Lauren Buzzeo Editor & Publisher, Full Pour
LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-buzzeo
What do you do?
I am the founder/editor & publisher of Full Pour, a new, independent magazine that celebrates social drinks and beverage culture. Launched in March of 2023, I dreamed up this publication after working for more than 15 years at Wine Enthusiast, where I occupied a variety of roles including Executive Editor and Tasting Director. Before that, I worked at a business management firm for authors and publishing houses, working in client relations, contracts, and back-of-house administrative functions. I have always been a visual, creative type—most notably, a passionate writer and print/publishing lover, appreciating the opportunity to share my words or bring others’ stories to life. I started my self-funded magazine with a dream and a belief that things could be different from the status quo. I’m a believer of informative yet approachable and accessible drinks journalism, and stories that share the culture behind what we drink and why from a diverse range of voices, perspectives, and backgrounds. It is truly my greatest pleasure to be able to work with such a wide array of wonderfully talented contributors across words and art for each issue. Like so many of us today, I am also a proud cross-drinker and believe in equal-opportunity enjoyment of quality consumables across a wide range of categories as well as the lifestyle that finds room and openness for them all. When not enjoying a glass of South African Chenin Blanc, a good stout, or an infused cocktail, I can also be found enjoying food prepared by my chef husband or playing with my two kids and two fur babies.
What investments have you made in your professional career development?
Throughout my professional career, I have always been open to new opportunities and learnings, even if they were roles or responsibilities I may not have previously had great familiarity or experience with. With that openness, it is also important to ask for support and request development tools where needed (and available) from an employer, such as coursework of any kind, certificate/credential programs, or seminar/conference attendance. As such, I have earned editing certifications through Poynter and ACES as well as drinks certifications through the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET). At this point in my career as an independent magazine owner and publisher, I need to remain engaged in the community through conferences, seminars, and networking opportunities within the drinks and publishing worlds.
What investments have you made in your personal development?
For personal development, I feel like much of this has come with time, age, and a strong support network. When you’re young, it’s easy to think you can do anything and everything, and do it alone, but as you grow and learn, you better understand the value of teamwork and that asking for support where either it should be or you need it is not a weakness—it is a strength and an asset. Being open, upfront, and clear in communication always serves to benefit everyone, yourself included. Finding the ability to ask for and rely on those around me when needed has been a great area of personal development.
How can the industry proactively invest in women, and why should this be a priority?
While there have been some improvements in the positions and opportunities available to women over the last decade, there is still much work to do. How many women own paper mills? Printers? Are publishers of their magazine(s) or newspapers? I don’t know the numbers off hand, but I can tell you that the majority of those owners I’ve met or know of are largely male. I’ve seen more women in EIC/EE positions of late (though once you remove traditional women-centric titles and spaces, it’s still lacking), but the majority of those individuals still report to a male owner/publisher. Improving this disparity, in gender as well as other ways, should be a priority, as diverse backgrounds, experiences, perspectives, and learnings contribute to the growth and development of these businesses, roles, places, and spaces for the industry at large. We can continue to evolve and elevate media with the expansion of vision aligned to new contributions from diverse talent, which should be championed through scholarship and grant opportunities for underrepresented communities as well as mentorship programs open to all. But, to continue to attract diverse talent and offer sustainable career options throughout the entire media landscape, regardless of gender, the industry also needs to become more vocal about the current position of and continued need for independent print journalism to realign public appreciation and value for the profession and its output, as well as denounce AI-related content-generation practices that remove the creative humanity that is so integral to our quality, authority, authenticity and lasting cultural impact.
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