MEET THE ISSUU PUBLISHERS
LOS ANGELES
It takes an amazing storyteller to catch your attention. In Los Angeles, Hollywood’s home and mecca for creatives, we talked to four issuu publishers you might recognize: Local Wolves, L.A. Record, Nude Magazine and L.A. Downtown News. How did these publishers get started? How does living in L.A. influence their publications? We visited the City of Angels to learn their stories firsthand.
Cover Publisher: Local Wolves Publication: Issue 40 Photographer: Dylan Robbins
Q: How did you get started? I was working at a few publications in high school as a concert photographer. I conducted interviews and wrote live reviews of shows that I got access for in the Orange County and Los Angeles areas. After a few months of experience, I decided to create a music blog dedicated to the local shows that my staff and I were covering. We began to incorporate band interviews, then moved into food and lookbooks as well. After I graduated from high school in 2012, I decided to take a break from Local Wolves to focus on my college courses. A few months later I stumbled upon a YouTube video of Jc Caylen and Connor Franta. And then came across Our2ndLife (O2L). It sparked my attention to reach out to these content creators to be featured in the publication. Luckily, we found what Local Wolves was all about. We’ve been doing the issues for four years and have learned so much along the way! Local Wolves, April 2016
Q: Any advice for your readers? Even if you’re still in school, it doesn’t mean you’re limited in creating things. Growing up, I felt constricted and felt like I wanted to create things. Don’t feel restricted. Just stay motivated, stay grounded and have a good group of friends around you. Local Wolves, August 2016
(Left) Kristina Benson, Publisher and Chris Ziegler, Editor
L.A. Record L.A. Record is Los Angeles’ biggest music magazine, which is deeply rooted in one of the largest music-loving communities around. DIY to the core, Chris Ziegler, Kristina Benson and their friends distribute their printed publications around the city by hand, and rely on their community and surroundings to make their magazine great. With some exceptions, L.A. Record’s content is all 100% Los Angeles — from its people to its photo shoot locations — and is truly a for-the-people-by-the-people publication.
Q&A with Chris Ziegler & Kristina Benson editor and publisher of L.A. Record
Q: How did you get started? Chris: I saw too much music around me that wasn’t getting acknowledged. In 2005, a photographer friend took a really cool photo and I was inspired by it. I wanted to do a poster and then have a band interview on the back. People were super into it and were hitting me up when they found out I had been the one to make it. We started L.A. Record shortly after. L.A. Record, Issue 124
Nude Magazine Nude Magazine is an issuu newcomer, but their beautifully-styled content makes them a publisher to watch. Twenty-two-year-old Raylene Pereyra, Nude’s founder and editor in chief, wanted her magazine to be by the people and for the people — specifically creatives living in Los Angeles. Her motto of “Real, raw, and true.” is evident in each issue, and she makes a point to handpick every person featured to keep that message alive. (Right) Raylene Pereyra
Fun Facts about Nude Raylene can complete one issue in 2 weeks.
We featured Nude in a blog post about The Devil Wears Prada.
Q&A with Raylene Pereyra founder and editor in chief of Nude Magazine
Q: How did you get started? Coming out of high school, I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I went to college, but I wasn’t into it and after a year and a half I left. After creative directing for a jean company called Foxy Lux, I found that I loved that, so eventually I stopped working for them and started doing my own thing. Seeing all the creative people around me in L.A. inspired me to start Nude because I really wanted to give them some exposure. It’s also called Nude because I want it to be real and raw. Anything you say goes.