Active Interest Media Acquires Taunton Press

Active Interest Media (AIM), a leading enthusiast media company, has acquired The Taunton Press, a consumer media and book publisher, based in Newtown, Conn.

Taunton’s titles include Fine Woodworking, Fine Homebuilding, and Fine Gardening. AIM publishes Popular Woodworking, Woodsmith, and Woodshop News, along with boating, homebuilding, collecting, gardening, cooking, and writing titles.

The acquisition of The Taunton Press aligns several core markets and allows AIM to expand its mission of inspiring an ever-growing audience of enthusiasts to enjoy their hobbies and interests. This strategic move effectively doubles AIM’s reach and influence across gardening, woodworking, and homebuilding, the company said in a statement.

“AIM and Taunton are closely aligned on several important fronts. While the symmetry of many of our core markets is obvious; woodworking, gardening, and homebuilding; there are many other similarities,” said Andrew Clurman, AIM’s President and CEO. “Strategically, like AIM, Taunton has been aggressively pursuing the creation of new digital products, memberships, and online learning to better serve their audiences. Most importantly, Taunton shares with AIM a commitment to growing and promoting both the communities we serve, and our fantastic teams dedicated to that mission.”

“AIM will be an excellent home for Taunton,” said Andrea Roman, Board Chair of The Taunton Press. “The two companies share a dedication to producing high-quality information, and inspiring enthusiasts for hands-on living. AIM’s leadership, scale and resources will provide a strong foundation for the next generation of Taunton’s growth, and the combined organization will provide new opportunities for our employees.”