What made you want to work in the magazine industry?

I studied graphic design at LCC and there was a moment when I realised that my interest in music, magazines and graphic design came together around NME and The Face. I love magazines for their content and their design. I grew up enjoying the Sunday Times Magazine, NME. There have been magazines in every era that have meant an awful lot to me. With a magazine and graphic design, you get to work with the editors on what the angle is, and what the point is, so you are engaging with the content.

Chart your journey from the start to your current position

I worked on City Limits, BLITZ magazine. I worked as Art Director on Time Out and at The Guardian For ten years I was at John Brown publishing, which was my last job before I set up magCulture as a full-time business.

What do you find most exciting about magazines as a medium for communities?

Our lives depend on groups of people, and magazines reflect that. They build communities around themselves and exude the joy and love people have for a particular subject or niche. That is why magazines do really well on social media because shared interests bring people together.

Are there any particular subject areas that you think are underrepresented in the magazine industry?

We are in the era of niche as opposed to mass. There is always another niche to find. The thing that makes me most excited is that without prompting you find new magazines which will focus on before and post Me Too, diversity, mental health and climate change. All the things that matter to the world in general, bubble up and come through in magazines.

How do you handle your deadlines?

I have multiple deadlines with design clients, the website and talks. I use various apps to keep me going.

What would be your typical day?

There is no typical day. Everything we do everyday is about magazines. We love magazines and everything we do underscores that. It’s a juggle between getting something written and shot for the website, to making sure the shop is stocked, to making sure we have paid the suppliers and making sure the window display is updated. But it’s all about magazines, so what more could you ask?

What is the worst piece of advice you have ever received?

I was told to give up on print because it didn’t have a future.

What is the last photo you took on your phone?

A photo of the session I just took at Magfest – Meet the indies roundtable session.

Room 101

Eggs

Introvert or Extrovert

A bit of both.

Optimist or Pessimist

Optimist

Film or TV

A film on TV

Sweet or Savoury

Savoury

What magazine would be your Sunday afternoon or long train journey read?

The New Yorker