Graydon Carter is a Senior Advisor at RedBird Capital Partners, where he supports the Firm’s initiatives in news and media.
He brings more than five decades of experience as a journalist, editor, documentary film producer, and media operator and entrepreneur, shaping some of the most influential publications and cultural platforms of the past two generations.
Prior to joining RedBird, Graydon served for 25 years as the editor of Vanity Fair, where he transformed the magazine into a global powerhouse by becoming the authority on politics, culture, and entertainment. Under his leadership, the publication expanded its investigative reporting, signature features, and commercial reach while earning countless awards and industry accolades. Along the way, he created the Vanity Fair Oscar party, now more than three decades old, as well as the magazine’s signature New Establishment listing.
Before Vanity Fair, Graydon co-founded Spy magazine, the pioneering satirical monthly that became a 1980s cultural touchstone for its irreverent commentary and media criticism. Prior to that, he was a writer at both Time and Life magazines and was the transformative editor of The New York Observer.
Following his tenure at Vanity Fair, Graydon launched Air Mail, an international digital weekly focused on global news, culture, and lifestyle. As founder and co-editor, he oversaw the platform’s expansion into newsletters, podcasts, live events, e-commerce, and bricks and mortar venues in New York, London, and Milan.
In addition to his editorial work, Graydon is also an Emmy and Peabody Award winning producer of almost two dozen documentaries and one hit Broadway play. Graydon’s memoir, When the Going Was Good, published earlier this year, is a New York Times bestseller. He is an owner of the Waverly Inn in Greenwich Village.
Graydon began his career in college as editor of The Canadian Review, a not particularly promising political and literary monthly, but one that got him to New York and the beginning of a career heralded for editorial innovation, smart, fearless writing, and cultural insight. He is an honorary editor of The Harvard Lampoon and a member of the Order of Canada.