I was a writer, mostly long features for magazines.
Then I did some work withThis American Lifeand I fell in love with radio.
But it struck me that radio seemed like its own world.
I knew millions of writers, and I hardly knew any of these radio producers.
I realized I didnt know many filmmakers or photographers either.
Eventually I started thinking about how these communities gather.
Writers have their readings, photographers have their gallery shows, filmmakers have their screenings and festivals.
I longed for more creative mixing.
So I got together with some friends, and we created this idea of a live magazine.
We called itPop-Up Magazine.
It was a side project at first, but the idea took off.
In 2014 we became a company, Pop-Up Magazine Productions.
Our shows have become more and more theatrical.
We art-direct stories with original photography, film, animation, and illustration.
Our house bandMagik*Magik Orchestralive scores them with original music.
(Got tickets yet for one of our spring shows?
You shouldget tickets!)
It has been a pretty wild evolution for something that started as a hobby.
Take us through the process of making an issue ofPop-Up Magazineand ofThe California Sunday Magazine.
The process is similar at the start.
We go out hunting for contributors and ideas.
And some contributors find uswe get great pitches from people we know and from people we dont know.
Once story drafts come in, we work with our contributors to shape them and refine them.
And our art department commissions photography or illustration, or in the case ofPop-Up Magazine, animation or film.
And then we assemble all the pieces, and publish a magazine or put a show onstage.
Take us through a recent workday.
The day started early as usual with east coast emails and Twitter.
Then I walked my son to daycare and biked to the office.
I had a stack of things to read and mark up.
A late draft of a funnyPop-Up Magazinescript.
A draft of a long foreign feature forCalifornia Sunday.
First withCalifornia Sundays executive editorwe talked through a couple ambitious photo assignments and our politics coverage.
Then with our creative director.
I paused for our Monday all-staff meetinga 15-minute standing meeting.
After that, its a check in withPop-Up Magazines managing producer and executive producer of special projects.
Then a quick huddle with my co-founder, our publisher, to talk about some television and film stuff.
Im squeezing in quick phone calls and emails when I can.
Then theres another feature draft to read.
Late afternoon I have to switch gears and think hard about one thing for an hour or two.
Then I biked home to be a dad.
Once everyone else was asleep, I sent emails until late.
What apps, gadgets, or tools cant you live without?
Its an obvious answer, but Slack.
And our Sonos speakers make the office more fun.
Whats your workspace setup like?
Our office is in a big industrial building in San Francisco.
The space isnt fancy, but I like itit feels like a place for making things.
We sit four people to a table, and the tables are close together.
I keep a bag with radio gear under my deska Marantz recorder and a shotgun mic.
Whats the most overlooked factor in making a good live show?
Id say its imagination.
Its not going to be all that memorable.
We work really hard to surprise people.
We perform stories that turn right when you think theyre going to turn left.
Were constantly trying things weve never tried before.
We want our shows to be unforgettable.
Whats your best shortcut or life hack?
Most of the time its literally a shortcut.
But also I get some of my best thinking done on my bike.
A problem can stump me all afternoon and Ill solve it on a bike ride to a meeting.
You know, if Im doing my job well, its the other way around.
Im helping other people get things done.
Chas Edwards, who leads our business side, is exactly the business partner you hope for and need.
And there are so many othersI could go on and on.
I feel very lucky to have the colleagues I have.
How do you keep track of what you have to do?
This has evolved as my job has evolved.
I used to be a big believer in a simple handwritten to do list on a post-it note.
But my days have gotten faster and more complicated, so Ive been trying some different tools.
Whats your favorite side project?
This, all of this!
My side project became my job.
What are you currently reading, or what do you recommend?
The King Is Always Above the Peopleby Daniel Alarcon.
Who else would you like to see answer these questions?
Whats the best advice youve ever received?
I really cant say one thing.
Ive spent most of my career as a journalist.
Your job is to learn from other people.
I cant turn that off.
Im constantly learning from the people around me.
Whats a problem youre still trying to solve?
What to do myself and what to hand off.
Im beginning to think you never truly solve this one.
Have someone you want to see featured, or questions you think we should ask?
