Hate
Magazin für Relevanz und Stil
Berlin-based, politics, style, culture, opinions, art, fashion
Berlin, Germany
Alte Schönhauser Straße 44, 10119
Email: nina.scholz@hate-mag.com
- Category: Art, Culture, Fashion, Politic
- Periodicity: Tri-Annual
- Language: German
- Format: 210 x 300 mm
- Circulation: 6,000
- Price: 3 €
- Web: http://www.hate-mag.com
Founded in 2008
Our 2nd issue was just released
Exclusive Interview
Hate
What is your magazine about?
The subheading of our magazine is "Relevanz und Stil", what in a somehow quirky-arrogant pose wants to say: We are defining for the people out there what is relevant, stylish and cool. And is meant as a statement against the gesture of objectivity in journalism. Our authors, the participating artists and we ourselves are writing in a relative unfiltered way about things that we like and also a lot about things we don't like. Our topics are somewhere between popculture, technomusic, arts and politics, but what distinguishes us from all the other magazines out there is that we are relatively direct and have a unique style of talking our minds in an intellectual and arty way.
Who’s behind the project? Tell us about the founders, their backgrounds and their motivations!
The founders are Jonas Gempp and I. We both studied social science and tried to make a living as freelance-writers in Berlin. When we became a couple, about 3 years ago, we often talked about the magazine that we would love to do. And from the fun we had with spinning around ideas about a magazine full of things that we couldn’t find in other magazines at that time, the idea of "Hate Magazin" was born. So in 2007 we sat down with some friends and a year later, in 2008, HATE MAGAZINE was born.
How do you produce one issue? How much time do you spend on it? How big is your team?
That is very hard to answer. The time between issues is usually around 3 or 4 months and the regular team has 6 members. But there are a lot more people on board to help us and we would definitely define them as loose members of the "hate-team". Although, we do not only have the magazine, HATE is also a party here in Berlin, a website and a lot more to come, like events. All members have daytime-jobs, so it’s hard to tell how much time we spend on an issue. But what I can say is, that we always have a lot of stress in the last month of production...
What have been the important steps in the life of your magazine?
I think the two most important steps were to find the right people who exactly understood the idea of the magazine and to publish the first issue.
Which are the key ingredients for the success of your magazine?
Our many supporters and friends.
What are the difficulties you are confronted with? What would be “the” thing to help the magazine to improve?
I think our main problem is very common: Lack of money. We have a lot of ideas, but not enough money, so that would be the thing that would improve our magazine.
Where do you want the magazine to be in five years?
I would be really happy, if we make a bigger, better magazine by then; with longer articles, more topics and expensive picture productions, but I would also love if HATE had become more of a lifestyle by then, with a gallery, events and books. And the magazine would only be a big part of that cosmos.
Tell us about your audience! Who are the readers of your magazine?
A lot of them are from Berlin, but I am always suprised how different they all are. So I can't really tell.
Is remaining independent important to you? Is it part of the strategy?
It is more an emergency-strategy than one about the identity of HATE Magazine. So we decided to find other ways of making money, like the party or establishing a group of publishers that support us with donations, and rather not to sell our ideas for a few euros and a crappy ad, writing about a packet soup only because we are getting money from Campbell. That wouldn't really fit with the title of our magazine. But we are definitely not against ads, but right now we are only accepting the ones we really like.
What’s your relationship with advertisement? Does it influence your content? Do you care about advertising-driven-editorials?
We don't get any of the bigger advertisers; some believe that we are kind of an indie-ish magazine, and others like our style but hesitate to place their ads next to our content.
What do you think of your issue 01, when you look back at it?
Our first issue was published less than a year from now, but in a way it seems a really long time has passed since then. I am still very proud of it, but I can totally see the mistakes we made. A lot of them are solved by now, but we still have a long way to go. And I am still excited as I was back then, which is actually a really nice feeling.
Magazine favorite(s) that inspired you in your career.
When I was a teenager, I loved the German magazines “Tempo” and “Spex”, and from England the "Dazed and Confused"-Magazine. And I always loved to read the Weekly "Jungle World". But right now, there isn't a specific one, just issues from a variety of magazines that I love and would never give away. I still love my Sunday edition of the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung" and its daily culture-section.
Do you keep old copies of magazines? If so, what is your favorite in your collection?
I have a few American and French Vogues that I would never give away, a few issues of “Dazed and Confused” and “Paper Magazine” that mean a lot to me, some Horror- and Fantasy-fanzines from all over the world and a pretty complete collection of the German magazine “Spex” from between 1996 to 2007. But there is a lot more.
How many magazines do you buy / get / read each month? Do you qualify yourself a maniac?
There was a time when I was one, but right now I am becoming more and more of a blog-maniac, I have too many in my google-reader! And I am still spending more on books than on magazines.
We are compiling answers from some of the most innovative magazine makers around the world today. Who else should we ask?
I would love to read an interview with Jovanka Vuckovic, the editor of "Rue Morgue".
Answered by Nina Scholz (Founder, publisher and editor)
Magazine: HATE Magazin
Email: nina.scholz@hate-mag.com
Date: 29-01-2009
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Publisher: Nina Scholz...contact
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