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| Jul 9, 2015 |
Bill Indursky shares the scoop on his new media venture
Boh staff
By Staff

Though it was founded two years ago, the Design Life Network, with four main services targeting designers—magazine, marketplace, design agency and TV network—is experiencing a rebirth. Founder Bill Indursky, who, has drawn on his past experience as founder of Vintage and Modern (an online vintage/antique/design company that was 1stdibs' top competitor) and FLASHcap Interactive, which built sites for businesses, shares his latest with EAL.

Bill Indursky

Tell us a bit about the inspiration behind the magazine, the marketplace, the agency and the network. What is your goal for each segment?

I consider DLN a promotions company. That is why we are a network, and not a single company. We are a collaborative of designers, dealers, and users who come together for mutual benefit.

As for the magazine, our original reporting, photography and graphics on luxury design lifestyle has an eye toward the new and undiscovered, emerging designers, uncommon products and services, as well as in-depth event coverage. Our marketplace promotes dealers of original design including one-of-a-kind vintage and antique dealers as well as limited-edition or limited-run contemporary design. The design agency specializes in creating websites, social media marketing, digital PR and brand awareness and clarification for the design industry; and the TV network gathers the best design content on the Web and actively works to create custom quality content.

DLN was launched in 2013, but you recently sent out an update promoting DLN's latest ventures. What’s on the forefront for the company?

We are a multichannel design promotion company; not a marketplace, not a magazine, not a design agency, not a TV network. Those are all just ways to accomplish that task. Our mission: "Broadcast design inspiration, information, products and services of all eras to the design obsessed (D.O.)" has not changed since day one.

Most companies in this space are actively working to grow as large as possible: more dealers, more designers, more, more, more. Most have investment money behind them and must control the transactions to satisfy expectations. They are focused on themselves and their own growth, often leaving behind the dealers, designers, and in some cases their site users.

For DLN I am taking a radical approach [following these principles]: Our company's job is to promote others, not ourselves. Help as many people as possible. We will remain small by design. Develop a focused brand and stick to it. Never solicit; they will come to us.

How is DLN funded?

We have not sought out any funding but would be open to money sympathetic to our philosophy. Luckily, we are under no pressure to raise capital. With these things, we always feel the right people will find us, and us them.

What’s the best feedback you’ve received so far?

We have a section of the site under the magazine called “The A-LIST” and that seems to be popular for companies to let users know who they are and where they rank.

The design agency has steady business. The company has completed several interior designers’ and dealers’ websites. The clients seem to love our $500, design-oriented websites. It is a flat fee of $500—no hidden fees—and they get a completely e-commerce-enabled, free-standing, fully functioning Wordpress website in about two and a half hours. 

In the agency we also help companies expand their business by altering how they work. Our first partnership deal, with a glass manufacturing company, was signed recently, and DLN will connect interior designers to the ability to have their own art glass lines.

Our TV network has started securing partnerships with private content providers. The first partnership, recently announced, was with Karen Leblanc, of The Design Tourist. LeBlanc produces shows with the DLN in mind and we grant her a private channel on our network to broadcast. LeBlanc recently inked a deal with OK! Magazine and now appears on REELZ TV network with help from our partnership.

Learn more about the DLN.

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