strongKatie Prisco-Buxbaum, Beacon Staff/strong
After three web issues, Your Magazine — a startup lifestyle monthly — has made the switch to print, with hopes of reaching a larger audience on campus.
Olivia Moravec, founder and editor-in-chief of the magazine, said that the move to print copy has been the plan all along, but it was just a matter of time and money.
About 200 copies of the 40-page publication were distributed yesterday in the news racks around campus, and a majority were handed out by Moravec and the Your Magazine marketing team.
“As a writer or a photographer, to see a tangible product, is an accomplishment for the staff,” said Moravec. “It’s an easier way to get our name out on campus.”
The cost of the new issue was approximately $1,000, according to Moravec, and was covered by money raised through fundraisers at the Boylston Street eatery Four Burgers, The upscale burger joint extended their hours Sept. 30, and offered a $5 deal for Emerson students with proceeds and donations going toward Your Mag. In addition, the club held a Halloween-themed social with over 150 people in attendance in order to raise funds. The organization has applied for recognition by the Student Government Association in order to have a budget to fund future issues, said Moravec.
The organization will know whether it will receive recognition by the end of this semester, after the upcoming hearings as part of the Organization Recognition and Review Board process. Your Mag is one of 14 organizations who applied for recognition for the upcoming spring semester, according to SGA Vice President Tau Zaman.
Your Mag, which released its first online issue in September, covers romance, entertainment, fashion, and art. Moravec said she started the magazine because she wanted a magazine that offered students more accessible and affordable options.
The startup — which made waves when it challenged the lifestyle publishing hegemony Em Mag Magazine, a glossy semesterly, maintained since 2007 — has already scooped up some of its rival’s staff.
Brianna Baxter, a sophomore broadcast journalism major, also modeled in Your Mag’s latest issue in an article about hair salon Brandon Keith Hair on Newbury Street. Baxter, who has also modeled for Em Magazine, said the two print products are very different because of the frequency of print.
“Your Magazine is different than any magazine on campus,” said Baxter. “Because it is monthly, the articles are less in-depth than Em Magazine, which is printed once a semester, but the articles are more current, and up-to-date.”
Crystal Yuen, a model in the October issue, said she believes that this is the best move for the startup.
Yuen, who also works on Em Magazine’s marketing sub-committee, said although the two lifestyle publications are in print, the content is still very different.
“Your Magazine is more focused on student fashion trends, where Em Mag has more editorials about high fashion. It is much more Nylon-esque,” said the sophomore communication studies major, referring to the pop culture and fashion monthly. “In this issue’s article, I wore some clothes pulled from stores and some from my closet. The focus was things I would wear everyday.”
Junior Justin Reis, two-year co-editor-in-chief of Em Magazine, declined to be interviewed on the matter. However, in an email to the Beacon, he said that since Your Magazine is not SGA recognized or funded, he does not see it as being in the same arena as Em Magazine.
“There is something about being able to hold a magazine and see the glossy print,” said Baxter. “There is something about the tradition of print that makes reading the magazine an experience.”