1013SPLICED - Cover - NikaProbably one of the biggest bits of news in my Twitter feed this week was the launch of Spliced magazine – an online magazine that will be released bi-monthly and cover everything from all aspects of geek pop culture. That is rather a mouthful. It is also an impressive feat. I have had a look at the magazine and it is huge. 150 pages huge to be exact. What I like about it the most is that even though you might not like all the content in it there is something in it for everyone. I think Spliced is going to be added to my reading list for sure. Also, I do say online magazine but you do have the option of downloading it for offline consumption. Hmmm, consumption…

We decided to have a quick chat with the editor of Spliced, Pippa Tshabalala. Now, we interviewed Pippa earlier this year about her gaming habits and love for tattoos, so if you want to know more about who she is, you are welcome to go read that interview. But for this one we mainly focused on the Spliced magazine and its launch.

Where did the idea for Spliced Magazine come from?

Pippa: We had been talking for ages about the fact that there was no single place that brought together all our geek pop culture interests and how we should start a magazine. Chris saw Neil Gaiman’s 2012 Commencement Speech for the University of the Arts online and sent me the link. We decided to stop talking and start doing. We brought Tim on board and that was the beginning.

How has the reception for Spliced been so far?

Pippa: The reception has been amazing! Far better than we ever imagined. People have been overwhelmingly positive on all fronts, from the design to the content.

You work full time, freelance, model and get 8 hour long tattoos. Where do you get the time to edit and launch another magazine?

Pippa: Haha, not 8 hour long… make that 6. Yes, I have a lot on my plate at the moment, but if you’re passionate about something it’s worthwhile finding time to do it.

Tell us about the team behind Spliced?

Pippa: The core team consists of three of us – me, Chris Savides who is responsible for the design and layout and Tim Hulme, who is an absolutely amazing photographer. We all bring our own expertise to the project. We’ve also managed to recruit some awesome contributing writers.

Why did you decide to go the online magazine that gets released monthly route rather than having a blog type website where info will go up instantly?

Pippa: Well it’s actually bi-monthly, our next issue will be released in December. We also have a website where the aim is to publish content that won’t necessarily make it into the magazine but which we feel has a place within the Spliced framework. I think people still like the idea of a magazine, regardless of whether it’s digital or print, and you engage with a magazine in a different manner to a website.

Do you think print media is dying and online magazines like Spliced will be the future?

Pippa: I think the print market is definitely taking a hit, but there’s still a place for it. I’ll be honest, this first issue has turned out so well that I would love a print copy to keep on my shelf, but in general it was a conscious decision we made to go digital, both cost and content wise.

Pretty vampires, Zombies, Tattoos and Games. These are my favourite things and they were all in the first issue of Spliced magazine. What is else is on the drawing board for future releases of Spliced?

Pippa: So many, many things! We don’t want to give the game away, but we have some great content lined up for future issues. We cover content we’re interested in, which collectively ranges from comics, to games, to music, commercial movies, tattoos, cult film and so on. The world is full of cool things and cool people that our readers should know about.

Speaking of Zombies, we noticed that there was a whole column sharing tricks and tactics that weren’t very nice for Zombies. Why would you be so mean to us?

Pippa: What!? You obviously haven’t read the article! It’s how to survive the zombie apocalypse FOR ZOMBIES! They’re tips and tricks FOR YOU.

Fun Fact: Zombies can’t read. Also we are very defensive, so when we skim an article about the zombie apocalypse at 11 pm at night after a long day, we assume the worse. It is just one of those things when your eyes are constantly falling out of your head. Plus we aren’t used to being loved. [What he is actually saying is… he really can’t read. He’s brain dead, not undead, so what do you expect? – Undead Ed]

Well there you have it. Go check out Spliced right now over at their website…

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