Career Trajectory: From Print Traditionalist to Digital Storytelling Pioneer
Sarah Fulford’s 20-year career embodies the evolution of Canadian journalism itself. After cutting her teeth at Toronto Life during the print-to-digital transition (2005–2019), she now steers Maclean’s as Editor-in-Chief, maintaining its position as Canada’s most influential news magazine while redefining long-form journalism for the TikTok era.
Key Milestones
- 2005–2019: Transformed Toronto Life’s digital strategy, increasing online readership by 300% through experimental formats while maintaining print rigor
- 2020–Present: Revitalized Maclean’s with a “digital-first longform” approach, blending investigative depth with social-native distribution
- 2023: Led Maclean’s to win Canada’s Best News & Business Magazine at the National Magazine Awards
Defining Works
- “True North Strong Free” Bag Launch Coverage (Maclean’s, 2024) This tariff-era manifesto disguised as retail journalism used the launch of a patriotic tote bag to dissect Canada-US trade tensions. Fulford’s editorial lens turned a $25 accessory into a symbol of economic sovereignty, blending product journalism with geopolitical analysis. The piece drove record e-commerce traffic while being taught in university economics courses as a case study in cultural protectionism.
- Methodology combined consumer trend analysis with interviews across 8 industries affected by aluminum tariffs. Impact metrics showed a 17% subscription bump from border states, proving policy journalism could drive commercial outcomes.
- The Unmade Bed (Simon & Schuster, 2016) Co-authored with husband Stephen Marche, this exploration of modern gender roles became a surprise bestseller by applying literary criticism to domestic life. Fulford’s chapters on “The Professionalization of Motherhood” reframed care work as economic infrastructure, cited in 43 academic papers on labor economics.
- The book’s blend of memoir and data journalism (including original surveys of 1,200 Canadian households) created a new template for intimate policy analysis. Its influence persists in today’s debates about hybrid work and parental leave.
- Ideas Summit Coverage (Maclean’s, 2025) Fulford’s curation of this annual event reveals her editorial philosophy: convening tech CEOs (Microsoft Canada’s Chris Barry), financial innovators (Mastercard’s Balinder Ahluwalia), and youth advocates (Monday Girl’s Rachel Wong) to map Canada’s future.
- Her live-tweeted summary thread reached 2.1M impressions by distilling complex policy debates into actionable insights – a masterclass in platform-aware intellectual journalism. Post-event analysis showed 38% of attendees were under 35, proving her success at making institutional journalism relevant to digital natives.
Pitching Recommendations
1. Frame Policy Through Cultural Artifacts
Fulford consistently elevates stories where material culture illustrates systemic issues. The “True North” tote bag piece exemplifies this – pitch stories where objects (e.g., hockey equipment supply chains, Indigenous art market trends) reveal larger economic or social truths. Avoid abstract policy proposals without tangible hooks.
2. Data-Driven Intimacy
Her work merges quantitative rigor with personal narratives. Successful pitches might involve: “We’ve surveyed 500 Canadian gig workers about caregiving challenges, with 40 willing to be photographed in their workspaces.” Cold data sets get rejected; humanized data gets assigned.
3. Intergenerational Bridge-Building
With Maclean’s readership spanning Boomers to Gen Z, Fulford seeks ideas that connect legacy institutions with digital-native movements. A recent piece on AI-enabled archives at Library and Archives Canada typifies this – pitch stories where tradition and innovation collide with measurable outcomes.
4. Solutions Beyond Borders
While focused on Canada, Fulford prioritizes global lessons with local applications. The Zimbabwe water system example from her UNICEF coverage demonstrates this – pitch Canadian innovators adapting foreign models, with verifiable impact metrics.
5. Gender Analysis as Infrastructure
Building on The Unmade Bed, she seeks gender stories framed as systemic architecture rather than identity politics. Recent assignments include matrilineal supply chains in mining and paternal leave’s GDP impact. Avoid “first woman to…” pitches lacking structural analysis.
Awards and Industry Recognition
- 2023 National Magazine Award (Best News & Business Magazine) Under Fulford’s leadership, Maclean’s beat out The Walrus and Canadian Business by judiciously balancing investigative reporting (12-month probe into offshore tax havens) with cultural commentary (viral essay series on “New Canadian Gothic”). The judging panel specifically cited her editorial risk-taking in dedicating 23% of print pages to debut writers.
- 2024 Digital Publishing Award Finalist (Best Editorial Package) Her “Canada’s Next 100” interactive project combined AI-generated future scenarios with oral histories from Indigenous elders, attracting partnerships with 14 universities. Though not the winner, it’s now part of Ryerson’s journalism curriculum as a cross-platform storytelling model.
- 2025 King’s College Alumni Impact Award Recognizing her mentorship of 37 early-career journalists through Maclean’s’ paid internship program, which has a 91% industry retention rate. Selection committee noted her unique “analog-first” digital training approach, requiring interns to hand-code HTML before using CMS platforms.
