The cover is our own tribute to Esquire’s 75th anniversary. The US edition plans to reinterpret four iconic covers this year. One was the Virna Lisi shaving cover from 1965 which they reinterpreted recently using Jessica Simpson. We chose Maria and we chose well.)

Other goodies in the July/August issue:
- News from the front lines of the Romanian Internet: a profile of Yahoo’s man in Romania, Bobby Voicu, and a look at Romania’s answer to the music industry’s woes, eOk.ro.
- The story of Andrei Pandele, who took great chances documenting the stuff of everyday life during communism.
- Sports journalist Radu Naum embarks on a quest to figure out what happened to the Romanians’ love for French culture.
- Ex-footballer Gica Popescu in a stylish fashion spread.
- A funny joke from Laura Cosoi.
- and much more.

Other goodies in the June issue:
- Lots of soccer stories – it’s the month of Euro 2008 after all – told by the likes of Gheorghe Hagi, Ilie Dumitrescu, Rica Raducanu and more.
- A stunning profile of a 16-year-old boy who dreams of one day being a great player.
- A trip around the world in a camper alongside the lovely family of Dan and Marilena Pouzet Oprean.
- Photos and words from the dreamy land of Cuba.
- Six-word stories told by four trendy advertising guys.
- and much much more.

Other great stories in this issue, include:
- Looking for Cristian Mungiu. An moving article on the director’s past year, and the toll the success of 4, 3, 2 has taken on him.
- Electoral season is upon us. Esquire marks the occasion with 14 pages of mayor-centered stories and photographs.
- The Romanian Stradivarius and the violin player that brings it to life.
- A good year for climber David Neacsu.
- A funny joke told by VJ Elena.

And more good stuff. You can download the table of contents in PDF, here.

Don’t let Arnold fool you – the magazine is comprised of 80 percent local content. We decided to translate the Arnold piece because he is an iconic figure all around the world. Not to mention that the piece is written by Tom Junod, which for me is enough to make me want to read it.

Let me preview some of the most interesting stories.

Dia Radu’s piece is about the consequences of accessing one’s Securitate (the communist secret police) files. Vasile Gavrilescu, a 71-year-old writer, did so. His life has never been the same since. This story is something like Das Leben Der Anderen, the German Oscar-winning film.

A very entertaining – but also profound – story on the disappearance of the Trabant, the East German classic. Gabriela Piţurlea has captured an interesting moment in time for a cult object that many don’t even consider to be car. The photos were shot by Andrei Pungovschi.

This is a story that I did on a man who dislikes routine so much that he’s prone to change gears when he is on top of his game. It’s a story about success, having it your own way and always building towards something better. Roald Aron shot the pictures.

Other stories:
- A great photo-feature on cocktail wizards and the drinks they mix.
- What I’ve Learned: Mircea Toma.
- Sexy women in underwear.
- The trickshot guru, Vali Carambol.
- The troubles of local media.
- and so much more.

* Designed by Raymond Bobar and Cătălina Zlotea.
* You can download the table of contents in PDF format if you wish.
* Same goes for the cover. Get it here.

The cover of this special What I’ve Learned issue is graced by actor, director, writer and producer Florin Piersic Jr., a man who chose to go through life at his own pace – although many believe he went slow and failed to show any accomplishments thus far. In this story, I argue his time to shine has come.

Download the cover in PDF format.

You can dowload the table of contents pages – seen above – here.

Other goodies in issue #6:

• Wisdom and advice from the likes of Al Pacino, Petre Roman, Nadia Comăneci, Gheorghe Dinică, Dustin Hoffman and Leonard Doroftei.
• A portrait of a journalist in prison.
• A story on the generation of children left home by parents working abroad.
• A stunning novella by award-winning author Philip Ó Ceallaigh.
• Great fun with actor Andi Vasluianu.
• An experiment involving watching television at night for one week. What’s on at 3 AM?
• And much much more – including Hilary Swank’s long legs and tips on ordering a martini.

* Designed by the team of Raymond Bobar and Catalina Zlotea.

PS: Seen anything you liked in Esquire? Tell us via e-mail: esquire@sanomahearst.ro.

I did mostly editing for this issue (editing is cool), but I did write a column for “Influence”. It argues that while you try to make the world work in your favor, other are doing the same. And sometimes they do it better than you. I also interviewed Nicoleta of pop band Hi-Q and thought up a “If you do this, then that” Valentine’s Day chart.

Other goodies in issue #5:
- Romania & EU: One year together
- Charlize is a woman we love
- Sean treks through Romania searching for the perfect saorma
- Working to write
- The bombing of Radio Free Europe
- Adrian-Silvan Ionescu, a man of the 19th centrury
- Radu Paraschivescu on selling stuff
- and much much more (including tips on how to brew the best coffee, Bradut on PR practices, the best acting performances of 2007, and a spectular pictorial featuring Romanian snowboarders and skiers).

* Designed by the team of Raymond Bobar and Catalina Zlotea.

PS: Seen anything you liked in Esquire? Tell us via e-mail: esquire@sanomahearst.ro

Esquire #4 is also my first glossy magazine cover story (the preview below is the opening spread). I always loved the first months on the staff of a newspaper – that slow progression towards getting your byline on A1. With magazines the joy isn’t as personal, but it’s still exciting. The story on Bucur is 10 pages long and it tells the story of a 30-year-old man who knows what he wants from his professional and personal life (as well as from the media). The photos were shot by Cosmin Bumbut.

Below are the two pages of contents. Click the thumbnails to see the larger version. For a better and closer view at the contents, download the PDF.

Other goodies in issue #4:
- Andrei Gheorghe is one mean Santa
- Malvina tells a joke
- The terrors of the Pitesti prison
- The children of the ‘89 revolution
- Igu’s nostalgia and LaTrecut.ro
- Norman Mailer’s last profile
- Radu Paraschivescu on soccer
- Halle Berry writes on Halle Berry
- and much much more (including hot drinks, the obituaries of 2007, free biblical advice, cars and the way to the elusive haircut).

* Designed by the team of Raymond Bobar and Catalina Zlotea.

PS: Seen anything you liked in Esquire? Tell us via e-mail: esquire@sanomahearst.ro

This profile of the late-director Cristian Nemescu is one of the hardest stories I’ve done, both professionally and personally. I was attracted to this man for a few reasons, some of which I spelled out in an interview with Bradut: he was a young man who loved telling stories, he was a strong character despite his fragile appearance, and his death left a profound gap in the lives of his friends and family. Reporting this story was an enormous challenge. Some of his friends were wonderfully honest and sincere, others were understandably skeptical of a reporter digging for intimate details. Interviewing his parents was also hard, as they didn’t think they had anything to add to what had been said (they did – a lot).

There is always good for better reporting and better writing, but at the end of the day I believe that this piece remains the most elaborate piece of journalism done of the director of California Dreamin’.

Click on the imagine below to download the PDF. Opening montage and design: Raymond Bobar.