Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] The Makings of an Award Winning Magazine By Marjolin Groot Nibelink this year Multilingual Magazine was crowned with an Apex Award for Publication Excellence, a top awards program for corporate, non profit and independent publishers in recognition of its high caliber graphic design, editorial content and ability to achieve overall communications effectiveness.
[00:00:24] This award has lit up the entire team at Multilingual and augments whatever validation we already receive from our approximately 65,000 magazine readers. I served as CEO of multilingual media from 2020 to mid 2024 and was publisher of Multilingual Magazine at the time the winning issue, December 2023 was produced.
[00:00:46] Reflecting on the years I was allowed to direct Multilingual media, one of the greatest things I learned is that when inheriting a brand that's had a committed following in a tight knit community, some readers since its inception more than three decades ago, you can't simply do with it what you want or even what the readers want.
[00:01:05] Durable Change happens slowly My vision for the magazine, the brand and its greater media potential were fueled by relentless ambition and impatience. After observing its cycles without any executive power from 2015 to 2020, what I imagined doing was more than I could realize in four years of complete commitment.
[00:01:25] Publishers think about their product day and night, which is much more than followers spend engaging with its contents.
[00:01:32] When I pushed the envelope into a new age faster than readers could keep up with, it backfired.
[00:01:38] Sustainable change happens slowly, I reminded myself.
[00:01:42] This is where organizations such as Apex come in. They assess the progress of visual quality and editorial content objectively and with deep understanding of magazine publishing in the 2000s. Free of opinions about what we've published in the past 35 plus years.
[00:01:59] Aside from the boost to our magazine, it applauds our writers, editors and graphic designers.
[00:02:05] This humble, hardworking group, like any other, enjoys an occasional pat on the back. This year was the first time Multilingual entered for consideration to the Apex Award. I waited to take a chance until we had solidified our new tone and standards.
[00:02:22] After all, the chance of rejection was strong too.
[00:02:26] So the fact that we were able to win this year is a tribute to both individual and collective efforts of our small team. Here's a peek at how our cover story production worked in 2023. I would start by identifying and reaching out to potential subjects based on my understanding of viable topics and underexposed personalities in our industry.
[00:02:47] Then I would work with the editor to develop a set of interview questions covering not only the basics but also less common topics, finding a balance that didn't offend the reader or the interviewee was crucial. Yet we also wanted to offer something meaty and original.
[00:03:03] During the writing process, I would keep an eye on the text but not interfere with the editor's daily work. I suggested what to ask about but never spelled out any questions to avoid an incohesive interview. Once the sentiment of the profile was clear, professional, light hearted, personal, provocative, my wheels would start turning about a style and poses for the photo shoot, we rely on professional photographers within reach of the subject.
[00:03:30] In the case of the December 2023 issues cover profile of Canva's Michael Levitt, we had a direct line to the photographer who was an acquaintance of Levitt. I shared my vision for the poses and he perfectly executed them in a professional style while also capturing Leavitt as approachable and open.
[00:03:49] I personally liked to select the photos for use in the magazine and would choose which one ended up on the COVID My idea for the Leavitt cover pose was based on Canva templates. Leavitt holds up his hands to form a frame and peeks through it at the camera.
[00:04:03] Only when text and photos are seen together can the tone of the article be set.
[00:04:09] This specific pose honed us in on the word focus for the article's title. This is the holy trinity of COVID profiles, text, images and title. Our designer would then put together an attractive layout for the print and PDF versions, including pull quotes that I helped select.
[00:04:27] Finally, we would send the files to the printing facility and begin building the digital version on our website.
[00:04:33] As you can see, we rely on the buy in and responsibility of each member of our team, as well as the subject, their photographer, and oftentimes their company's public relations or media approval divisions.
[00:04:46] We did this almost every month in 2023. While the team was honored to receive this award from the publishing industry, the most significant recognition we fight for is our reader's approval.
[00:04:58] Despite a handful of imperfect decisions on my part, we are all flawed. The magazine's popularity has been steadily on the rise since 2021.
[00:05:08] I would like to hereby personally thank you for the confidence you've placed in us to keep presenting our industry's stories and personalities in an attractive physical format available for worldwide delivery.
[00:05:20] Thank you for the honest letters of criticism over the years. They are more effective than public comments.
[00:05:26] This is only my perspective after six months of distance from the editorial program at Multilingual.
[00:05:32] Yes, I'm very proud of the work we did. I'm grateful for the chance I was offered to push something as hard as I could.
[00:05:40] Editorial deadlines and magazine publishing bring a special kind of stress that can become addictive and self validating.
[00:05:48] I miss the hustle and hopes of seeing readers as far as Algeria or Raunion island open their new issues, but I enjoy having more time to focus on my personal goals again. Multilingual Magazine has a long future ahead. As long as the stories are good, the pages look attractive, and you keep telling your friends and colleagues about it.
[00:06:08] I certainly will.
[00:06:10] This article was written by Marjoline Groot Nibelink, former CEO of multilingual media.
[00:06:16] In June 2024, she made a career change to outdoor research projects and began work as a geology field technologist in rural Alaska.
[00:06:25] Birds, bikes, books, and beer make her very happy. Originally published in Multilingual Magazine, Issue 2 34, October 2024.
