When I was younger, I remember going to a salon with my mother and my sister, looking at the magazine stand and reaching out to grab one. I remember reading, more like flipping, through the pages of magazines because, let’s be honest, I don’t think anyone would read a magazine when they were young. No, I was busy being awed by all the amazing pictures on the pages, mostly the stylish models and their stunning clothes, modern interior designs that made me dream about my future home, and beautiful destination weddings, gowns, and decors (Will definitely use some ideas for my dream wedding). However, I never gave much thought about that the process that goes behind the scenes creating those magazines.

As I grew older, I thought magazines mostly covered the lives of celebrities or famous personalities and the latest fashion and wedding trends. However, as I sat with my friends in Edinburgh Central Hall, attending Magazine Street, I had no idea I would learn so much more about the ever-evolving magazine industry, changing the perception I had about the industry for the better. There was never a dull moment during the entire event with the incredible line-up, put together by Founder Nikki Simpson, emphasising on the importance of print magazines in an era that is overtaken by digital media. And according to most of the speakers, most of their audiences preferred to hold a print magazine rather than read a digital one.

As an international student from India, I was particularly interested by magazines that advocated ethnic and cultural diversity, such as Culturs Magazine, a magazine that encourages people to embrace the culture of ‘in-between’ with an audience focus of multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, multi-race, and geographic mobile individuals1, and KOL Social, a luxury magazine that enhances the voices of diverse communities in the realms of lifestyle, arts and culture2. Both Culturs and KOL have a wide reach in the world spreading the voices of diverse groups with their digital and print magazines.

Details

Figure 1: Doni Aldine, Founder of Culturs Magazine.

During the first breakout session, Sajeeda Merali, CEO of PPA, led an interactive mentoring session for ethnically diverse students like me, sharing her “Seven Tips3” (seven is the golden number, she said) to success. To see a female executive from a different ethnic background was truly inspiring. And she had such a warm aura with a smile to match.

What made the event even more memorable for me was the fact that I volunteered, with a few others, to man the University’s stand that gave me an opportunity to network with a lot of people apart from the industry experts.

Figure 2: Rachel Polzin, Georgina Salvaraj, Jordan Spiars, Madihah Mizra, Ray Thomson (left to right) volunteering at Magazine Street.

As the day drew to a close, I found myself thinking that the magazine industry was a surprise that I wouldn’t mind exploring. One thing is for sure, I salute Nikki for the substantial effort in not only hosting this year’s Magazine Street, but also making me feel welcome in the magazine world that I have just entered, and I already look forward to attending the event next year too. 

Reference List

  1. Magazine Street. 2023. Doni Aldine – Thinking Differently for Publishing Success. Edinburgh Central Hall, Edinburgh. 5 October 2023. ↩︎
  2. Magazine Street. 2023. Marcia Degia – Revolutionising No – The Freedom of Independent Publishing. Edinburgh Central Hall, Edinburgh. 5 October 2023. ↩︎
  3. Magazine Street. 2023. Sajeeda Merali – Roundtable Mentoring Session For Ethnically Diverse Students. Edinburgh Central Hall, Edinburgh. 5 October 2023.
    ↩︎

Images Used

Cover Image: Magazine Street (no date). Available at: https://internationalmagazinecentre.com/magazine-street/. (Accessed: 14 October 2023).

Figure 1: Salvaraj, G (2023). Image of Doni Aldine speaking at Magazine Street.

Figure 2: Buwert, P (2023). Image of Rachel Polzin, Georgina Salvaraj, Jordan Spiars, Madihah Mizra, Ray Thomson volunteering at Magazine Street (left to right).