in value to bring more than $15 million following a three-way auction. I was named publisher after the acquisition by Cahners (now Reed Business Information).
- Dan managed a sales team at RBI with nine full-time reps and two sales managers in LA/NYC and London.
- Developed a global website blending 70,000 records into a relational, region-focused database.
- Launched three new print directories and online counterparts and managed the 2001 merger with London-based Variety Media Publications (owned by RBI).
ANIMATION MAGAZINE, Agoura Hills, Calif.
1996 to 1998
Publisher
Increased sales to $2 million by expanding BPA-audited circulation to 22,000 (paid) with newsstand sales at 1,600 retail outlets in 15 countries. I launched the $200,000 grossing Animation Industry Directory and helped organize the first six-day World Animation Celebration.
- Increased average yield per page by $300 (returning to published rates) within two years.
- Ad revenues rose 12% due to expanded visual effects coverage that added 400 advertising pages.
PATTERSON’S BEVERAGE JOURNAL and BEVERAGE BULLETIN, Los Angeles, Calif.
1995 to 1996
Publisher/CEO
Re-energized and redesigned Patterson’s Beverage Journal, a 225-page pricing guide for packaged retail, and redesigned its sister publication, Beverage Bulletin, a news tabloid for on-premises retailers. Together they were California’s largest circulating beverage industry trade papers then.
- Converted to desktop production, stemmed losses, and sold the firm to fund the owner’s retirement.
NEWSPAPER CAREER
- Executive Editor, Times-Mirror (LA Times) Community Newspapers 1993-1995
- Managing Editor, Scripps-Howard Ventura County (Calif.) Newspapers 1992-1993
- Assistant Metro Editor, Riverside (Calif.) Press-Enterprise 1989-1992
- Editor, Lompoc (Calif) Record 1984-1989
- Managing Editor, Bartlesville (Okla.) Examiner-Enterprise 1983-1984
- Reporter, Columnist, Wire Editor, Vallejo (Calif.) Times-Herald 1978-1983
- Statehouse Bureau Chief (Okla.) DONREY Media Group 1977-1978
ACCOMPLISHMENTS, EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL TRAINING
- Bachelor of Science in Journalism/Mass Communications, Kansas State University (1977)
- Completed DONREY Media Group Management Training Program (1978)
- Completed Scripps Supervisor Development (1993)
- Lectured at Poynter Institute (1989) and attended the American Press Institute (1998)
- Awarded several Associated Press and UPI writing citations for reporting and commentary.
- The California Newspaper Publishing Assoc. awarded the Glendale News-Press and Burbank newspapers their top prize for spot news in 1994 for their coverage of the Northridge Quake.
- Western Publications Association “Maggie” for LA 411 Best Trade Directory (1999).
- National chair of the 22,000-member Society of Professional Journalists’ Ethics Committee. I presided over three local chapters, served as Region 10 Director, and co-chaired SPJ’s 1998 national convention, where I was awarded the association’s Howard S. Dubin Award as an outstanding member.
- Eagle Scout (1970). Senior Class President (1972). National Merit Scholar. Scouting commendation for lifesaving (1980). Volunteer Scout leader (14 yrs.), Cub Leader, Asst. Scoutmaster, Unit and District Commissioner, Campmaster, Merit Badge Counselor, and Eagle Board of Review member.
WORK HISTORY
- Professional Firefighter, City of Manhattan (KS) 1974-1976
- Chief of Student Fire Operations, Kansas State University (KS) 1976-1977
- Printing: Press operator/publications manager (Suburbia Systems) 1971-1972
- Agriculture: Raised chickens, harvested wheat, farmed truck gardens 1973-1975
- Foodservice: Restaurant and fast-food cook and tavern bar keep. 1969-1974
PROFESSIONAL LINKS
BIO: https://teajourney.pub/contributor/dan-bolton/
LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/MysticMedia
STIR coffee and tea portfolio: http://stir-tea-coffee.com/topics/dan-bolton/
World Tea News portfolio: https://worldteanews.com/?s=bolton | https://worldteanews.com/author/dwjbolton
Muck Rack portfolio: https://muckrack.com/dan-bolton
Tea Journey portfolio: https://teajourney.pub/author/dan-bolton/
PERSONAL
- Hobbies and interests: photography, kite flying, travel, boating, fishing, hiking, and backpacking.
- Married to the former Susan Ball, we have four grown children and nine grandchildren in a blended family with college degrees, successful careers, and beautiful families.
v3-2024