How Martha Stewart Reinvents Her Brand With Finesse
I even hear Martha AI is in the works. Is that so?
Definitely—I just got two emails begging me to make up my mind about something, which I refuse to do quite yet. I haven’t made up my mind about how to approach AI. It’s so complicated and so noteworthy at the present time, and AI has taken over the imaginations of investors and everybody. So I’ll let you know when I make up my mind. I hope I do the right thing.
You’re quite the collector—the copperware assemblage in your Maple House kitchen comes to mind. Do you find that you’re tied to pieces for life, or is it easy for you to minimize and make room for the next set?
I haven’t really gotten rid of anything. There’s some stuff I find that is a little mundane or I don’t use it, and I’ll sell it at a tag sale. I had a huge one two years ago, and I sold a lot of stuff. My youngest sister was an avid collector of colorful Depression glass, but I sort of lost interest in that one. I still have my grandma’s collection of Fiestaware, but I haven’t found a use for it lately. You evolve, styles evolve, and also the environment evolves. I just don’t have that cute little cottage right now where I could display something like Fiestaware.
In the new documentary, you discuss the wealth of talent that Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia employed, calling it an Olympian-level of creatives. What was the “it” factor you looked for when recruiting talent?
A sort of like-mindedness. We had a funny test—and not everybody had to take the test, but I did give it to people. I gave it to a person the other night, and he failed miserably. The test is: Give me the definitions of toile, tulle, tool, tuile, toyle, and toil. Do you know how many people cannot do that?
But yes, we developed an amazing network of the most talented people. There should be another documentary about who they are, where they are, and what they are doing. I often hear that I should have a party one of these days, and get everyone back together. There’s like 3,000 people that I’d have to invite—and I have all their contacts—so it’s going to be a big party.
This interview has been condensed and edited for brevity and clarity.
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