What made you want to work in publishing?

Before moving from London to Edinburgh I used to work in the music industry. When I was relocating, I was keen to find a job that was still in the media and still had some sort of creative outlet. So I started working at doing press for ‘T in the Park,’ and through them I met Robin Hodge, who was the original publisher of The List. I went and talked myself into a non-existent role of promotions executive under the promise that I would create The List’s first ever CD covermount. I absolutely loved my job from day one. It was such a varied and creative environment to be in. The List played such an important role in supporting all genres and was really respected for its editorial independence and it was just such a great place to work. From day one I was sold!

The List recently returned to print – could you tell us how you went about this?

COVID hit and all events were halted and therefore the need for a magazine and website dedicated to going out just wasn’t there any more. In the short term, we managed to pivot the website and it became the go-to place for online events and we just created as much content as we could.

There were two companies under The List umbrella, there was The List (publishing) which looked after the magazine and website and The List (digital), which was the information services and events information arm. As COVID continued, I started to see that the parent company’s focus was moving more towards the digital side of the business, and this was ultimately going to lead to the closure of The List magazine. Because of the uncertainty of the company’s future, we weren’t eligible for the bigger government grants on offer, which led to the publishing side getting wound down. At this point, I had been at The List for almost 20 years and it had always been more than a job to me – it had been a way of life.

I just couldn’t imagine the world without The List and I was desperate to try and save it. I was obviously keen to save my job and the jobs of my team, but also to continue the vital voice that The List has in supporting arts and culture across central Scotland. So after nine months and a couple of failed investment attempts, I found a couple of like-minded people who were keen to save The List as much as I was. We set up a new company and put a plan in place to rebuild The List. We launched a Crowdfunder and the support was incredible. It was so validating and encouraging to have the arts and culture community come together and want to see The List return. It was everyone from journalists that had their first paid review by The List or bands that had their first gig reviewed by The List, and that really spoke volumes and added more fire to my belly to make this happen. We ended up raising just under £30k and that is all we needed to get cracking. After two years we returned on 1 March with a new monthly cycle. It was our first issue as List Publishing Limited, but it was the 759th issue as the magazine had been going since 1985. We also launched our Guide to Scotland’s Festivals, and the reception was just brilliant. So we’re now on issue three or 761 and counting!

You have a regular audience of over a million users – the majority of which access your content online – why was it important to publish the print issue again?

It was so important to publish again because The List is an institution and has been the go-to for those deciding how to spend their time and money since 1985. It’s been at the forefront of supporting arts and culture long before people could access content online. We did see a dip about 10 years ago in print, but like vinyl, people started to return to the original format, and we began to see a real trend and people wanting to advertise and be featured in the printed format and have something tangible to read and to flip through to hang on to. I couldn’t imagine print working without online together – they work so well together.

Why is arts and culture journalism so important? How can we continue to highlight its importance?

Can you even imagine a world without arts and culture? It would be so boring! Even in my time, people used to be able to be full-time musicians and full-time journalists and those opportunities just aren’t there any more. Whether you’re a new writer looking for your first writing gig or whether you’re an artist looking for your first exhibition – it’s all an ecosystem and one that we’re super proud to be a part of. There could never be too many publications or websites supporting arts and culture. We’re just happy to be part of a community that offers opportunities to artists and journalists alike and increase jobs in an industry that’s been hit so hard over the last couple of years.

What does the next 5 years hold for The List?

Obviously, as a business that almost didn’t survive the pandemic, we’re taking nothing for granted. We’re just so pleased to be back doing what we do best. To be given a second chance to carry on a 37-year-old legacy is such a privilege and we’re all hands-on deck to make that as successful as it can be and add on another 37 years. We want to continue publishing and we want to continue supporting arts and culture, supporting independent journalism, and growing the team back. We want to keep putting on more of our own events and not only support all of the live events out there, but creating our own events and doing what we do in print and online and bringing it to life. We just want to keep shouting as loud as we can about how fertile and important the arts and culture scene is in Scotland.

What’s on your radar?

I’m very excited to get everybody back out and experiencing all that the scene has to offer. I feel, especially with the Edinburgh Festival coming, that there’s this real need to be back out in it and experiencing it. I think other people have had enough of staring at their screen and flipping through pages online – sitting at home has its time place but it’s time to get back out and enjoy live events/

What magazine do you stockpile?

I’m a big fan of Huck. I love their content. I love their style and the topics they cover. I just lose myself in every issue and think they’re pretty ahead of the curve in terms of what they do. There’s also an online magazine called The Flock. It’s such a cool platform and it’s all it’s all women led journalism with very compelling content.