Profile
Publication Profile: CityMag
By Clare Manera
Answers submitted by Founder, Josh Fanning.
CityMag celebrated its 10th anniversary last month. How has the magazine changed since its conception?
The magazine launched in 2013 without a website. Silly, I know, but it gave us the time to build a rhythm and a business model that actually worked so we could avoid much of the pump-and-dump emotional click-baiting that goes with digital sites. That being said, when we finally did introduce digital and online-only stories, we felt the whole magazine jolt forward and connect with an audience in real-time, which gave the title more power.
What does the CityMag audience look like?
City-dwellers. There’s no age limit for these people. They have strong values around good food and drink, entertainment, and culture. They aspire to "buy once, buy right", and their love of design means they collect things more than consume. CityMag's audience are the people actively building the city through small brick-and-mortar businesses and tech startups.
What are some of your favourite stories published by CityMag over the past decade?
There are too many to count. However, one article stands out as a marker of "before and after". I wrote this opinion piece shortly after returning from the United States, where we had been engaged to publish magazines for a hotel company. The article railed against Adelaide’s lack of investment in new, emerging talent. And now, six years later, it’s safe to say that has changed entirely. We truly live in a different city.
Tell us about your editorial team. Who covers what?
I’m not on the editorial team anymore, having sold the title to Solstice Media. But the main team, writers Claudia Dichiera and Helen Karakulak, and designer Jayde Vandborg, continue to carry the CityMag mantle aloft with excellent, nuanced journalism on the city of Adelaide. Overwhelmingly, CityMag is supported by freelance writers with their own beats and networks that reveal more valuable than a generalist staff trying to "do more with less".
Do you have advice for PRs pitching to CityMag?
Seriously, do even the smallest amount of research. Find the section of the magazine where your pitch will fit and write a decent preamble that may or may not find its way into the standfirst.
Are there any industries in particular you would like to hear more from?
All are obviously important, but I do think CityMag and its audience would benefit from hearing more from local politicians looking for a platform to speak to constituents and build a safer, more fair, and inspiring future.
CityMag celebrated its 10th anniversary last month. How has the magazine changed since its conception?
The magazine launched in 2013 without a website. Silly, I know, but it gave us the time to build a rhythm and a business model that actually worked so we could avoid much of the pump-and-dump emotional click-baiting that goes with digital sites. That being said, when we finally did introduce digital and online-only stories, we felt the whole magazine jolt forward and connect with an audience in real-time, which gave the title more power.
What does the CityMag audience look like?
City-dwellers. There’s no age limit for these people. They have strong values around good food and drink, entertainment, and culture. They aspire to "buy once, buy right", and their love of design means they collect things more than consume. CityMag's audience are the people actively building the city through small brick-and-mortar businesses and tech startups.
What are some of your favourite stories published by CityMag over the past decade?
There are too many to count. However, one article stands out as a marker of "before and after". I wrote this opinion piece shortly after returning from the United States, where we had been engaged to publish magazines for a hotel company. The article railed against Adelaide’s lack of investment in new, emerging talent. And now, six years later, it’s safe to say that has changed entirely. We truly live in a different city.
Tell us about your editorial team. Who covers what?
I’m not on the editorial team anymore, having sold the title to Solstice Media. But the main team, writers Claudia Dichiera and Helen Karakulak, and designer Jayde Vandborg, continue to carry the CityMag mantle aloft with excellent, nuanced journalism on the city of Adelaide. Overwhelmingly, CityMag is supported by freelance writers with their own beats and networks that reveal more valuable than a generalist staff trying to "do more with less".
Do you have advice for PRs pitching to CityMag?
Seriously, do even the smallest amount of research. Find the section of the magazine where your pitch will fit and write a decent preamble that may or may not find its way into the standfirst.
Are there any industries in particular you would like to hear more from?
All are obviously important, but I do think CityMag and its audience would benefit from hearing more from local politicians looking for a platform to speak to constituents and build a safer, more fair, and inspiring future.
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