ZinePak specializes in creating custom packages for pop-culture superfans. Since the company’s inception in 2011, superstars including Katy Perry, KISS, Taylor Swift, George Strait, Mumford & Sons, and dozens of other performers have turned to ZinePak for help elevating their entertainment offerings.

ZinePak was founded by Brittany Hodak, whose career began in the music industry, and Kim Kaupe, whose background is in publishing. Although both industries experienced double-digit sales declines for almost a decade prior to ZinePak’s launch, the cofounders saw a need in the marketplace for compelling, physical products for entertainment fans and set out to create a company to create them.

ZinePak’s namesake configuration, which pairs a CD with a small-format magazine and collectible merchandise items, launched in Walmart stores nationwide in early 2011. Since then, fans have spent more than $25 million buying 3 million ZinePaks at Walmart.

BusinessInterviews.com:  Can you expand on how your love of writing was a big part of the reason that you started ZinePak?

Brittany:  Absolutely! When I was 17 years old, I began working at a radio station in Arkansas…as the station’s mascot. Luckily, I was soon given other, slightly more glamorous responsibilities, one of which included blogging about artists for the station’s website. I loved writing and I loved music, so it was the perfect job—especially since meeting rock stars was literally part of my job. From there I helped several bands craft their bios and press kits while I was in college, then took a marketing job at a record company in New York. I thought there was a hole in the marketplace for a configuration that really paired music with artist discovery. That insight led to the idea for ZinePak. Our mission is to help get fans closer to the artists they love with exclusive content that they can’t find anywhere else.