Anatomy of a magazine launch

Evita's development team is on track in producing a stunning product, which will definitely become a heavy hitter in the Finnish publishing market. Pictured above is our inspiration wall which has been immensely helpful in getting both the editorial and creative vision on track from square one. It's been tremendous following the ins and outs of a magazine launch in another country, especially as more and more of the finished photo shoots and copy are starting to roll in. One fact which has been very intriguing to me is the structure of the actual magazine itself. The traditional US "standard" is front of book sections with partial ads followed by a robust feature well (3-4 features back to back) with no ads and then finishing off with back of the book pages. Here on the other hand there are various sections throughout the book within each section there is a feature. Structurally Evita is broken down into a FOB section covering "Good News" various topics ranging from celebrity to make-up and everything in-between. Then there are 5 distinct sections: 1.Beauty (the largest section), 2."Aha"-Moments, 3.Food, 4.Active Life and finishing off the book with the oh so necessary 5.Shopping. I must say this structuring gives a much nicer and more even pacing throughout the overall magazine. As I am also sure advertisers in the States would love to be throughout the entire book and not just relegated to the FOB or BOB. Over the years it just seems as though the feature well has gotten pushed back further and further... I mean look at Vogue where in some cases you don't even reach the masthead till page 100. Comparing apples to oranges you may say, but regardless it's always great to view something in a completely different light.

Juhannus (Midsummer Celebrations)

A recession and surging unemployment could not dampen the Finnish spirits for the annual rite of summer. As you can see from the above picture Tuomas looks happy as can be....while doing his best Nasfuratu impersonation. Juhannus marks the beginning of the summer holidays when most Finns take off of work (up to 5 weeks) and head to their country side cottages. It is a day filled with ancient traditions, bonfires, copious amounts of alcohol and a never setting sun.

The day started with heavy rain which subsided by the afternoon when I headed over to Tuomas and Henna's apartment. The artwork they have collected from artists and friends alike to Henna's own photography made their entire apartment a visual delight to walk through. I was treated to Tuomas's famous LA burgers which were followed by a rhubarb cake made with rhubarb from Henna's very own garden (yes I had more than one piece). We had drinks and great conversation before heading out to Seurasaari Island where the Finnish traditions came to light all around you. From various cabins showing the construction styles over the centuries to traditional food and folk dancing it was great to see. But I'm not going to lie I was super stoked about the bonfires! There were numerous "smaller" fires lit along the coastline with one main pile which was still unlit. As midsummer night is known as a very potent and magical night it has become the biggest wedding day of the entire year. So one couple is chosen to get married on the island and is then rowed out to the bonfire rig to light the largest ceremonial fire. The banks were filled with hundreds of onlookers cheering while the flames and smoke rose into the "midnight sun" sky. Met a ton of cool people, drank champagne out of the words smallest cups and then headed back into town to hop amongst a number of different bars and clubs. Crazy good times.

As I walked back into my apartment building at 4 am, all I could think to myself was, WOW. From witnessing a national tradition to the overall experience of the past few weeks, my next adventure was the five flights of stairs straight ahead of me.

Finnish Fashion

Over the past month I have had the pleasure of meeting some truly talented, forward thinking fashion photographers. Many of whom have graced the pages of Bonnier's very own Olivia, but rest assured it's only a matter of time before their work will be popping up in fashion mags Stateside.

Jonas Lundqvist: Jonas used to be a professional ballet dancer who is now a stellar fashion photographer. For the above story he had the concept of building an entire life size paper horse (saying much of his inspiration came from the movie by Michael Gondry, The Sceince of Sleep). This story was featured within the pages of Olivia's May issue.

Nina Merikallio: I met Nina this past Friday on location for Evita's very first cover shoot. It turned out beautiful and I can't wait to see the cover all over Finland come September. Also this week Nina will be on TV shooting the finalists of Finland's Next Top Model for the cover of Cosmo.

Samuli Karala: What better way to meet a photographer than while watching a soccer World Cup Qualifier and drinking a pint of beer. A close friend of Tuomas' it was great speaking with Samuli about his recent journey to NYC and his plans on returning for fashion week to shoot more. A great range of innovative work on his site.

It's Official...

...my "replacement" has exceeded every and all expectations I had for him. From working with legal/finance departments on cost cutting to story concepting with editors (above) for future issues, not forgetting to mention his overall design skills are stellar (from what I hear). I will admit there have been a few "instances" of chasing women around the office, the faint odor of rum and the occasional treasure map found in the place of a missing object. BUT all that aside he has really done great adpating to a new city and a new job. A special thanks to Lindsey for showing him a crazy night out on the town and Diane for being at the right place at the right time for some awesome pictures :)

Kiasma

This past weekend I visited the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma located in the heart of Helsinki. In the 5 floors the museum had to offer I was presented with some of the most interesting and invigorating art I have seen in quite some time. Kiasma definitely creates an open forum for the exchange of opinions and a continuous redefinition of art and culture. Best of all you can photograph to your hearts content!

Which reminds me of a great quote I read the other day by the Norwegian artist, Ida Ekblad: "I create art in order to get depressed, to misuse, to shame myself, to feel pain, to obtain financial problems, and for other scarcely desirous reason."

Ordinary Person, Extraordinary Opportunity

I am nearing the end of my first month in Helsinki, and what a month it's been! I've visited numerous countries, walked the halls of gorgeous museums, gone to the opera, drank the beers of Europe, and all the while meeting people who have opened my mind and eyes.

This doesn't even begin to scratch the surface as to what my professional experience has been like. Working on a new magazine launch from square 1 in a foreign market is astounding. From the varying approaches to the structure of the book itself, to not being able to read the language, it has forced me to apply my design skills in new and unexpected ways. First and foremost I feel very fortunate to be working with Tuomas. His track record and design sensibilities in the magazine industry are impressive to say the very least (I've lost count as to how many mags he has launched and/or redesigned). It's been awesome sitting across from another creative throwing ideas back and forth, all while geeking out about the day to day happenings in the design industry.

I've been able to visit numerous photographers studios (pictured above in the studio with Olivia's fashion editor Sanna, photographer Kimmo and editorial assistant Lenna), meet the design collective which is creating our custom fonts for Evita (a beautiful and modern slab serif alongside a refined serif), as well as, review portfolios of potential illustrators for future use. Across the board all these creatives have been extremely passionate/talented and best of all very modest. Whether this is a repercussion of a "small" market where it's not in a persons best interest to be a diva....I don't know. Regardless it has been refreshing speaking with them about their craft and how the varying markets have such different styles (i.e. US VOGUE vs French VOGUE vs German VOGUE).

As the publishing industry changes around us, we need to adjust our views as to what we are producing. Today it's not about the magazine-as-object (just sitting on the news stand) anymore, we are moving into an age where it is imperative to see we are creating/selling an experience. The exchange of ideas and resources between the various Bonnier offices worldwide is one of many steps in growing towards a more pertinent and profitable publishing house as a whole.

Trains, Planes and Boats...

This past weekend was spent in Stockholm, Sweden, where I met my little sister Bettina at the airport upon her arrival from Oslo. We headed to the city center by train to our hotel where we were greeted by a beautiful city, with its historical buildings and architecture to its water and many parks. The city was packed to capacity with not only the Stockholm marathon, the annual horse races, but also university graduations happening (not forgetting to mention the all to common stag parties as well). So it was great to have 2 of my buddies, Rikard and Jacob, from SCAD who live in Stockholm to show us the off the beaten path way to a city teeming with energy and imagination. From exploring Durgäden Park by bike for a few hours to drinking a beer while overlooking the city and its action from high above at Mosebacke Etablissement, it was a great way to spend the days.

Now as far as the nights are concerned....Swedes much like the Finns know how to go out and have a great time till the early hours of the morning. I can say both literally and figuratively that Saturday night was both the shortest and longest night of my life..haha. The sun set while we were in between various bars and an indie film production company loft party in Old Town at around 12 and was back out again when we left one of Stockholms most legendary nightclubs, Sturecompagniet (pictured below), at around 4. All in all it was one hell of a night! Sunday we took it easy (with super fresh and much needed smoothies) and walked around the various parts of town from Gamla Stan to Norrmalm and Ostermalm before headin to the harbor where we boarded a Silja Line cruise ship bound for Helsinki.