Brooklyn's sprouting new businesses in surprising industries. Two are advertising and publishing, both of which, traditionally, were Manhattan-centric.
Many creatively talented people who have moved to Brooklyn have capitalized on the lower real estate prices and a more relaxed atmosphere here.
Brooklyn publishing names to check out, along with the Brooklyn Book Festival:
- A Public Space
- Akashic Books
- Archipelago Books
- Black Balloon
- BOMB Magazine
- Electric Literature
- Ig Publishing
- Litmus Press
- Melville House
- powerhouse Books
- Tin House
- Ugly Duckling Presse
- Umbrage Editions
- Vulgar Marsala.
1. Boutique Advertising Agencies (Digital, Social Media, Branding...)
Wordle representing the ad industry in Brooklyn. Copyright Ellen Freudenheim
Only old-timers would still call the advertising world "Madison Avenue." The big ad agencies have scattered to the winds, and boutique firms that now specialize in such niches as branding, social media, digital advertising and conventional advertising, are located all over — including some in Brooklyn.
Learn more about the growing number of small, entrepreneurial ad companies in Brooklyn.
2. Local, Independent Book Publishers & DIY Publishing
Publishing isn't dead — yet.Jobs in the old-fashioned, pre-Internet book publishing sector are hard to find, and they may not always pay the rent (unless you're living with a few roommates). But the fact that they actually exist in Brooklyn is both interesting, and for some people, an opportunity.
There's a strong literary culture in the borough, marked by frequent readings, book signings, and sightings of numerous famous (and less so) writers. Brooklyn supports several chain bookstores and a number of independent bookstores. And, the popular Brooklyn Book Festival, begun in 2005, is testimony to the strength of Brooklyn's vibrant literary life.
Several small, independent publishers have set up shop in Brooklyn, primarily in Williamsburg and DUMBO. Find out which independent publishers are in Brooklyn and where.
3. Brooklyn Magazines and E-Zines
Niche markets in food and culture have been strong enough in Brooklyn to support magazine publications, too, including Edible Brooklyn and The L Magazine.
The literary magazine Cabinet , which describes itself as "an award-winning quarterly magazine of art and culture...that confounds expectations of what is typically meant by the words “art,” “culture,” and sometimes even “magazine," is also produced in Brooklyn.
4. Blogging in Brooklyn
As for blogging, it's huge in Brooklyn, though how to eke a salary from a blog is a challenging question for many bloggers.
Brooklyn's rich in independently run, neighborhood-specific blogs and also blogs that focus on a specific topic. As blogs do, these may come and go. Examples of blogs that run the gamut in style and focus: Free Williamsburg's focus on hip cultural events to the snarky site, Fucked in Park Slope, real estate blogs Brownstoner and Atlantic Yards Report, and, one among many foodie blogs, Eat It: The Brooklyn Food Blog.
In addition, many Brooklyn neighborhoods are covered by Patch.com blogs, owned by AOL. (Full disclosure: About.com is owned by The New York Times Company.)
The vibrancy of the Brooklyn blogosphere can be measured by the annual meeting of the Brooklyn Blogfest, first convened in 2005 by the author of Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn, that draws a few hundred opinionated, passionate bloggers to its annual conference. (Not surprisingly, one of the not infrequent topics of conversation is how to monetize the blogging activity; in 2011 there was also some controversy over corporate sponsorship of the blog conference itself.)
5. Tips for Job Hunters in Independent Publishing & Advertising in Brooklyn
- Talk to people in the industry.
- Advertising: Read Ad Age and other trade publications concerned with advertising.
- Magazines: Check out locally produced magazines, books in such bookstores as Powerhouse Arena in DUMBO.
- Blogging: It's time consuming, so if you need to make a living, figure out your business plan first.
These small businesses won't drive the job creation that the borough needs to crank the local economy up to optimum speed. But they do offer jobs here and there, and create a model for other small, creative businesses that might relocate to Brooklyn.
