Magazine founder creates a one-stop shop for readers

Matt Hranek ’90 (professional photographic illustration), founder and editor of WM Brown magazine and The William Brown Project, likes to spend his time exploring and embracing the diversity of life. By producing his own magazine, he’s made a career out of sharing his life experiences with others.

The beginnings of WM Brown, a men’s print magazine, can be traced back to Hranek’s time working as a freelance photographer in New York City after graduating from RIT.

“I was able to refine my style of photo­graphy and found that I really loved magazine photography,” said Hranek. “I wanted to be around all those amazing people that were producing print material for publications like Vanity Fair and Vogue.”

Hranek, originally from Binghamton, N.Y., worked for several popular magazines—including GQ and Condé Nast Traveler—where he honed his skills as a photographer, writer, and editor.

When digital photography was first introduced, Hranek knew the field would be permanently altered. He believed the evolution was for the better, but as someone trained on film, he needed to change his course to better match his skills and ambitions.

“As far as a career at that point, I thought it would be interesting to shift gears and become an ideas guy instead of an execution guy,” said Hranek. “I wasn’t just a photographer. I was somebody who really had a grasp on editorial ideas and how to be a storyteller.”

Hranek made a gamble not just to create a new, exclusively print publication, but to also take a different approach to content curation. Instead of settling on one niche, WM Brown readers can find articles about cars, travel, style, food, drinks, and more, all in one glossy package.

“Starting my own magazine meant I could include all the topics I was interested in under one title. It was being shaped as an overall curation of an aesthetic point of view,” said Hranek. “We had no idea where this was going to go. I just knew, selfishly, that I wanted to create something like this.”

WM Brown is now on its 15th issue.

In addition to his work with WM Brown, Hranek has authored several books, including A Man & His Watch, A Man & His Car, The Negroni, and The Martini. In 2023, Hranek published a new book, A Man & His Kitchen, and was invited to appear on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to promote the book and share the story behind The William Brown Project.