Category: PPA Scotland

Editor Andrea Thompson paid tribute to its readers, advertisers, sponsors, supporters and everyone who has been involved with the magazine since it was launched 14 years ago.

“When we started to plan our milestone 150th issue, we could never have imagined that by the time we were finishing it, we would be in the grip of a global Coronavirus pandemic and that life as we know it would have changed forever," she added.

“At a time when other publications have been suspended (including our sister magazine, _Carlisle Living_), when many of colleagues have been furloughed, and the rest of us have taken a pay cut, finishing the magazine was no mean feat. But it was important for us to get this milestone issue out for our readers, and to continue to hold up a mirror to all that is good about the region, and to fly the flag for Dumfries & Galloway all over the world.

"We hope it brings, comfort, joy, pride in our amazing community, and hope of better days to come.”

In her editor’s welcome note in the 150th issue, she told readers: “There is so much we still don’t know, but what I do know is this… we will get through this. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in 14 years of working on this magazine, it’s that Dumfries & Galloway has an indomitable spirit, with an indefatigable community that’s second to none.”

The 132-page 150th issue (cover date May 2020) went on sale on April 9, and features a special interview with broadcaster and Lord-Lieutenant of Dumfries, Fiona Armstrong.

It also looks back at some of the key issues from the last 14 years, from the magazine’s launch by the then CN Group as the bi-monthly DGB Life in September 2006, to its 100th issue special (March 2016) and sell-out September 2019 issue, featuring Outlander star Sam Heughan on the cover.

Now owned by Newsquest, Dumfries & Galloway Life was named Community Magazine of the Year in the PPA Scottish Magazine Awards 2019 in November.

From April, Hood will be printed using environmentally-appropriate paper and bound using a solvent free system, which in turn will support the protection of natural communities and high conservation value forests.

The magazine will also increase in size to give readers a fresher but equally premium reading experience.

Maxine Eggenberger, editor of Hood Magazine, said: “While we are committed to being a source of inspiration for Scots who want to live a stylish, healthy and happy life, we knew that the magazine needed to change for the better.

“We take our role seriously and for us that meant looking at how the magazine can be more sustainable. We can’t wait for our readers to see our new look and to show them that this considered change will make Hood more relevant, elegant and beautiful than ever before.”

To encourage readers to consider small sustainable changes, Hood has also shot the entire April fashion editorial using second-hand clothing from a Chest Heart Stroke Scotland boutique in Edinburgh. “We are, ultimately, a style title,” continues Eggenberger “and huge supporters of the Scottish high street, but buying from charity and vintage stores can elevate outfits, give us a fashion fix but without the environmental impact.”

The announcement comes after several changes to the team with Laura Mearns, previously Style Editor, being promoted to Digital Editor. She will work alongside editor, Maxine Eggenberger, formally of Look and InStyle, and is responsible for elevating the brand's digital platform.

New to the team is Sarah Ferguson, who, in the role of Partnerships Manager, is responsible for the brand's creative solutions, advertising, and new business.

Meanwhile, Gaynor Kay takes on the newly-created role of PR & Marketing Manager and will be working to raise Hood's visibility and awareness across Scotland. Both Sarah and Gaynor will also be spearheading Hood's upcoming series of reader events. Additionally, Emma Goodman has joined the team as Art Editor.

Overarching the team is Hood Publisher, Emma Miller, who continues to oversee the brand's growth and strategy. ​

The new look Hood Magazine will be out at the start of April.

The festival is now calling on magazines to get in touch with their ideas for their own events to be part of EIMF 2020.

EIMF Director Laura Dunlop said: “I’m delighted that we will be bringing the world’s only week-long festival of magazines back to Edinburgh in 2020. Next year’s festival will open with Magfest 2020 on September 18, and we will be announcing more events soon.

“The Edinburgh International Magazine Festival is made possible by our partnerships with some amazing magazine brands. We are looking forward to working with more of your favourite magazines again this year.”

The Edinburgh International Magazine Festival is a flagship event of PPA Scotland.

To keep up to date with EIMF updates, please sign up here.

If you would like to put on an event at EIMF 2020, or are interested in become a sponsor, please contact EIMF Director Laura Dunlop at laura.dunlop@ppascotland.co.uk

Over the last couple of weeks the judges for the PPA Scottish Magazine Awards have been considering the high quality entries for this year's competition.

Last Friday, they came together to decide on the shortlists – and the winners – for this year.

You can view all the shortlists now by clicking on the link below. Congratulations to all of the nominees. 

PPA SCOTTISH MAGAZINE AWARDS SHORTLISTS

The winners will be announced at the PPA Scottish Magazine Awards gala dinner and ceremony on November 28 in The Hub, Edinburgh. Tickets are available now from our website. 

PPA Scotland prides itself on our robust and transparent judging process, supported by our expert panel of judges, all senior representatives from within our own industry and its closely associated sectors.

Our judging panel includes representatives taken from the elected members of the PPA Scotland Executive Committee. Each of our judges is assigned a group of categories that best suits their expertise. No judge is involved in assessing any category in which they have a conflict of interest, nor do they have access to viewing the entries in those categories. 

The PPA Scottish Magazine Awards is supported by Warners Midlands PLC, Acorn Web Offset Ltd, YM Group, Midton, Primitive Media and Evessio.

Since launching in 1995, Scottish Wedding Directory served the wedding industry and those planning weddings in Scotland with a directory of services and suppliers.

The new refreshed Scottish Wedding magazine includes all of the same content including real weddings, the best design and decor tips and top trends, and is now bolstered by new features including ‘Dress Obsessed’ (in which Scottish bridal boutiques reveal their dress of the season) and regular opinion pieces. Scottish Wedding Venues is a section within the main magazine, creating a one stop shop for all wedding requirements.

Natasha Radmehr, Editor of Scottish Wedding, said, “The wedding industry has really flourished in the last decade and brides now look to us to provide them with inspiration and advice, preferring the convenience of searching a directory of wedding suppliers online. We know what’s relevant in the wedding world and have a breadth of experience across all sorts of weddings, and it’s our expertise that is of interest to our readers.”

Scottish Wedding aims to inspire readers while guiding them through the process of planning a wedding, providing them with aspirational-but-attainable ideas. 

The Autumn issue is out now and features the wedding of Scottish beauty influencer Jamie Genevieve.

With 66% of this demographic saying they feel misrepresented by media, Platinum will celebrate the busy, diverse lives of these amazing women with thought-provoking content that it as stylish as they are.

Every month, Platinum will share the health obsession of this demographic, tackle the issues theyneed to know with passion and authority, challenge them to be bold and adventurous and inspire
them to live life on full power. Whether looking for new travel destinations, the latest style inspiration or financial advice, Platinum will fill the gap in the market to become the monthly read for women over 55 who believe in making the most of every day.

Experts and regular columnists include Dr Dawn Harper, stylist Gail Rolfe, technology journalist MaggiePhilbin and columnist Jane Moore. Each issue will also feature a ‘she-ro’ celebrating inspirational
women from all walks of life.

Ali Kirker, Editor of Platinum, said: “Our research has consistently shown women who are over 55, the majority of whom are entering a new life phase, feel there isn’t a magazine that informs and
reflects their life. Platinum is for women who are up-to-date in both style and attitude, confident, engaged and interested in exploring the world around them. “In the pages of Platinum women will find everything from in-depth reads to the latest from the world of wellbeing. With the confidence to tackle contemporary, challenging issues too, especially relevant to this demographic, Platinum will be both an upbeat treat and an essential every month.”

Maria Welch, Head of Magazines at DC Thomson Media, said: “DC Thomson Media has an unparalleled history in women’s magazine publishing, and we have brought all of this passion and expertise to Platinum. Women in the over 55 demographic are in the prime of their lives and having the time of their lives – a force to be reckoned with and the glue that holds generations together. They are both committed magazine readers and powerful consumers and no-one understands them better than the team at DC Thomson Media. At Platinum we’re proud to be their trusted source for content
and we’re honoured to be their champions.”

Iain McKenzie, Head of Circulation at DC Thomson Media, said: “We’ve had an overwhelmingly positive response to Platinum from all magazine retail groups, with buyers welcoming this major new
launch to invigorate the sector. Working with our distribution partner, Frontline, we have secured strong range listings, and developed fantastic retail marketing campaigns with all the major magazine
retailers. Platinum will be stocked in over 20k outlets across the UK, including all major supermarkets, high street retailers and independent newsagents.”

Platinum is on sale Wednesday 25th September at an introductory price of £2.

Regular price £4.50.

www.platinum-mag.co.uk

Running from September 16-22, the Edinburgh International Magazine Festival marked the first time anywhere in the world that magazines have been celebrated with their own week-long festival.

From the Empire Podcast to The Big Issue Big Debate, and the Association of Journalism Education’s academic symposium to PPA Scotland’s own flagship event Magfest, the EIMF brought communities of magazine readers and creators together.

EIMF Director, and PPA Scotland Business Manager Laura Kelly Dunlop said: “I am delighted that the Edinburgh International Magazine Festival has captured the public imagination in its very first year. It was a week of brilliant, engaging events, that emphasised the diversity of magazines. Thank you to everyone who made it possible – and to everyone who attended any of our events.

“Over the last eight years, Magfest has captured the hearts of magazine professionals in Scotland and beyond, so it is very exciting to allow a broader, consumer audience to experience the same excitement about what magazines have to offer.”

The festival began on Monday September 16, with ‘One Night at Waterstones: three amazing magazines, three incredible interviews’ in association with the International Magazine Centre. In three fascinating discussions, the audience heard from internationally acclaimed photographer David Eustace, interviewed by RPS Journal editor Kathleen Morgan; author and magazine columnist Fiona Gibson in conversation with SWI’s Women Together editor Pauline Burnett; and Nutmeg writer Daniel Gray and photographer Alan McCredie.

On Tuesday the festival celebrated the power of music magazines to introduce people to exciting music, as Your New Favourite Band saw three magazine journalists each announce an up-and-coming Scottish act for the Sneaky Pete’s crowd. The Skinny_’s Music Editor Tallah Brash introduced electronic Edinburgh duo Maranta, _GoldFlakePaint editor Tom Johnson recommended Glasgow-based singer Edwin Organ, and EIMF Director and journalist Laura Kelly Dunlop set the stage for Paisley band DRIFT.

The next day, a select crowd were lucky to get a behind-the-scenes tour of the National Library of Scotland’s massive magazine archive The Library’s Head of General Collections Graeme Hawley led an exploration of their collection of more than 25,000 magazine and newspaper titles.

A packed schedule on Thursday September 19 saw magazine lovers torn between an embarrassment of riches.

At Edinburgh Napier University, the Association of Journalism Education asked how they can train a new generation of great magazine writers. The Media Voices Podcast ran an interactive workshop on how to find, listen to and even make a magazine podcast – giving valuable tips for how to get started in the vibrant world of podcasts.

In the evening, Hollywood star Jack Lowden (Dunkirk, Fighting With My Family) visited EIMF as part of the Empire Podcast at the Cameo Picturehouse cinema. Meanwhile, across the city at Cabaret Voltaire_, The Big Issue_ Big Debate got to grips with knotty questions around how we can rebuild trust in the media.

The Empire Podcast at EIMF Photo Credit: Eleanor Lim

At the heart of the festival was PPA Scotland’s top industry-focused event, the much-loved Magfest, which took place on September 20, at Central Hall. In its eighth year, Magfest has established itself and continues to be the must-attend event for Scotland’s vibrant publishing industry, attracting speakers and guests from across the country.

In line with the theme ‘Game Changers’, a variety of individuals who represent parts of the industry working to sustain print and harness digital opportunities, took to the stage, hosted over the course of the day by PPA Manging Director, Owen Meredith.

Opening Magfest with her rallying cry for feminism, was Ella Dolphin, CEO of The Stylist Group, who highlighted the important work the brand is doing for female empowerment.

The Atlantic’s Global Editor Prashant Rao spoke about growing the established American brand in the international market, going into detail about the rigorous fact-checking process involved in each article. As a journalist who has been Deputy Europe Business Editor for The New York Times, Baghdad Bureau Chief for Agence France-Presse, and a correspondent and editor at Bloomberg News, Rao spoke authoritatively about the power of trust that magazines hold and how important journalistic integrity and fairness is when news reporting in our current climate.

Prashant Rao, Global Editor of The Atlantic Photo Credit: Lewis Houghton

Other game changing players speaking at Magfest included Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff, Head of Editorial at gal-dem magazine and Sonny Dhamu, Art Director at Inside Housing and the brains behind the powerful ‘Never Again’ Grenfell Campaign.

A number of break out sessions also took place over the course of the day, including an examination of and a panel on how to survive and thrive as a freelancer.

In a great end to the day, Ed Needham, Editor of _Strong Words_, spoke to the audience about the monumental one-man project he has undertaken, editing and publishing a monthly magazine celebrating the best new books.

Chair of PPA Scotland, Sally Hampton, said: "It was an absolute joy to welcome the magazine world to Edinburgh for #Magfest19. The fabulous programme of inspirational speakers celebrated best practice in our industry – across every discipline and every sector. As one delegate told me at the end of the day, ’There’s nothing quite like Magfest to get you hyped up and excited about working in magazines.’"

The magazine goodness continued over the weekend of Edinburgh International Magazine Festival.

In association with Women in Journalism Scotland, on Saturday the festival examined why social media can be so toxic, especially for female journalists. In a productive discussion, chaired by Women in Journalism Scotland Co-Chair Libby Brooks, of The Guardian, the panel and audience discussed what can be done to support women under attack. Women in Journalism Scotland plans to use the debate to feed into their soon-to-be published-advice for their members.

Some magazines on sale at the magCulture stand Photo Credit: Lewis Houghton

The festival closed on Sunday with a creative workshop hosted by boom saloon. Led by hand cut collage artist Lewis Burden, attendees transformed discarded magazines into new works of art, further celebrating the beauty of the printed page.

To keep in touch with the Edinburgh International Magazine Festival, sign up for our emails here.

Our final #EIMF19 event has not long ended and we’d like to say a massive thank you to everyone who made this first ever week-long festival of magazines possible & to everyone who attended our diverse programme! It’s been a brilliant week. @PPAScotland @PPA_Live pic.twitter.com/vpV8hsXAYZ

— EIMF – Edinburgh International Magazine Festival (@MagazineFest) September 22, 2019

Wow! Love this #EIMF19 collage https://t.co/W2scNMWyt1

— EIMF – Edinburgh International Magazine Festival (@MagazineFest) September 22, 2019

Within minutes of the September cover of Dumfries & Galloway Life being posted on the magazine's Facebook and Instagram pages (on August 13), messages started to come in from Outlander fans keen to know how they could get their hands on a copy.

Less than a week later, the circulation team had a waiting list of more than 500 people, with orders for single and multiple copies (one man wants 50), from all over the world. The majority of the requests are from the United States, but there are also orders from: Finland, Switzerland, Cyrpus, Netherlands, Germany, Malta, Norway, Sweden, France, Denmark, Ireland, Canada, Spain, Russia and from across Scotland.

"It's all down to our September cover star Sam Heughan, who, it seems, has the most devoted, passionate – and persistent – fans in the world," says Dumfries & Galloway Life Editor Andrea Thompson. She has been fielding hundreds of messages from Sam fans (some call themselves Heughligans) all anxious to share how much they adore the actor, how they've fallen in love with world of Outlander, and how they really must have a copy of the magazine.

"As well as ordering the September issue, some have even taken out 12-month subscriptions because they're keen to know more about the region Sam Heughan grew up in, and they're interacting with our social media channels in a way we've never experienced before," she adds. The original post has now reached more than 44,400 people.

Sam Heughan, who plays hunky Highlander Jamie Fraser in Outlander (the historical time-travelling drama based on the novels by Diana Gabaldon and made for the American TV network Starz), was born in the Galloway village of Balmaclellan in 1980 and lived in the area until he was 12. He still has family in the region, including his uncle, Trevor Leat, the renowned willow sculptor famed for his dramatic creations for the Wickerman Festival.

"We've been trying to get an interview with Sam for a number of years and really hoped to get him when Outlander came to film in Dumfries & Galloway for season two [when Drumlanrig Castle, near Thornhill, was used as the Duke of Sandringham’s estate]," says Andrea.

"But it took until this summer, when Sam returned to his native Dumfries & Galloway to receive an honorary degree from the University of Glasgow Dumfries Campus, as part of its 20th anniversary celebrations, that we got the chance. Chief Feature writer Anne Armstrong worked hard to secure the interview and loved meeting Sam. She produced two brilliant features."

The first piece, about Sam Heughan at the university graduation ceremony, was featured in the August issue. "We knew from reaction to that magazine that our September issue, with the full Sam interview, was going to be popular, but nothing could have prepared us for the demand from his adoring fans all over the world," says Andrea.

"We never imagined, when we included a piece in the feature about the 'Outlander effect' on Scotland, that it we would end up up being part of that. While we do have subscribers all over the world, it's great to get global traction in this way and also to introduce a whole new audience to the delights of Dumfries & Galloway."

Twice named best in Scotland, Dumfries & Galloway Life is a must for anyone who loves south west Scotland. Proud and passionate of this amazing region, it holds up a mirror to all that is good about Dumfries & Galloway and flies the flag for the region all over the world.

The regional monthly glossy was launched in September 2006 (originally as a bimonthly) and is regarded as a 'Dumfries & Galloway institution'.