Podcast: Steven Gregor, Gym Class magazine

by Steve Watson in October 2016

The latest issue of Gym Class magazine opens with a bold statement: “Magazines have their moment. Gym Class has had its. And it was great.”

This latest issue of the magazine about magazines is the strongest so far, with a fantastic line up of writers, illustrators and photographers all pitching in to create an exciting and energetic tour of the publishing world. But editor, publisher and creative director Steven Gregor uses his editor’s letter to leave readers in absolutely no doubt about why he’s stopping: put simply, he can’t make Gym Class break even, and he can’t afford to keep on losing money making it in his spare time.

But as one door closes another opens, and at the end of the letter he mentions another magazine in the works, “from the makers of Gym Class… but the editorial remit will stretch beyond the hyper-niche bubble Gym Class was confined to.” I asked him whether he’d be interested in speaking about leaving Gym Class behind and embarking on the new project, so he came over to the office on Wednesday this week and we headed out to the terrace to speak.

Unfortunately a brisk wind and some busy workmen created quite a bit of noise in the background of this one, but I hope that won’t put you off listening to Steven – his thoughts on the state of the independent magazine market are really interesting, and I’m very excited by the prospect of his new magazine, which will bridge the independent and the mainstream.

I hope you enjoy this one, and I promise we won’t have any more annoying wind noises on the podcast in future (I’ve got a special foam microphone cover now, just like you see on TV). If you’d like to hear more from Stack, just search ‘Stack Magazines’ in Soundcloud, iTunes or whatever else you use for your podcasts, and follow us to make sure next week’s episode is delivered direct to your device.

Thanks for listening!