S&A Cherokee Acquires Wake Living, Strengthens Regional Footprint

Full-service integrated communications agency and media company, S&A Cherokee, announced today that it has acquired Wake Living Magazine. Cherokee Media Group (CMG), S&A’s publishing/media division, closed on the deal in mid-March and will publish its first issue in July 2022.

In January 2004, CMG launched its first city and regional title, Cary Magazine, to cover western Wake County. Since that time, it has launched and published titles that the company owns or custom publishes for clients.

As Wake County and its cities and towns continue to attract residents from around the country, it became apparent that growth in some areas warranted consideration to add media brands. In February 2019, CMG launched Main & Broad to highlight and accommodate the significant growth in the towns of Holly Springs and Fuquay-Varina.

With the success of its city and regional media, it was a natural fit for CMG to acquire Wake Living when the opportunity presented itself.

“We have worked hard to reflect the quality of life and bring meaningful content about and for the residents and businesses of Wake County to the forefront and it made a lot of sense to add Wake Living to our portfolio,” said Bill Zadeits, president of CMG. “For more than 20 years, Stuart has grown Wake Living into a popular and respected brand and we’re excited to build upon that success with our talented team while extending our reach throughout the county.”

Stuart Weiss, Founder/CEO of Wake Living, will stay involved with CMG as a consultant for the near term along with its editor and creative director. Kris Schultz, group publisher, CMG Regional, will manage the title and the team and has been with S&A Cherokee for more than 14 years.

“We’re excited to extend our reach in the region and bring even more value and opportunity to our readers and customers with the Wake Living acquisition,” said Schultz. “Over time, we will not only grow the Wake Living brand but also launch additional events and recognition opportunities to engage and connect our readers in person and online.”