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New Leadership Named for MMPA’s Digital Lab

Dena Alspach aims to provide more value to digital-first publishers

MMPA is excited to announce that prolific publishing pro Dena Alspach will be heading up the Digital Lab initiative, the purpose of which is to foster success and excellence in digital publishing for the region's established and emerging digital-only publishers. Alspach, who plans to host a series of roundtable discussions with digital-first publishers beginning in December, shared a little about her background:

After reluctantly stepping into advertising sales in 1996, it quickly became clear to me that building meaningful relationships was at the heart of the role. I was sold. I spent the next 14 years at Tiger Oak Media learning a lot and helping to grow the business through launches, acquisitions, and by consulting with my own long list of clients, many of whom remain friends today.

As group publisher, I led the teams creating Minnesota Bride, Wisconsin Bride, Arizona Bride, Twin Cities METRO, Lake Minnetonka, Edina, Plymouth, Maple Grove, Southwest Metro, and Woodbury magazines.

The years following were spent with The Heavy Table and The Line to gain an understanding of digital-only publications, eventually moving to The Beer Dabbler (which publishes The Growler), a publishing company firing on all cylinders with strong print, digital, events, and retail.

A year as Chief Marketing Officer with Hillcrest Media proved that content strategy has become a cornerstone of good business, rather than a faddish marketing tactic, and that the holistic approach of a publisher is very effective for brand building and business development.

I now consult with companies to create and launch brand publishing strategies with Hammond Gersh, and I’ll launch JoyRide Magazine—a new cycling lifestyle publication—this month.