So this is what happened:
We launched an independent travel magazine called We Are Here late last year. The idea was to create a travel publication that went to a different city each issue; a beautifully made magazine that went beyond the clichés and the PR that comprises much of what is currently on the newsstand. The ethos is deliberately lo-fi – simple design, smart phone photography and thick, matt stock.
Issue one focused on Dubai, and the reaction to it surpassed our expectations, both locally and internationally. It also made us realize that there were enough stories in Dubai to warrant a second issue. So we connected with some of the city’s most interesting people and documented their stories. We worked for three months putting together an issue that we think is better than the first, a magazine that captures the city in a way it has not been captured before.
The idea was to launch it in time for Art Dubai, and for the advertisers we did get, it was a chance for them to be showcased as well. Unfortunately, when we sent the magazine to the National Media Council, they wanted cuts. We made those changes and sent it back. A week later we got sent more cuts. So we had a decision to make. Make the required changes (and hope that we would not have to make any more), or stop. And so we stopped. We felt that by making the changes required, we would lose the essence of what we were trying to achieve with the magazine – an honest, unfiltered look at the city. We also would have missed our print slot, and therefore Art Dubai, and therefore our advertising.
So here we are. An entire magazine on PDF ready to go to a printer in the UK. So we are now going to try it this way. We want to see if we can raise enough funds to print the final We Are Here Dubai. We are only going to print 2,000 copies. It will then be shipped to Dubai and distributed, locally and internationally.
Issue 3 will be focused on Kathmandu (out in June), and issue 4 will be Tehran (out in September). But for now, we really want to see Issue 2 in print. While we could upload to the PDF online, we feel that would be a waste. We created We Are Here in order to celebrate print, and really, that is the medium it should be read in.
So if you want a copy, please donate below. There are a number of different options, and a number of different rewards. Think of it as pre-ordering a magazine that won’t get published unless we hit the $3,000 mark.
We believe in print, and we think if you liked issue one of We Are Here, you will love issue two.
Here is some of what issue 2 contains:
Living in a five-star hotel
A profile of the conman who sells suits from the boot of his car
A series of disappointing events at Global Village
The man who builds towers in the desert
Meditations on Dubai architecture
Jun Jun and the ship that never moved......
Plus lots more...
