Long regarded as one of the most valuable, flawless and naturally beautiful gems ever to exist, the pearl is essentially a creative accident. It’s a unique irony that something so endearing to the eye, and so spectacularly meaningful as a decorative jewel, is actually just a mollusk’s natural defense against bacteria and parasites.

But what’s that old saying—one sea creature’s trash is another man’s treasure? A pearl, as a gem and a piece of fashion, is significant in that its true beauty can only be achieved through perfection. That perfection, in turn, is what creates and defines the gem’s value, because perfect pearls are so rare and seemingly unachievable. You could almost say that they are held to a higher standard that only a very few can achieve.

So what of this pearl chatter, what does it have to do with the glamour lifestyle and everything it encompasses? Well, we find it quite fitting that the pearl is the traditional gift of the 30th anniversary. Fitting, of course, because Pageantry magazine is celebrating its 30th anniversary of “Celebrating the Glamour Lifestyle.”

Of course it would be foolish of us to claim that Pageantry magazine is perfect. But as is with selecting pearls, those that are closest to perfection make the cut, while the others are cast aside. Thirty years in any medium doesn’t necessarily mean perfect, but it certainly shows that we’re doing something right.

Many times, when a mainstream icon celebrates a birthday or an anniversary, the affair of elated commemoration often carries a great deal of hyperbole. You regularly hear declarations like, “We’re the best of the best” or “We’re on top of the world,” and while catchphrases are fun, it’s often the true champion that shows the most humility and remains appreciative of those who are responsible for such success and all-around consistency providing performance at the highest level.

That’s why, as we celebrate this milestone of Pageantry magazine, it’s important that we convey that while we are certainly working our hardest to bring you the best in pageant, prom, talent, modeling, entertainment, competition and market coverage that we can, our ultimate goal is to represent the people who we are publishing this magazine for. After all, with 30 years of industry coverage under our belt, our readers must be doing something right if they keep giving us such great events to cover.

As we appreciate where we’re at today and how this publication has evolved into a beacon of glamour, it’s important to remember where we came from. If it weren’t for one man’s idea and vision 30 years ago, we wouldn’t be here today, providing you with an outlet to share your winning ways and your Glamour Lifestyle.

Going Back to the Beginning
Before there were cable news networks, blogs, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or even the Internet itself, people had to roll up their sleeves and get creative if they wanted to provide a relevant outlet for timely and necessary information. It took gumption, determination and an overwhelming wherewithal for people to create new mediums in a media industry that was dominated by the major market daily newspaper, a few iconic national magazine titles and especially the emerging national television networks.

But the advantage of the times in 1980 was that there was always opportunity so long as there was a solid idea and someone with the charisma and intelligence to make it come to fruition. Carl David Dunn, President of International Productions and Publications, Inc., saw that there was an opportunity and necessity in the pageant industry for a source of news and an outlet for pageant and competition coverage. That vision 30 years ago was the precursor to the most respected and sought after name in the business.

Pageantry magazine’s roots are humble and simple in stature. Once a 24-page industry newsletter, the publication began with limited circulation, often passed around at regional pageants and certainly a far cry from a full color magazine being provided to every competition participant on the local, state and national level. But that was the business in 1980, and there weren’t nearly the resources that we have today. Thirty years ago, word of mouth meant that people spread news by actual human interaction and conversation.

If you look at the top stories of 1980 and compare them with 2009, there isn’t much of a difference. There are rising gas prices, turmoil and conflict in the Middle East, substance abuse in professional sports and clashing political parties here in the United States. Whereas U.S. President Jimmy Carter helped broker the Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt in 1980, former U.S. President Bill Clinton has traveled the Middle East brokering peace for the past year as well. There’s an old saying in the news media—the stories never change, just the names of the people.

How those stories are told, though, is an entirely different matter. As mentioned, in 1980 you had newspapers, a few magazines and the network television news reports. People received their news from trusted network anchors and established veteran newspaper columnists. Today, we have celebrity gossip updates texted to our Blackberry smart phones. We can access web sites like CNN, Yahoo!, Fox News and, of course, Pageantry magazine from our iPhones. Celebrities have removed the media as a middle man in giving their opinions on current events or showing their support in political races because all they have to do now is log on to Twitter and drop a few Tweets with their thoughts, so long as they’re less than 140 characters.

Carl David Dunn didn’t have a Blackberry or a Twitter account. He didn’t have Pageantry’s MySpace profile or an email blast to send out to industry leaders across the country. It’s the story of the little newsletter that could, and how one man rolled up his sleeves and established a lasting industry icon the old-fashioned way. One that would thrive through 30 years as a source of all things glamour.

Long Live the Queens, the Titleholders and You
In 1980, a national television audience watched as Cheryl Prewitt of Ackerman, Mississippi, was crowned Miss America 1980, succeeding Virginia’s Kylene Barker from 1979. The nation watched again that year as Shawn Weatherly was crowned Miss USA 1980. Shawn, of course, was later replaced as Miss USA that year by Jineane Ford of Arizona, after Shawn became the first American woman in 13 years to win the Miss Universe crown. That was the most exposure the nation had received to the glamour industry to that point.

Until 1983, modeling and talent competitions flew under the radar. The country wasn’t able to witness stars born right before the eyes of a viewing audience of millions. Then Star Search arrived and we had our first taste of the concept of discovery, that rags-to-riches really was a possibility. It was also a good example of what was happening on a broader scale at modeling and talent competitions throughout the country. Alas, these competitions also lacked the proper outlet for people nationwide to meet the newest fresh faces of the modeling and entertainment industries.

As Pageantry grew from a limited-circulation newsletter to a legitimate industry news and lifestyle resource, faces became more familiar and the casual reader grew to learn about more pageants and competitions as the years passed. The years flew by and the pageant and competition systems grew with the advent of more creative and accessible media outlets, Pageantry especially included.

Miss America led to crossover success for Gretchen Carlson (1989), who has followed a career in broadcasting to her current position on Fox & Friends. Debbye Turner (1990) is a reporter and anchor for CBS’s The Morning Show and Leanza Cornett (1993) was a host of Entertainment Tonight for two years. Kate Shindle, Miss America 1998, went on to star in the Broadway musical Jekyll & Hyde.

Miss USA saw a crossover from the pageant world to the entertainment industry, as Julie Hayek (1983) had roles on Dallas, Twin Peaks and As the World Turns. Laura Harring (1985) also made a career as a soap opera actress, and Shanna Moakler (1995) and Ali Landry (1996) have both had quite successful modeling careers. And, of course, it wasn’t always the Miss USA winners who had the spotlight. The first runner-up at Miss USA 1986 was Halle Berry, and she’s done pretty well for herself in Hollywood.

But it wasn’t just Miss America and Miss USA making the largest impacts. As the years progressed and Pageantry helped spread the news of success and talent discovery, as America’s Junior Miss 1980 Julie Moran went on to become a longtime Entertainment Tonight correspondent. Modeling and talent competitions like the International Modeling and Talent Association, the Modeling Association of America International, John Robert Powers and Barbizon, to name a few, helped discover celebrities like Ashton Kutcher (IMTA winner, star of That 70s Show and What Happens In Vegas), not to mention Katie Holmes, Eva Longoria, Jessica Biel, Elijah Wood, Seann William Scott and an entire generation of pre-teen actors chomping at the bit to make the leap.

Before Pageantry, these organizations and agencies had limited coverage and were at the mercy of national news media and general coverage magazines that once ruled the entertainment industry with an iron fist, dictating the importance of one event versus another. With Pageantry, every event became important, and these young titleholders, models and entertainers finally had a publication to turn to.

The Rise of an Industry Giant
Over the past 30 years, Pageantry has helped broaden and redefine the industry’s parameters by focusing the attention on the important roles played by the beauty, talent, modeling and artistic-performance-related businesses which form the basis of the publishing company’s core constituencies. In doing so, Pageantry has helped several generations of young people acquire the tools necessary to reach for the stars, whether that be in such intimate settings as local and state arenas or in the major national pageants such as the Miss America and Miss Universe Organizations, the virtual explosions of Mrs. competitions, numerous teen, pre-teen and children’s competitions, and talent and modeling conventions from the likes of the International Modeling and Talent Association, the Modeling Association of America International, John Robert Powers, iPOP!, AIM International Models and Talent, and Barbizon.

It is, without a doubt, an incredible time for competitions of all types, and surely no other publications reflect those marked changes more impressively than Pageantry, as the leading competition publication of its kind. Over 30 years, Pageantry has thrived and evolved as the industry standard for all things glamour.

From its infancy spinning off from founder Carl David Dunn’s Baton Rouge-based newsletter, Pageantry magazine now covers the world as it has evolved and grown in significance in numerous ways. In the last year alone, the magazine has carried reports from across mainland America, Alaska and Hawaii, South America, Russia, Gibraltar, the Phillippines, and even China—which, by opening its doors to glamour competitions with the Miss World 2003 finals, underscores an important point, which is that our collective industry is a part of the very fabric of our modern society.

Today’s Pageantry serves not only to record the accomplishments by such 2009 winners as Miss America 2009 Katie Stam, Miss USA 2009 Kristen Dalton, Miss America’s Outstanding Teen 2008 Taylor Fitch, Miss Teen USA 2008 Stevi Perry and Miss Universe 2008 Dayana Mendoza, but also to promote partnerships within the support industries comprising all of the beauty, modeling and talent fields. With its annual Pageantry and PromTime fashion showcase—the largest on-site fashion shoot in the world—the magazine now stands as a recognized leader in debuting the country’s cutting edge formal-occasion couture to both retailers and customers.

From its humble beginnings as a 24-page, limited-circulation pageant “fanzine,” Pageantry now comprises up to 224 glamourus full-color pages per quarter, with millions of readers around the world and an Internet presence that records up to 32 million hits per month on its PageantryMagazine.com and PromTime.info sites.

Over time, the content driven publications and web sites have continued to sharpen their focus in providing this increasingly sophisticated audience with a wealth of valuable coverage and advice on such matters as: glamour, competition fashion, personal communications, talent and modeling career development, medical advances for appearance-related professionals, the latest looks from the cosmetics to the jewelry industries, event planning and production, personal development opportunities and news from competition organizations that range from small local events to those of international scope.

Defining the Industry’s Perception of Glamour
With increasingly limitless technology and networking advantages, Pageantry has been able to showcase its dedication and devotion to the Glamour Lifestyle like no other. What started as a small newsletter, limited in resources and readership, now has the advantage of countless experts and analysts to offer their advice and opinions on how Pageantry’s readers can live up to their own definitions of glamour.

While we certainly “Celebrate the Glamour Lifestyle,” we recognize and respect that glamour is an expansive term with a different definition to everyone. Glamour is a state of mind, and Pageantry’s growth into the leading Glamour Lifestyle magazine has increased our responsibility to continue to provide our readers with the resources to help them determine how they define glamour and how they can go about achieving it for themselves.

Gaining importance also over the years has been the magazine’s leadership in bringing a growing legion of retail partners into year round contact with the styles of formalwear fashion manufacturers and wholesale marketers, at a time when the competitive business realities of fashion boutiques have affected retail attendance at fashion markets nationwide.

By sponsoring marketing efforts of the evening wear and social occasion fashion industries, Pageantry has made a noticeable and positive impact at a national level, as it has become the No. 1 publication distributed to retail store buyers at such major fashion markets in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas and New York.

At the time that Carl David Dunn came up with the idea of promoting the pageant industry, Jimmy Carter was president and pageants still had a fight on their hands with a vocal segment of women who were demanding gender equity with men, and conveniently but unfairly, used pageants as symbolic targets of their blame. Yet from the appearance of its very first issue, Pageantry identified the key qualities of pageants which positively combine society’s traditional view of women, which highlighted her natural beauty, with the emerging modern view, which melds physical beauty with intellectual enlightenment, business success, personal sensibilities, and the other rewards promised to women in a modern, post-industrial society.

“My goal,” wrote Mr. Dunn at the very start of his venture, “is to publish a magazine which will promote the positive attributes of the pageant industry and provide a forum in which not only titleholders, but all participants and directors, can be recognized for exemplary accomplishments and community service.”

Pageantry magazine is certainly the most significant, reliable, and sought-after contemporary source of information about beauty, modeling, and talent competitions on our planet. Whether you are a child beginning preparations for your first event or a seasoned competitor with many years of professional preparation under your tiara, Pageantry represents your “Bible,” a revered source of knowledge about the competition scene that, in page after colorful page and issue after issue, provides people the world over with shining role models of success. As a far-reaching record of those triumphs, the pages of Pageantry surely must be the most clipped and scrapbooked of any publication ever printed. Within the tear sheets are your memories immortalized! The magazine’s published photographs of the swimsuits, the interview outfits, the gowns, and the crowns that you have appeared in throughout the last 25 years serve as nostalgic reminders of the innumerable challenges you have faced and overcome. Pageantry’s articles and photos serve as lasting evidence of the ovations and other kudos you have received in those often once-in-a-lifetime moments, when you have proven yourself worthy of a competition’s judges panel and received the everlasting respect, recognition, and rewards that accompany such titles.

From the appearance of its first issue, Pageantry identified the key qualities of pageants which positively combine society’s traditional view of women, which highlighted her natural beauty, with the emerging modern view.

Pageantry magazine was founded in 1980, making 2004 the publication’s 25th anniversary. The headlines of that time a quarter of a century ago convey how far the world has journeyed. At home, a failure inside the Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania had nearly resulted in a catastrophic meltdown. Overseas, England had elected Margaret Thatcher prime minister, as she became the first woman to head a European government. Egypt and Israel would sign a historic peace agreement at Camp David to end the Arab-Israeli conflict, while Iranian fundamentalist radicals would take Americans hostage in the Middle East. The fall of the Berlin Wall signaling the end of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union still remained a few years off. As the decade unfolded, the pageant world consisted of a few prominent pageants with national recognition via network television. Miss America, which had already been on the scene since 1921 and had established itself as the predominant scholarship competition for America’s beautiful, brightest, and most talented young women, crowned Cheryl Prewitt of Ackerman, Mississippi, as Miss America 1980. Television also caught the moment when Miss USA 1980 Shawn Weatherly, was crowned.

Media Exposure Before Cable TV
Yet, as the 1980s began and the age of 24-hour, cable-TV-fed mass communications was dawning, the stories of a burgeoning number of national, state, and regional competitions were largely absent from view. With limited exposure and without CNN and the Internet’s ability to make all the world’s news seem like a local story, something was missing — a strong, unified pageant-industry identity. Carl David Dunn, president of International Productions and Publications, Inc., recognized and filled that void with the creation of a newsletter that has, over the last 25 years, grown to become the preeminent industry publication and Internet resource available today — Pageantry magazine, acknowledged as “the Bible of the Industry.”

What better time is appropriate than this 25th anniversary of the magazine to reflect upon the significance of a publishing venture that defines an entire industry! Today, Pageantry — as both a publication and a cultural enterprise of broad appeal— is not only getting older, it is getting better. Better as an industry-leading promotional tool. Better as an influential guide in the new millennium’s insatiable search for talented individuals. And better as a steadying influence in an ever-tumultuous sea of exciting trends in the beauty, entertainment, talent, and modeling arenas. At a time when celebrity and star-search endeavors reach across all strata of the public consciousness — when reality game shows such as American Idol and a re-emergent Star Searchattract talented contestants to compete against one another and call on all of their natural-born assets and ingenuity to win — the ability to effectively marshal skills in pageants, modeling, and talent competitions has become more critical than ever. Witness the number of competition winners crossing over into today’s entertainment scene who, to name only a few stars, are proving the value of pageants and modeling competitions (the original “reality” shows) and live-competition experience: Halle Berry (Miss USA 1986 First Runner-up, Oscar winner for Monster’s Ball); Debbye Turner (Miss America 1990, featured correspondent on CBS’ The Early Show); Kate Shindle (Miss America 1998, Broadway musical Jekyll & Hyde), Julie Moran (America’s Junior Miss in 1980, longtime Entertainment Tonight correspondent); Ashton Kutcher (International Modeling and Talent Association (IMTA) convention winner, star of That ’70s Show and The Butterfly Effect); and NBC’s Miss Universe Organization pageant partner, Donald Trump.

Serving Pageants Great and Small
Over the last 25 years, Pageantry has helped broaden and redefine the industry’s parameters by focusing attention on the important roles played by the beauty, talent, modeling, and artistic-performance-related businesses which form the basis of the publishing company’s core constituencies. In doing so, Pageantry has helped several generations of young people acquire the tools necessary to reach for the stars, whether that be in such intimate settings as local and state arenas or in the major national pageants such as the Miss America and Miss Universe organizations, the virtual explosion of “Mrs.” competitions, numerous teen, preteen, and children’s competitions, and talent and modeling conventions from the likes of the International Modeling and Talent Association, the Modeling Association of America International, John Robert Powers, and Barbizon.

It is, without a doubt, an incredible time for competitions of all types, and surely no other publications reflect those marked changes more impressively than Pageantry, as the only competition publication of its kind. From its infancy spinning off from founder Carl David Dunn’s Baton Rouge, Louisiana-based newsletter, Pageantry magazine now covers the world as it has evolved and grown in significance in numerous ways. In the last year alone, the magazine has carried reports from across mainland America, Alaska and Hawaii, South America, Russia, Gibraltar, the Philippines, and even China — which, by opening its doors to pageants in December with the Miss World 2003 finals, underscores an important point, which is that pageants are part of the very fabric of our modern society.

Today’s Pageantry serves not only to record the accomplishments by such prominent 2003 winners as Miss America 2004 Ericka Dunlap, Miss USA 2003 Susie Castillo, Miss Teen USA 2003 Tami Farrell, and Miss Universe 2003 Amelia Vega, but also to promote partnerships within the multimillion-dollar-a-year industries comprising all the beauty, talent, and modeling fields. With its annual Pageantry and PromTime fashion showcase — the largest on-site fashion shoot in the world — the magazine now stands as a recognized leader in debuting the country’s cutting-edge formal-occasion couture to both retailers and customers.

From its humble beginnings as a 24-page, limited-circulation pageant “fan-zine,” Pageantry now comprises up to 224 full-color pages per quarter, with millions of readers around the world and an Internet presence that records 20 million hits per month on its Pageantrymagazine.com and PromTime.com sites.

Over time, the content-driven publication and web sites have continued to sharpen their focus in providing this increasingly sophisticated audience with a wealth of valuable coverage and advice on such matters as: competition fashion, personal communications, talent and modeling career development, medical advances for appearance-related professionals, the latest looks from the cosmetics to the jewelry industries, event planning and production; personal development opportunities; and news from competition organizations that range from small local events to those of international scope.

A Starring Role in Hollywood
Through a partnership with contributing writers and industry specialists, whose articles form the core of its peerless editorial package, Pageantry lays claim to not only “the Bible of the Industry” title, but also the moniker of “most valued and passed-around magazine ever.” Today, even Hollywood recognizes this singular stature. Entertainment Tonight featured the magazine as it celebrated its 20th anniversary in 1999, and in 2000, when the producers of the megahit Miss Congeniality needed to find a pageant publication to help turn Sandra Bullock’s undercover fictional FBI agent Gracie Hart into Miss United States NJ Gracie Lou Freebush, they cast specially printed copies of Pageantrymagazine. As this edition was going to press, CEO Carl Dunn was in negotiations with producers of the Miss Congenialitysequel for a return appearance!

Gaining importance also over the years has been the magazine’s leadership in bringing a growing legion of retail partners into year-round contact with the styles of formalwear fashion manufacturers and wholesale marketers, at a time when the competitive business realities of fashion boutiques have affected retail attendance at fashion markets nationwide. By sponsoring marketing efforts of the evening wear and social occasion fashion industries, Pageantry has made a noticeable and positive impact at a national level, as it has become the No. 1 publication distributed to retail store buyers at major fashion markets in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, and New York.

At the time that Carl David Dunn came up with the idea of promoting the pageant industry, Jimmy Carter was president and pageants still had a fight on their hands with a vocal segment of women who were demanding gender equity with men and, conveniently but unfairly, used pageants as symbolic targets of their blame. Yet from the appearance of its very first issue, Pageantry identified the key qualities of pageants which positively combine society’s traditional view of women, which highlighted her natural beauty, with the emerging modern view, which melds physical beauty with intellectual enlightenment, business success, a happy family, and the other rewards promised to women in a modern, post-industrial society. “My goal,” wrote Mr. Dunn at the very start of his venture, “is to publish a magazine which will promote the positive attributes of the pageant industry and provide a forum in which not only titleholders, but all participants and directors, can be recognized for exemplary accomplishments and community service.”

Celebrating the Celebrities
As Pageantry’s premier issue reveals, historically there always has been a strong link between the entertainment industry and the world of competitions, and in subsequent years, that link has only grown stronger. The inaugural issue’s cover story presented the cast of Pageant ’80, an Atlantic City musical review produced by Bob Parkinson (a Miss Universe/USA vice president) and Bernie Wayne (composer of “There She Is, Miss America”) that starred six former talents from the Miss America and Miss USA systems.

Another of the industry’s many headline-making watershed events mentioned in the first edition of Pageantry involved the Miss America Organization’s decision to replace its long-time host Bert Parks with what has turned out to be a succession of show-business stars — the first of whom was actor Ron Ely in 1980, who at the time had already starred in a Tarzan TV series and was hosting a game show called Face the Music. Other notable hosts were Gary Collins, Regis Philbin and Kathie Lee Gifford, Donny and Marie Osmond and Tony Danza to name a few.

Through the 1980s and into the 1990s, the magazine’s role as the voice and protector of the competition industry expanded even as the cries of the women’s movement faded. Some headline-making pageant stories in Pageantry’s early issues included the 1989 death of Albert A. Marks, Jr., the Miss America executive who elevated pageants on the country’s grandest stage in 1954 when he negotiated the event’s live ABC telecast, and Burt Parks’ return appearance as a Miss America telecast guest for that scholarship competition’s 70th anniversary, 10 years after Marks had dismissed Parks in favor of the younger Ely.

But primarily, Pageantry’s stock in trade remained squarely focused on show business, with cover features on such entertainment notables as Mary Hart, Bob Goen, Phyllis George, Dick Clark, Ed McMahon, Bob Barker, Nancy Stafford, Gena Nolin, Barbara Eden, Regis Philbin, Kathie Lee Gifford, LeAnn Rimes, Halle Berry, and even the Muppets’ Miss Piggy, whose tongue-in-cheek “interview” contained this worthwhile advice: “The necessity of demonstrating flawless taste requires a constantly updated, well-chosen wardrobe.”

Pageantry’s Success Follows the Family Plan
Another major turning point at Pageantry magazine came with the 1989 arrival of Charles O. Dunn and Betty W. Dunn, who took over as publisher and president, respectively, from Charles’ brother, Carl David. Charles’s vision throughout the 1990s, based on his belief that the industry’s supporting players — particularly fashion manufacturers and retailers — deserved a high-end promotional publishing partner, led to the explosive growth of both advertising and editorial pages, and the publication went from 24 pages in its infancy to an average of 124 in full color by 1999. As Pageantry became the prime source of information about pageant, prom, and social-occasion fashions, it also became a major force within the fashion industry. A mid-1990s marketing effort led to the now highly anticipated annual Pageantry and PromTime Fashion Showcase each spring, and it wasn’t long before Charles Dunn had landed national newsstand distribution for Pageantry, which, along with direct-mail subscriptions, the American School Directory program, and cross-promotional distributing form the basis of Pageantry’s worldwide circulation.

Poised To Exceed Your Expectations
As the keeper of the industry flame, Pageantry magazine over the years has brought its partners a number of other innovations that continue to flourish in the 2000s. The Pageantry Spirit Award, for one, provides recognition for individuals, competitors and event organizers, and supporters who, through their inspiring leadership and deeds, uphold the generosity of spirit that is the heart and soul of the pageant industry. Another prominent and worthwhile Pageantry promotion is the Pageant Directors’ Program, which provides competitions large and small with opportunities to promote themselves and boost their profitability while they also say “thank you” to their contestants with complimentary copies of the magazine, certificates of recognition, and other gifts (crown cases, pageant pins, wardrobe carriers, etc.) from the publishers’ growing Pageantry Mall offerings.

Additional changes in management arrived in this 25th anniversary year, as another generation takes a leadership role at Pageantry with the announcement of Carl Dunn, Charles’ son, as the company’s chief executive officer. Like his namesake, Carl David, it is Carl Dunn’s intentions that the resources of Pageantry — its stable of expert contributing writers and photographers, its strong partnerships with such industry-serving mainstays as Stumps Party, Sally Beauty Supply, the country’s leading social-occasion fashion providers, and all of the companies that create, organize, and serve the multimillion-dollar competition industry — remain unparalleled. Future plans call for international distribution and licensing agreements; expansion of the publication’s target market through in-print and online initiatives; adding value to partnerships through new cross-promotional ventures; and encouraging continued reader involvement through such editorial offerings as “Web Watch,” “Web Q&A,” and the occasionally published “First Person Singular” column.

In a statement summarizing his philosophy, CEO Carl Dunn makes it clear that the publication his uncle founded is poised to meet whatever challenges the future may bring, saying: “Today, as Pageantry looks ahead to its next 25 years, it stands as the recognized leader and strongest voice of an industry that has significantly expanded its role in providing community and cultural leadership, while also serving its traditional role of venerating beauty, charisma, and talent as some of mankind’s most cherished gifts. That role has taken on renewed relevance as Americans have come to further appreciate the values espoused through pageantry in ways that even Carl David Dunn could not have imagined.”

My goal is to publish a magazine which will promote the positive attributes of the pageant industry and provide a forum in which not only titleholders, but all participants and directors can be recognized for exemplary accomplishments and community service.”

Following those prophetic words 20 years ago, Carl David Dunn, president of International Productions and Publications, Inc., achieved a personal dream through the creation of Pageantrymagazine. In 1980, when the first issue was published, Jimmy Carter was President of the United States, Dallas was the top-rated TV show, Cheryl Prewitt was the reigning Miss America, and Lady Diana Spencer was only months away from accepting a proposal from Prince Charles.

In the 20 years since then, Pageantry magazine has witnessed a great many changes within our original field of expertise and grown into a newsstand publication promoting not only the Pageant Industry, but also the areas of talent and modeling competitions. From our idealistic beginnings to our present-day endeavors, we would like to take you through a time-capsule in the growth of Pageantrymagazine.

Our founder, Carl David Dunn, was originally a veteran of the baton-twirling and beauty-pageant fields of competition. In the 1960s he was a founder of one of the original international pageants for children. Through the years, as the opportunity for young women to compete for college scholarships proliferated with the founding of numerous systems, Carl David Dunn recognized the need for a publication which could serve as a resource forum for those persons at all levels of competition.

The uniqueness of the publication has always been that Pageantry is the only international magazine in the world of its kind; and its magnetic charm has always been the titleholder herself, famous host, or celebrity featured on each cover with an in-depth story.

So far, eight Miss Americas have been featured on the cover with a related story, including Lee Meriwether (1955), Mary Ann Mobley (1959), Phyllis George (1971), Cheryl Prewitt (1980), Debbye Turner (1990), Leanza Cornett (1993), Tara Dawn Holland (1997), Katherine Shindle (1998), and Nicole Johnson (1999) along with the commemorative edition cover of the 75th Anniversary of the Miss America pageant. Three Miss USAs have also graced the cover: Carole Gist (1990), Shawnae Jebbia (1998), and Kimberly Pressler (1999), and one Miss Teen USA, Shelly Moore (1998). Additionally, many famous hosts and personalities have been seated beneath the famous Pageantry logo: Bob Barker, Gary Collins, Bert Parks, Bernie Wayne, Dick Clark, Ed McMahon, and Bob Goen. And Pageantry takes pride in all of the admired celebrities who have adorned her cover (most of whom got their start in pageants!): Barbara Eden, LeAnn Rimes, Regis and Kathie Lee, Mary Hart, Leeza Gibbons, Raven Symone, Halle Berry, Alan Thicke, Gena Nolin, Julie Moran, and Lee Greenwood to list just a few. Their stories are always inspirational as well as entertaining.

In its infancy, Pageantry resembled what many today would call a “fan-zine” (an industry-specific magazine). The regional publication, centered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, covered only the major events of Miss America, the productions of the Miss Universe Organization, and the major children and teen events of the Southeast. Originally printed in black and white with a four-color publication cover, the early editions of Pageantry were initially available only through subscription — very humble beginnings for the magazine which would soon earn the moniker the “Bible of the industry.”

Today, Pageantry occupies 10 offices in Orlando, Florida, with each issue reaching a total readership of approximately 2.5 million people. Aside from the U.S., Pageantry has subscribers in England, Australia, Canada, Japan, Norway, Hong Kong, Taiwan, the Bahamas, Greece, Mexico, Argentina, the Virgin Islands, Singapore, India, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Guam, the Philippines, New Zealand, Aruba, Yugoslavia, South Africa, Brazil, and Malaysia! The number of associates involved has also increased from three to over 30 professionals who are experts in their particular field. But best of all, the average number of pages has risen from 26, initially in black and white, to over 120 in glossy full color!

As the 1980s progressed, we continued to grow and witnessed the formation of new and exciting fields of competition, namely those of talent and modeling. Always the visionary, Carl David Dunn made the fateful decision to incorporate these growing fields within the pages of the magazine. By 1989, the first major expansion of Pageantry would begin with the arrival of Charles Dunn, our current publisher, who happens to be the brother of our founder. Thus began the metamorphosis of the magazine which you are reading today.

In keeping with the original philosophy, the publication would not only recognize the achievements of various goal-oriented participants, but it would also provide a marketing resource for all industries which could provide much-needed services to all competitors. This expansion would include fashion manufacturers, retail stores, professional and instructional advice from recognized leaders in their fields of expertise. In order to accomplish this, the arduous task of expanding from a regional to a national then to an international publication began to take place.

One of the first decisions made was to take advantage of the opportunity presented by the major fashion markets within the U.S. It was during attendance at the fashion markets that the decision to promote the evening-wear manufacturers to the general public was made — a decision which would quickly launch Pageantry to the national level. According to Charles Dunn, “The decision to begin with the evening-wear or social-occasion industry was very easy. As anyone can tell you, the Evening Gown is far and above the most exciting and glamorous phase of competition.” With this new resource of information, the need to upgrade the publication became apparent. Pageantry magazine would now begin to be printed in “four-color,” our present-day, full-color format.

The cooperation between Pageantry and the fashion markets would create a partnership which would help contribute to our growth in the coming years. As our presence within the fashion markets continued to strengthen, a side benefit for both the magazine and the fashion manufacturers became apparent. While attending the regional and national fashion markets, many of the retail store owners and buyers began to use Pageantry as a source for identifying the major manufacturers of fashions that they would need to promote within their stores to the general public. Accordingly, Pageantry magazine has grown to be the number-one distributed publication to retail store buyers within the country’s major fashion markets.

“Again, one of our goals was to bring all of these resources to the public on a national level and on a consistent basis,” explains Charles Dunn. “A benefit of our market attendance was the ability to meet with store owners from across the country and give many of them the opportunity to promote themselves to a national purchasing group as opposed to the local promotion that many of them were accustomed to and limited within.” Our national status was growing even more.

“The goal of any publication is to be viewed in two ways. One, as a cost-effective means of promotion to your advertisers, and two, as the unequaled provider of information to your readers…” — Charles Dunn. An early form of distribution, still in use today, was the ability to distribute directly to the public via the sale of the magazine directly within the retail store. What better way to begin a national distribution promoting the leading fashions, than through the outlet which directly interacts with the public? However, as exciting as this was, the idea to launch Pageantry onto newsstands nationwide was even more invigorating. As many of you have noticed and remarked, the changes within the magazine (since our introduction to newsstands) have been profoundly conspicuous.

Being a quarterly publication, our decision to release publications was made to coincide with both the major competitions in mind and also to coincide with the major shows within the fashion markets. This new decision would again thrust us into a new direction. As mentioned earlier, our first venture into the fashion arena began with the evening-wear manufacturers. With competitions now year round, our question was “What do these gowns represent outside of competition?” Simply, elegance. And probably, the most elegant opportunity in a young person’s life is the Prom.

By the Spring of 1993, Pageantry magazine had begun to produce a special edition focusing on the major events of Spring, Prom, and the fashions which attend these events. In fact, as fashions changed with new materials and colors, the differentiation between the pageant gown and the prom gown vanished.

After the first Prom publication, the Spring Edition would come to be known as the most anticipated issue of the year. In fact, many of the manufacturers praised the consistency and elegance of the photo shoots as the standard which the industry hoped to achieve. Our main goal was achieved: to promote the designer gowns in a classical and professional setting. As with many of our endeavors, the idea of actively producing an on-site photo shoot was well thought out, owing to the daunting tasks of choosing site locations, models, photographers, make-up personnel, lodging, etc. The list goes on, but we’re sure you get the idea.

To many people, the Prom edition, which would soon become known as “Prom Time” was their first introduction to Pageantry magazine. Over the years, we have produced photo shoots in such locations as Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, Daytona Beach (Florida), the Biltmore Mansion (North Carolina), and the Lee Greenwood Theater (Tennessee).

With this major publishing event an instant hit with both our readership and newsstand distributors, another opportunity would present itself to increase the visibility of Pageantry: the introduction of Pageantry magazine to school-age readers via the American School Directory’s (ASD) “Computers for Education” program. This allowed us to promote the enormous opportunities for competition, and the rewards for college scholarships that ensued, directly to the very reader we had hoped to reach! This affiliation not only allowed us to remain a cost-effective marketing tool, but also allowed us to participate in a worthwhile program in which a portion of all magazine sales would remain in the school for the purchase of computers and training. With this program, and others (“Prom Gala” and Montana’s CARE program) we exemplify one of our original principles… that of community service.

As we look forward to our next 20 years, here’s a final look at how new technologies and goals will continue to shape Pageantry magazine and what you, the reader, should expect to see: We will continue to be the prime source of information to our promotional partners as well as to you. This obligation has allowed us the opportunity to reach a vast audience in ages, from children to mature professionals. Articles for children, our “Teen Scene” column, “Fashion Forecast,” self-improvement and fashion editorials will continue to evolve as we do as a society. This commitment was evidenced this past year with the introduction of the famous Mr. Blackwell to our staff of writers and the continuation of “The Art of Etiquette” after the passing of the original author.

But even more importantly will be our challenges in bringing your accomplishments to an even greater audience. In the past two years we’ve taken the first steps with the introduction of our Web site — www.Pageantrymagazine.com. As a leader in the industries we serve, the obligation to be a pioneer within the new medium of the internet was imperative. Many of the resources you find within the pages you are reading are also found online, and the opportunity to reach new achievements has never been greater.

To promote further exposure to all achievers and participants nationwide and abroad, Pageantry established this internet presence on the World Wide Web in April of 1997. The Web site features many articles and stories from the current issue, the various fashion shoots, as well as Pageantry merchandise available (crown cases, crown pins, etc.) and contests online. The number of worldwide visitors has grown from under 3,000 hits per month in 1997 to currently over 300,000 hits per month. And the number of visitors are still increasing with every issue. As a matter of fact, this past year saw our top-rated Web site for competition information also become the number-one Web site for prom/competition fashions.

Likewise, the introduction to e-magazine (electronic) newsstands and a few recent additions (swimwear layouts, career-wear and interview-suit photo shoots) has propelled us to one of the top publishing positions within the fashion industry. However, the ultimate success of the publication has been attributed to the highly-qualified staff of contributing writers who have offered a wealth of information to our readers that they’ll carry with them for life.

As the world looks to the new millennium, we aim to remain your number-one publication for information, resources, and inspiration as all of you continue to achieve even greater goals.

ADDRESS: Pageantry magazine
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Meet Our Writers

All of Pageantry magazine’s writers are the leading expert in their field. Through their exclusive columns and departments, you will gain valuable information and tips about all areas of preparation for any level of competition, and everything you need to continue Celebrating the Glamour Lifestyle.

Breaking into Showbiz

Breaking into Showbiz by Richie Walls
Richie Walls is an Emmy Award winning producer. He is Producer and Co-Founder of Black Walls Entertainment, Co-Founder of Seen Entertainment where focus is Talent Management, and Producer with Conley Entertainment which just produced “Homestead” at the end of 2021 starring Shane West, Leven Ramblin, and Jake Mcloughlin. They also produced “A Violent Man” that was shot in the UK in 2020. Walls previously was the vice president of FilmEngine Entertainment which produced The Butterfly Effect with Ashton Kutcher, The Rum Diary with Johnny Depp, Hunters Prayer with Sam Worthington, and developed Snow White and the Huntsman with Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth, and Charlize Theron.

 

Beyond the Spotlight

Beyond the Spotlight by Megan Alexander
Megan Alexander is a national television correspondent for Inside Edition, television’s most celebrated and longest-running news magazine show. She also appears as a regular guest on HLN’s Showbiz Tonight. She has interviewed countless newsmakers, including Robert Redford, Madonna, and Tim Tebow. She recently covered the DNC and the past two Super Bowls. Megan is a member of the Country Music Association. You can find her on twitter: meganalexander1.

 

Fashion

Fashion Forecast by Kaye Davis
Kaye Davis is the fashion director of AmericasMart Atlanta, the largest wholesale marketplace of its kind. The Atlanta Apparel market, held five times a year, showcases more than 8,000 apparel lines, 1,000 temporary booths and 550 permanent showrooms. For more information, visit AmericasMart.com or call 800-ATL-MART.

 

Modeling

Modeling by Eve Matheson
Eve Matheson is the author of The Modeling Handbook, a bestseller in the industry. She has been writing about the modeling and acting world for over twenty years. Her new book Model Scoop And Acting Info provides a wealth of information on how to have a happy, successful, safe career and is now available. Eve is a journalist and the mother of a former international model. She has worked as a model, and in radio and television as a writer and presenter. Eve lives with her husband, Ian, a plastic surgeon, in Tampa, Florida.

 

Pageantry Staff

CEO: Carl Dunn

Office Administrator: Laureen Oglesby
Laureen Oglesby has been the Office Administrator for Pageantry magazine since 1996. A veteran of the Glamour Lifestyle Industry, Laureen has judged numerous local, state, national and international events. She is also the location coordinator for the Pageantry and PromTime Fashion Showcase, the world’s largest on-location photo shoot for social occasion fashions including pageant, prom, red carpet and homecoming dresses. In addition to her invaluable services to the industry, Laureen has been a licensed cosmetologist and skin care specialist within the beauty industry.

 

Editor: Nikki Gardiner

Nikki Gardiner, Nikki Gardiner, Pageantry’s Editor, is originally from Atlanta, Georgia but has called Florida home for the past 20 years. After graduating from Florida State University with a double major in English Literature and Political Science, she began teaching middle school and high school English in Central Florida. She became Pageantry magazine’s editor with the Summer 2019 edition.

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