The company is looking to expand to Indonesia and Malaysia followed by Hong Kong and China.
The expansion push is being put in place following the appointment of teen magazine advertising sales specialist Jeremy Allan Lee as advertising account director. In addition to bolstering sales for FiRST, Lee is tasked with spearheading development of a new music title.
FiRST, positioned as a complete guide to movies in Asia and Hollywood with previews of upcoming movies, reviews of movies, DVDs, soundtracks, books, gadgets and other movie-related themes and items targeting at movie buffs aged 18 to 28, was launched in Singapore in November last year.
It currently has a total print run of 50,000 and a readership of 105,000.
Identifying his strength as in coming up with "weird ideas to make money", Lee is planning a major event to celebrate the magazine's first anniversary.
"It will be something very alternative. We are getting all movie elements to be used and integrated in the event."
The publishing house will also produce its first TVC which will be launched in the lead-up to the anniversary.
The magazine has been drawing advertisers from the movie industries, home video shops, electronics and fast moving consumer goods categories.
Prior to joining Sterne and Lears, Lee was with NTUC Media to market Highway, an auto magazine that he had been in charge off since it was published by Magnum and later sold to MediaCorp and subsequently to NTUC Media.
He was also involved in advertising sales for teenage magazines including Teenage, Lime and Lifestyle.