Imagine moving into a brand new home, built to your specifications, only to discover your children begin showing signs of allergies and asthma. That’s what happened to Behind The Walls founder and CEO Harold Simansky, and when he literally took a peek behind his walls, he discovered the root of the problem. And in doing so, realized the importance of spreading a message to the masses about the importance of building sustainably in the form of an easily digestible publication.
Simansky launched BTW in the winter of 2013, Social Media & Business Development Strategist Caroline Egan told me, to inspire “people and show them how having a sustainable home can be as beautiful as any home you see in Architectural Digest or Dwell.”
BTW has published three issues to date, and has taken to Kickstarter to solicit funds for helping to not only launch its fourth, but to expand its readership both in print and digital. A new website is also in the works which they hope will bolster their mission.
At the time this article was published, BTW has raised $23,210 of its $25,000 goal from 161 backers and has just 26 hours left to bank the difference.
Greater Boston is at the forefront of sustainability when it comes to developing eco-friendly buildings and living spaces. Both the City of Boston and City of Somerville launched sweeping housing initiatives to address the growing demand for such structures. Micro-housing, too, especially in Boston, is on the rise and could have major implications for our own cityscape and the New England region.
If nothing else, BTW will promote these notions while, as a side note, help innovate in a constantly transforming media landscape.
They’re more than just a print and online publication, after all.
“Its difficult for people to see that print, digital, events and video–this is why we call ourselves a transmedia company,” said Simansky. He added,
All have to work together to promote an idea and to inspire. Any one piece alone will not give you the coverage you are looking for. All of these things work in tandem. There are still some subjects that lend themselves to print because of their tangibility, the tactile feature of the interaction, and this is particularly true with the home and home improvement space.”
Added BTW’s editor in chief Alexandra Hall, “We are the first magazine of our kind dedicated to educating homeowners about how to live in their homes in the most environmentally friendly and budget friendly and stylish way possible. What’s innovative about that is the very idea that green can be glam.”
As per BTW’s Kickstarter campaign, they money you donate will be used as thus:
- Expanding the reach and size of our magazine by going from 44 pages to 96 pages, and increasing our circulation from ~100,000 to ~200,000. Cost = $15,000
- Upgrading www.BTW.build to handle more content and traffic. Cost = $5,000
- Launching BTWradio to include podcasts and the BTWstore to sell healthy, sustainable and energy efficient products. Cost = $3,000
- Platform to manage and track subscriptions. Cost = $2000
