In a world where pros have 100 times more followers than magazines, where video and social media have taken over, are printed mags still relevant? In my opinion, yes. If you’re reading this, I guess you agree. So here’s a few words about Bubble from the editor-in-chief, Stefan Schwinghammer.
By David Turakiewicz
„THE QUESTION ISN’T WHAT A MAG SHOULD LOOK LIKE BUT WHAT IT CAN LOOK LIKE“
You were already working at Solo, now you’re the editor in chief of Bubble and Solo doesn’t exist anymore. Can you tell briefly what happened?
Stefan Schwinghammer: I know that it has been a bit confusing for people what happened to Solo because we didn’t really communicate much about since it ended for a very sad reason. Last year, longtime editor-in-chief Oliver Tielsch passed away. Apart from the fact that this was a great personal loss for all of us, it also meant the end of Solo as a company.
Who are the people running the mag now, and how different should it be?
Besides me, there’s Felix Adler, our main photographer, Stefan Vogtländer, who handles the layout, Nich Kunz, our man from Canada who does the proofreading, and Gino Fischer, who mainly takes care of social media and filming. However, by the time you read this interview, Gino will have already moved on, because he had another job in the industry, and doing both at the same time became too much. But we’ll split up his position and bring in three new people. Our new approach is not just to focus on covering what’s happening – we want to bring in more of our own ideas about skateboarding and create unique projects instead of just presenting what we like.
You’ve been working for skatemags for quite some years, now. How different should a skatemag look today compared to a skatemag 15 years ago?
Social media was just emerging back then, so skateboard magazines still had to bring you all the latest news: Which events were happening? Who won which contest? Who got a new sponsor? But this quickly became obsolete, allowing skate mags to focus on the good stuff—interviews, artist portfolios, behind-the-scenes stories, and more. Whereas magazines previously served more of a newspaper function, they were now able to move in the direction of coffee-table books. How to use this new freedom is up to each magazine. To me, the question isn’t what a mag should look like but what it can look like. And to quote philosopher Brandon Cole Margera, they can look like “whatever the fuck they want.” The more approaches there are – and the more diverse they are – the better.
In the past, as a magazine editor, I had arguments with advertisers because they didn’t like an article or an opinion I made about stuff related to them. How do you prevent yourself from that?
I’d say you’re generally a more opinionated person than I am, so I have less trouble with that. I also made the decision for myself to only present stuff I genuinely like. I know that’s not entirely possible, and sometimes you have to swallow a pill to keep the mag running, but even if you’re at an event or whatever, that you think sucks, there’s always something fun to focus on. That said, I’ve also written articles about the Olympics – because I really don’t like skateboarding being part of it – about the skateboard production chain, and about why skate shops have been struggling since Covid. But I’m not calling anyone out; I try to present the facts. And in the end, we’re talking about a leisure activity involving a wooden toy. Sure, not everything is sunshine and roses, but it’s not like we’re investigating the weapons industry either.
How is the mag distributed? Can we subscribe?
We distribute it through Keen, so you can get it in any shop in Europe that orders from Keen. They also send some mags to the US, Canada, Australia, and Japan. Other than that, you can get it for free by adding it to your order at Skatedeluxe, or you can buy it from our webshop. Unfortunately, there’s no subscription option. We decided against it because managing subscriptions would be quite a big and annoying administrative effort.
What are the other skateboard medias you’re following yourself?
I’d say every major skate media outlet out there. Every morning, I check what’s new on the internet, and whenever I get the chance to grab a magazine, I do. I got into this job because I love print. Back in the day, I read and collected tons of magazines, and I still do today. It has toned down a bit since I’ve been reading (skate) mags for 30 years now, and you don’t get as easily excited anymore – like back when they were my window to the world from the rural area I grew up in. But once in a while, I come across a gem, get completely absorbed in a mag for two hours, and feel that wholesome excitement that’s hard to describe. I just recently had that experience when reading Sneeze mag about Violet. I think it’s a very well-written observation of the brand, the skaters, and the vibe, perfectly complemented by the photos. The way it’s done is something I haven’t seen before.
Bubble skate mag will come out 3 times a year. You can follow them on Instagram or visite their website HERE.