Marvin Scott Jarrett, Marvin
Marvin Scott Jarrett made his name with a series of ground-breaking magazines in the nineties, including RayGun and Nylon, before moving into producing film and TV projects for artists and brands.
He’s recently launched a new magazine, Marvin, the heart of a media and entertainment company creating content around global music and culture. The magazine is a bold launch, its large unbound pages unlike anything curently published in music. We meet him as issue six, starring St Vincent on the front cover, hits shops.
What are you up to this Monday morning?
Hey there, I’m based in Los Angeles. My morning routine, is I get up early around 5:30 am, make coffee, do my personal meditation and then I do some form of exercise.
As far as the magazine, I’m working on the summer cover and we’re putting together a fashion story in London. Also, I’m planning a trip to Tokyo on May 15th for a gallery event at BookMarc for Marvin and the ‘RayGun: Bible of Music and Style’ book.
Describe your desk and your work space
My space that I’m currently working out of is the top floor of my house up in Laurel Canyon. I have an office here but I rarely use it. I am more inspired by the first floor and the views from the windows.
Which magazine do you first remember?
I started buying magazines when I was 12 or 13. My favorite magazine at the time was Creem. I also bought Surfer, Surfing, and Transworld Skateboard magazines.
Creem introduced me to Bowie, Lou Reed and Iggy Pop. This was my introduction to all the cool music that would influence me to what I do today.
Which magazine matters to you the most this morning?
Guitar Player magazine as of this morning. I love playing guitars. They are a huge part of my inspiration.
Describe Marvin in three words.
A Punk Rock Messianic Vision for the Future. I know that’s eight words!
What made you return to print after seven years?
In 2019, I was in London promoting the launch of the RayGun book, and I got super inspired by the magazine scene happening in the UK. There were all these cool creator-led magazines. I remember thinking, at the time, it could be right to come back and do a music magazine with a global point of view.
After Nylon, I took a much needed break. Since then, I’ve produced a couple of youth culture films, authored the RayGun book and started formulating Marvin. We have been in a digital world so much especially in the past five years. It seemed the climate was shifting and there was a new appreciation for physical things. Like with high end print magazines, vinyl records and street wear.
You’ve always work with strong designers—David Carson and Chris Ashworth (RayGun) and now Gary Koepke. What do they have in common that appeals to you?
I love great typography and that’s something they all have in common. I’ve worked with so many incredible designers in my career, it would be difficult to list them all here. I’ve always been a visual person, and working with the right graphic designer for each project is key to me.
The Marvin team is spread across the world—how does this work?
We’re in LA, London, Boston, New York, Miami and Atlanta right now. We published our first issue with Yungblud on the cover (above) in the midst of the lockdown phase of the pandemic. So, I can’t really explain how it all worked so well together.
But we have an incredible team on the magazine and some awesome contributors from all over the world. I gotta say, Josh Jones who is based in London, has been an amazing executive editor. Gary Koepke has been designing the magazine in Boston.
We print the magazine in the UK, at PurePrint Group and it is printed on GF Smith Paper. The production values are an important part of the brand.
The RayGun book was a vital addition to our bookshelf; how do feel about that magazine today?
I think it stands the test of time. Publishing the book ignited a new set of fans, Rizzoli just went back for a reprint.
Please share one piece of advice for somebody wanting to launch their own publication.
Start with a strong point of view and passion for your project. I think it’s also important to find at least one other like minded person to work on the magazine with you.
What are you most looking forward to this coming week?
The final episodes of Ozark.
Editor-in-chief Marvin Scott Jarrett
Creative director Gary Koepke
Executive editor Josh Jones