Jun 20, 2016 8 Question Interview with: MAEKAN
We first listened to Alex Maeland and Eugene Kan’s rough concept for a new editorial platform, called, “The Untitled Project.” We participated in discussions to learn more about its evolution through the following year, and we began exploratory discussions to partner with MAEKAN. We were enamored with Alex and Eugene’s fierce determination to create something new, intelligent, and with unmatched editorial quality. There are times when it’s clear that the founding team has the soul, drive, and instinct to propel success, and we were compelled to come along for the ride. MAEKAN is about capturing the stories that drive the creative world as if you were sitting at dinner alongside them hearing it first hand. As an audio-visual digital media company, MAEKAN’s storytelling will exist through sight, sound, and experience. MAEKAN is in a Beta launch right now with application for early access here.
How did the concept for MAEKAN develop?
We had previously spent a collective 13 years at a previous publication but we grew weary of not only its current state but the overall landscape for media. A very large portion of what you see online is this commodity of content. It’s the same stuff regurgitated, barely repackaged and not new. There’s a huge lack of new opinion and ideas into the landscape. But as a publisher, you were getting squeezed by a flawed business model, one driven by pageviews. This required them to find the most frictionless and easy to create content possible in aggregation. To take a step back, both of us grew interested and passionate about creative culture because of the stories and processes. We were interested in finding a way to recapture this storytelling approach that would bring much greater value than reading a series of angry tweets or bullshit celebrity news.
Describe the evolution of MAEKAN from the start until now.
The focus of MAEKAN has always been on creating thoughtful and original content and giving it a proper space. There’s way too much noise these days and it hinders great content from being seen. Originally, we figured that at the very base level, we would aim to tell great original stories. Over the last few months, we’ve made changes to really expand and focus on a genre of storytelling that’s rarely seen. Audio is a great medium because it allows for passive consumption. You can be on your daily commute or working in the studio while still gaining great insight into a story. But as we dove deeper, it was about capturing the intimacy of a great story being told at dinner with close friends but with a visual accompaniment to it.
What is the long-term goal for MAEKAN?
The long-term goals for MAEKAN are to ensure a high-level of content that introduces unique thoughts and ideas. We’re at a time where we lack independent thinkers, and hopefully, we can put the right tools in front of upcoming and current generations of creatives. It was truly sad to see a generation of up and coming youth so consumed by external pressures of their peers. We need to people to rise up and have the confidence and mindset to actually do something rather than just follow. Another goal is to create a sustainable model that can support this original editorial. Both need to work in tandem. Otherwise, it’s impossible to sustain the other, and we fully recognize the importance of this.
What insights can you share about starting and running a media start-up?
We’re under the belief that a successful start-up let alone a media start-up has strong prioritization, problem-solving skills, and stamina. We need to make sure in the formative stages that our time is best used. Secondly, problems will arise every single day. If the process is perfect, you’re most likely solving an overly basic problem without great significance. As an expansion of problem-solving, starting something that previously never existed takes intense amounts of patience and stamina. We’re rarely satisfied with the current state of our work and we’re pushing to a new goal.
Describe the roles of one another.
Between the both of us, we share very different strengths. There is naturally a shared vision and goal but what we both respectively contribute to this goal is different. Very early on we when we were working with our friend Zech of Instrument, he ran us through an exercise that described our differences. Alex is the emotional guy who uses a Mac, eats chicken fingers and loves music. Eugene is the exact opposite as a cold, analytical closet nerd who uses a PC, eats chicken livers and has a strong disdain for music (yes he is one of none). On a more granular level, Alex handles the experience and the aesthetics of MAEKAN. That means how do things look, how do they feel when you interact with MAEKAN and what sort of technical elements can further our ability to tell a story. For Eugene, he handles the editorial side and organizational structure. It involves conceptualizing the stories and how to properly explore sometimes complex issues and distilling it into something unpretentious and understood.
What are some of your favorite media companies currently?
Our favorite publications are a mix of both print and digital as well as magazines and newspapers. On the digital front, De Correspondent is extremely focused on the ability to tell meaningful stories of global relevance through a relatively innovative business model. The Washington Post under the ownership of Jeff Bezos has enabled the newspaper to become a marquee publication in the digital age. Low-key, their features that enable them to contextualize stories are amazing. Gimlet Media does a great job as podcast publisher as well. Other interesting platforms include tech subscription publishers The Information and Stratechery. From a print perspective, we’re fans of the art magazine Elephant Magazine and the design of The Green Soccer Journal.
Where do you see the media landscape shifting in the next five years?
In the next five years, the commoditization of news will make it very difficult for inventory-driven publications to grow. That free, easy and lucrative ride of display ads we feel are nearing to an end. We guess there may be a glimmer of hope with programmatic, but the real issue is that readers and advertising need to revisit their relationship ASAP. It’s just really bad right now with a lot of bitterness on behalf of readers. The business model for publications will see new and different opportunities from subscription to micropayments. For once, we may be set-up to have journalism supported. It may not yield the same level of the past when newspapers owned the printing presses, but we are facing at the very least a world that can support creation. Likewise, publishers will need to really strengthen their bonds with their readers. You need to pull your readers away from attention-holding platforms of social media.
Where do you personally find inspiration?
We’re at a time where there’s limitless information at your fingertips. I wouldn’t say that we necessarily seek inspiration. But our daily experiences inform and shed light on what’s out there in the world. Just going out and having an open mind in search of empathetic relationships already goes a long way in helping shape what the next thing is. But to narrow it, humans, in general, are such dynamic beings that they offer a high-level of unexpectedness. You may need to shift through a lot of stuff, but there are still some amazing people out there that are constantly creating.
Photos provided by: Alex Maeland and Eugene Kan