But the magazine for the iPad is actually the gadfly billionaire's second stab at magazine moguldom. Forty-four years ago, when Branson was 16, he and a school chum Johnny Gems, launched Student. Branson hoped it would be a Rolling Stone for youth culture.
It wasn't.
"The world has moved on in many, many ways since Johnny and myself launched Student," said Branson.
But he has equally high hopes for Project.
"It's the first truly digital magazine about creative people for creative people," Branson told reporters gathered at a press conference at Manhattan's Crosby Street Hotel on Tuesday morning.
Created by Virgin Group and U.K. publisher Seven Squared, Project is available for $2.99 per issue. The executive team includes Branson's daughter Holly Branson (special projects manager at Virgin Group), Giovanni Donaldson (founder of Virgin Digital Publishing) and editor Anthony Noguera and art director Che Storey, both formerly of Arena.
The inaugural issue features Jeff Bridges, star of the upcoming Tron: Legacy, Oscar-winner and at 60, Hollywood's elder statesman of cool.
"We didn't just want celebrities and rock and roll," said Branson, "though we will manage to fit a fair amount of that in."
The first issue of Project has about 100 "pages" of content. But it will not be static content, said Noguera.
Richard Branson New Magazine
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