About Us

CAMPUS CIRCLE INC. began in 1990 when Joy Calisoff, a USC film student, launched CAMPUS CIRCLE NEWSPAPER to help pay her college expenses. Initially, the paper was published four times a year with a circulation of 1,500 copies per issue. Over the next decade, the newspaper expanded from a college newspaper to an alternative publication that caters to 18 to 34 year-olds throughout the Los Angeles area. With an audited circulation of 30,000 copies and distribution to more than 800 retail outlets as well as 40 college campuses, CAMPUS CIRCLE NEWSPAPER has steadily grown to be published 43 times a year.

In 1999, CAMPUS CIRCLE INC. recognized that the way young adults were receiving information had changed with the popularity of the internet. As a result, CAMPUS CIRCLE INC. began to utilize the internet to enhance the reach of its newspaper.  By integrating print ad campaigns with online marketing (sweepstakes and banner hosting, viral marketing, online editorial, and an extensive subscriber database) as well as street marketing, CAMPUS CIRCLE INC. was able to generate better response for its film clients than other forms of media including: larger publications, cable television and radio.

In 2000, CAMPUS CIRCLE INC. expanded its reach beyond Los Angeles by forming a relationship with a network of other alternative publications across the country. CAMPUS CIRCLE INC. recognized that each of these publications had unique strengths, concentrating on the local, distinct flavor of each market. By uniting these publications and coordinating a strategy similar to our L.A.-based grassroots efforts, CAMPUS CIRCLE MEDIA (CCM) was born.  The CCM network now utilizes 34 publications (including the popular ONION newspapers) in 32 markets.  All of the publications have a high percentage of readers between the ages of 18 and 34.