Today Alec Dudson (creator and editor of Intern magazine) visited college to do an independent publication workshop with us.
Intern Magazine
‘I decided at the start of last year that I wanted to work in independent magazines. I had been waiting all my life to find something that I was passionate about, which was also a viable career. Having convinced myself to take the gamble, I embarked on a journey into the relative unknown. Over the twelve months that followed, the journey took me to Milan, London and Athens, all the while revealing more and more about this industry that I longed to break into. Twelve months as an intern is a pretty long stretch, not the longest by a good distance, but long enough that the strains of working unpaid begin to take their toll. I consider myself one of the lucky ones, I was able to last it out through the generosity and support of my friends who put roofs over my head. Their charity and altruism allowed for my experience as an intern to be rich and educational, as did the kindness and wisdom of my mentors.
Despite this overwhelmingly positive experience, as the year drew to a close, I was no closer to a paid job in the industry as when I had set out all those months ago. I began considering this concept of a ‘career’ and had seen how the creative industries are full of those for whom a career means freelancing and can be littered with uncertainty. It struck me that there were ways in which people like me could be helped on their quest to get established in their field of expertise.
First and foremost, people need to be exposed to your work in order for them to notice you. Secondly, the culture of internships across the creative industries is one that is not discussed or debated outside or even within them. Wouldn’t it be a lot more helpful if people could get an insight without throwing themselves in at the deep end? It is around these two ideals that intern is built; we want you to meet the talent and join the debate.
Since January of this year I have been working with interns and unpaid workers from across the creative industries to put together a magazine that will show off their immense talent and initiate a debate that is pertinent for those involved in, soon to be involved in or even just curious about those industries. I am also making a stand, whereby every contributor involved in the magazine will be paid. This won’t be as much as these guys will inevitably make in the future but serves hopefully as one of the first in a long line of monetary rewards for their hard work and talent.
This is where you come in Kickstarter, the pieces are slotting into place, most of the features and contributions are ready. I am setting up the business side of the project to ensure that future issues will follow. I just need some help covering the initial print run so that we can get intern magazine Issue One into your hands. As an extension of intern’s ideals, all of our rewards above the £45 threshold are collaborations with our contributors, who will receive a percentage of each contribution which sees their work commissioned. This project is an investment in the future of the creative industries, through nurturing some of the finest talent it looks to support and promote. Through initiating the debate it looks to ensure that the industries reflect on the implications of internships, doing away with complacency and helping to create a situation where creativity is given the freedom required to flourish.’
The magazine has two main aims. The first is to provide a tactile showcase for the precocious talent currently working in these fields unpaid and as interns. Secondly, we are initiating a long overdue and frank debate about the current state of the intern culture, and its potential implications in both the short and long term for the creative industries.
The intention is to empower interns through both facets of the publication. Drawing industry attention to the work of those we feature and existing as a useful resource to those currently involved in or on the precipice of internships are our means of doing so. In order to be effective on any level, intern magazine needs to be accessible; this is reflected in the mix of features that we present, ranging from serious debate to casual observation.
While the creative industries are the focal point of the publication, this is not to suggest that unpaid internships are somehow endemic to them. Far from it. We see these industries as a fascinating case study and our starting point for the debate. If you are at all compelled by the culture of unpaid work then you will find something of interest in our pages.
Task/Workshop
The task was to come up with a concept for a new independent publication that isn't already out there and come up with a Kickstarter campaign that could possibly launch the publication. We were given a sheet with a list of existing independent magazines and a list of categories/genres they fall under as a starting point. On the sheet was also a list of magazine Kickstarter campaigns and how successful they were to aid us in creating a strong Kickstarter.
There were six points to address in the workshop:
Concept
Audience
Aesthetic
Strategy
Lifespan
Progression
Our first idea was to come up with a concept based on the combination of spaces and people, with a focus on doors and the mystery they hold. Certain doors could be plain, simple and not have much character but behind them could be a wealth of history or interesting people.
After some thought, we came up with the name 'Threshold' which we felt sounded really nice as well as fit perfectly with the content of the magazine.
Threshold
noun
From looking at these, we had an idea of how we wanted our magazine to look. This was the cover that we came up with. Simple and fitting with the types of publications that are popular with our target audience.
From researching independent magazines that had a Kickstarter campaign, Jasper came up with a list of dos and don'ts. The dos were elements he thought were effective and the don'ts were things he thought were not effective.
Final:
1. The sill of a doorway.
2. The entrance to a house or building.
3. Any place or point of entering or beginning: the threshold of a new career.
4. Also called limen. Psychology, Physiology. the point at which a stimulus is of sufficientintensity to begin to produce an effect: the threshold of consciousness; a low threshold ofpain.
Now we had an idea, I decided to look into other independent publications that were aimed at a similar kind of target audience.
Now we had an idea, I decided to look into other independent publications that were aimed at a similar kind of target audience.
From looking at these, we had an idea of how we wanted our magazine to look. This was the cover that we came up with. Simple and fitting with the types of publications that are popular with our target audience.
From researching independent magazines that had a Kickstarter campaign, Jasper came up with a list of dos and don'ts. The dos were elements he thought were effective and the don'ts were things he thought were not effective.
Dos
- Narrator
- Appropriate voice
- Varied footage
- Issue Zero in situ
- Music
- Interesting script
- Video
- Mini film
- Good cinematography
- Appropriate voice
- Video montage / Own footage and existing footage
Don'ts
- Interviews for the entire video
- Stand in a field and talk
- Footage of the making of the magazine
- Stills
- Cheesey music
- Too long / short
- Too abstract
Video - 30 seconds to 1 minute
- View of a door from across the street
- Cuts to the door
- Door opened by one of us
- Cuts to all three of us sat on the sofa
- Explain concept (relaxed)
- Montage of video with narration
- Issue zero in situ
Rewards
- Issue Zero - Digital
+ Issue Zero - Print
+ Photographic print 01 / 02 / 03
+ Photographic print 01 + 02 / 01 + 03 / 02 + 03
+ Photographic print 01 + 02 + 03
+ Threshold experience
(+ Other prints)
(+ Multiple editions)
(+ Name on a thank you page)
Sponsors
- HermanMiller
- Flos
- Vitra
- Emeco
- Marset
- Espacio
- Bocci
- BordBord
- The Standard Hotels
- Zuzunga
- Eames
Final:
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