Jough McLeod, editor-in-chief, EWE
We’re starting the work week off with Jough McLeod, editor-in-chief of the world’s very first YouTube magazine EWE. The 12 minute launch edition was released last week. We caught up with Jough to find out more.
How was your weekend?
Great thanks, full of friends and bike rides, my favourite!
Tell us about your journey to work.
I recently started life a freelancer so my journey varies day to day. Today it started with taking the bus and tube to the gym where I swam a mile and then took another bus to the café I'm sitting in right now.
Describe the state of your desk.
My friend and I have decided to embark on a tour of London to scope of the best cafe for it's WiFi to coffee combo (Ozone on Leonard Street wins so far by the way). So, as my desk is often not my own or in a permanent place, it's pretty clear. I'll usually have my notebook, glasses, a magazine or two for inspiration and my hard drive. Today I'm at the Palm Vaults and I’ve managed to get this smoothie with edible flowers on top. Maybe it will help my hayfever.
Which magazine do you first remember?
Definitely my subscription to Noddy magazine which I had when I was probably about four years old. The back cover of each issue had a different crop of a bigger poster so if you collected all the issues over the months they would make the full picture. I remember laying all my issues on my bedroom floor, proudly matching them all up to make a big poster of Noddy and thinking it was the coolest thing ever.
What magazine matters to you the most this morning?
Oh Comely as the next issue is impending and I can’t wait for it arrive. Also Rookie mag because they just launched their own podcast, which is kind of like Woman’s Hour but with a younger skew. The second episode comes out tomorrow so I’m looking forward to that.
What YouTube channel matters to you the most this morning?
Casey Neistat is always a solid go-to channel, particularly since he recently started his vlogs again. Drone envy!
How is EWE a YouTube version of a magazine, not a YouTube version of a TV show?
The definition of a magazine is ‘a periodical publication’ which EWE follows, with a new issue being released two to three times a year. In comparison, a TV show usually releases a new episode every week over the space of a few months and then nothing for a year or two. So, how often EWE is released definitely identifies itself as a magazine, as opposed to a TV show.
Unlike TV shows EWE doesn't have presenters either and doesn’t need them either. It has it’s own voice that speaks for itself. I also want EWE to be more playful in terms of layout and format than a TV show, just like traditional print magazines.
If EWE were a printed magazine, which mags would it sit next to?
Somewhere between So Young, Riposte and i-D. Maybe with a hint of The Gentlewoman, Oh Comely and Rough Trade too. Those magazines were my bibles when I was planning the first issue.
Why ‘EWE’?
I called it to EWE because as it sat better with the ethos of the magazine, celebrating people who don’t follow the crowd and who look at the world differently. Essentially people who aren’t sheep.
Pick a ‘spread’ from the issue and tell us what it says about your magazine.
As the magazine isn’t printed, I picked a couple stills instead. These are from our Women’s March London piece at the end of the magazine. It was such an incredible day and it was so heartwarming speaking to everyone, hearing the stories they had to tell and the opinions they had to share. I loved the idea of documenting and immortalising this historic day through the magazine, contributing to the commentary of the current political climate and providing a platform for people to have a voice.
What are you finding most frustrating about your work this week?
I’ve got so many ideas for the future of EWE it's hard to know what to do first.
What's going to be the highlight of this week for you?
Moodboarding for the next second issue, one of my favourite things. Also, contacting bands/artists, collaborators and sponsors for the next issue. Get in touch if you wanna get involved!
What will you be doing after this chat?
Getting a coffee and pursuing the masterplan.