The Flatplan 2026
Tickets are now available for the eighth edition of The Flatplan, our magazine-making masterclass, taking place online across the weekend 21/22 March.
As independent magazines continues to flourish, more and more people are attracted to the idea of creating their own magazine. But starting the process can be daunting—that’s where The Flatplan masterclass can help. Join some of the best indie magazine-makers for an inspiring introduction to creating a successful publication, along with specialist printers, distributors and marketers who’ll pitch in on the practical side. You’ll leave with the knowledge needed to develop an abstract idea into a real-life magazine others will want to enjoy!
It all takes place online (Zoom) across two half days—Saturday and Sunday. Each day runs from 13:00–16:30pm (GMT). You’ll receive a single Zoom invitation to cover both days (single day tickets are not available, the masterclass runs across the two days). As well hearing from the speakers, you’ll have the opportunity to talk directly to them in smaller groups during the sessions.
The final line up:
Holly Catford
Holly developed her design voice working for editorial design guru Simon Esterson, with him she still works on Eye magazine. She is also one of the three founders of food magazine Pit, adding insight into the process of publishing to her design nous.
Kim Darragon
Kim is an award-winning marketing consultant and the founder of Kim Does Marketing. She specialises in helping startups, small businesses and entrepreneurs, and has worked with magazines including Monocle, Courier, Le Monde, The Fence, and Translator.
Maria Dimitrova
Maria is founding editor of the sexuality and culture mag AFM, launched last year by dating app Feeld. The magazine celebrates the many dimensions of desire, sexuality, and relationships with a rich collection of features, non-fiction, poetry and columns.
Kemi Fatoba
Kemi is founder & editor-in-chief of Daddy, the award-winning culture magazine focused on diversifying the media landscape. Read our recent interview with her here.
James Laffar
James is managing director of Ra&Olly, a UK-based lndie magazine distributor that works with an international array of specialist indie shops, including magCulture. He is also a founder of In Real Life, the magazine strategy consultancy.
Jeremy Leslie
Jeremy has been producing magazines for forty years, first as a designer and later as a creative director and editor. Today he runs magCulture, mixing art direction, curation, retail and events production.
Jonathan Nunn
Jonathan started the hugely succesful Vittles Substack newsletter five years ago, quickly building a reputation and readership for its bold views on both food culture and the way it is covered in the media. Last year he launched a print magazine to expand Vittles‘ reach.
Dagny Tepper
Dagny is a multidisciplinary creative director, editor, and the founder of Pilot magazine. Her magazine champions risk-takers across art and culture, and is known for its daring formats—from tri-fold issues to game-board layouts.
Park Communications
Park is a London printing company that has developed a specialism in indie magazine production, with publishing clients including i-D, Mother Tongue, Safar Journal and Delayed Gratification. (speaker tbc)
Places are limited to 50 to allow everyone enough time to take part in discussions and get the most out of the masterclass. Tickets are now on sale.
10 of those 50 places are complimentary—open to application from PoC creatives and students/under 23’s. To apply for a complimentary place, please email a short proposal for your magazine idea (no more than one side of A4 page) to: info@magculture.com using the subject line ‘Flatplan 2026 Submission’ and either ‘PoC’ or ‘u23’ according to which place you’re applying for.
We are open to proposals at all stages of their development, be it the seed of an idea, or a fully-formed magazine. The magCulture team will select the best ideas we receive. We are usually oversubscribed so your ideas and notes need to be concise and convincing.
The deadline for all applicationshas been extended to midnight Friday 6 March, and we’ll be in touch by Friday 13 March to let you know if your application has been successful.
‘Flatplan was both insightful and deeply motivating—it gave me (informed) courage to start my own mag. The masterclass gives a look inside the process of making indie magazines, and makes you feel part of a community of both starting-out peers, and vetted magazine makers.’ —Andrea Samoila, All Things Measured, 2024 attendee