June 24, 2004
Giant Robot's 10th Anniversary
Props to former New York Times film scribe, Elvis Mitchell, who on his radio show today, KCRW's The Treatment, interviewed Eric Nakamura and Martin Wong -- the inventive young entrepreneurs behind the Asian-themed pop culture movement known as Giant Robot. These hep cats have spun what started out as an underground magazine created from their garage into a virtual media empire that now encompasses book publishing, art galleries, online commerce, and retail stores (two in Los Angeles, one in San Francisco) -- where you can buy everything from your latest Bruce Lee DJ gear to tasty Calpis candy.
I can hardly believe that a decade has flown by since their inaugural issue (alas, age has a wicked way of sneaking past you). Since that time, other print rags attempting to capture the imagination of a general Asian American demographic have failed -- most spectacularly A Magazine and Yolk -- while certain off-beat, quirky publications aimed at niche-based interests have only thrived (TokyoPop, American-based purveyor of manga and anime galore, being another notable success story).
(Other "Asian American" magazines that are hanging around these days are those geared strictly at women, such as Audrey and the newly-launched Yin magazine, but since they're still in their fledgling stages, the jury's out on them.)
What's made these hip, niche attempts successful and enduring, while their higher-profile (and better funded) counterparts have fallen flat? There are of course numerous reasons, but I'd primarily chalk it up to the viral marketing factor: edgy niche-based interests have a way of generating ardent enthusiasm and strong word-of-mouth among their obsessive fans in a way that general interest publications aimed at Asian Americans haven't in the past. In addition, the subculture that forms around these shared pop affinities crossover much further beyond any single race or ethnic group.
Because irreverent, cheeky niche efforts like Giant Robot and TokyoPop are fueled by the passions and visions of their creators, they are also given more time to find their intended audiences organically ("they're out there, we just don't know how large!"), whereas there's never been a question who A Magazine was targeting. I don't know about the rest of you, but A Magazine (if you've ever tried to read it) always felt like required reading and was drudgery to get through. And Yolk? Well, Yolk never had much going for it beyond its pictures.
The magazine industry can be very unforgiving, so props to Giant Robot for not only sticking it out, but kicking ass at the game. You can listen to Elvis Mitchell's Giant Robot interview here (Real Player required) -- it's a wonderful story.
Posted by thomas at June 24, 2004 03:17 AM | TrackBack