Mink Magazine Launch
Who would have thought that a simple idea that came to her during a walk through her university would blossom into one of the freshest new magazines out on the World Wide Web. Initially, Monica Kade, a graduate from Participate Film Academy, dismissed the concept of starting her own magazine. But as her ideas grew stronger along with her passion for creative expression, she joined forces with fellow Participate FA graduate, Tristan Velasco, to form Mink Magazine: a publication that is set to launch at the end of September to much anticipation.
Yet, with so many magazines currently on the market, it wasn't all smooth sailing for the creative duo. “I had to work out how the magazine would be different to the competition,” said Monica. “I had to do a lot of research to see what types of magazines were out there, and speak to magazine publishers and people with experience in publishing to get a better understanding of the process.”
After months of networking, researching, and business planning, Monica registered Mink Potential and Mink Magazine, and the ball went rolling from there. The central concept of the magazine was to be an outlet where emerging talent could gain exposure, and with the Mink Magazine website up and running, Monica and her team have been doing just that.
“Working with the magazine has exposed me to so many inspiring people,” said Mink Magazine's Art Director, Tristan Velasco. “It's quite amazing to expose and surround yourself with all this talent. It helps with your creative flow!”
The website has provided emerging artists, writers, fashion designers, photographers, and musicians with a space to showcase their work, and receive recognition for their efforts. Local events and exhibitions are also covered by the dynamic team of writers so as to put the local arts scene on the radar.
So this then brings us to the question: “why Mink?”
“I wanted to come up with a name that would reflect me,” said Monica. “I started to think how I could incorporate my initials... so I played with MK and then I had “in MK”, and tried to see visually how those letters could look on a mag cover. Then it all hit me…MINK!”
Whilst Monica and Tristan have faced some difficulties in terms of balancing Mink Magazine with university, work, and play, they are convinced that this is what they want to do. “Mink takes up a huge chunk of my time. But I enjoy doing it and never see it as work,” said Monica.
“When starting the magazine, obviously, we’re not getting any financial assistance from it at the moment. But because I believe in it so much, its hard to get away from it sometimes, and that means I have less time to spend on my other work,” said Tristan.
With the debut launch of Mink Magazine just around the corner, Monica is looking forward to taking her magazine to new heights and venturing into the world of print media.
“From there I want it to be the most sought after publication for emerging talent. I want industry players to go to Mink Magazine when they are looking for fresh new talent,” said Monica. “I really believe that it will be too!”
