Vice (magazine)

For other uses, see Vice (disambiguation).
Vice

January 2009, the Universal Sadness Issue
Editor-in-chief Ellis Jones
Categories Lifestyle
Frequency Monthly
Circulation

900,000 (worldwide)

80,000 (UK)[1]
Founder Suroosh Alvi, Shane Smith, Gavin McInnes
First issue 1994
Based in New York City
Language English
Website vice.com
ISSN 1077-6788
OCLC number 30856250

Vice is a print magazine and website focused on arts, culture, and news topics. Founded in 1994 in Montreal, Canada, the magazine later expanded into Vice Media, which consists of divisions including the magazine and website, a film production company, a record label, and a publishing imprint. As of February 2015, the magazine's Chief Creative Officer is Eddy Moretti, Andrew Creighton is President, the editor-in-chief is Ellis Jones[2] and Alex Miller is the global head of content. As of October 2014, 29 Vice bureaus exist on every continent except Africa and Antarctica.

The monthly publication is frequently focused on a single theme.

History

Founded by Gavin McInnes, Suroosh Alvi and Shane Smith,[3][4] the magazine was launched in 1994 as the Voice of Montreal with government funding, and the intention of the founders was to provide work and a community service.[5] When the editors later sought to dissolve their commitments with the original publisher Alix Laurent, they bought him out and changed the name to Vice in 1996.[6]

Richard Szalwinski, a Canadian software millionaire, acquired the magazine and relocated the operation to New York City, U.S. in the late 1990s. Following the relocation, the magazine quickly developed a reputation for provocative and politically incorrect content. Under Szalwinski's ownership, a small number of retail stores were also opened in New York City and customers could purchase fashion items that were advertised in the magazine. However, due to the end of the dot-com bubble, the three founders eventually regained ownership of the Vice brand, followed by the closure of the stores.[3]

The British edition of Vice was launched in 2002 and Andy Capper was its first editor. Capper explained in an interview shortly after the UK debut that the publication's remit was to cover "the things we're meant to be ashamed of," and articles were published on topics such as bukkake and bodily functions.[7]

By the end of 2007, 13 foreign editions of Vice magazine were published, the Vice independent record label was functional, and the online video channel VBS.com had garnered 184,000 unique viewers from the U.S. during the month of August. The media company was still based in New York City, but the magazine began featuring articles on topics that were considered more serious, such as armed conflict in Iraq, than previous content. Alvi explained to the New York Times in November 2007: "The world is much bigger than the Lower East Side and the East Village."[3]

McInnes left the publication in 2008, citing "creative differences" as the primary issue. In an email communication dated 23 January, McInnes explained: "I no longer have anything to do with Vice or VBS or DOs & DON'Ts or any of that. It's a long story but we've all agreed to leave it at "creative differences," so please don't ask me about it."[8]

At the commencement of 2012, an article in Forbes magazine referred to the Vice company as "Vice Media," but the precise time when this title development occurred is not public knowledge.[9] Vice acquired the fashion magazine i-D in December 2012 and, by February 2013, Vice produced 24 global editions of the magazine, with a global circulation of 1,147,000 (100,000 in the UK). By this stage, Alex Miller had replaced Capper as the editor-in-chief of the UK edition. Furthermore, Vice consisted of 800 worldwide employees, including 100 in London, and around 3,500 freelancers also produced content for the company.[7]

In mid-August 2013, Rupert Murdoch's corporation 21st Century Fox invested US$70 million in Vice Media, resulting in a 5 percent stake. Following the announcement, Smith explained, "We have set ourselves up to build a global platform but we have maintained control."[10][11]

In June 2014, it was reported that Time Warner was negotiating to acquire a stake in Vice Media. The company also planned to give Vice control over its television channel HLN, a spin-off network of CNN that had struggled to transform into a younger-skewing, social media-oriented news service. However, the deal was not finalized, as the companies were unable to agree on a proper valuation.[12][13] It was then revealed on 29 August 2014, that A&E Networks—a joint venture of Hearst Corporation and The Walt Disney Company—would acquire a 10 percent minority stake in Vice Media for US$250 million.[14]

On 2 July 2014, Vice Media announced that it would be relocating into a warehouse space in Williamsburg formerly occupied by music venues 285 Kent, Death by Audio, and Glasslands. Vice spent US$20 million to renovate the 60,000-square-foot (5,600 m2) building as part of an eight-year lease,[15] facilitating the establishment of new production facilities with full broadcast capabilities, and received an offer of US$6.5 million in tax credits from New York state's Empire State Development.[16]

On 30 October 2014, Vice Media announced a CDN$100 million joint venture with Rogers Communications that will facilitate the construction of production facilities in Toronto for the creation of locally produced content, as well as the introduction of a Vice-branded television network and digital properties in Canada in 2015. Rogers CEO Guy Laurence described the proposed studio as "a powerhouse for Canadian digital content focused on 18- to 34-year-olds" that will be "exciting" and provocative." The content of the partnership will be aimed primarily toward digital platforms.[17][18]

In late 2014, VICE Media announced that Alyssa Mastromonaco, who formerly worked in the Obama administration, would come on board as the company's chief operating officer in January 2015,[19] and that James Schwab, who had previously advised VICE and Dreamworks on media deals, would be joining as Co-President.[20]

Current staff

The full current staff of VICE Magazine and VICE.com can be found on their masthead.

Content

Scope

Vice Magazine includes the work of journalists, columnists, fiction writers, graphic artists and cartoonists, and photographers. Both Vice's online and magazine content has shifted from dealing mostly with independent arts and pop cultural matters to covering more serious news topics. Due to the large array of contributors and the fact that often writers will only submit a small number of articles with the publication, Vice's content varies dramatically and its political and cultural stance is often unclear or contradictory. Articles on the site feature a range of subjects, often things not covered as by mainstream media. The magazine's editors have championed the Immersionist school of journalism, regarded as something of a DIY antithesis to the methods practiced by mainstream news outlets, and has published an entire issue of articles written in accordance with this ethos. Entire issues of the magazine have also been dedicated to the concerns of Iraqi people,[21] Native Americans,[22] Russian people,[23] people with mental disorders,[24] and people with mental disabilities.[25] Vice also publishes an annual guide for students in the United Kingdom.[26]

In 2007, a Vice announcement was published on the Internet: "After umpteen years of putting out what amounted to a reference book every month, we started to get bored with it. Besides, too many other magazines have ripped it and started doing their own lame take on themes. So we're going to do some issues, starting now, that have whatever we feel like putting in them."[27]

Politics

In a March 2008 interview with The Guardian, Smith was asked about the magazine's political allegiances and he stated, "We're not trying to say anything politically in a paradigmatic left/right way ... We don't do that because we don't believe in either side. Are my politics Democrat or Republican? I think both are horrific. And it doesn't matter anyway. Money runs America; money runs everywhere."[5]

He has also stated: "I grew up being a socialist and I have problems with it because I grew up in Canada [and] I've spent a lot of time in Scandinavia, where I believe countries legislate out creativity. They cut off the tall trees. Everyone's a C-minus. I came to America from Canada because Canada is stultifyingly boring and incredibly hypocritical. Thanks, Canada."[6]

Website

Vice.com
Web address vice.com
Owner Vice Media
Launched 2011
Alexa rank
 Increase 204 (July 2015)[28]
Current status Active

Vice originally founded its website as Viceland.com in 1996, as Vice.com was already owned. In 2007, it started VBS.tv as a domain, which prioritized videos over print, and had a number of shows for free such as The Vice Guide to Travel. In 2011, both Viceland.com and VBS.tv were combined into Vice.com.[29]

The website has expanded and diversified to include a network of online video channels, including TheCreatorsProject.com, Motherboard.tv, Fightland.com, Noisey.com, Thu.mp, and Broadly, which "represents the multiplicity of women's experiences".[30]

Vice News

Main article: Vice News

Vice News is Vice Media's current affairs brand. Launched in December 2013, its presence consists of a YouTube channel and a website. Vice News content primarily consists of documentaries and video news digests, which range from Prison systems, such as Guantanamo bay (Gitmo), to American market/political corruption, to international drug addiction and far beyond.

Vice Books

The magazine has published the collections The DOs and DON'Ts Book and The Vice Guide to Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll. In 2008, the photograph compilation The Vice Photo Book was released and featured published works from previous editions of the magazine.[31]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Tom Horan (15 July 2006). "From chic to cheek". The Telegraph (London). Retrieved 26 April 2013.
  2. ↑ Sterne, Peter (11 February 2015). "Vice E.I.C. Rocco Castoro out at Vice". Capital New York. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 Robert Levine (19 November 2007). "A Guerrilla Video Site Meets MTV". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  4. ↑ "About". Vice Magazine. Vice Media Inc. 24 October 2014. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
  5. 1 2 Wilkinson, Carl (30 March 2008). "The Vice Squad". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 30 January 2009.
  6. 1 2 Jeff Bercovici (3 January 2012). "Vice's Shane Smith on What's Wrong With Canada, Facebook and Occupy Wall Street". Forbes (Forbes.com LLC). Retrieved 26 April 2013.
  7. 1 2 Andrew Pugh (28 February 2013). "'Maybe we've grown up': Ten years on, how Vice magazine got serious". Press Gazette. Progressive Media International. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  8. ↑ "Co-Founder Gavin McInnes Finally Leaves 'Vice'". Gawker. Gawker. 23 January 2008. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  9. ↑ Jeff Bercovici (3 January 2012). "Tom Freston's $1 Billion Revenge: Ex-Viacom Chief Helps Vice Become the Next MTV". Forbes (Forbes, LLC). Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  10. ↑ Ben Quinn (17 August 2013). "Rupert Murdoch firm dips into hipsters' bible with $70m stake in Vice". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 August 2013.
  11. ↑ Anthony Ha (16 August 2013). "Fox Invests in Vice, A Media Company That Makes Money Being Terrible And Brilliant". TechCrunch. AOL, Inc. Retrieved 17 August 2013.
  12. ↑ "Can HLN Draw Millennials Fast Enough to Stave Off Vice?". Advertising Age. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
  13. ↑ Mahler, Jonathan (29 August 2014). "Time Warner Ends Negotiations to Buy Stake in Vice Media". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
  14. ↑ "A&E Networks Buying Minority Stake in Vice Media". The Hollywood Reporter. 29 August 2014. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
  15. ↑ Jordan Sargent (22 October 2014). "No One Wants To Say It, But Vice Is Displacing Brooklyn Institutions". Gawker. Gawker. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  16. ↑ Mark Fahey (2 July 2014). "Vice Media grows in Brooklyn". Crain's. Crains Communications Inc. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  17. ↑ "Rogers, Vice Media strike $100M deal to create Canadian content". CBC News. 30 October 2014. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  18. ↑ "Rogers, Vice Media to partner on $100-million venture". The Globe and Mail (Toronto). 30 October 2014. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  19. ↑ Emily Steel (16 November 2014). "Vice Hires Alyssa Mastromonaco, Former Official in Obama White House, as a Top Executive". New York Times. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  20. ↑ Tom Huddleston, Jr. (15 December 2014). "Vice Media sees 'deal spree', possible IPO on horizon". Fortune. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
  21. ↑ "The Iraq Issue". Vice. Retrieved 28 January 2009.
  22. ↑ "The Native Issue". Vice. Retrieved 28 January 2009.
  23. ↑ "The Russia Issue". Vice. Retrieved 28 January 2009.
  24. ↑ "The Mentally Ill Issue". Vice. Retrieved 28 January 2009.
  25. ↑ "The Special Issue". Vice. Retrieved 28 January 2009.
  26. ↑ "Student Guide". Vice. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
  27. ↑ "Dear Vice Readers!". Vice. 11 April 2007. Retrieved 1 July 2008.
  28. ↑ "Vice.com Site Info". Alexa Internet. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  29. ↑ Castoro, Rocco (2012). "Finally, All Our Crap Is in One Place". Vice. Retrieved 2013-08-00. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  30. ↑ Broadly – About https://broadly.vice.com/en_us/about
  31. ↑ The Vice Photo Book (book review) Harp. March/April 2008 Archived 8 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine

Further reading

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to VICE Media.
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