Learning From the Best: an Interview with Sophie from Luna Collective Magazine

[UNPUBLISHED:] Tell us about yourself.

[SOPHIE:] Hey I'm Sophie and I’m the founder of The Luna Collective! I went to USC and studied Public Relations and Music Industry, and now I'm doing my graduate program in Digital Social Media. My professional experience has always been in music and marketing. When I was a sophomore in college I started The Luna Collective, which is an online creative platform magazine. We make magazines but we also do a bunch of other stuff from website content to events. I started Luna because I just wanted to talk to other creatives and put on people that I like, and I think deserve more attention. I felt like a magazine was the best way to do that because I'm really interested in the visual arts but also in social media as well, so it was a cool way to combine all that. 

[UNPUBLISHED:] When did you first hear about the zine community?

[SOPHIE:] I was not familiar with the community at all, which is really ironic. At the time the zine community was really associated with the grunge scene in LA. I was 19 and I felt like I was already too old for that. From the beginning, I branded us as a magazine, not a zine because I think there's a difference between the two. I see this whole community of other magazines and zines, as really awesome, everyone is super nice and really supportive. I feel like the zine community has really expanded over quarantine. This community has really transformed over the past year and because of that influx of people I feel like everyone shares the same common ground of wanting to create a space for people who aren't usually heard, and to share their work. 

[UNPUBLISHED:] What initially inspired you to create your own zine?

 [SOPHIE:] I've always thought of myself as a curator. I just wanted to combine that and just talk to people that I think are cool. If I think you are a good person, and you're doing something really cool, I want to put you on, I want everyone to know about you. 

[UNPUBLISHED:] What was the inspiration behind the name The Luna Collective?

 [SOPHIE:] I knew I wanted it to be something “Collective”. I just really like the moon and I came up with the general outline of the logo from the beginning because I really like tarot cards and that style of art. I love the word Luna for some reason and I love the moon - you can always see it. 

[UNPUBLISHED:] What were the first steps you took in creating your zine?

 [SOPHIE:] I thought about it a little bit in November 2017 and then over the school winter break I just figured everything out. I downloaded InDesign, and I had never used InDesign before, and I just started making mock spreads. I figured out the digital publishing end, I looked up print publishers and tried to figure out the pricing. I did most of everything by myself the first couple of issues. I wasn't good at it but that's just what you have to do. I just kind of worked through all the logistical things and took it step by step.

[UNPUBLISHED:] How many people are on your team?

 [SOPHIE:] Tough question haha. I now have a website manager, my friend Jonathan, and he's probably the closest day to day team member that I have. I’ve had interns in the past but ultimately have learned I prefer having a smaller team and remaining hands-on. We have about 10 or so writers, but that switches off. For graphic designers, we have about 4-6 for spread design. When we have the magazines I have a team of writers and graphic designers that I'll hit up, and for website content, I have the writers but for pretty much everything else, it's just myself and it's crazy. I didn't realize that people have full-on staff until recently. 

[UNPUBLISHED:] How many hours a week do you typically work on Luna? 

 [SOPHIE:] I'm pretty much always doing stuff. I just try to handle everything as it comes especially with emails, but maybe six hours a day. I treat it as a part-time job. I wake up and answer emails and listen to submissions for about two hours or so, and then spend the rest of the day switching off between different tasks. 

[UNPUBLISHED:] What are all of the responsibilities you have to do as the founder?

 [SOPHIE:] I handle everything from outreach to talent to social media planning, to curating content, to making graphics and working on the creative side. We do have some graphic designers, but for most of the flyers/graphics that’s still me. The responsibilities really range and that’s what I like. I might go through submissions for an hour, but then in the afternoon I might be working on templates for new graphics, or putting together spreads and hopping on a call for an interview, or touching base with a photographer or designer on a project. 

[UNPUBLISHED:] What have been some of your biggest challenges?

 [SOPHIE:] I think two things come to mind. The first is learning how to not take control of everything and learning how to delegate things. I don't want to give anything away to someone else unless I think it is truly beneficial for the company. I've gotten better with it now since at the beginning I just didn't know how to lead a team. Also, getting people to take it all seriously. It's was hard at the beginning when I had little to show for us and to show people it's a real thing, not just some Instagram account.  

[UNPUBLISHED:] What keeps you going despite being so busy?

 [SOPHIE:] I just love the people that I get to work with, I feel so fortunate. I feel like I have the coolest job. I can be scrolling through Instagram or listening to something on Spotify and if I like what I hear or what I see, I'm in a position where I can just hit these people up and talk to them and feature them and work with them. I think that's the best thing ever. I was very, very passionate about music, always worked in the music industry. But I also love photography and the visual side of things so to be able to combine those into one thing and be able to reach out to people is the coolest thing ever. 

[UNPUBLISHED:] What has the journey been like since you've grown such a huge following? 

 [SOPHIE:] In February it'll be three years since I started which is crazy. The way growth works is that it builds off of itself. Your first year might be slow, but as you grow, it's easier to grow more essentially. So the second you start building up that following, working with more notable names, it's easier to get to that point. And so for us, it was definitely a mix of who we were featuring and what we were doing outside of the magazine to tap into more of an audience, whether it be through events or collaboration. It was always a balance of curating and sticking to a certain aesthetic but working strategically to grow. The first year was whatever, especially as I was figuring so much out. Now I feel pretty solid with things, I feel more in a place to reach out to people that I've been wanting to. 

[UNPUBLISHED:] You said you had live events and collabs. Can you talk a little bit about that and what the process has been? 

 [SOPHIE:] I was lucky at USC because house shows were a thing and the music scene was really supported. We had a couple of house shows in college but that being said, they did start really cracking down on them and one of ours did get shut down. That just made me want to move into an actual venue. So then we started doing more venue stuff in LA. I think the point of Luna is more than just one thing. We're covering more than just music, we're bringing in a lot of other elements. I wanted our events to always reflect that. Whether it be having disposable cameras out for people to play with, a craft table for people to paint and draw, having zine vendors, or having art up, it’s always been important to make it more of an experience rather than just a concert.

[UNPUBLISHED:] What was your process for raising money for these events? 

[SOPHIE:] A lot of negotiating because with venues  - we either do a flat rate or a ticket split. I have to ask, “How many people are we going to be getting? How much do we charge? Would it be worth it for us to do a flat rate or to do a ticket split? Is there going to be a bar?”  It really depends on the venue, if you have any relationship with them, and what you're paying the artists that you're bringing on. 

[UNPUBLISHED:] Do you have a work-life balance? 

[SOPHIE:] I'm definitely getting better. I'm sure everyone can relate with your laptop being your school, your social life, everything, it’s hard to turn it off sometimes. That being said, I'm a grandma with my sleep, I have to get a full night's sleep. I do not do any work after 10 pm. That's a strict thing for me. I wish I had more guidelines for myself because that's pretty much it. 

[UNPUBLISHED:] Where do you find inspiration?

[SOPHIE:] Everywhere, I always keep an ear open on the music end of things. I try to listen to new music, watch music videos when they come out, and overall just try to be a pretty active consumer of culture. I try to be an active user on Instagram in the sense that I don't just scroll through my feed and double-tap and move on. That in itself already inspires me a lot. I always keep an open eye and ear and pretty much always check out any recommendations people have for me.

[UNPUBLISHED:] Do you have a favorite issue that you have done?

[SOPHIE:] Definitely our most recent one. It went out at the end of September, our 13th issue. The lineup was stacked with people I really adore and I feel like it was just jam-packed with talent. I think the most recent project we put out will always be my favorite since we’re constantly growing. Also, from a design point of view, our 10th issue last year was pretty notable as well. We did a full overhaul from the cover design to fonts, and I think it really reflected our growth. 

[UNPUBLISHED:] Do you do the photography for your covers? 

[SOPHIE:] For editorial magazines, which come out four times a year, we do all the photography. Those are the paid editorial shoots and they used to mainly be in LA but this year there have been a lot more non-LA-based. It's all film photography and having original content has always been really important to me. Sometimes we will rent a space but now pretty much all have been shot outside because of COVID. 

[UNPUBLISHED:] You said you do four editorial magazines a year. Do you come out with other issues throughout the year?

[SOPHIE:] We do the four editorial issues that have an interview, full features, and original content,  and then we have four seasonal zines that are completely submission-based. Now we're actually working on a coffee table style book that will be released at the end of the year. 

[UNPUBLISHED:] Do you know what you want to do with The Luna Collective for the next few years? 

[SOPHIE:] I really look to platforms like Vice Media where they do everything. When I started Luna, from the beginning, I knew this is a magazine but I also ultimately want this to be something that I can do anything with and have it be super versatile. So the magazine would just be one component. I’d love to expand our production budget, get more into merchandise, events when that’s a thing again, video content - everything! In terms of the magazine itself I definitely would love to expand the budget and work with more talent. 

[UNPUBLISHED:] Was there a moment that made you realize that you are a real established magazine? 

[SOPHIE:] I still don’t really think of it like that, but there are often nice moments that definitely remind me that we’ve grown a lot since the beginning. I get to work with a lot of cool people and a lot of people reach out to me and say really nice things which I appreciate. Now we work with established music groups and labels and agencies, but to me, I'm just still a kid at my desk. 

[UNPUBLISHED:] How has the process of cultivating a brand that goes past the zine itself been? 

[SOPHIE:] It's finding a balance of tapping into something new and into a new audience but also not completely go off the grid. Merch is a good example. I love clothing and I wear our merch all the time - I love the clothes that we have. The past year, our style has really shifted to a clean-cut aesthetic, but not plain and boring. I've tried to translate that with our spread design and our tone. That is such an easy way to bring your brand together. I’m also really into gradients the past year and you can see that translated through our graphics, spreads, etc. 

[UNPUBLISHED:] What was it like doing an editorial shoot for your merch line?

[SOPHIE:] We always treat our shoots pretty casual and because we're shooting on film I feel like it takes that weird serious edge off. The way we approach a lot of photoshoots, unless we've rented a specific space, we literally just walk around and we chat. I don't like super formal shoots, and I think when we take that casual approach with talent their personality comes out a lot more and they’re more comfortable.

[UNPUBLISHED:] What's the reason behind your film photography only rule?

[SOPHIE:] When I was figuring out the logistics of Luna, pretty much the only rule in my head was I want it to only be film photos. I'm not some pretentious art kid, I just really like film photography. I like the way it feels. I just feel like you can't beat film. 

[UNPUBLISHED:] Do you have any advice for young creatives or newer zines wanting to establish themselves? 

[SOPHIE:] I'd say know what you're doing. It's okay to change and learn as you go along but figure out what it is that makes you different from all these zines. Have fun with it, it's all just for fun but do treat it like a job. Set deadlines, be professional. For people to take the zine and magazine community more seriously, everyone needs to uphold that. Just care about your audience and your community and always keep an open line of communication with them.

[UNPUBLISHED:] Why do you think your zine, in particular, has been so successful?

[SOPHIE:] Consistency. We have consistently had content for two and a half, almost three years. We’re always working on something - always working on an issue of the magazine, always working on website content, always working on something else, there's always something. You're never gonna go to our Instagram page or website and be like, “Oh, they haven't posted in two weeks”. We're posting, if not every day, every other day on the website. There's always something for people. I also think having the submission portion has been really important. We get to work with amazing, really established people but also provide that space for younger artists. We're constantly giving opportunities for publishing work and even monetary grants. We're giving opportunities for collaboration and all of these different things.

[UNPUBLISHED:] How do you think zine culture has affected young creatives?

[SOPHIE:] I think it’s awesome because people want to be validated, and the zine community and culture creates space for that. Young creatives are working really hard and I think it’s difficult for anyone just starting off in anything to get validation and move forward. I think the community is a really creative space for those who are learning and people are happy to pass on advice and help out. 

[UNPUBLISHED:] What is the ultimate goal of The Luna Collective?

[SOPHIE:] The ultimate goal is to continue to create and make space for all sorts of creatives. There needs to be a space for those people that are interested in a plethora of different creative outlets, and so I hope to continue to do that through our magazine and online content. I would love to expand in every aspect possible and continue to be a space for people and uplift artists.

Stay up to date with everything that the Luna Collective is up to by visiting their website, following their Instagram, or even purchasing their newest issue.