Denise Gustavson, the editorial director of PRINTING United Alliance media brands, joined Wide-Format Impressions for a Q&A about her illustrious Her Imprint podcast series. During women’s history month, Gustavson put out 22 episodes all highlighting different women in the industry.
However, telling women’s stories doesn’t end in March — Her Imprint runs year-round and we wanted to get the scoop on what Gustavson is most proud of when it comes to this editorial endeavor.
WFI: What first inspired you to start the Her Imprint Podcast?
Denise Gustavson: It really grew out of two things. I’d spent more than 20 years in this industry watching remarkable women do extraordinary work and watching those stories go largely untold. Around the same time, I was becoming part of the founding of the Women in Print Alliance, and that experience made it even clearer to me that visibility wasn’t just nice to have — it was necessary. Her Imprint became the storytelling arm of that mission. The Women in Print Alliance exists to attract, advance, and advocate for women in print. Her Imprint is where those women get to speak for themselves.
WFI: With print being known as a sort of “boys club” what does it mean/represent to you to host a podcast focused entirely on women’s stories?
DG: It means everything, honestly. I’ve been in this industry for 28 years — I know firsthand what it feels like to be the only woman in the room. There’s a statistic that only about 30% of C-suite roles are filled by women today, and that’s across all industries. In print, that number can feel even smaller. Women couldn’t even get a business loan until 1988. So, the legacy of who built and ran these companies is still very present in some rooms. Her Imprint, as the official podcast of the Women in Print Alliance, is a direct response to that. It says these women are here, they’re leading, they’re building, they’re innovating — and the industry needs to hear it. It’s not about checking a box. It’s about changing who gets a seat at the table and making sure people can actually see themselves there.
Read this full article on Wide-Format Impressions, a publication of PRINTING United Alliance, ASI’s strategic partner.
