It's no surprise that Tufts alumni would make big waves in the realm of journalism, seeing as how our campus has such an impressive range of publications. Everything from The Zamboni to The Primary Source includes elements of quality entertainment.
In that grand Tuftonian tradition, Tufts alumus Monty Sarhan (LA '95), a product of our expansive liberal arts education, has recently taken over and revamped the 48-year-old humor magazine CRACKED.
Stripping it of its former childish comic style, Sarhan, now CEO and Editor-in-Chief, re-released a more satirical magazine, fit for tearing down and/or berating any and all who stand in the public eye.
Though grouped with magazines such as Maxim, CRACKED's 80 full-color pages provide a unique kind of entertainment. With writers from "The Daily Show," "Chappelle's Show" and "Saturday Night Live," this mag is certain to send readers to the floor with laughter. The first two thirds of the magazine are devoted to comedic entertainment, while the final third is devoted to informing the public about the goings-on of the comedy world through various articles and interviews.
"This is a magazine for comedy junkies. It will make you laugh but also inform you of the stuff that is going on," Sarhan said.
The second issue hit newsstands Oct.17 and the associated Web site, Cracked.com, has exploded with nine bloggers and numerous writers updating the Web site to provide new, innovative humor on a daily basis.
Liberal arts degrees aren't useless, right?
After graduating from Tufts in 1995 with a double major in history and political science, Sarhan's experience confirms most every liberal arts student's fear. "There just aren't too many jobs for history majors, not to really disappoint the readers there," Sarhan said.
So Sarhan went on to pursue an ever-so-practical law degree at Duke University. He followed with a career in law with the international firm White & Case, LLP, mainly dealing with venture capital financing, Which allows people to raise money in order to pursue new business endeavors. After helping people achieve their dreams day after day, Sarhan decided that perhaps his clients had the right idea. "I wanted to do something on my own, and somebody told me that CRACKED was available," he said.
Although initially passing on the opportunity due to CRACKED's pre-established "rep" as a somewhat childish comic mag along the lines of MAD magazine, Sarhan started to see a new future for CRACKED made possible by that already well-known, established name.
"I started thinking about CRACKED in a broader sense, as a brand that most guys recognized and either had bought a copy, read a copy, or at least knew the name of the magazine. I used that base to help identify me and the new CRACKED," Sarhan said.
Not just babes or beer in here
Complete with its merciless, occasionally politically incorrect and often crude humor, Sarhan's target audience is 20- to 40-year-olds, allowing the magazine to fall into the realm of "guy" magazines such as Maxim and FHM. According to Sarhan, however, this association to publications that vaunt front covers of big boobs and sports cars just doesn't fit. Sarhan said, "The kind of humor that you find in CRACKED is quite different than the stuff in Maxim. Their main thing is babes and beer, and I just think there is going to be a burn out. I used to subscribe to Maxim, but after a while I realized that every issue is the same."
Whereas sex appeal, sports, sweat and general manliness is the focus of such magazines, CRACKED hones in on the comedic fair that such publications initiated and takes off from there. Sarhan explained, "In Maxim, humor is just a by-product, but for us, humor is the main deal and we just try to apply that comedic edge to all aspects."
Cracked.com will make you crave the next hit
In acquiring the magazine name, Sarhan also attained all the archives and Web site. Having launched the new site in October 2005, the CRACKED idea went under another total transformation, going from a sleepy, primitive site publicizing a comic mag to a phenomena all its own.
Sarhan said, "We wanted to take Cracked.com and make it something in itself so you didn't have to read the magazine or really even know about it to enjoy the site. We have nine bloggers and people publishing every day, which is significant. I don't think there are that many other sites that offer that kind of humor every day."
In our ever-modernizing age, the CRACKED company is moving right along. "We went from about 40 to 50 hits a day to being on the top 10,000 most hit Web sites in the world. That is very positive," said Sarhan. "It shows we are moving into the technological world."
CRACKED's only interest is in getting its message to the people: whether or not it is always a completely straight-faced or serious message is beside the point. Even less important is exactly where readers choose to get their CRACKED fix.
"If they want to get it on their Palm [Pilots], mobile phones, on the Web site or by picking up a copy of a magazine, that's great. We are more about making the content available for people to enjoy," stresses Sarhan.
Being funny all the time takes training, work and a large-and-in-charge staff
CRACKED prides itself on presenting its 80 pages of content ad-free. Commenting on how a magazine could accomplish such a feat, Sarhan attributes it to his immensely qualified and dedicated staff. "We've got a team of really talented editors, staff and coordinators as well as the support of a freelance body of writers," Sarhan said. Famous faces behind the pens include columnist Michael Ian Black and Neil Pollack.
Sarhan remembered the good-ole Jumbo's comedic publication, The Zamboni, and advises those in search of experience to turn to CRACKED. "I would encourage them to send us stuff. One of the things is, is we are not just looking for established writers," said Sarhan. "Our staff spends a lot of time searching and scouring the internet for new funny people and that's one of our missions - to give people their start. I don't just want to hire someone, I want the aptitude."
Tufts experience is beneficial for personal academic development, but not for liver
While speaking fondly of his time at Tufts, Sarhan mentioned, "I just partied all the time. But I never set anything on fire or broke anything. I was really not involved. I showed up to class and did my thing." Despite college's inherent educational value, Sarhan said, "The one thing about college is that it is when you really become who you are. College is being on your own for the first time and the challenges that come along with it bring you into being an adult. Part of who I am is a result of my time at Tufts."
Although he might not have written a history book or become a politician with his liberal arts education, the Tufts experience yielded the 31-year-old a job as the CEO and Editor-in-Chief of a magazine featured in international bookstores and newsstands. With regard to CRACKED's future, Sarhan said, "The future of CRACKED is really the future of technology."
As the modern world continues to expand, CRACKED will find a way to add a dash of humor to every aspect.
