Fantastic Man, gal-dem, and NYT Magazine confirmed for magCulture Live 2019

Formerly known as ModMag, the annual conference is returning to London this November, with a day of talks from international figures in magazine publishing to show, once and for all, that print is far from dead

By Megan Williams 25/10/2019 10:20 am

The last few years have seen some of publishing’s big players fall victim to changes in the media landscape. Whether closures at Shortlist Media, a major reshuffle at Vice, or everyone from Marie Claire to NME waving goodbye to their print editions, it’s no surprise that the rhetoric around magazines is often negative.

However, there have been new titles amid the closures, and a flourishing independent scene has paved the way for both underrepresented voices and niche topics to have a platform.

Returning on November 7 at London’s Conway Hall, magCulture Live – formerly known as ModMag – is here to reinforce the importance and future prospects for publishing. The day will be structured around five newly-introduced themes: Art Direction, Typography, Illustration, Journalism and Photography.

Joining magCulture Live for the event is a range of figures from both independent and long-established titles, as well as global media association FIPP, which regularly reports on trends in publishing. Among the speakers are Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff, Head of Editorial at gal-dem, Jody Quon, Photo Director of New York Magazine and Serge Ricco, Creative Director at French news title L’Obs.

There will likely be some discussion around the changing face of men’s magazines, with speakers including Gert Jonkers, EIC of the recently rebranded Fantastic Man, and Matt Willey, co-founder of biannual style mag Port (who’s also Art Director at The New York Times Magazine). Meanwhile, talks will also come from creatives at art-focused titles like Fukt and Civilization, which both challenge convention when it comes to form and design.

Many of the speakers work at publications with a clear cause at their root, including It’s Freezing in LA!, a magazine focused on climate change, Contra, which aims to change how people perceive conflicts, and Season, a zine striving to “counter the male, pale and sometimes stale state of modern football culture”.