7 Steven Gregor | Gym Class Mag
January 13, 2012
Steven Gregor. London-based editorial designer and publisher of the fanzine Gym Class Magazine spared a few minutes to discuss the future of Gym Class, time travel and the issue of print vs web.
You've probably been asked this a thousand times, but for those who may be new to Gym Class, how would you describe it and why was it created?
Gym Class is for the guy (and girl) chosen last. What does that mean? Well, I’m crap at sport and was always last chosen in high school gym class. I wanted to create a zine that’s wasn’t all alpha male, skirt-chasing bullshit; I wanted to create a zine about people I was interested in.
Turns out I’m really into magazines, so a lot of each issue is devoted to magazine makers. That said, I’ll be casting the net a lot wider in 2012 and Gym Class will profile lots of non-magazine creative peeps too. Well exciting.
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On whose coffee table would you love to see Gym Class Magazine sit?
I get super excited when a magazine peep I admire purchases a copy. Arem Duplessis, design director at The New York Times Magazine, purchased the latest issue. The thought of Gym Class on his desk makes me blush.
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In the web generation, it's reportedly becoming increasingly hard to create and sustain publications, what do you think is keeping Gym Class from a similar fate of so many others?
Good question. By day I help design the iPad edition of UK Wired, so digital magazines are something I’m especially interested in. And I’m wondering now if the next issue of Gym Class will be a digital publication, a print publication, or a digital publication with a print component. Not sure.
Print is my first love… but there’s something very exciting – as an editorial designer – to also now be collaborating with motion and sound peeps. This is something I’d like to explore with Gym Class.
What do you feel is the biggest obstacle the magazine has had to overcome since its inception?
Cost. Distribution is well expensive. Royal Mail makes money from Gym Class, I don’t. The challenge has always been selling enough copies to cover the cost of print and distribution… so far I haven’t been able to achieve this. Gym Class has a very small circulation, just 300 copies are printed; so it’s tricky.
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If you could interview one person – alive or dead – who would it be?
I’d love to interview film director John Carpenter. A chat with author Bret Easton Ellis would be so ace. Oh, and I reckon model Andrej Pejic has an interesting story to tell. Doh… that’s three. But the good news is they’re all alive… so there’s still a chance.
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What are the three things that you could absolutely not live without?
Magazines, the internet and television.
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If you could go back in time and speak to yourself at the point where Gym Class was just beginning, what advice would you give yourself?
Don’t sweat the small stuff… it only slows you down. And don’t try to second-guess what people might like. Create something for yourself first, and if others like it too – bonus!
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If you could achieve anything in 2012, what would it be?
I’m all about realistic, achievable goals in 2012. I’d like to read more books – say, one a month. First up is Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis. I’d also like to develop Gym Class (and publish four issues this year)… plus I’ve got a new, second magazine in mind too. Stay tuned.
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