Public Relations
Business Journal
From the April 29, 2005 print edition
Elevating City's Nightlife
Magazine tops local rival by entertaining new ideas
Fred Tannenbaum
Staff Writer
Steve Caldwell freely admits grammar and composition weren't his strong suits in school. But he had to quickly sharpen his writing skills and develop the discriminating eye of an editor when he launched Elevate magazine in late 2003.
Caldwell's goal was to create a cutting-edge entertainment publication emulating night-life magazines in Miami and Chicago.
The trouble is, a rival publication targeting the same young, with-it crowd hit Charlotte's streets a few weeks ahead of Elevate. And the competitor, Image, had the same pocket-size format as Caldwell's magazine.
The young entrepreneur and former Charlotte Chamber staffer had to make Elevate stand out -- quickly.
Caldwell had initially focused his publication on the local restaurant and bar scene. But he promptly set out to expand the magazine's content.
Using a network of free-lance writers, Caldwell developed a mix of topics for Elevate that included fitness, fashion, cuisine and even tanning salons. He then conducted focus groups to determine which features worked and which needed to be tweaked or dropped. Friends also offered constructive criticism.
Within months, Image ceased publication. Meanwhile, Elevate -- which is distributed from racks in 160 clubs, restaurants, salons and shops around town -- has grown to a monthly press run of 10,000 copies, up from about 8,000 when Caldwell began.
"It's amazing how many publications have started up in Charlotte the last two years," he says. "But once people look at mine, they know it's more than a restaurant and bar magazine."
The magazine stands on the shoulders of Elevate Entertainment, Caldwell's related event-promotion business, which arranges and markets uptown parties and concerts.
Elevate Entertainment's latest venture is the free Sundown Concert Series at Gateway, which features performances every Wednesday night at Gateway Village through May 18. "We describe it as Charlotte's only outdoor (concert) lounge," he says.
Among other pending events, Caldwell is arranging a VIP party for NASCAR drivers at Menage Ultra Lounge during Speed Week in late May.
Tim Newman, head of the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority, says Caldwell's ventures have boosted Charlotte's entertainment options, especially uptown.
"He's created a vehicle where folks who want to know what's on the social scene can find that information," says Newman, who previously headed Charlotte Center City Partners, an uptown economic development group. "And everything he does, he does with integrity."
© 2005 American City Business Journals Inc.
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