The CityBox Story: From Humble Beginnings to a Growing Legacy
From PaperGlass Media’s beginnings in 2015 to the creation of CityBox Media in 2018 and the evolution of CityBox Daily, CityBox Magazine, ARENCON GLOBAL, and CityBox Index these images preserve the people, milestones, and moments that shaped a continuing legacy.
The Legacy of PaperGlass Media
From a 2015 collaboration with Bloomingdale’s to the evolving CityBox platform
The story of CityBox began in 2015 with PaperGlass Media, the first digital publication founded by Maryan Aiken.
Its beginning was both unexpected and defining. After Maryan was invited to collaborate with Bloomingdale’s on its Atlanta Men of Style initiative, she had approximately a week and a half to build the publication’s website, coordinate photography, produce an intimate pre-event gathering, document the Bloomingdale’s celebration, conduct interviews, and extend the experience through post-event editorial coverage.
That inaugural project became the launch of PaperGlass, a digital publication created to celebrate style, creativity, entrepreneurship, culture, and the people contributing something meaningful to their communities.
Although only a limited photographic archive may remain from that first collaboration, its significance extends far beyond the number of images preserved. The original PaperGlass website remains part of the historical record, documenting the beginning of an editorial vision that would continue to expand for more than a decade.
An Editorial Vision Begins to Grow
PaperGlass was never intended to remain confined to fashion or personal style. From the beginning, the platform was shaped by a deeper interest in the people behind the presentation their ideas, ambition, creativity, leadership, and influence.
As the publication grew, its editorial scope expanded to include entrepreneurs, founders, artists, executives, business owners, innovators, and community leaders. Through interviews, portraiture, events, brand collaborations, and curated experiences, PaperGlass began documenting not only how people presented themselves, but also what they were building and why their work mattered.
The publication became a place where editorial storytelling, visual presentation, meaningful relationships, and community engagement could intersect.
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The Conclusion of PaperGlass Media
PaperGlass Media concluded in 2017 after completing an important chapter in independent publishing and creative storytelling. The publication established a strong foundation through editorial features, photography, cultural coverage, and notable collaborations, including Bloomingdale’s Atlanta Men of Style.
As the vision expanded toward documenting entrepreneurs, business owners, executives, and leaders across industries, the decision was made to formally end PaperGlass Media rather than reposition or rename it.
CityBox Media was subsequently established in 2018 as an entirely new and independent brand, with its own identity, purpose, audience, and editorial direction. While the experience gained through PaperGlass Media informed its founder’s journey, CityBox was not a continuation or rebranding of PaperGlass Media. It marked the beginning of a distinct new chapter.
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A New Beginning: CityBox Media
Following the conclusion of PaperGlass Media in 2017, CityBox Media was established in 2018 as an entirely new editorial brand with its own identity, purpose, audience, and direction.
The experience gained through PaperGlass Media helped inform several enduring values that would later shape the founder’s approach to CityBox Media:
Thoughtful editorial storytelling
Elevated photography and portraiture
Meaningful brand and community collaborations
Recognition of people doing important work
Experiences designed to bring people together
A commitment to preserving stories with lasting value
CityBox Media was not a continuation, rebranding, or renamed version of PaperGlass Media. It represented the beginning of a distinct new chapter with a broader editorial vision.
CityBox expanded beyond style and culture to document leadership, business, innovation, entrepreneurship, civic influence, travel, modern living, and the people and enterprises shaping cities.
Over time, the platform developed into an editorial archive preserving more than moments of visibility. It began documenting stories of contribution, transformation, leadership, influence, and legacy.
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The CityBox Platform Today
Today, CityBox operates through an interconnected family of distinct platforms, each serving a specific purpose within the broader CityBox ecosystem.
CityBox Daily expanded the organization’s ability to publish and share stories on a continuous digital basis, creating a more immediate platform for business, culture, community, and lifestyle coverage.
ARENCON GLOBAL extended the founder’s leadership and convening work across architecture, engineering, construction, development, investment, and related industries.
CityBox Magazine is the editorial publication documenting the leaders, ideas, enterprises, cultural moments, and experiences shaping business, culture, and modern cities.
CityBox Index™ extends that work through a structured leadership intelligence platform designed to discover, document, and connect entrepreneurs, founders, executives, professionals, innovators, and influential leaders across industries and cities.
CityBox Media develops the storytelling, portraiture, experiences, partnerships, and communications that bring the broader platform to life.
Together, these distinct but connected platforms form part of CityBox Media Holdings LLC, reflecting a shared commitment to thoughtful storytelling, meaningful relationships, elevated presentation, and the preservation of stories with lasting value.
The Legacy Continues
PaperGlass Media was an important beginning in the founder’s publishing journey, but it was not an earlier version of CityBox.
PaperGlass Media concluded in 2017 after establishing a meaningful body of work in independent publishing, editorial storytelling, photography, style, culture, and brand collaboration. Its experiences—including the Bloomingdale’s Atlanta Men of Style collaboration in 2015—helped shape the founder’s perspective and provided valuable lessons that would later inform an entirely new undertaking.
CityBox Media was established in 2018 as a separate brand with its own identity, purpose, audience, and editorial direction.
The creation of CityBox did not represent a renaming or continuation of PaperGlass Media. It marked the beginning of a distinct new chapter—one built to document a broader range of people, industries, enterprises, ideas, and cities.
The technology has advanced.
The audience has expanded.
The editorial mission has broadened and deepened.
The platform has grown.
Yet one central belief has remained constant throughout the founder’s journey:
The people shaping business, culture, community, and modern cities deserve to have their stories thoughtfully documented and preserved.
From the conclusion of PaperGlass Media to the establishment of CityBox Media and the later creation of CityBox Daily, ARENCON GLOBAL, CityBox Magazine, and CityBox Index™ the journey reflects more than organizational growth.
It represents a continuing commitment to documenting meaningful people, significant work, defining moments, and the stories that become part of a lasting legacy.
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Condensed Timeline
2015 — PaperGlass Media Begins
Maryan Aiken launches her first independent digital publication after receiving an opportunity to collaborate with Bloomingdale’s on Atlanta Men of Style.
2015–2017 — An Independent Editorial Chapter
PaperGlass Media develops its own editorial identity through coverage of style, culture, entrepreneurs, creatives, business owners, emerging leaders, and community voices. Through storytelling, photography, events, and brand collaborations, the publication establishes an important foundation in independent media.
2017 — PaperGlass Media Concludes
After completing a meaningful chapter in editorial publishing, PaperGlass Media formally ends. The experience gained through the publication helps inform Maryan Aiken’s broader understanding of storytelling, portraiture, collaboration, and the importance of documenting people doing meaningful work.
2018 — CityBox Media Is Established
CityBox Media is founded as an entirely new and independent brand with its own identity, purpose, audience, and editorial direction.
Rather than continuing or renaming PaperGlass Media, CityBox begins a distinct new chapter centered on documenting business, leadership, culture, community, innovation, entrepreneurship, and modern city life.
2018–Present — The CityBox Platform Grows
CityBox Media expands through editorial storytelling, professional portraiture, digital publishing, curated experiences, strategic partnerships, and coverage of the people and enterprises shaping cities.
CityBox Daily extends the platform’s ability to publish and share stories on a continuous digital basis, while ARENCON GLOBAL broadens the founder’s leadership and convening work across architecture, engineering, construction, development, investment, and related industries.
2023 — CityBox Magazine Launches
CityBox Magazine is introduced as a dedicated digital editorial publication documenting leaders, ideas, enterprises, cultural moments, travel, modern living, and the experiences shaping business and cities.
Today — CityBox Index™
The broader vision advances through CityBox Index™, an AI-native leadership intelligence ecosystem designed to discover, document, preserve, and connect entrepreneurs, founders, executives, professionals, innovators, and influential leaders across industries, cities, and geographic markets.
Together, CityBox Media, CityBox Daily, ARENCON GLOBAL, CityBox Magazine, and CityBox Index™ represent distinct but connected platforms within CityBox Media Holdings LLC.