It's always good to see new magazines emerging and it's even better to see that this is happening in your own country. When Marta Puigdemasa, the founder of Perdiz, messaged me about the magazine she just had started, I decided to ask her some questions about this new exciting publication.
Hi Marta, could you introduce yourself and Perdiz?
I’m a journalist and in the past few years, I’ve been working for an independent publishing house in Barcelona. I spent most of my days writing in front of my laptop’s screen, but I also try to cook, play ping pong, spend time with the people I love and also fulfil projects that make me happy, like Perdiz. One thing that makes me momentarily happy? Coca-Cola with stuffed olives, I love when the pseudo-acid flavour of the olives mixes with the bubbles.
In a general sense, Perdiz is a magazine about things that make people happy. It’s not about self-help, Perdiz doesn’t tell you what to do to be happy, it doesn't even suggest that you should do something in order to be happy. It is just a compilation of curious stories like interviews with a child prodigy who’s an expert at maths, a vegetarian taxidermist who uses death animals to design jewellery, a Britney Spears look-alike, a group of guys who breed pigeons in Brooklyn’s rooftops or a cyclist who explains why extreme exercise can be pleasant.
Who are the readers of Perdiz?
Perdiz is aimed at English and Spanish speakers who love beautiful
things, design and reading print publications, enjoying their smell and touch.
Also to people who are interested in a better life, and to anyone who wants to
have a great time while reading it and discovering other people’s positive
stories. Even though its design might attract a young adult audience (25-45
years old), the themes featured in Perdiz can be attractive to any kind of
readers
First issue’s theme is happines, are you going to focus on a different topic in each new issue?
Perdiz is not about happiness –an abstract and confusing concept that can be interpreted in very different ways. The magazine is about specific things that make people happy, this is going to be the topic for all the future issues and we’re actually not afraid of running out of ideas. Happiness or well-being might be the unconscious reason behind most of our decisions, everyone has something that makes them happy, even if it’s just for a while.
I’ve loved the selection of articles and interviews, how have you found all these curious stories?
Thanks! We’ve found some of these stories after quite a lot of hours of research. We’ve also asked our contributors and friends. I
guess that if your contact network is rich and varied, the result will also be
that way. It’s also important to know what you’re looking for in terms of the
themes, tone, etc.
Is it risky to launch a magazine in Spain right now considering the economic situation and the growth of digital publications?
Launching a print magazine nowadays and without strong funding can be considered unwise. We’ve decided to go forward with this project because we believe in it and we want to see if it works, we’re not losing anything. We’ve already earned so much, the people’s response to the first issue has been great.
You can find more information about Perdiz on its website
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1 comment:
so great!
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