The Next Big Idea cover image

The Next Big Idea

THE ART OF EDITING: Graydon Carter on the Golden Age of Magazines

Apr 24, 2025
Graydon Carter, the former editor of Vanity Fair and co-founder of Spy magazine, shares his fascinating insights on the golden age of magazines. He reminisces about how he transformed Vanity Fair into a cultural juggernaut and discusses the art of storytelling and editing. The conversation explores the humorous nuances of Canadian culture, personal anecdotes from his journalism career, and the innovative storytelling that defined his work. Carter also reflects on significant moments in magazine history and the evolution of media consumption.
59:38

Episode guests

Graydon Carter

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • Graydon Carter highlights the significant cultural influence of magazine editors in shaping narratives and capturing the zeitgeist during their peak.
  • He reflects on his unremarkable childhood as a source of inspiration, demonstrating that ordinary beginnings can lead to extraordinary achievements.

Deep dives

The Evolution of Magazine Editing

Graydon Carter reflects on the changing landscape of magazine editing, noting the influence editors had in shaping culture during their peak. He reminisces about how editors like himself were pivotal in blending journalism with sophistication and entertainment, especially during his time at Vanity Fair. This period marked editors as powerful figures, responsible for minting stars and creating narratives that resonated with the zeitgeist of society. Carter emphasizes that in today's digital age, the traditional role of magazine editors is being eroded, making the skills of editing and curation all the more critical.

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts

Save insights instantly, chat with episodes, and build lasting knowledge - all powered by AI.
App store bannerPlay store banner
The game changer for learning from podcasts!
Nelson
App Store
I used to use a different app that was able to save excerpts from podcast and really enjoyed it. I could listen to the podcast and quickly save things that I wanted to come back to later. Snipd take this to a whole new level with AI integration, creating summaries of podcasts and summarizing the main takeaways from what I’ve saved and snipped. I really love how it helps me prioritize what podcast to listen to with it summaries & deep dives.
Best podcast app
JD Stuart
App Store
I’ve been using Snipd for about a year and this app has been life changing. I listen to about 17 hours of podcasts a week and I want to take notes on 95% of them. Snipd makes it so easy to do. I can triple click my headphones and record a snip. The app also improves rapidly which is welcomed. It’s an easy subscription for me to pay.