Gatsby Magazine
Gatsby
Cover Winter 2008 / 2009
2 cover(s) available
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Advertising
Lynda Real: lynda@gatsbymagazine.com / Stefan Hottinger-Behmer: stefan@gatsbymagazine.com
The supercilious assumption that on Sunday afternoon you have nothing better to do.
Zurich, Switzerland
Dreikoenigstrasse 31A, 8002
Email: editorial@gatsbymagazine.com
- Category: Lifestyle
- Periodicity: Quarterly
- Language: English
- Format: 240 x 320 mm
- Circulation: 45,000
- Price: 5 €
- Web: http://www.gatsbymagazine.com
Founded in 2006
Launched by CHEEKBONE COUTURE MEDIA GmbH, Gatsby Magazine is a lifestyle magazine aimed at male and female readers between 30 and 65 years of age featuring fashion, features, design, architecture, travel and the arts. Published in English and sold in over 40 countries world-wide.
Exclusive Interview
Gatsby Magazine
What is your magazine about?
Gatsby is a quarterly publication for men and women over 30 featuring fashion, features, travel, design, architecture and the arts. We are the global round-up for savvy travelers and "lifestylers".
Who’s behind the project? Tell us about the founders, their backgrounds and their motivations!
After 10 years working for such publications as Harper`s Bazaar, The Times, L' Officiel, Wallpaper, Clear, Nylon and many others, I decided to start the magazine, catering to a slightly older audience of actual spenders and not just aspirers. Gatsby is not about luxury, it is about lifestyle. I founded the Cheekbone Couture Media Group 2 years ago, we are based in Switzerland and my left and right arms are Lynda Real (Advertising Director) who is based in Paris and Raimond Radtke (Art Director) who lives and works in Germany. Gatsby is a totally global and mobile enterprise. Our editorial and production staff are all over the world.
How do you produce one issue? How much time do you spend on it? How big is your team?
There are 3 people behind Gatsby. We do everything ourselves and outsource all the rest. That´s our vision: Magazines don´t need entire buildings filled with staff anymore. It´s what makes so many of them go bust, because their overheads are so high. At Gatsby, everything is outsourced and we are free to change collaborators and contributors as we please. It takes us a long time to produce each issue, as we usually shoot all four stories in each issue in different locations around the globe. Not to mention that our editorial content comes together through the collaboration of writers in all four corners of the globe.
What have been the important steps in the life of your magazine?
We started the magazine in Germany as that´s where our seed capital was coming from. After the start-up and market introduction phases, we moved our operations to Zurich - which was always our target. The most important step was our global circulation and distribution deal. Gatsby is not sold in over 40 countries world-wide and is available in the in-flight libraries of ALL Swiss flights in and out for Switzerland. Our circulation has grown incredibly quickly and our sales are picking up as well. Moving to Zurich was probably our most important step. There aren´t too many titles in Switzerland and the market saturation level has still not been met - so it´s a great place to be right now.
Which are the key ingredients for the success of your magazine?
We keep it real and commercial. The quality is what stands out the most. We dedicate a lot of time and money to make the magazine the best it can be. Beautiful images, beautifully printed - exciting copy - fantastically edited. We are also not trying to be modern, underground or avant-garde. People try too hard and I think there are enough magazines catering for East End kids and their followers. Gatsby is for a more discerning reader.
What are the difficulties you are confronted with? What would be “the” thing to help the magazine to improve?
"The Thing" would be some investment so that we can expand internationally. We aim to expand with international editions in America, Spain, France, Middle East, Germany, Brazil, Japan and China. The problem we are facing right now is the overall cut in advertising due to the economic slowdown.
Where do you want the magazine to be in five years?
Selling even more and expanding into other language areas...
Tell us about your audience! Who are the readers of your magazine?
Men and women over 30. Well-travelled, cosmopolitan lovers of quality, not necessarily luxury. We cater for people who have a good base knowledge and a slightly higher expectation regarding the editorial content. (So basically we don´t talk about polka dots for summer or 365 ways to get "the best tan this summer"...
Is remaining independent important to you? Is it part of the strategy?
For now yes, but in the future I wouldn´t mind a sell out.
What’s your relationship with advertisement? Does it influence your content? Do you care about advertising-driven-editorials?
Of course! We are a commercially driven magazine and we totally work with our advertisers. Readers are not stupid, they know that if Prada is advertising in your magazine, most likely they will find Prada products promoted inside. It´s the nature of the business and unless you are a millionaire just doing it as a hobby, there is no way around advertising and the compromises that come with it.
What do you think of your issue 01, when you look back at it?
I think we have come a long way and every new issue is our "best issue ever!"
Magazine favorite(s) that inspired you in your career.
I subscribe to over 100 magazines... I read everything from The Economist to Vogue.
Do you keep old copies of magazines? If so, what is your favorite in your collection?
I keep TONS of magazines... in fact, our mail room at Gatsby has more of my own magazines than anything else. I find it difficult to throw magazines away, so I keep them all. My favorite is a copy of PIAUI, a Brazilian magazine as it uncovered how European brands were actually copying Brazilian designers and not the other way around. That was a great exposé!
How many magazines do you buy / get / read each month? Do you qualify yourself a maniac?
I am a total maniac... As I mentioned previously, I subscribe to about 100 magazines and buy truckloads at airports.
We are compiling answers from some of the most innovative magazine makers around the world today. Who else should we ask?
I think it is relevant to ask people who have been in the business for a bit longer. Talking to young editors is exciting, but most of them go bust in 1 year or less and nothing is truly "ground-breaking" in today's world. The internet has sort of ruined this for everyone...
Answered by Stefan Hottinger-Behmer (Publisher & Editor-in-Chief)
Magazine: Gatsby Magazine
Email: stefan@gatsbymagazine.com
Date: 08-01-2009
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