Career Timeline of Tina Brown: Major Achievements and Milestones

How Tina Brown built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.

Tina Brown is a prominent British-American journalist, editor, and author known for her impactful tenures at major publications. She served as editor-in-chief of Tatler, Vanity Fair, and The New Yorker, revitalizing each with her distinctive editorial vision. She founded The Daily Beast and Talk Media, including Talk magazine. Brown also created Women in the World, a platform dedicated to amplifying women's voices. Additionally, she's the author of best-selling biographies, including 'The Diana Chronicles,' 'The Vanity Fair Diaries,' and 'The Palace Papers,' solidifying her place as a cultural commentator and influential figure in media.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

1973: Introduction to Harold Evans

In 1973, literary agent Pat Kavanagh introduced Brown's writings to Harold Evans, editor of The Sunday Times.

1974: Freelance Assignments at The Sunday Times

In 1974, Brown was given freelance assignments by Ian Jack, the features editor at The Sunday Times.

1977: Happy Yellow mounted at the London fringe Bush Theatre

In 1977, Tina Brown's play, Happy Yellow, was mounted at the London fringe Bush Theatre, and was later performed at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

1978: Resignation from The Sunday Times

In 1978, Brown resigned from The Sunday Times to write for the rival Sunday Telegraph after developing a relationship with Harold Evans.

1979: Editing Tatler

In 1979, Tina Brown was invited by Gary Bogard, the new owner, to edit Tatler. During her time as editor, she transformed the society magazine into a successful modern glossy magazine by featuring celebrated photographers, fashion, writers from her circle and social coverage.

July 1981: Royal Wedding Commentary

In July 1981, Tina Brown joined NBC's Tom Brokaw in running commentary for The Today Show on the royal wedding.

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1982: Resignation from Tatler

In 1982, Tina Brown resigned from Tatler when Samuel Irving Newhouse Jr., owner of Condé Nast Publications, bought Tatler. She also hosted several 1982 episodes of the long-running BBC1 film review television series Film ... as a guest presenter.

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1983: Advising on Vanity Fair

In 1983, Samuel Irving Newhouse brought Tina Brown to New York to advise on Vanity Fair.

January 1984: Editor-in-chief of Vanity Fair

On January 1, 1984, Tina Brown was named editor-in-chief of Vanity Fair.

1985: Stories that gained attention for Vanity Fair

In 1985, several stories helped Vanity Fair gain attention and circulation. These included Harry Benson's cover shoot of Ronald and Nancy Reagan, Helmut Newton's portrait of Claus von Bülow, and Tina Brown's cover story on Diana, Princess of Wales titled "The Mouse That Roared".

1990: Cover Photo Decision

In November 1990, Tina Brown replaced a planned cover photo of Marla Maples with a photograph of Cher, citing the Gulf crisis as the reason for choosing a brunette.

August 1991: Demi Moore Vanity Fair Cover

In August 1991, Vanity Fair released its best-known cover of this period featured a naked and pregnant Demi Moore.

1992: Increased Circulation of The New Yorker

In 1992, The New Yorker's circulation was 658,916. During Tina Brown's tenure, the magazine received four George Polk Awards, five Overseas Press Club Awards, and ten National Magazine Awards.

1992: Editor of The New Yorker

In 1992, Tina Brown became the editor of The New Yorker, the fourth editor in its history and the first woman to hold the position.

1992: Photography seriously in The New Yorker

In 1992, Tina Brown broke The New Yorker's longstanding reluctance to treat photography seriously and invited Richard Avedon to be its first staff photographer. She approved controversial covers as well.

1996: Economic Improvement of The New Yorker

In 1996, The New Yorker magazine under Tina Brown's editorship had losses of about $14 million.

1997: Increased Circulation of The New Yorker

In 1997, The New Yorker's circulation increased to 807,935 for the second half of the year.

July 1998: Founding Talk Media

In July 1998, Tina Brown, along with Harvey and Bob Weinstein of Miramax Films and Ron Galotti, founded Talk Media to publish books, magazines, movies, and television programs.

1998: Resignation from The New Yorker

In 1998, Tina Brown resigned from The New Yorker after receiving an invitation from Harvey and Bob Weinstein of Miramax Films to chair Talk Media.

February 1999: Joint Venture for Talk Magazine

In February 1999, Talk Media formed a joint venture with Hearst Magazines for Talk magazine, a monthly publication covering news and culture.

August 1999: Talk Magazine Launch on Liberty Island

In August 1999, the launch party for Talk magazine was held on Liberty Island after being moved from the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The event, attended by over 800 political leaders, writers, and Hollywood figures, featured a picnic dinner, Japanese lanterns, and a Grucci fireworks display.

January 2002: Talk Magazine Publication Halted

In January 2002, Talk magazine's publication was halted due to an advertising recession following the 9/11 attacks. Despite this setback, Brown viewed the magazine as a "great experiment" and had no regrets.

2002: Chairmanship of Talk Media

From 1998 to 2002, Tina Brown was chairman of Talk Media, which included Talk magazine and Talk Miramax Books.

2002: Settlement Ends Involvement in Talk Media

In 2002, Brown's involvement in Talk Media ended with a $1 million contract settlement.

May 4, 2003: Topic A with Tina Brown Debuts on CNBC

On May 4, 2003, Topic A with Tina Brown, a weekly Sunday evening talk show of politics and culture, debuted on CNBC. Guests included politicians Tony Blair and Senator John McCain and celebrities such as George Clooney and Annette Bening.

2005: Talk Miramax Books folded into Hyperion at Disney

In 2005, Talk Miramax Books, which had flourished as a boutique publishing house, was detached from Miramax and folded into Hyperion at Disney. During Brown's time, 11 out of 42 books published appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list, including Leadership by Giuliani, Leap of Faith by Queen Noor of Jordan, Stolen Lives by Malika Oufkir, Experience by Martin Amis and Madam Secretary by Madeleine Albright.

2005: Topic A struggles to find an audience.

In 2005, Topic A struggled to find an audience on Sunday nights, averaging 75,000 viewers. Brown resigned to write The Diana Chronicles.

June 2007: Publication of The Diana Chronicles

In June 2007, Brown's biography of Diana, Princess of Wales, titled The Diana Chronicles, was published. It became a The New York Times Best Seller.

2007: Publication of The Diana Chronicles

In 2007, Tina Brown authored "The Diana Chronicles".

2008: Founding Editor of The Daily Beast

In 2008, Tina Brown became the founding editor in chief of The Daily Beast.

2008: Launch of The Daily Beast

In November 2008, Brown partnered with Barry Diller to launch The Daily Beast, an online news site. It gained popularity after Christopher Buckley's column supporting Barack Obama and Lucinda Franks's coverage of the Bernie Madoff scandal.

November 2010: Merger of The Daily Beast and Newsweek

On 12 November 2010, The Daily Beast and Newsweek announced their merger into a joint venture called the Newsweek Daily Beast Company, owned equally by Sidney Harman and IAC/InterActiveCorp, with Brown as editor in chief.

2010: Founding of Women in the World

In 2010, Brown founded Women in the World, a live journalism platform aimed at amplifying the voices of global women on the front lines of change.

December 2012: Final Print Issue of Newsweek

In December 2012, the final printed issue of Newsweek was published, announcing a shift to a digital format. The print edition returned after Brown's departure.

2012: Women in the World Expands to Brazil

In 2012, Women in the World expanded outside the United States with a summit held in São Paulo, Brazil.

September 2013: Departure Announcement

On 11 September 2013, Brown announced her departure from The Daily Beast. Despite initial reports of contract non-renewal, Barry Diller highlighted her tenure's excellence in reporting and digital distribution, downplaying the failed Newsweek revival experiment.

2013: End of Tenure at The Daily Beast

Tina Brown's tenure as the founding editor in chief of The Daily Beast concluded in 2013.

2017: Publication of The Vanity Fair Diaries

In 2017, Brown published The Vanity Fair Diaries, culled from her eight and a half years as editor in chief of Vanity Fair.

2019: Women in the World Summits and Salons

Between 2012 and 2019, Women in the World summits and salons were held in various locations, including New Delhi, Toronto, London, Dubai, Washington DC, San Antonio, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Miami.

2019: Last Women in the World Summit

Summits for Women in the World, the live journalism platform founded by Tina Brown, were held through 2019.

2020: Tom Stoppard's Autobiographical Piece

Staff members included editors Sam Sifton, Danielle Mattoon, Jonathan Mahler and Virginia Heffernan. Jake Tapper and Tucker Carlson provided political columns. In 2020, notable articles included Tom Stoppard's autobiographical piece about his Jewish roots that was the origin of his 2020 play Leopoldstadt and Tucker Carlson's revealing profile of then Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush.

September 2022: CBS Commentator for Queen's Funeral

In September 2022, Tina Brown was a CBS commentator for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.

2022: Publication of The Palace Papers

In 2022, Brown published a sequel to The Diana Chronicles called The Palace Papers: Inside the House of Windsor—The Truth and the Turmoil, which topped The New York Times best seller list and sold 250,000 copies in the US.

2023: Truth Tellers Summit

In 2023, Tina Brown, in partnership with Reuters and Durham University, hosted Truth Tellers, the first annual Sir Harry Evans Global Summit in Investigative Journalism, at the Royal Institute of British Architects, in honor of her late husband Sir Harold Evans.