NO ONE DOES WHAT WINGS DOES FASHION WRITING PROJECT: PRINT FEATURE WORD COUNT: 1292
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THIS PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK
SPOILED NATION 2018/ 2019
No One Does What Wings Does BY MARIE-CLAIRE MILLS
‘Oh hell no!’ Jack says, as he sips from a glass of OJ. The short, but succinct, response suggests he had no idea that he’d be the founding-editor-in-chief of Wings Magazine, especially at the age of 24. His iPhone is resting on the table within close reach, in case an email comes through, patiently waiting for our interview to start. He jokes, ‘It’s hard running a magazine, I promise you. It’s quite cool though, if you went through the contacts list on my phone there’s enough fighter pilots there to make a small air force,’ Something he had only dreamed of as a young-boy. Jack grew-up in South Woodham Ferrers, a small commuter town in Essex, but always lusted for a city life. He moved out of his hometown to go to university in Norwich, city of arts, to study architecture after his dreams of becoming a fighter pilot were shattered because his eye sight was not strong enough. Everyone was surprised about his subject choice because of how he was set on studying a subject which would allow him entry into the RAF, after all that was his childhood dream. He applied for engineering, after his eyes had given him his first hurdle to jump to get his place in the RAF, with confidence he had the aptitude and passion to succeed with this subject. However, when applying for the RAF’s scholarship scheme another he had another knock due to budget cuts and this led him to re-evaluate his decisions. Growing up, Jack would sketch buildings and had a great interest in structures of buildings when he was researching engineering at school. He also had this creative flare he had never really done much with, this was an opportunity for him to turn over a new leaf and delve into something new. ‘It was a quick turnaround to want to go and do something creative, so I understand why people were taken by surprise.’ Did he surprise himself? ‘I think so,’ it was probably the best decision he could have made and if he hadn’t explored this option, he wouldn’t have been creative or had as much freedom to do his own thing and discover himself. The more I chatted with Jack the more I came to understand that Jack is putting his all into his project of Wings. Post university, Jack came back home to the realisation that he’d changed into this creative, cosmopolitan young adult, but the place around him hadn’t grown up like he had. His career, for a while after university was difficult, but he spent a lot of time in London, testing different waters to see where he would end up.
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Most 24 Year Olds are ‘finding themselves’ and deciding on their future career path, yet Jack McBride is able to have his hobby as his job.
Photograph By CoffeetableMags on Instagram
‘I think so,’ he continues to answer telling me it was probably the best decision he could have made and if he hadn’t explored this option, he wouldn’t have been creative or had as much freedom to do his own thing and discover himself. The more I chatted with Jack the more I came to understand that Jack is putting his all into his project of Wings. Post university, Jack came back home to the realisation that he’d changed into this creative, cosmopolitan young adult, but the place around him hadn’t grown up like he had. His career, for a while after university was difficult, but he spent a lot of time in London, testing different waters to see where he would end up. He tells me about how he’s travelled a bit here and there and when I ask where his favourite place he has visited was, he was spoilt for choice. He chooses Berlin and tells me about his visit to Tempelhof Airport in his first year at university. This location was designed and built under Hitler’s command, which resonated with Jack because of its links to the war and aviation. ‘Growing up my parents both worked so I spent a lot of time with my Grandad who had a great interest in it so that’s where my love of aviation started for me.’ He explains he doesn’t really have a day job now, ‘every living moment is probably spent on Wings, it is my creative outlet…I was probably spending a minimum of an hour an evening after work, I think it has probably taken about a year to get the magazine launched.’ In the time he has spare, he enjoys
He travelled a bit here and there and his favourite place he has visited was Berlin, specifically he visited Tempelhof Airport, in his first year at university. This location was designed and built under Hitler’s command, which resonated with Jack because of its links to the war and aviation. ‘Growing up my parents both worked so I spent a lot of time with my grandad who had a great interest in it so that’s where my love of aviation started for me.’ He doesn’t really have a day job now, ‘every living moment is probably spent on Wings, it is my creative outlet…I was probably spending a minimum of an hour an evening after work, I think it has probably taken about a year to get the magazine launched.’ In the time he has spare, he enjoys watching Arsenal play football and has a season ticket so he can go to weekly matches. Jack thinks of himself as a peaceful person, but definitely not “at one” with himself, explaining he has got traits of both an introvert and extrovert. Wings came as a project to expand his portfolio. Since his studies in Norwich, print magazines had been an interest to him, so he created Wings as a ‘dummy-run’ to experiment and show off his skills. A few friends had seen his idea telling him “this could be good” leading Jack to conduct some market research, helping him find that there was a gap in the market for a publication like Wings. ‘I didn’t want anyone to get in there before me, so we officially started Wings in October 2017, that’s when the formal discussions came. It was always going to be my goal, but at this point it was a now or never kind of decision.’ Wings is an aviation publication to cater to those who are passionate about aviation and want to tell their story.
“Growing up, my parents both worked so I spent a lot of time with my grandad who had a great interest in it so that’s where my love for aviation started for me” ‘I think it’s put nicely by my contact George Romain who says the aviation world isn’t this nerdy thing, there’s a lot of cool people doing a lot of cool stuff and it’s a very influential industry. This stuff is impacting the way we travel and the way we dress. With a well-designed and well-published magazine, it is bringing that to the limelight.’ Jack wants to bring something better to aviation journalism, emphasising heavily on photography and the magazine design, but also, he wants to give his contributors the opportunity to publish their work in a professional output, something Wings has allowed him to do. Wings tries to identify and aim for their stories to have a human side so readers can enjoy the magazine whether they’re interested in aviation or not, in the hope they do not limit their audience. Reflecting back on his journey with Wings, his biggest challenge has been the fact he is learning how to be an editor, at the same time as being an editor and he is completely on his own in this. ‘If you’re going through hell, keep going, keep being creative and don’t stop. You have to make things
happen for yourself.’ He is inspired by bouncing off other people, especially creatives, which helps ideas evolve the more you talk about them. He finds a lot of inspiration on Instagram and from other magazines that he enjoys. For example, he enjoys the early editions of Cereal Mag, particularly the way the founders Rosa Parks and Rich Stapleton represented their brand and the aesthetic they gave to their publication - he has always identified with them in his personal style. The peaceful, minimal and clean, style of Wings, and I guess you could say Jack, takes themes from Parks and Stapleton. Edvina Bruzas who runs Water Journal alongside a photographer named Toby Mitchell both inspire Jack’s work including his personal portfolio. He enjoys Instagram because he is a visual person who can connect with images more than anything else. Wings is available from the website, are currently stocked by MagCulture which is an independent magazine shop near the Barbican Centre in London and in Magalleria in Bath, again another independent magazine shop. The future of Wings Magazine and Jack McBride looks bright, with plans to grow through advertisements with a similar aesthetic and collaborations with lifestyle brands, eventually becoming more than a magazine. But for now, the next step for Wings is Volume Two. ‘Why choose Wings? Because I don’t think any other aviation publication puts this much emphasis on being accessible for all. Wings isn’t daunting and can be read by all no matter your age or experience and isn’t dull for those who are less interested in aviation but have more respect in the detail. No one does what Wings does’ Jack closes.
Jack McBride Instagram & Twitter - @jackfmcbride Photograph By Jack McBride
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Wings Instagram - @wingsmag Twitter - @wings_mag Website – wingsmag.co.uk
Photograph By Jack McBride
“If you’re going through hell keep going... keep being creative and don’t stop. You have to make things happen for yourself.”