1971
WILEN FOUNDS SEAL SEND SYSTEMS
Richard Wilen starts a company called Seal Send Systems. Richard and Bob Bemer (founder of ASCII computer code) combine forces to produce the Honeywell Computer Journal.
1972
First Cable Television Customer
Richard Wilen is introduced to his first cable television customer—Athena Communications (Gulf & Western).
1973
HBO® Guide
Wilen produces the HBO® Guide—the first program guide to incorporate editorial content.
1973 – 1975
Newspaper, Direct Mail & Inserts
Wilen produces newspaper advertising, direct mailers and bill inserts for Teleprompter Corporation (Manhattan's first cable TV company).
1978
Long Island
Wilen Media opens for business on Long Island, NY.
1980
Premium Channels
John Sie (Founder of Encore TV Network) and Jerry Maglio (1st President of CTAM: Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing) approach Wilen with the idea of promoting both HBO® and SHOWTIME® to the same cable subscriber. Wilen publishes Premium Channels, including the first “bundled” offer ever.
1981
Combining Word Processing & Typesetting
Wilen combines word processing and computer typesetting to create automated program guides.
1982
The Lightest Weight Paper
Wilen develops program guides printed on the lightest-weight paper manufactured. Premium Channels becomes the only publication in history to qualify for Periodical (Second Class) rates and to be inserted into a billing envelope.
1983
3 Million Served
Circulation for Wilen’s Premium Channels reaches 3 million. Wilen launches separate program guides including content for Playboy Channel, Disney Channel, Encore, sports and basic cable.
1985
Request TV & Viewers Choice
Wilen publishes Pay-Per-View guides for both Request TV and Viewers Choice.
1987
1st Pay-Per-View Guide
Wilen works with Richard Aurelio (Former Deputy Mayor of NYC) and Hugh Panero (Former CEO of XM Radio) to publish Pay-Per-View guides for 1 million homes in New York City.
1991
HBO® Boxing & Pay-Per-View
Wilen begins a relationship with HBO®, becoming an authorized direct marketer to promote their Boxing events on Pay-Per-View; markets the legendary Tyson is Back! (Tyson vs. Douglas) fight.
1995
Gearing up for Production
After relying on outsourced resources and partnerships for production and fulfillment for almost 25 years, Wilen launches its first in-house pre-press business unit, a first step towards bringing production in-house.
1997
Wilen Press is Born
Wilen breaks ground on its primary manufacturing facility in Deerfield Beach, Florida, installing web presses specifically geared for direct mail and insert production. Wilen’s first year alone brings significant success, to the tune of 200 million pieces.
2000
Inline Finishing
Wilen doubles-down on high-volume direct mail production, installing a second web press with complex inline finishing to produce unique direct mail formats engineered and patented by founder Richard Wilen.
2001
Client Diversification
Wilen relocates its agency to a larger office in Farmingdale, New York, and expands into new business verticals outside of the cable industry.
2003
Full-service Custom Publishing
Wilen introduces full-service custom publishing services, packaging creative, content management, editorial and printing.
2004
Mailing/Lettershop/Logistics
Wilen begins in-house mailing services, including data processing/hygiene, addressing, on-site USPS verification and mail logistics management.
2005
Production Milestone
Wilen exceeds a production benchmark of 500 million pieces of direct mail within just 10 years of opening its manufacturing arm.
2006
Expansion Of Manufacturing Facility
A new building is constructed at Wilen’s press, its Florida facility to accommodate higher volume output. Wilen creates W3, a centralized digital workflow tool to seamlessly manage complex versioning across campaigns.
2007
Variable Data Printing
Wilen Press installs a third web press equipped with inline inkjet heads re-engineered to lay down data-driven content such as offers and personalization, eliminating black plate changes and consolidating mail streams for its clients. The potential to achieve significant production and postage costs through this technology is realized, and focus is shifted to Variable Data Printing.
2009
Wilen Direct
Wilen betas Kodak’s new Prosper S-10 inkjet system—the first application of high-definition 600 DPI inkjet imaging on a web press. Wilen re-launches its manufacturing arm as Wilen Direct, with a specific focus on 1:1 direct mail marketing.
2010
Madison Avenue Meets Manufacturing
Wilen Media’s growing agency services are strengthened by the addition of several Madison Avenue veterans to the creative team, including Executive Creative Director Wayne Schombs. Direct marketing experts realize the targeting and segmentation opportunities afforded by Wilen Direct’s variable data printing capabilities.
2011
Mail Tracking Re-defined
Wilen Media launches WheresMyMail.com and successfully matches USPS exit scan data to clients' call center reports, enabling marketers to gain real-time insight into the delivery and performance of their campaigns in one simple dashboard.
2012
A New Era
Wilen Media is re-launched as Wilen New York—a full-service agency, led by top Madison Avenue talent, leading change in the industry.
2013
Pioneering Print
Wilen Direct is recognized on the cover of Printing Impressions as a pioneer in the direct mail industry, coinciding with the installation of Kodak’s Prosper 5000XLi 4-color variable high-speed web press. New technology enables marketers with limitless targeting flexibility and maximum postage discounts through the consolidation of mail streams.
2014
Wilen Direct's Continued Expansion
Wilen Direct further expands its footprint to accommodate more equipment and inventory, translating to faster turn-around times and speed to market for its clients. Staff grows to over 300 team members. Wilen Direct is operating 24/7/364, supporting the direct mail marketing needs
of our clients.
2015
Next-Generation Direct Marketing Technology
Wilen ushers in the next wave of direct mail marketing advancements with the installation of the Kodak Prosper 6000C and Kodak NexPress SX3900. Output quality and speeds of high-definition 4-color variable direct mail are unmatched.
2016
Looking Forward
Wilen’s ongoing efforts to bring limitless direct mail targeting capabilities to new industries was a key area of focus in 2016. Advancements in technology and processes increased capacity and output speeds, while HIPAA compliance paved the way for new verticals to take advantage of these opportunities.
2017
Let’s Get Growing
Wilen Direct, our cutting-edge manufacturing facility in Florida, continues to expand by adding a six-acre compound in order to house increased capacity and serve all of our clients’ direct marketing needs. This allows for more storage, and additional capacity for advanced logistics.
2018
WILEN RELOCATES
Wilen relocates the agency to a more mobile and collaborative workspace. Our new space was designed specifically for a culture of seamless teamwork, with plenty of room for extra growth throughout the company. Conveniently located at 45 Melville Park Road in Melville, New York, we proudly go by 45 MPR—a city agency without the city commute.
2019
Rolling the Dice on Vegas
Wilen embarks on the next phase of growth, officially announcing plans to forge ahead with national expansion to Las Vegas, Nevada. A state-of-the-art, high-volume, digital printing facility in this location means tremendous manufacturing economic advantages.
2020
Vegas Is a Lock
Wilen Vegas facility construction is completed. This expansion empowers our current and future clients to reach the entire country with large-run, 100% variable-printed tactics, at scale, within 1-2 days—faster than any other manufacturer.
2021
50 Years and Counting
The Wilen Group has now been in business for 50 years! As we celebrate this major milestone, we are proud to have remained not only relevant, but ahead of the curve. Unlike many agencies and printers that have struggled through acquisition, Wilen is designed to keep growing organically to ensure our clients’ success. Our New York, Florida and Las Vegas locations form a powerful combination that is built to continue yielding outstanding results.
2022
Triple-Digit Growth
2022 added a 50% expansion of our Las Vegas facility. This increases our capacity and speed to market. We see triple-digit growth within our automated mail programs.
2023
Investing In Speed
Wilen created an AI Task Force, which creates, developed and incorporated AI solutions into our workflow, further increasing Wilen’s speed to market. We began multiple new digital presses in our Florida and Las Vegas locations, continuing our trend of increasing capacity and adding to the on-going, year-over-year triple-digit growth of our trigger-based mail program.
2024
All About Innovation
Our current initiatives include new presses, incorporating AI agents throughout the entire direct mail workflow, and further development of our Daily Mail platform.
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