We Cover Entertainment, Culture, Lifestyle, and Business for Those Who Rock.
For nearly 15 years, The Rock Father™ Magazine has been serving up a unique content mix ranging from curated music news and features to home and garden, DIY, food and beverage, automotive and car culture, tech, business, podcasts, and more.
The History of The Rock Father™ Magazine:
Founded by James Zahn aka The Rock Father™ in 2009, what began as a small blog expanded to a full-scale website on Father’s Day 2011. While the original site was intended to be an outlet geared toward pop culture-minded new fathers, a heavy female readership made it clear that a magazine format embracing and serving the interests of all parents and families was in order and thus came the birth of “The Pop Culture & Lifestyle Magazine for Families that Rock”—a tagline that would be retained for nearly a decade.
In the years since the scope of the site continued to grow with content showcasing not only the consumer side of things but often the fascinating business stories behind it. After nine years and nearly 7,000 articles, the site would see a major evolution…
Zahn’s in-depth coverage of the toy and game industry became the #1 coverage area, followed closely by movies & television. Notoriety on those fronts led to contract work for other publications, including The Toy Book, which he would become affiliated with in 2016. On January 7, 2019, it was announced that James had joined NYC-based Adventure Media and Events as a Senior Editor, effective immediately. As part of the transition into his new role, it was determined that The Rock Father™ Magazine would shift focus to offer “Music & Lifestyle” driven by its existing contributors. Zahn’s #1 priority is focusing on The Toy Book, The Pop Insider, and The Toy Insider full-time. Zahn was named Editor-in-Chief of the Toy Book in 2022 and continues to grow his presence within the toy industry and adjacent realms, including entertainment and gaming through a mix of his writing, true journalism, and behind-the-scenes consulting endeavors.
James Zahn – The Rock Father™
A natural storyteller who seeks to enlighten and entertain, James Zahn is best known as The Rock Father™, a media personality, commentator, adventurer, and raconteur. He is the Owner, Publisher, and Editor-in-Chief of THE ROCK FATHER™ Magazine. In January 2019, after nearly a decade as Publisher of The Rock Father Magazine, James joined Adventure Media and Events as Senior Editor of The Toy Book—the leading trade publication for the toy industry since 1984, as well as The Pop Insider — a destination for all things pop culture, and The Toy Insider — the leading consumer guide for toys and games. He was named Deputy Editor of The Toy Book in 2021 and promoted to Editor-in-Chief in 2022. He also serves as editor of The Toy Report, a weekly newsletter published by The Toy Book each Thursday. Zahn has more than 30 years of experience in the entertainment, retail, and publishing industries.
James is frequently called upon for expert commentary on the toy industry and has been seen on or quoted in Yahoo! Finance, CNN, FOX Business, MarketWatch, Forbes, NBC, ABC, CBS, The CW, WGN, CGTN, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The NY Post, The Chicago Tribune, USA TODAY, G4, and more. He’s appeared as a music expert on CNN’s AC360 alongside Anderson Cooper and has been interviewed by the late Larry King. In the past, he served as a member of The Toy Insider’s Parent Advisory Board and as a writer for the Netflix Stream Team, Fandango Family, and PBS KIDS. He penned articles for Sprout Parents (now Universal Kids) and PopSugar and was a contributor to Chicago Parent. Additionally, he served as the Director of New Media Development for FANGORIA Entertainment and Starlog Magazine.
He has served as a Brand Ambassador and spokesperson for several globally recognized pop culture and lifestyle brands in addition to consulting for a number of toy and consumer products manufacturers. In 2018, he made his first panel appearance at Comic-Con International (SDCC) in San Diego, where he spoke on the future of toy retailing in the wake of the Toys “R” Us closure. He made a second panel appearance at SDCC in 2019.
Creatively, James has directed/edited music videos, lyric videos, and album trailers for bands such as FEAR FACTORY, has appeared as an actor in feature films and commercials, written comic books, and performed in bands. He currently serves as an artist manager and video director for PRODUCT OF HATE, whose debut album was released by Napalm Records in 2016, and distributed by ADA/Warner Music in the U.S. with Universal Music handling global. The band released its second album, You Brought This War on Feb. 5, 2021, via POH Metalworks. The album peaked at No. 10 on the NACC Loud Rock/Metal Top 30 and at No. 16 on the Metal Contraband U.S. Top 50 Metal Chart.
Connect with James: LinkedIn | X (formerly Twitter) | Facebook | Instagram | IMDb
Adalyn & Finley | The Rock Daughters™
The inspiration that sparked the creation of “The Rock Father™,” it was the birth of Adalyn in 2009 which planted the seeds for what would come next — a shift in focus driven by fatherhood and solidified by an evening conversation by a new mom and dad. With the birth of Finley in 2012, The Rock Daughters™ were now a team, constantly inspiring their parents to do better all while becoming entertainers and storytellers themselves.
The Rock Daughters™ have been seen in popular YouTube videos and have made appearances on WGN News, ABC7, and a special Hot Wheels 50th Anniversary segment on NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt.
Rob Evanoff | West Coast Contributing Editor
A tenured veteran of the music industry, Rob is the founder and CEO of 1888 Media in Los Angeles. He has been involved in all aspects of the industry, working both at major and independent labels having managed and directed sales, marketing (tour, street, internet, 3rd party), publicity, A&R, advertising, production, graphic design, web design, packaging, business development, digital distribution, legal, licensing, publishing & royalties.
Rob enjoys writing about music and the business of music.
Damian Cousins | Contributing Writer
Damian “The Maestro” Cousins is an avowed lover of heavy metal and the band KISS. A die-hard Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Dallas Mavericks fan, you can usually find him watching games with his autistic son, Corey. He is also a 5-time Fantasy Football champion. Damian previously served as Founder and Publisher of Amps and Green Screens. He contributes music reviews to THE ROCK FATHER Magazine.
Staff Contributors
Covering breaking news and stories from the wires, stories marked with the “Staff Contributor” byline are published by a variety of writers in our virtual newsroom, or original features and special content stories exclusive to The Rock Father™ Magazine.
Former Contributors:
Wayne Mackie | Contributing Writer
Hailing from the Los Angeles area, Mackie and his family have spent time in the Midwest and on the East Coast, where they currently reside. Wayne finds enjoyment in posting music and movie-related news stories and press releases. He met and previously worked with James with at another news outlet in the late 2000s
Tom Stevens | Contributing Writer
Based in Texas, Tom brings together a love of Disney and a love of metal. He is the founder, guitarist, and vocalist of the death metal band, NOKTURNEL in addition to running Nokturnel Eclipse – a destination for quality Spikes and Leather, and being an expert in raising snakes. Tom also holds a vast knowledge of Disney Travel tips.
Contact Information:
Rock Father HQ™ is located in Northern Illinois, roughly 50 miles from the City of Chicago. Contact Publisher James Zahn: james@therockfather.com
- News & Review Submission Guidelines: Click here.
- Crowdfunding Feature Submission Guidelines: Click here.
- Advertising Opportunities: Click here.
THE ROCK FATHER™ is always three words but may be shortened to two as ROCK FATHER™. It should never, ever be written as “Rockfather” or “The Rockfather.”
