Little White Lies
Little White Lies
Cover
19 cover(s) available
view all
Advertising
Sales Director Steph Pomphrey steph@littlewhitelies.co.uk
Truth & Movies
LWLies is a bold and passionate magazine inspired by movies and everything they stand for.
London, UK
Story Publishing Studio 209, Curtain House, 134-146 Curtain Road, EC2A 3AR
Email: editorial@littlewhitelies.co.uk
- Category: Cinema
- Language: English
- Format: 200 x 244 mm
- Price: £ 3.75
- Web: http://www.littlewhitelies.co.uk
Founded in 2005
Exclusive Interview
Little White Lies
What is your magazine about?
It's an independent movie magazine whose visual flavour and feature content is inspired by each issue's cover film. It's about life, truth and movies.
Who’s behind the project? Tell us about the founders, their backgrounds and their motivations!
The magazine began as a university design project by Danny Miller, now the publisher. He had an idea for a film magazine that used a single movie to branch off into many other areas of pop culture. It was inspired by adrenalin, a surf, skate and snow mag. The words for that first issue were provided by Matt Bochenski, an old school mate who'd just graduated from university and was killing time before starting work in the City. Over the next year, the two developed the idea, and after Danny got a job at adrenalin, soon followed by Matt, it put them in a position to cultivate the right contacts and gather a team of equally dedicated friends and colleagues, in particular the two Creative Directors, Rob Longworth and Paul Willoughby.
How do you produce one issue? How much time do you spend on it? How big is your team?
LWLies is made primarily by a team of six people – an Editor, a Reviews Editor, two Creative Directors, a Designer and a Publisher. But there's also a team of dedicated freelancers. Each issue begins with a meeting to decide what the cover movie will be. That often involves disputes and arguments, but we're always looking for a film to stir the passions and that can take us down unique and interesting avenues. With the film decided on, the features are commissioned by the editor, and the design team will begin to put together a plan for the visual elements. Each issue is visually distinct, but it must fit into the overall design ethos. Meanwhile, reviews are commissioned and copy is written. The whole process takes two months.
What have been the important steps in the life of your magazine?
The early days were a constant struggle (so are the current days) but we also took some important steps - getting stocked in the right stores, getting in front of the right kind of industry audience, and convincing people that we were a legitimate part of the movie magazine landscape. Editorially, getting our first big interviews with the likes of George Romero was a key step, as were our first ad quotes on posters. That got us in front of a much wider audience.
Which are the key ingredients for the success of your magazine?
Passion. The magazine is built on blood, sweat and tears. If we weren't totally committed and prepared to make sacrifices, it wouldn't exist.
What are the difficulties you are confronted with? What would be “the” thing to help the magazine to improve?
The usual difficulties - advertising revenue being the most obvious. The other difficulty is maintaining our focus on who we are and why we do this. The bigger you get, the more tempting it is to along with the establishment and try and be part of the club. You have to reject that. You have to remember why you do it - we have to keep on doing things our own way and not being scared to be different or be on the outside looking in. Being on the outside is the only way to be unique and keep your identity. 'The' thing to help us improve would be a cash injection from a Russian oligarch.
Where do you want the magazine to be in five years?
In the hands of everybody who cares.
Tell us about your audience! Who are the readers of your magazine?
Our readers are the kinds of people who aren't interested in following the herd. They don't want to settle for received wisdom or the pile of shit that passes for most magazines these days.
Is remaining independent important to you? Is it part of the strategy?
Independence is everything. The minute you give up your independence, what's the point? You might as well get a real job. It'd be a lot less heartache.
What’s your relationship with advertisement? Does it influence your content? Do you care about advertising-driven-editorials?
We have a dedicated ad sales team, but they wouldn't dream of telling us what to put in the mag, and if they tried I wouldn't dream of listening to them. We don't go out of our way to show advertisers that we're our own publication, but we would never, never make a decision just on the basis of advertising. Again - once you do that, you might as well go and get a job for a mainstream mag and save yourself the hassle.
What do you think of your issue 01, when you look back at it?
Pride mixed with embarrassment.
Magazine favorite(s) that inspired you in your career.
Edge, adrenalin, Flaunt, The Face.
Do you keep old copies of magazines? If so, what is your favorite in your collection?
I don't, but Danny has millions. I think he likes the Fight Club cover of The Face with Ed Norton.
How many magazines do you buy / get / read each month? Do you qualify yourself a maniac?
I'm not. I don't really want to be influenced any more. I want to be influential.
We are compiling answers from some of the most innovative magazine makers around the world today. Who else should we ask?
Vince Medeiros, Huck Magazine.
Answered by Matthew Bochenski (Editor)
Magazine: Little White Lies
Email: matt@littlewhitelies.co.uk
Date: 27-10-2008
- 2044
- 5180
- 2482
- 662
