Run-A-Muck, a media startup co-founded by Condé Nast alum Pamela Drucker Mann, is making a bold move into the world of short stories. This move comes as the company aims to monetize its ad-supported culture and fashion Substack, Drafting, and potentially turn its short stories into valuable intellectual property for film, television, podcasts, and other multimedia projects. The strategy is to start with the story and determine the best format for it, rather than starting with a medium and searching for an audience, as Drucker Mann explains to The Wall Street Journal.
This approach has already attracted notable writers such as Cody Behan, whose short story "The Decorator" is set to be adapted for Netflix, and Brittani Nichols, a writer and director of Abbott Elementary. However, adaptation is not the sole goal. Some stories will remain in their original form, as not everything created by Run-A-Muck is destined for television or film, as Drucker Mann notes.
Drafting, the Substack publication, has been attracting over 50,000 monthly readers and has secured advertisers like Hermès, Moncler, and eBay. The publication's recent hires, including Kimberly Diaz, a former Wondery and Google sales executive, further strengthen its position. With the push into short stories, Run-A-Muck aims to attract a younger audience interested in culture.
The first short story to be published on Drafting is a 1,800-word piece based on Showtime's series "The L Word," written by Run-A-Muck co-founder Ilene Chaiken, who co-created the iconic queer series. Additionally, Run-A-Muck plans to release a podcast this month under the Drafting banner, featuring Chaiken interviewed by another co-founder, Jennifer Beals, an actor from "The L Word."
The company's recent $10 million seed funding round, led by Atreides Management, will be used for staff hires, audience and intellectual property development. This funding, combined with a previous $6 million pre-seed round, has valued Run-A-Muck at $80 million. Run-A-Muck's strategy of starting with the story and determining the best format for it, coupled with its focus on attracting a younger audience and creating valuable intellectual property, positions it as a promising player in the media industry.
