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Food & Beverage

Pitmaster Collective

Members-only magazine for a zealous community of aspiring and professional pitmasters — and people who live to eat barbecue.

The client

The Pitmaster Collective brought together professional pitmasters and at-home enthusiasts united by a passion for all things barbecue. Partner restaurants represented the best in the barbecue industry — not just in the United States but around the world — and member perks included brand partner discounts, 10% off dining at Pitmaster Collective restaurants, VIP experiences, master classes, and more.

On ’Cue magazine covers

The partnership

To serve as a marketing tool for their partners and a valued benefit to their members, Pitmaster Collective wanted a best-in-class magazine filled with first-hand accounts from pitmasters, tricks of the trade, mouthwatering recipes, and anything else barbecue that could further unite this community of zealots.

The quarterly On ’Cue magazine sought to make barbecue enthusiasts feel like the pitmaster of their own world by addressing these five content pillars:

  • Aspiration: First-hand accounts and words of wisdom from the pitmasters, aka “our heroes.”
  • Inspiration: Information about the best recipes, restaurants, and events.
  • Knowledge: Educational tips and techniques, including how to use the all-important smoker and other tools.
  • Community: Content that encourages connection with pitmasters and other members.
  • Membership: Details about the restaurants, discounts, and other member benefits.
On ’Cue magazine feature
On ’Cue magazine feature
On ’Cue magazine front of book
On ’Cue November-December front of book
On ’Cue magazine feature
On ’Cue magazine feature
On ’Cue magazine feature

The takeaways

D Custom joined the effort soon after Pitmaster Collective got started. We supported member acquisition from zero to almost 100,000 and partner restaurant growth to 300 barbecue restaurants from 10 counties — all within a year.

After purchasing Pitmaster Collective, we wanted to publish a magazine as a benefit to our members. Because we’ve always had a positive experience working with D CEO, we engaged D Custom, the custom publishing agency of D Magazine Partners, to concept and execute the magazine for us.

They worked closely with us every step of the way on editorial, photography and artwork, production, and distribution. The quality is world-class. The team is extremely responsive, hardworking, and committed to excellence. The magazine looks like a million bucks.

— — John Billingsley, Former Founder & CEO,
JBB Advanced Technologies

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