magCulture Live NYC25
We’re heading back to New York for magCulture Live! The 2025 edition takes place on Sunday 4 May.
Join us for an afternoon of talks designed to mark the changes we are seeing in publishing, marking a new chapter for magazines: the return to print. Hear from people behind some of the most innovative and inspiring publications, and learn how they are using print to share stories and build communities, as focal points for research, and as joyful disruptions of algorithmic control.
Read on for full details of speakers and schedule, including our MagMagMag pop-up shop.
magCulture Live New York 2024
Sunday 4 May, 1—5pm
53 Scott
53 Scott Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11237
Map
Venue
After the success of last year’s event, we return to 53 Scott, in Bushwick. Take the L train to Jefferson Street and walk five minutes.
Tickets
Live and Livestream tickets are $100, or $80 each for groups of over five people.
We also have a student rate of $70, please book using your university email address. All ticketholders will receive a link to the video of the entire event for future reference.
For group bookings of over 10 people please email events@magCulture.com
Livestream
If you can’t make it to New York, join us online to watch a livestream of the full session. Tickets are available at the same Eventbrite link.
Speakers
First speakers, with more to be confirmed:
Richard Turley
Bloomberg Businessweek, Interview, Civilization…
Richard is one of the key figures forging the future of magazines. Having made his name with the brilliant reinvention of Bloomberg Businessweek in the noughties, he turned his back on publishing to concentrate on TV and advertising. He has since returned to print, working on a series of projects that make a defining argument for the continued relevance and thrill of print.
He’ll be sharing an overview of his career to date, starting with university projects, moving through Bloomberg Businessweek to his current stable of magazines. He is currently editorial and creative director of Interview, last year oversaw the redesign of Rolling Stone, challenges the world of fashion with the self-published Nuts, and designs literary mags Heavy Traffic and Offal. All are fascinating experiments in editorial creativity—Offal, for instance, was designed using Word. He is also a keen observer of the industry and we’re excited to offer him a platform at magCulture Live NYC25 following his particaption in the London edition last year.
Lindsay Peoples
The Cut
Lindsay is editor-in-chief of The Cut, the women’s media platform launched in 2008 by New York magazine. She oversees editorial content, events, brand extensions, and more, conceiving of the strategic direction for the site’s next chapter, which most recently has seen the addition of a biannual print magazine. She was previously editor-in-chief at Teen Vogue.
Steff Yotka
i-D
Steff is the global editorial director of i-D. A passionate fashion critic, she started her career at Fashionista.com when she was just 19, moving to jobs at Nylon, Style.com, and Vogue. As well as fashion, she also spearheads film, music, lifestyle, and beauty coverage for i-D, leading a global team of writers, editors, videographers, and photographers, and was a key figure in the magazine’s recent return.
Jeppe Ugelvig
Viscose Journal
Jeppe is a curator, historian, and cultural critic based in New York City. He is the founding editor-in-chief of Viscose, a journal for fashion criticism and analysis. Each issue adopts a thematic approach that allows it to both reflect and advance the subjects it covers; themes to date have included ‘Text’, ‘Retail’, ‘Trans’ and most recently, for its seventh issue, ‘Scent’. The magazine also appears in a different physical format each issue, according to the theme.
Jeppe is also the author of two books: ‘Fashion Work’ (2020) and ‘Commodity Ecumene’ (2024).
Maria Dimitrova
AFM
Maria is founding editor of the sexuality and culture magazine AFM, the print magazine recently launched by dating app Feeld. The first issue, launched late last year, was themed ‘Pursuits of Happiness,’ celebrating the many dimensions of desire, sexuality, and relationships with a rich collection of features, non-fiction, poetry and columns.
Maria’s writing has appeared in e-flux, Bookforum, London Review of Books, The Paris Review Daily, The Times Literary Supplement, and Tank, among others.
Nicolas Kemper & Samuel Medina
New York Review of Architecture
Nicolas is publisher of, and Samuel editor of, New York Review of Architecture, a tabloid-sized magazine that is, in Samuel’s words, ‘an independent, subscriber-supported publication that believes both in criticism and in architecture’s relevance to the wider culture.’ A vital read, it is also notable for its black and yellow page designs and the rat mascots that scurry through its pages.
Nicolas trained as an architect, having worked for architecture and engineering firms in New York and Berlin. He has written pieces for publications including Curbed, AA Files, and Urban Omnibus and teaches at the School of Visual Arts and at the Kean School of Public Architecture.
Samuel was previously executive editor of the Architect’s Newspaper and deputy editor of Metropolis. His writing has appeared in numerous publications, including Artforum, The Art Newspaper, and Harvard Design Magazine.
Read our interview with Samuel here.
Daniela Rodriguez
Superstars Only
Daniela is a multimedia artist currently living in NYC. She studied Graphic Design at Parsons School of Design and launched her magazine, Superstars Only, in 2021, to poke fun at the New York art scene. It blurs the line between insider and outsider perspectives, hailing the artists it celebrates as superstars. She recently told us, ‘Magazine is the kind of word that you can close your eyes and imagine; there’s a pre-existing template. Don’t let that template suffocate you when coming up with your own.’ Typical of that spirit, the fifth issue of Superstars Only came with handles, and was titled ‘Bagazine’.
Read our interview Daniela here.
Plus more speakers to be confirmed
MagMagMag pop-up shop
In the week running up to magCulture Live, the magCulture team will be back at our regular Manhattan base at Vitsoe, where we’ll be running our MagMagMag pop-up shop. As well as presenting a selection of magazine favourites from our London shop to buy, there will also be a series of free lunchtime talks at their space (details to follow.) Swing by and meet the magCulture team!
29 April—3 May 2025
10am—6pm (12—6pm Saturday)
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FAQs
What is magCulture Live?
The conference has been held annually in London since 2013. We have now organised ten London editions and five New York editions— plus three Zoom editions during the Covid lockdown.
What is it about?
magCulture Live is about the power of editorial creativity. It inverts the common magazine conference, leading with the creative side of the industry rather than the business side. We present the most innovative and creative work in magazine publishing, with editors and art directors uniting to share their thoughts and ideas. We don’t duck the big issues facing print publishing, but neither do we fall for the easy, negative narratives surrounding the industry. If you know the magCulture Journal you’ll have a sense of the scope and focus of the live event.
Is there a theme to the day?
We’ll be celebrating the creativity of the magazine industry, bringing together the publishing community for a session of creative inspiration. In addition, this year’s theme ‘The Return to Print’ will draw attention to how print is back on people’s agendas.
Who is magCulture Live for?
The day is aimed at publishing professionals, design and journalism students and graduates, and anyone with a creative curiousity. The ability to develop an editorial voice is in everyone’s hands today via digital channels. Hear from leading editorial practitioners how they are handling this responsibility, and return to work full of fresh inspiration. Attendees have also included academics, teachers, brand designers, illustratos and photographers.
Who organises magCulture Live?
magCulture Live is produced by magCulture, led by founder Jeremy Leslie, who also MC’s the day. Our rallying cry is ‘We love magazines,’ which we express through regular reviews and interviews on our online Journal, by selling the new generation of independently published magazines from our London shop and online, a podcast series, and our live events.