Mag Heroes artwork

Mag Heroes

28 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 4 years ago - ★★★★★ - 2 ratings

A podcast about magazines and the people who make them. Every fortnight we hear from an indie magazine maker about why they started, how they put together new issues and the trials and challenges of producing a printed publication. Hosted by Dan Rowden of Magpile.com, Subsail.com and @dansmags.

Entrepreneurship Business Arts Design independent design magazine publishing magazines
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Episodes

28 — Ben Mervis (Fare)

February 12, 2020 07:38 - 28 minutes - 25.8 MB

Ben is the founder and editor of Fare, a magazine that explores cities via their food culture. We hear about the process of creating a first issue, why and how Ben travels to new cities for each issue, and using a reliable team of collaborators to create familiarity as the magazine jumps around the world. faremag.com Instagram

27 — Cam Held & Christine Reighley (Maine The Way)

January 29, 2020 04:39 - 26 minutes - 24.2 MB

Cam Held and Christine Reighley are the founders of Maine The Way, a magazine about the state of Maine. After two years and eight issues, Christine and Cam have built a loyal readership via crowdfunding and Subsail-powered subscriptions, and we also hear how and why they produce their magazine about Maine locally in-state. Maine The Way mtwquarterly.com Instagram Recommended magazines Beside Delayed Gratification

26 — Kai Brach (Offscreen)

January 17, 2020 07:30 - 31 minutes - 28.8 MB

Kai publishes Offscreen, a magazine about the “human side of technology.” Now 22 issues in, Offscreen has grown from a title covering tech companies into a publication that challenges how we as humans think about technology. We talked about this progressive change in focus, how to make a magazine sustainable over an 8-year period and his popular newsletter, Dense Discovery, which he sends out weekly to 20,000+ readers. Offscreen offscreenmag.com Instagram Twitter Show links magpil...

25 — Danny Giacopelli (Courier)

November 27, 2019 09:00 - 24 minutes - 22.7 MB

Danny Giacopelli is the editor of Courier magazine, a title that covers business and startups from around the world. We had a great conversation about Danny's start in magazines at Monocle, his move across London to Courier and the magazine's plans for growth. Courier couriermedia.co Twitter Instagram Danny's reading recommendations The New Yorker The Economist Apartamento Popeye

24 — Indhira Rojas (Anxy)

November 20, 2019 05:42 - 27 minutes - 26.8 MB

Indhi Rojas is the founder and creative director of Anxy, a magazine about mental health and our “inner worlds.” Last month Indhi announced she has stopped publishing this multi award-winning magazine so I thought it would be great to hear more about Anxy's story. We talked about why she started a print magazine in a digital world, validating ideas and growing audiences on Kickstarter, and how to make the decision to end a well-loved and well-respected magazine. Anxy  anxymag.com T...

23 — Alice Pomfret (Akin)

November 01, 2019 05:42 - 25 minutes - 23.6 MB

Alice is founder and editor of Akin, a bi-annual magazine which is inspired by a different person for each issue. Alongside the magazine, Alice has started hosting events for the creative community in her native Norwich, England, and selling indie mags at various popups around the city, which we discuss in our chat. Akin akinmagazine.com Instagram Alice Twitter Instagram Alice's reading recommendations MacGuffin New York Times Magazine MagCulture

22 — Sam Diss (Mundial)

October 18, 2019 03:45 - 32 minutes - 30.3 MB

Sam is the Commissioning editor of Mundial, a football culture magazine from London. In our chat, Sam explains how Mundial came about as “a group chat that kind of got out of hand”, Sam's trip to New York for the recently released 19th issue, plus Mundial's latest project, a full-on football team. Mundial: mundialmag.com Twitter Instagram Sam: Twitter Instagram Sam's magazine recommendations Fantastic Man The Happy Reader GQ (US) California Sunday

21 — Robbie Russell (Assistant editor of PUSH)

August 10, 2017 07:58 - 24 minutes - 22.8 MB

Robbie is the assistant editor and commercial manager of PUSH, a new magazine focusing on youth culture. Robbie launched the magazine after university and has big plans. We also delve deep into PUSH's successful free distribution model. Sponsored by Subsail is a new platform to help you sell recurring magazine subscriptions and manage your subscribers. Built specifically for self-published magazines, Subsail is full of features to make selling and handling subscriptions really eas...

20 — Felicia Pennant (Editor of SEASON)

August 01, 2017 07:28 - 26 minutes - 24.1 MB

Felicia is editor of SEASON, a football magazine for and about women. We chatted about the magazine's position in giving female football fans a voice, a final-year thesis that sparked the idea for SEASON, and a unique way the magazine engages its readers. Sponsored by Subsail is a new platform to help you sell recurring magazine subscriptions and manage your subscribers. Built specifically for self-published magazines, Subsail is full of features to make selling and handling subsc...

19 — Kai Brach (Editor of Offscreen)

July 27, 2017 05:33 - 31 minutes - 29.3 MB

Kai is the Editor of Offscreen, a magazine that looks at the human side of technology. We talk about the magazine's custom subscription and ordering system, problems Kai had with the magazine's new binding method, and Heftwerk, a Berlin-based collective of companies Kai helped set up to make producing a magazine a lot easier. SPONSORED BY Subsail is a new platform to help you sell recurring magazine subscriptions and manage your subscribers. Built specifically for self-published m...

18 — Bethany Thompson & Sam Bradley (Editors of Counterpoint)

July 18, 2017 06:50 - 23 minutes - 22.3 MB

Sam and Bethany are the editors of Counterpoint, a magazine full of illustrations and writing on a different theme each issue. We had a nice chat about Counterpoint's hand-bound and risograph production processes, moving from online to a very specific print product, and their upcoming issue about food.

17 — Christi Barnes (Managing editor of Woven)

July 06, 2017 07:01 - 20 minutes - 19.6 MB

Christi is the managing editor of Woven, a Seattle-based magazine that interviews artists, creatives and entrepreneurs. We talked about the magazine's journey from a digital platform to a printed publication, personally interviewing for each feature, and a potential to grow the team for future issues.

16 — Wendy Huynh (Editor of Arcades)

June 30, 2017 06:56 - 20 minutes - 19.2 MB

Wendy is the editor of Arcades, a magazine which buries itself in a city's suburbs for each issue. In our chat we talked about the magazine's origins as a student project, how the cities she features affect each issue and the magazine's raw design style.

15 — Lucy Chesters (Editor of Ethos)

June 23, 2017 12:20 - 22 minutes - 20.8 MB

Lucy is the editor of Ethos, a magazine reporting on ethical and progressive businesses and business people. We chat about Ethos' crowdfunding campaign from last year, their collaborative publishing projects, and the balance between their print and digital efforts.

14 — Matthew Porter (Editor of DOG)

June 14, 2017 06:40 - 24 minutes - 22.5 MB

Matthew is an editor of DOG, a "modern lifestyle magazine exploring the presence and influence of dogs and their owners in society.” It was great to hear from Matt about the magazine’s origins, how they go about selecting a different breed for each issue, and the ways they report on life with dogs.

13 — Johnny Crisp (Deputy editor of Perdiz)

June 09, 2017 06:51 - 21 minutes - 20.1 MB

Johnny is Deputy editor and Translator at Barcelona-based Perdiz, a magazine "about people and the things that make them happy." We talk about some of the interesting stories unearthed for issue 8, how the team go about sourcing their content, and the multilingual aspect of the magazine.

12 — Sean Dagan Wood (Editor-in-chief of Positive News)

June 01, 2017 06:34 - 25 minutes - 23.6 MB

Sean is the Editor-in-chief of Positive News, a publication focused on good journalism about the good things that are happening. We chat about the magazine's history, starting as newsprint in 1993, and its smart, ethical and positive publishing outlook. Show notes Positive News crowdfunding campaign Issue 89 on Magpile Positive News membership Where to find Positive News positive.news @positivenewsuk on Twitter @positivenewsuk on Instagram Sean's magazine recommendatios De...

11 — Lene Haugerud (Editor of Brygg)

February 03, 2017 10:36 - 19 minutes - 19.7 MB

Lene is the editor of Brygg, a magazine about "conversation and coffee." We discuss Brygg's past as a Norwegian-language coffee magazine, it's change to an English-language cultural title, and what's coming up in the next issue. Where to find Lene and Brygg @lenehaugerud on Twitter @beyondmeek on Instagram @Brygg_magazine on Twitter @brygg_magazine on Instagram bryggmagasin.no Lene's magazine recommendations The Happy Reader The First Line

10 — Steven Watson (Founder of Stack Magazines)

January 23, 2017 07:44 - 22 minutes - 22.2 MB

Steve is the founder of Stack Magazines, a magazine subscription service that sends you a different independent magazine every month. Steve is slowly building a magazine-focused empire; in this episode we touch on a few of his latest projects, the Stack Awards and the Stack podcast. Show notes Stack Awards Real Review Stack Live Rough Trade Gym Class magCulture Meets Stack Podcast Publishing Playbook Where to find Steve (and Stack) @StackMagazines on Twitter @StackMagazi...

9 — Elliot and Samantha Stocks (Lagom)

March 30, 2015 09:25 - 39 minutes - 27.3 MB

Elliot and Samantha Stocks are the husband and wife team behind Lagom, a new magazine which looks at creativity, and the balance between work and play. In the episode, they talk through the new issue (released last week), how they manage publishing the magazine in their spare time, selecting photos for their covers, and we discussed their interesting use of partnerships to support the magazine's growth. Show notes Lagom, issue 2 Magpile Magazine Awards 2014 8 Faces Offscreen Be...

8 — Gail Bichler (Design Director, The New York Times Magazine)

March 14, 2015 05:00 - 37 minutes - 29.1 MB

Gail Bichler has the envious job of Design Director at The New York Times Magazine, a publication setting trends in cover design, read by millions each week, and with a big relaunch just a few weeks ago. Gail explains how the magazine gets put together each week, her rise through the ranks at the magazine, and reveals her favourite NYTMag covers. Show notes Behind the Relaunch of The New York Times Magazine NYTMag on Magpile @gailbichler Gail's magazine recommendations New Yor...

7 — Rosa Park (Editor of Cereal)

March 02, 2015 07:25 - 42 minutes - 29.3 MB

This episode is sponsored by Newsstand. Rosa Park is the Editor of “travel and style” magazine, Cereal, which is on the cusp of a relaunch, with a new design and a slight change in content scope. Rosa talks about starting a magazine with little experience in the industry, the balance of how much to share of new issues on Instagram and travelling around the world scoping features with Creative Director, Rich Stapleton. Show notes Twitter: @cerealmag Facebook: @cerealmag Instagra...

6 — Ryan Essmaker (Creative Director of The Great Discontent)

February 12, 2015 07:05 - 37 minutes - 19.1 MB

This episode is sponsored by Hemlock. Ryan Essmaker is half of the husband-wife team that started The Great Discontent as an online interview series in 2011. Launching a print edition in spring 2014, TGD has recently gone quarterly. I talked with Ryan about TGD's beginnings, current growth and the possibilites print brings to the previously web-only brand. Show notes Brad Smith joins the TGD team 2014 Magpile Magazine Awards Issue 1 Issue 2 The Great Discontent Shop @greatdi...

5 — Kai Brach (Editor of Offscreen)

January 19, 2015 05:00 - 43 minutes - 22.3 MB

Kai Brach is the man behind Offscreen, a magazine about people who work on the web and with apps. We talk about Kai's transition from web designer to independent magazine publisher and discuss the importance of social media in today's publishing landscape. Show notes Cereal Hello Mr. Kai's 3 magazine recommendations Scrag End Delayed Gratification Collect (no longer published)

4 — Alec Dudson (Editor of Intern)

February 13, 2014 06:00 - 46 minutes - 21.7 MB

Alec is Editor of Intern, a new magazine highlighting work by interns and sparking the debate about intern culture. We discuss the genesis of his publication, his work as an intern for other independent mags, and how Kickstarter has become a good way to launch a new title.

3 — Philip Diprose (Editor of The Ride Journal)

January 16, 2014 18:00 - 48 minutes - 22.4 MB

Philip is the Editor of The Ride Journal, an illustration-filled, storytelling biking magazine from the UK. We discuss Philip's passion for biking (and his bike collection) and how this fuelled the creation of this beautiful magazine, now on its 8th issue (released tomorrow).

2 — Ibrahim Nehme (Editor of The Outpost)

December 16, 2013 06:00 - 36 minutes - 16.9 MB

Ibrahim is the Editor-in-Chief of The Outpost, a Beirut-based “magazine of possibilities.” We discuss The Outpost's origins in a region of flux and the current publishing climate in the Middle East.

1 — Luke Tonge (Art Director of Boat)

November 25, 2013 07:00 - 29 minutes - 14 MB

Luke is the Art Director of Boat Magazine, a magazine that travels to and reports from a different city each issue. We talk about how Luke got into design, what he does in his day job and how he manages to balance that with his work on a nomadic magazine.

0 — Intro

November 21, 2013 17:20 - 2 minutes - 1.32 MB

This first episode introduces Mag Heroes and lays out my thoughts behind starting this show.

Twitter Mentions

@offscreenmag 2 Episodes
@couriermedia 1 Episode
@elliotjaystocks 1 Episode
@cerealmag 1 Episode
@lenehaugerud 1 Episode
@brygg_magazine 1 Episode
@anxymag 1 Episode
@stackmagazines 1 Episode
@readlagom 1 Episode
@positivenewsuk 1 Episode
@pushthemag 1 Episode
@gailbichler 1 Episode
@alicedaisyp 1 Episode
@samkabam 1 Episode
@greatdiscontent 1 Episode
@mundialmag 1 Episode
@samdiss 1 Episode
@gymclassmag 1 Episode