Jobs In Skateboarding - Magazine Editor

Jobs In Skateboarding - Magazine Editor

Looking from the outside in it may seem as if jobs in skateboarding are few and far between, but once you delve deeper into the possibilities there's a plethora of careers surrounding our favourite toy. We hit up as many people as possible to investigate deeper to ask ‘What do you even do?’, so hopefully you’ll learn something new and find helpful ways to get into our so-called skateboarding industry. 

Launching a quarterly skateboarding magazine 'The Skateboarder's Companion' in 2021 the focus of this job lays upon Ryan Gray's shoulders. Learn more about editing, releasing and producing a physical mag which is actually available to buy from retailers. 

Jobs In Skateboarding - Magazine Editor - Ryan Gray - Desk

What's your name?
Ryan Mark Gray
  
What is your current role and who do you work for?
Editor/general dogsbody for The Skateboarder’s Companion, which is a quarterly U.K. skateboarding magazine that launched at the start of 2021. Luckily, it’s a title that I co-own along with a couple of friends - Leo, our photo editor, and Matt, our publisher - so I technically work for, and answer to, myself, which is quite nice.
 
What is it that you actually do? / What takes up a majority of your work time?
The main focus of my working day should be ensuring that the next issue of the magazine is underway, in which case I’ll be writing text, interviewing people, liaising with contributors, editing text contributions, helping Leo look through photo contributions, chatting with our senior photographer Rob to ensure he knows who or what he’s meant to be shooting, and working on layouts of articles with our designer.
I also run the social media and website, so I’ll be creating or curating content for both on a daily basis, and I also speak with some advertisers, chase ad artwork, fulfil online orders, and handle magazine subscriptions. There’s a lot of plate spinning involved, but with the right amount of sleep deprivation, it usually all works out.
  
Did you have any roles in the skate industry before this?
I did. From 2007 to 2018 I was the assistant editor, web editor and video content creator for Sidewalk Magazine. Everything that I do now for The Skateboarder’s Companion, I pretty much learnt whilst at Sidewalk. I never had to be as hands on in terms of speaking with advertisers or fulfilling orders as I am now, but we’re only a small team working on The Skateboarder’s Companion, and it’s something that we’ve built from the ground up, so it’s important for us all to be involved in every ‘behind the scenes’ decision that gets made.
 
What’s the best thing about your job?
Being able to showcase skateboarders from all over the country that otherwise might not get the attention that they deserve.
  
What’s the worst thing about your job?
Not being able to switch off.
  
Any advice for skateboarders out there who want to pursue your line of work?
The role I have within The Skateboarder’s Companion is pretty broad, and all consuming; I’d say pick one area that you really enjoy and focus primarily on that. If writing is something that you know you have an interest in, set up your own blog or start your own zine, get used to writing articles and interviewing people, and begin to build up a varied body of work.
  
Same again for filming; get out there and do it, work on projects, share the end results however you see fit. It doesn’t matter how much skate content there is out there, people always want to see more, especially if you’re offering a different take on an established scene, or giving an insight into a lesser-seen one.
  
Don’t be afraid to reach out; if you feel you have something to offer or an idea that might be worth exploring, there’s no harm in initiating a conversation to see if something is possible, or to make people aware of what you’re doing.
 
Lastly, whatever you do, do it for the right reasons. Nobody is going to plate you in platinum and sail you off into the sunset on a raft made of Hockey boards because you can string a sentence together, or edit a clip nicely, but your work could help get someone's skateboarding wider recognition, or might even inspire someone to initially pick up a board, and that in itself should be enough. 
 
 
Jobs In Skateboarding - Magazine Editor - Ryan Gray Layback
photo : Rob Whiston