Renaissance buys Acadiana magazine

The parent company of Louisiana Life and New Orleans Magazine is spreading out along the corridor. Renaissance Publishing LLC has purchased Acadiana Profile, a regional lifestyle and culture magazine covering the 22 southeastern Louisiana parishes commonly referred to as Acadiana. Having first published in 1968, Acadiana Profile is one of the oldest regional glossy magazines in the country. Trent Angers, whose parents founded Acadiana Profile and who has most recently served as the magazine’s editor and publisher, assumes the title of executive editor. His responsibilities will include contributing a column to each issue. The publication’s Lafayette facilities will remain at their present Acadiana House Publishing site. Renaissance Publishing began operations in February 2006 in the wake of the Hurricane Katrina devastation. Three former employees and a former minority owner of the company that previously operated the state and city magazines founded the New Orleans-based company. In addition to its editorial titles, Renaissance’s Contracts Division produces several specialty books, including the GameDay program for the New Orleans Saints and the official program of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. In a joint statement Renaissance’s three owners, Todd Matherne, chief executive officer; Alan Campell, president; and Errol Laborde, editor-in-chief, said the following: “We are proud to be a part of a publication with such a legacy as Acadiana Profile, just as we are eager to make our own mark. We are committed to being of and about Acadiana with every issue.” Acadiana Profile will be published six times a year, and its February/March issue will be the first under the direction of the new owners. The issue introduces a back-of-the-book column written entirely in French as part of the publication’s commitment to preserving the culture.