Author and fashion journalist Lauren Scruggs Kennedy, and actress Sarah Michelle Gellar among inaugural contributors
The Liberty Project unveiled its new website today, libertyproject.com. At launch, there are more than 120 original works and personal accounts from emerging writers, photographers and artists, as well as stories from today’s top thought leaders, experts and personalities.
Among the celebrated contributors, author and fashion journalist Lauren Scruggs Kennedy writes a personal account of discovering what beauty means to her, following an accident in which she lost her left eye and hand. Recalling a particularly impactful moment with her now husband Jason Kennedy, she writes, “It took me six months to show Jason my arm with out my prosthesis on . . . But Jason found a way to make feel brave, and to make this a loving, gentle experience.”
Also opening up, actor Sarah Michelle Gellar, known for her roles in television and film, writes about her new roles: mom, wife and cook. In Gellar’s piece, she shares: “‘The kitchen is the heart of the home.’ We have all heard that statement and for me there is no greater truth. When I met my husband, we bonded over a shared love of food… When we entered our 30s and had kids, the kitchen took an even greater place of importance in our lives.”
Amy Katzenberg, CEO of The Liberty Project says, “These personal accounts are beautifully genuine and highlight the many ways in which liberty enables us to live our lives authentically.” She adds, “Whether you’re a fashionista, foodie, or fitness fanatic, it’s liberty that gives you the freedom to indulge in your passions. It is our goal to celebrate the unwavering value of liberty and encourage our contributors and the community to live life fully, know liberty first hand, and share their perspectives with others – just like Lauren Scruggs Kennedy and Sarah Michelle Gellar have.”
According to Christina Geyer, Editorial Director of The Liberty Project, libertyproject.com will continuously feature an evolving body of content. “The Liberty Project is reclaiming the power of the first-person, by publishing an array of carefully curated and thought-provoking stories,” says Geyer. “We’re creating an environment that celebrates the voice of the individual and fosters the sharing of relatable personal narratives, to provide a unique editorial experience that is meaningful to our contributors and our audience.”
The Liberty Project is the modern revival of Liberty magazine, the iconic American lifestyle publication that dominated newsstands from 1924 to 1950. Rich in commentary, storytelling, and exploration, libertyproject.com aims to entertain and engage people around a wide range of interesting and provocative first-person perspectives and thoughtfully curated, original, multi-media content. The Liberty Project also showcases original content from the magazine’s archive,through a contemporary lens. In addition, the omni-channel startup plans to license its archival material for use in movies, television, book publishing and merchandise development.
In October 2014, glendonTodd Capital, LLC (glendonTodd Capital), a Dallas-based private equity firm, announced the acquisition of a majority interest in Liberty Library Corporation, which owned the collection of copyrighted content from Liberty magazine since 1970. Upon the announcement, Todd Furniss, CEO and Managing Partner of glendonTodd Capital, said “We are excited to work with strategic partners across multiple channels to create new, relevant content that complements the original content, and to introduce Liberty to a global audience.”
About Liberty magazine
Founded in 1924 by Joseph Medill Patterson (founder of The Daily News) and Col. Robert R. McCormick (publisher of The Chicago Tribune), Liberty magazine was considered one of the most popular weekly publications in the United States, comparable at the time to The Saturday Evening Post. Liberty magazine served as a voice of the United States during a critical, 25-year period of American and world history. The archives include a diverse, rich collection of content that spans the Roaring ‘20s, the Jazz Age, World War I and World War II, and post-war America. Some of Liberty’s most memorable stories include first-person accounts written by Babe Ruth, Greta Garbo, Albert Einstein, George Bernard Shaw, H.G. Wells, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Al Capone, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt, Leon Trotsky, Mahatma Gandhi and Shirley Temple. Notable artists of the time also contributed to Liberty, including Leslie Thrasher, John Held Jr. and James Montgomery Flagg (of “Uncle Sam Wants You” fame). Liberty magazine content has also been used to create more than 120 feature films, documentaries and television shows.
