Aaron from DGM is back in the Thane studio to discuss the imminent release of Issue 01 of down grade magazine. We talk about the spirit of the magazine and the amazing family response supporting it.
Hi Aaron, how are you?
Hey Gbemi! Great to finally link again.
How is your week going?
Great so far, we raised over two thousand dollars yesterday. Today we’re the featured publishing project on Kickstarter!
What are you raising money for?
For the past three weeks I’ve been working with Matt K, Olivier Seguin-Leduc, Thomas Trnka, and Jonah Rosenberg to raise money for DGM, Downgrade Magazine. We’re in the final four days of fundraising right now and the community support is pouring in. I’m so grateful to be a part of such an amazing family.
“…we wanted to make something that contained only the content we deemed fit to print…”
Why did you turn to kickstarter as opposed to traditional funding?
If by traditional funding you mean advertisers, then it’s because we wanted to make something that contained only the content we deemed fit to print. Kickstarter also served as a way for us to explain to the community why we were going about creating our project this way.
How has the community response been?
We’ve had pre-orders come in from around the globe. Germany, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico… It’s nuts.
When I was at Skate[Slate] I knew we were printing a lot of magazines but I had no idea where they were going. With DGM I know where every single copy is headed. It’s incredible to think of these pages hanging in a bedroom on the other side of the world.
“With DGM I know where every single copy is headed. It’s incredible to think of these pages hanging in a bedroom on the other side of the world.”
Where’s the furthest you’ve gotten an order from?
Australia.
Last thing I asked in the first interview was ‘’How will DGM be different from other print mags’’. You said ‘’stay tuned’’. Update us.
DGM is an ad-free, large format, skater- and photographer-owned publication. We produce only three magazines a year to ensure the highest quality content.
How do ads impact the content of longboarding magazines?
Ads impact all magazines. They impact all forms of media. Any time media gives space on a page or screen to a business in exchange for money, and let’s them publish whatever message they want, they are giving up control.
In our case specifically, we are making a magazine that reflects the voice of the people who ride, not the people who sell. We want to create a space where skaters can revel in the activity and community they are a part of without the fear of being sold something.
“…we are making a magazine that reflects the voice of the people who ride, not the people who sell.”
Jonah Rosenberg photo
Aren’t the people who sell, the people who ride?
Some are, but they put on a different hat and prioritize different things when they’re selling.
“We want to create a space where skaters can revel in the activity and community they are a part of without the fear of being sold something.”
What is the voice of the people who ride saying?
Anything they need to say, they say with their riding.
Has anyone in the community tried something like this before?
Not on this scale… I’ve seen a few zines. David Hiltbrand’s City Blights had anti-advertisements – those directly confronted the fact of an “industry” in which we are consumers.
Thomas Trnka photo
There is a purity to what we do that has yet to be showcased. We’re not trying to be political about this, but we don’t think current business practices in downhill skateboarding media allow what is truly great to shine through.
“There is a purity to what we do that has yet to be showcased. We’re not trying to be political about this, but we don’t think current business practices in downhill skateboarding media allow what is truly great to shine through.”
How does a publisher retaining control impact the content that the skater consumes?
Part of the beauty of magazines is that their content is produced under pressure – pressure from print deadlines, editors with high standards, limited page-counts, etc.
Good editorial staff can work with these pressures to produce intriguing content again and again.
For many magazines (skate and otherwise), articles serves as filler between advertisements, and everyone gets paid and goes to bed happy regardless of the quality of the content. This is all well-and-good if the magazine is, above all else, a business. But if a publication is primarily a platform for in-depth storytelling, then the Publisher’s priorities have to reflect that.
Will there be any words in DGM?
Yes. Issue 01 has a poem. Issue 02 will have quite a bit more text.
How hard was it making this idea come to reality?
It was three years of work. Many miles traveled. Many data bills.
What was the hardest part of the process?
We’re constantly refining our concepts for future issues. That requires taking time to research and expose ourselves to new work, most of it far beyond the world of skateboarding. I wouldn’t call this “hard,” but it’s not something that has a clear path. Of course there’s the grunt work that comes with starting a business, but that’s standard.
Olivier Séguin-Leduc photo
Will the photography team expand in the future?
As the scene expands more creatives are coming out of the woodwork. I’m always happy to look at portfolios and would definitely be open to collaborating with someone with a unique vision.
Who will you be looking to hire?
Time will tell. We’ve got some fun ideas in the works.
Jonah Rosenberg photo
What do you hope people outside the community feel on viewing issue 01?
Our goal has always been to create work that resonates with people, skater and non-skater alike. This means presenting the content – downhill skateboarding – in a form that is accessible and exciting to all readers. We’ve done away with skate jargon and anything related to the “industry” in hopes of best showcasing the human element of downhill and its community. I hope non-skaters come away with a sense of having seen something real. If there’s any truth in what we do on the board and on the page, people will feel that.
“Make something that matters to you. If you really believe in your work eventually others will.”
Any advice for someone looking to go down this, or a similar route?
Make something that matters to you. If you really believe in your work eventually others will.
Why have you chosen the large page format to print issue one?
Quite simply, we’re tired of screens. We wanted to make something that didn’t feel as fleeting as the rest of digital life.
Instagram pictures are 640 x 640 pixels. Most laptop screens are no bigger than 17” diagonally. The photos in DGM will be the largest widely-distributed images of downhill skateboarding in existence.
For the issues archiving the history of skating, isn’t this something that’s already been done?
The current wave of downhill skateboarding is being covered by hundreds of people posting photos and videos to the internet, but it doesn’t have many committed documentarians. The stories we are working to tell will each be worked on for at least two years before being published.
To the people reading this, we have 2 days and a couple thousand to go – why should skeptics support this project?
If the things said here and on our Kickstarter page haven’t already convinced them, then DGM might not be for them; and that’s okay.
Aside from pre orders, how can people get their hands on issue 01?
We’ll have a webstore up and running soon. There you’ll be able to buy copies of Issue 01 and other goodies. You can also bug your local shop about becoming a stockist!
All proceeds go towards the production of DGM Issue 02.
Aaron bro, thanks a lot for taking the time out for this. Always a pleasure to talk, stoked on the success of your project. I’ll be getting many copies of this magazine and I hope my great-grand kids do too.
The five of us have been humbled by the incredible community response to this project. All I can say is thank you.
Links
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dgm/downgrade-magazine
http://www.downgrademagazine.com/