Jill Demling Tells It All

What made you decide to do a podcast?

I have always been a storyteller — a really long and very detailed storyteller. Over the years people would always say ,"You should start a podcast because you have so many stories," and I would always say, "Oh yeah, with all the free time I have." It wasn't until Edward Enninful left British Vogue and our last cover — which was the 40 Icons March 2024 cover — had been replaced on newsstands that it really hit me; my 26 year career at Condé Nast had finally come to an end. It felt strange and sad. But the thing I realized is the days I truly missed were long gone. The magazine today is not what it was when I started and like I'd always say (but never do) leave while the party is good because that is the memory you will keep.

That’s a very good policy.

Luckily, I saved every magazine since the day I started at American Vogue in June 1998, and I started going through them one by one. All of the memories came flooding back and they were crystal clear. I remembered everything about every shoot, down to what movie I cast each cover star for. I found myself laughing out loud remembering the crazy stuff that would happen on some of these shoots, like when the bullfighter from the December 2007 Penelope Cruz cover shoot got bounded by a bull right before our shoot and was in a hospital in Barcelona while we were on set in Madrid, and he wouldn't let any other bullfighter take his place, and somehow he got himself discharged and showed up the last day of the shoot limping and on crutches.

The behind-the-scenes stories from these shoots are stranger than fiction and I figured, there must be some people out there who would find these conversations entertaining and if not, who cares, this will be a great excuse to catch up with my Vogue family and to reconnect with all the brilliant artists and creatives I spent half my life with.

Will anything be off-limits?

This podcast is meant to not only entertain people but to celebrate all the artists that work behind the scenes to make these incredible images that everyone loves. When a photograph runs inside the magazine it's only the photographer's name that is big and bold. You have to look at the small on-page captions or sometimes in the back of the magazine to see who did everything else but take the photograph. I want to talk to everyone who contributed to the making of these iconic images because it really does take a village — a very chic village.

Ain’t that the truth.

I also want these conversations to inspire the next generation of creatives who are watching their beloved magazines die this long and painful death. Imagine if the industry was in this state when we were graduating college? It would be so depressing! We were so lucky to have experienced the late '90s and early 2000s. I ask each of my guests to share both practical advice (for those looking to do what they do) and foundational wisdom (that can be applied to anyone). Tonne [Goodman] talks about "diplomacy" and how the real meaning of the word is consideration and how important it is to think about everyone on set before yourself. Mary Howard gives practical advice to anyone wanting to go into set design by stating the importance of learning AI. Norman Jean Roy pleads to budding photographers "Say something." At the end of our interview he speaks directly to them and says, "You've got everything. Look at everything that's available to you. Say something. Don't just take a picture, make a photograph. Huge difference."

Do no dirt on the podcast?

I want to keep this podcast positive and celebratory. I will save the real tea for my memoir!

Have you kept a diary over the years?

Who needs a diary when you have a memory like mine? People have always been shocked about the level of detail that I remember. I remember more about my best friend's ex-boyfriends (and one night stands!) than she does! And as I mentioned, I have every single issue of Vogue for 25+ years and have kept every card and thank you note a celebrity (or anyone for that matter) has ever sent me. But really everything is locked up in my head just waiting to come out.

I want to keep this podcast positive and celebratory. I will save the real tea for my memoir!

In doing the first few episodes have any stories come up that you didn’t remember or that shocked you?

Yes! I spent the weekend editing my Tonne Goodman interview and I had totally forgotten that Gwyneth's March 2002 cover story was a reshoot. Leslie Fremar also told the story when I had her on. For the first shoot, Kevyn Aucoin had done this incredible beauty transformation on Gwyneth, turning her into Marilyn and Elizabeth Taylor in The Sandpiper with Herb Ritts shooting and Anna killed the whole story. Tom Munroe reshot the story in the studio and only 2 images ran inside the issue with Herb's original cover. I vaguely remembered the story but considering I was the one who would have had to call Stephen Huvane to tell him the whole story was killed, I am sure I had PTSD and blocked it all out. Jonathan Van Meter told a shocking story about his time at Vibe magazine but you will have to tune in to hear it!

What’s the biggest difference between the golden years of media and now?

Everything. The budgets, the talent, the passion, the work — as Tonne says, "It wasn't just a job, it was our life," and that is the truth. We lived and breathed Vogue. We loved what we did and no one (at least no one I worked with) did it for the money (God knows editorial doesn't pay). It was the best job in the world back then and everyone on that set was the best of the best. It was Vogue! And Anna wouldn't have it any other way.

Photos courtesy of Jill Demling