AMA: Dustyn Bailey Interviews Joel Kuschke 8/18/22
Dustyn Bailey 1:00
Alrighty! It's 1 O'clock so it's time to start this thing!
Joel Kuschke 1:02 PM
Hey all! I’m Joel, the creative director at Advocate Media USA. We create and publish Maine magazine and Maine Home+Design. Excited to hear some questions, fire away!
Dustyn Bailey 1:03 PM
Alright, let's tackle a fun one, it's not as common as once was - but - what's it like working in print media in 2022?
Dustyn Bailey 1:05 PM
Remember feel free to shoot your questions in here folks! Joel's here for you this afternoon
Joel Kuschke 1:06 PM
Oh boy, not easy! Of course, as you said, print media is not what is once was. National titles are folding left and right. Luckily for us, regional and city magazines seem to still be doing fairly well. Most of us, myself included have replaced so much of the content we used to get from magazines with our favorite websites. Digital burnout is a real thing though. That’s why I LOVE magazines. I’m also just a sucker for physical objects, and I think a lot of people feel the same way. In the early 2000's we were all throwing away our CDs and records as iPods and MP3s got popular, now 20 years later vinyl record sales are through the roof. There is something about having a physical object and interacting with it that’s irreplaceable. The biggest different about print media in 2022? The teams are TINY. There are only about 12 of us that put together these two titles per month. It’s a ton of hard work for everyone, but so much fun.
Dustyn Bailey 1:07 PM
Heck yes, I'm an avid vinyl man myself. You can't quite beat the media made physical.
Garrick Hoffman 1:07 PM
I’d definitely prefer having physical print over digital if I'm reading a story! That's why I'm never gonna buy an e-book ever haha.
Dustyn Bailey 1:08 PM
You've had a steady and interesting career, Joel. Tell us a little something about going from designer to art director to creative director?
Layne Harris 1:08 PM
I LOVE your work, Joel. Do you have a piece that you are particularly proud of?
Joel Kuschke 1:09 PM
@Layne Harris Hmm, so many come to mind. The first of which has got to be the winter surfing story I collaborated on with fellow MADE member Nicole Wolf. My absolute favorite part about mu job is being able to constantly work alongside of Maine’s best photographers, writers, and illustrators. The Maine legacy of attracting the best of the best in the creative world is alive and well. Nicole and I actually won a Broderson for that piece! Let me see if I can find a PDF
Joel Kuschke 1:10 PM
@Dustyn Bailey Honestly I think it’s just a part of diving into your work and being passionate about it. If you find an industry you love, and a place you love to work, you will always be putting your all into it and you will be sure to move up the roster.
1:10 Here is the surfing piece Nicole and I worked on
WINTER_SURFING_MM_NOV19.pdf
Ellie Roy 1:11 PM
How'd you specifically break into the publishing industry if it's so tight knit? Seems like it would be tough to get into it with the teams being so small a lot of the time!
Dustyn Bailey 1:12 PM
@Joel Kuschke I love that, and I think that's what brings a lot of us together here . I know you are passionate about professional development with designers in school! If you were a professor what unique final project would you assign to prepare young designers?
Garrick Hoffman 1:12 PM
Yeah the publishing industry, even if it's been wounded in the wake of the digital age, still seems strangely competitive to break into, but I think it's because there's a lot of creative talent out there that still look to print to exercise that talent.
Joel Kuschke 1:12 PM
Good question @Ellie Roy, I had been keeping an eye on openings for a long time back around 2015. At the time I was working as a freelance designer and also for a sign shop. A production manager position opened at the magazines, and I applied, telling them in full disclosure I wanted to get my foot in the door but really wanted to be on the design team. Then I just tried my best every day to prove that’s where I should be!
1:14
@Dustyn Bailey Tough one! I think the sort of fun thing about being in design school is you can be really lofty and idealistic with your concepts before you get into the real world of needing to find paychecks. I would love to assign a project where students had to conceptualize and brand an entire suite of materials for their favorite charity or non-profit organization.
Dustyn Bailey 1:15 PM
@Joel Kuschke Oooooo - I like that, I like that a lot. Maybe we should do something like that .
Joel Kuschke 1:15 PM
MADE student contest?
Dustyn Bailey 1:16 PM
Haha @Joel Kuschke I know the right board member to lead the charge on it
Joel Kuschke 1:16 PM
Hahaha
Dustyn Bailey 1:16 PM
Okay, let's take a second get to know the real @Joel Kuschke off the clock. Where does he travel? What's a good slow afternoon for him?
Joel Kuschke 1:16 PM
keep em’ comin!
Garrick Hoffman 1:17 PM
@Joel Kuschke I'm curious about the magazines' target audiences and their futures. Do younger audiences subscribe to the Maine mags, for example? Are they a tough audience to reach?
Layne Harris 1:17 PM
@Joel Kuschke how much time do you spend in the office vs locations?
Joel Kuschke 1:18 PM
@Dustyn Bailey I’m all about taking advantage of Maine’s outdoors. I’m a big time fisherman 12 months out of the year. In the spring and fall I hit the rivers and streams with my fly rod, all summer long I’m out fishing for striped bass on the coast, and in the winter I love ice fishing. I don’t ski, so it’s a great way to get through a Maine winter. I also love camping.
Dustyn Bailey 1:18 PM
@Joel Kuschke L.L. Bean would be proud
Joel Kuschke 1:18 PM
@Garrick Hoffman We certainly have an older audience, but we are always trying to attract younger readers with our content, and thus far I think we have been doing a better job than our local competition. But 40+ is still certainly the bread and butter of readers
1:19
@Layne Harris I spend most of my time in the office, but certainly love going out to scout locations, go on photoshoots, and meet talented creatives
Dustyn Bailey 1:19 PM
That works right into another I have @Joel Kuschke, what's your favorite place in Maine and why did you grow roots here? (Also, it is a bomb fishing spot, you don't have to give details or a map)
Layne Harris 1:20 PM
Quick poll -> Thumbs up from anyone @here who has either read Maine magazine or Maine Home+Design?
Caili Elwell 1:21 PM
What do you like most about the creative community in Maine?
1:22
Do you see any areas for improvement?
Joel Kuschke 1:22 PM
@Dustyn Bailey So many to choose from. I am a lifelong Mainer, I grew up in Buxton, for those of you who know where the is. I went away to NY for college, and thought for sure I was going to live in NYC, like ALL creative people had to do. I tried it for about a week, and realized it really wasn’t for me. As soon as I got back home everything felt better. I still love my old stomping grounds of buxton maine, lazy days on the Saco river with friends, and backyard barbecues are the best. I’m also a sucker for our southern maine beaches, I spend a ton of time in Scarborough. The Golden Road region is my favorite place to go camping. Any my fave vacation spot, MDI!
Garrick Hoffman 1:22 PM
I was just biking in Buxton last weekend! I seriously love that town so much
1:23
Googles “Golden Road” region
Dustyn Bailey 1:23 PM
@Joel Kuschke that's awesome, I had a similar experience in Boston, tough to beat home! SO, if there is one thing you can tell young Joel about your career, what would it be and why?
Joel Kuschke 1:23 PM
@Caili Elwell As I said before, Maine has this crazy legacy of attracting artists, or creatives. They are all passionate about this state, and there is always such a natural and easy collaboration that goes on in my experience. There is so much to offer, from north to south!
1:25
@Dustyn Bailey Oh boy, I still feel like “young Joel” in my head, but who am I kidding? I guess I think of this question as a chance to reflect on what I might have done differently, or what I would want young Joel to avoid. I would say take more risks, and make more career changes. Since graduating from Art School in 2009, I have really only held a few long term positions. I wish I had jumped around more, tried more industries. And not only for the personal growth and experience. The professional world is different these days. It doesn’t always pay to be the old-school “company man” or work at a place for decades. Often all of your growth, professionally and financially comes from making big life changes.
Dustyn Bailey 1:27 PM
That's insightful, I'm sure some young creatives getting their first few years under their belts are feeling this. And I think that leads well into one my favorite questions: what does everyone in the industry get wrong? (not just in print, but in the creative and advertising industry?)
1:28
We got time for maybe 1-2 more questions everyone @here go ahead shoot what you got!
Joel Kuschke 1:31 PM
@Dustyn Bailey Oh man… how should I know? First I guess I would start from the print industry and work my way out from there. I guess this boils down to preference and opinion, but I am a classic “less is more” type of designer. So often city and regional publications suffer from being extremely busy. Not just visually but through their story telling as well. What I love about Maine magazine and Maine Home+Design are they really take these deep dives into story telling. To elevate those stories visually it’s important to me to keep things simple. I love full page photographs, maybe even a two-page spread vs. 8 small photos on a page or God forbid… a collage of floating photos with drop shadows. I feel like clinging to these old standards in the design of magazines is sort of responsible for the decline throughout the 2000’s so far, and won’t attract younger audiences like we mentioned before.
What else does everyone get wrong? I think specifically ignoring digital. Or putting less importance and emphasis on it. Everyone in the print world is guilty of this. Luckily we have an incredibly talented digital strategist on our team. ALSO a MADE member @Caili Elwell and she has been working wonders for our digital direction.
And my biggest answer I guess…. Most things in life, not all, but most should be fun. At the end of the day don’t take things too seriously. Magazines, marketing, advertising, it should always be fun.
Dustyn Bailey 1:33 PM
Well said @Joel Kuschke! Thank you for sitting down at your keyboard today!
Joel Kuschke 1:33 PM
Of course, thanks for all of the questions!
Dustyn Bailey 1:34 PM
And thank you everyone @here who jumped on to join us in this AMA. Joel, I love the insights and I appreciate you letting me grill this afternoon.
Joel Kuschke 1:34 PM
Any time!
Garrick Hoffman 1:34 PM
Yes thank you Joel!