The editors of Free Skate Mag, Dolores Magazine, Skate Jawn and Mess Skate Mag come together for a discussion of what makes for a good story and what helps pitches stand out.
Story by Farran Golding
Collages by Templeton Elliott
In the introduction to Jimmy Breslin’s Can’t Anybody Here Play This Game?, an account of the New York Mets’ historically bad first year, the baseball luminary Bill Veeck frames the story as “a history of the Mets, preserving for all time a remarkable tale of ineptitude, mediocrity and abject failure.” Such descriptors can be familiar feelings for the writer (or other creative) who finds themselves on a streak of failed story pitches or, worse yet, the deafening silence of unresponsive editors.
It’s natural consider that a pitch “fails” when a story isn’t commissioned and what is “failing” but a close cousin of “losing”? The New York Mets of Can’t Anybody Here Play This Game? were record-making losers but significant, however, not only for their failure on the field but the inspiration which can be found in such failure. “They spur the losers of the world to take heart — to rise and lose again,” writes Veeck. “Without losers, where would the winners be? So who, in the final analysis, is most entitled to historic memory?”
History, as the cliché goes, is written by the victors. Journalism (or at least the work of those that build stature on talent and drive as opposed to the class privilege rife in creative industries), the historical record of the published word, is written by successful pitchers.
Previously, Skate Bylines spoke to individuals with backgrounds in writing, photography and videography for a roundtable discussion on how to pitch stories to magazines and brands (‘Making The Big Leagues’, November 2024). Following that story, we spoke a handful of editor-in-chiefs of today’s most notable skateboarding publications for their perspective on what makes a pitch land.
Marcus Walrdon & Noah Halpern-McManus, Skate Jawn
Marcus Waldron, 36 is the founding editor-in-chief of Skate Jawn and Noah Halpern-McManus, 35 is the publication’s managing editor. Noah is from Western Massachusetts and Marcus is from New Jersey. Skate Jawn was founded in Philadelphia and currently operates out of Brooklyn, New York. Skate Jawn focuses on DIY, underground and independent projects, community initiatives, smaller skate scenes, and international stories.
Marcus Waldron, Skate Jawn founder and editor-in-chief, noseslides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania by Elias Parise
What’s important to see in a pitch? What does someone need to communicate about a story, photo, video or project right off the bat to be of interest to your publication?
Marcus: I’ve always looked for visuals to start with or a clear promise that there will be worthwhile imagery to go with an idea. A lot of people approach us with ideas but not so much pitches and we try to work with them to develop something. We’re always looking for original ideas and creative approaches.
Noah: After that it comes down to what the person is trying to convey with the piece. Sometimes it’s as simple as “This person rips and doesn’t get enough shine” and maybe that’s enough for an interview to run. Other times, there’s a professionalism in the approach and a clearly thought out pitch that shows the person submitting has a clear vision for where the piece is headed and demonstrates an ability to get it there on deadline.
“The ethos of zine making and sharing is to spread the word of what is happening in your world on a localised level with as many people as possible. Skate Jawn gives skateboarders of all stripes that ability and we look to highlight as many different perspectives as possible.”
— Noah Halpern-McManus, Skate Jawn
Nosegrind shot by Ethan Giorgetti
Who and where have some of your favourite stories come from that were produced by people who aren’t the magazine’s staff? Why did they fit the magazine?
Noah: I’d like to consider Skate Jawn an outlet for skateboarders anywhere to showcase who they are and what they’re doing within their local community or the skateboarding community at large. The ethos of zine making and sharing is to spread the word of what is happening in your world on a localised level with as many people as possible. Skate Jawn gives skateboarders of all stripes that ability and we look to highlight as many different perspectives as possible.
Some of my favorite pieces have highlighted important DIY spots that have a storied history and dealt with municipal and bureaucratic headaches, ideally giving other skaters a roadmap of how to navigate creating these community hubs. Stories on Bum Park in Miami, Florida; Sharkside in Worcester, Massachusetts; or Shortys in Newark, New Jersey are a few that were very impactful to me. In my opinion, the most important piece we’ve ever published was ‘On skateboarding, solidarity, and Palestine’ by Maen Hammad. Maen is as talented a writer and photographer as there is and he’s able to use those skills admirably during an impossibly tragic and difficult place in time. I will forever be humbled by his trust in us to publish a piece so thoughtful, important, and powerful as this.
Marcus: One of the more journalistic pieces we ran was Mean Hammad’s on skateboarding in Palestine. It was really special to be able to help get out there. We’ve received decades-old archival photos out of the blue on a couple of occasions. We had a piece with photos from a skate contest by Spikes Skate Shop in Philly from 1988 and recently some rare and unseen Love Park photos from 1994. The magazine is intended to be an outlet for skateboarders and creatives. It feels great helping people spread their thoughts and ideas.
“Street skateboarding in Palestine, like in the streets of Washington D.C., or the sidewalks of Wall Street, is a confrontation to, and with, the powers that be. In Palestine, where land and resistance hold an unwavering relationship, skateboarding accompanies us as a medium to freedom,” writes documentary photographer Maen Hammad in ‘On skateboarding, solidarity, and Palestine’ . Aram Sabbah, ride-on 5050 in Ramallah and Zaina Amous by Hammad for Skate Jawn
Do you have a preference on when a story begins in relation to it being pitched? What’s the balance of taking on an idea that someone is already working on, and trying to find a home for, versus workshopping the concept first?
Marcus: I’m fine with pitches either coming in early into the process or as an almost finished piece. I just think it’s important to know if the piece is being pitched to other outlets. Sometimes a piece might get offered to us after being turned down by another publication, which is fine, but that transparency is always appreciated.
Noah: Since a good deal of our content is submission-based sometimes some of the work has already been done ahead of the pitch. Once the framework is thereww we try to discuss the approach and then go back and forth a bit during drafting the piece but try to give whoever is doing the work the space and freedom to at least create the first draft of things. When it’s someone on our staff building a story we usually give our feedback to the initial pitch and then help them when asked until the first draft comes in at which point we provide them edits and insights they could have missed.
At what point in corresponding with a contributor should rates be discussed?
Noah: Transparency on expectations and rates are a very important aspect to this process and should always happen sooner than later.
“There was a small bulldozer breaking up the spot … He gave us till 7am the next morning. Homies were leaving work saying they had emergencies, soon everyone was there skating their hearts out … It hit me then, seeing so many people so devastated, that we built something bigger than we ever imagined.”
— Jacob Folsom-Fraster, ‘SHARKSIDE Street Improvement: Worcester, Massachusetts’, Skate Jawn (2022)
Adam [surname uncredited], backside nosegrind, Sharkside DIY by Jacob Folsom Fraster
From an editor’s perspective, why don’t some publications don’t respond to pitches? Do you think there is a responsibility in publishing to at least give a reply, even when turning down a story, or is that not practical when running a magazine?
Noah: I’m pretty neurotic about leaving things on read. I always try and at least get some type of response back but sometimes things get lost in the shuffle. Maybe Marcus and I need to find the time to discuss the idea with each other and, in the time it takes to figure that out, a bunch of little fires have popped up that take precedence and then the pitch is buried by other emails. It’s not always practical. I try to be as communicative as possible but I can’t fault anybody who prioritises other aspects of the job.
Marcus: Giving a reply, even if it’s just a polite let down, is important but I don’t know if it’s always practical. We try to at least reply to people even though turning things down can be tiring. I think most editors feel a responsibility to get back to everyone but I don’t think it’s realistic. The reality of why most pitches go unanswered is probably because it’s not going to work but sending that communication slipped.
We get a lot of very loose pitches or ideas, or some photos with a few sentences about them, and have often worked with people to develop more of a piece from there. I’ve always been amazed at people’s support for the magazine and all of the cool things people reach out to us about.
Noah: To anyone reading this with a pitch, hit us up. Our (digital) doors are always open.
Skate Jawn: www.skatejawn.com • @skatejawn • homies@skatejawn.com
Marcus Waldron: @jmarcuswaldron • LinkedIn
Noah Halpern-McManus: @larryjawndavis • LinkedIn
Raisa Abal, Dolores Magazine
Raisa Abal, 33, is the editor-in-chief and creative director of Dolores Magazine. Raisa also works as a photographer who contributes other skateboarding publications, brands and organisations from her base in Barcelona, Spain. Dolores focuses on women, gender minority skateboarders and projects which seek to make skateboarding more inclusive. “We focus on stories and milestones that have to be told by featuring skateboarders who inspire and empower community, the industry and future skateboarders,” says Abal.
Dolores Magazine founder, editor-in-chief and photographer Raisa Abal by Paula Vázquez Guisande
What’s important to see in a pitch? What does someone need to communicate about a story, photo, video or project right off the bat to be of interest to your publication?
Pitches have to have a complete meaning. Either a set of photos that tell a story, a gallery on a specific topic, or an interesting interview that is out of the ordinary. When the material is good, working on it becomes easy. If a photo gallery is worth it, let’s write a nice text; if the interview is good, let’s get some pictures to go along with. Whatever it is, we always get to work to make it the best of the best.
The skateboarding community is full of talented women who have a lot to offer. We need more women in the positions of writers, photographers, filmers, editors, designers and so on. Involving them in all projects would do the industry a favour as the whole culture will get a refresh instead of continuing to create with the same people from the last ten to fifteen years. This isn’t directed at anyone in particular it’s just a message so that when someone is needed for a job, an event, a role at a company, in the creation of something, they remember their FLINTA friend who also needs an opportunity. Give them opportunities, propose them, include them, set aside budget for them, whatever. Remember that they also want to work in skateboarding.
“Roger Ferrero’s photos tell stories beyond the borders about communities that aren’t usually represented.”
— Raisa Abal, Dolores Magazine
Who and where have some of your favourite stories come from that were produced by people who aren’t the magazine’s staff? Why did they fit the magazine?
Living in Europe it’s easy to access stories about skateboarding here but Roger Ferrero always travels to more remote places, like Bangkok or Chile, which allows his photos to tell stories beyond the borders about communities that aren’t usually represented. It’s exciting for us, especially him, to shed light and give visibility to these types of groups.
A few issues ago we started to partner with Tutifruti Sk8 and they created a comic strip with tools to improve mental health on a daily basis. Mental health should be a topic we talk about every day, and working toward it collectively should be normalised. Not everyone is well all the time and that’s okay. We need to listen to each other, check in, and share tools that help us all feel better with the world and with ourselves. Sometimes it’s easier, and other times it’s a little more difficult, but all the processes are valid.
At what point in corresponding with a contributor should rates be discussed?
I believe that the rate should be discussed once both sides are in agreement and aligned on the form of the project. In our case, although we are small and without much support from big brands, we like to be able to support the collaborators who support us.
In general, contributors know that we don’t have much money and producing the magazine is expensive. For each contribution that amounts to a [print] article or a gallery we try to pay at least €250. We know it’s not too much but with small magazine, budget and cash flow what I want to accomplish is that no-one works for free and try to make the payments somewhat stable.
“We need more women in the positions of writers, photographers, filmers, editors, designers and so on. Involving them in all projects would do the industry a favour as the whole culture will get a refresh instead of continuing to create with the same people from the last ten to fifteen years.”
— Raisa Abal, Dolores Magazine
Portait by Paula V Guisande
From an editor’s perspective, why don’t some publications don’t respond to pitches? Do you think there is a responsibility in publishing to at least give a reply, even when turning down a story, or is that not practical when running a magazine?
As a photographer when I pitch to other media or brands I’ve always complained about that but the truth is that sometimes everything is crazy. A communication platform requires so much work behind the scenes — website, social media, newsletter, emails with brands, budget, agreements. When someone is hyper-focused on something important, such as sending the new magazine to print, I understand why some emails get forgotten. In my case, I try to always answer although I suppose we have left some people on read. If so, I’m sorry!
On the other hand, if someone pitches to us and I have the chance to include it, and there is something in the content that doesn’t fit, I try to suggest adding more things or improving it in some positive way. We would love to include all the submissions we receive, but unfortunately space is what it is and many stories are left out or go into the next issue.
Dolores Magazine: www.doloresmagazine.com • @doloresmagazine on Instagram and Threads • doloresskatemag@gmail.com • submissions@doloresmagazine.com
Raisa Abal: www.raisaabal.com • @raisaabal • Linked In
Will Harmon, Free Skate Mag
Will Harmon, 48, is the co-editor and co-founder of Free Skate Mag. Born in London, England and growing up in North Carolina, USA, Will returned to London in 2007 where he has resided since. He was the editor-in-chief of Kingpin Magazine from 2013 to 2015 prior to founding Free Skate Mag with photographer Sam Ashley and writer Arthur Derrien (who also shares the role of co-editor). A pan-European publication, Free publish six print issues a year which feature interviews, essays, photo stories. They also host and commission an online output of high-standard skateboarding videos produced in Europe and further afield.
Free Skate Mag co-founder and co-editor Will Harmon, ollie, Kentish Town, London, 2012. Henry Genualdo Kingsford courtesy of Grey Skateboard Magazine
What’s important to see in a pitch? What does someone need to communicate about a story, photo, video or project right off the bat to be of interest to your publication?
At Free there’s no shortage of interviews with professional and sponsored skaters, as well as trip articles. We’re always interested in receiving something that differs from those. It doesn’t have to be a story about a pro or sponsored skater, just something related to skateboarding in some way. Whether it’s an observation, an opinion piece, a critique, fiction, poetry, or something that’s hard to categorise, we’re open to everything. And sometimes, and yes it’s rare, we’re even presented with interviews and trip articles that are just too good to pass up.
Who and where have some of your favourite stories come from that were produced by people who aren’t the magazine’s staff? Why did they fit the magazine?
We met Kyle Beachy at Pushing Boarders in 2018 where he told us about his story ‘Primitive Progressivism’, which was essentially an indictment on the skate industry for supporting Jason Jessee. We were excited to run that story, it felt like the right thing to do. Another one was ‘Street League is not Free’ by James Davis, pointing out the hypocrisy of the London Legacy Development Corporation for accepting money from Street League Skateboarding to host their event whilst simultaneously destroying a DIY skate space within their grounds and outlawing skateboarding in the Olympic park, amongst other things like having a knife company [Kershaw] as one of the sponsors of SLS [during a knife crime epidemic]. This was an opinion piece, but again, we felt it brought up important issues that needed to be pointed out and addressed.
More recently we were excited to share an excerpt from Maen Hammad’s book Landing. The excerpt we chose was about a Palestinian skater’s love affair with another skater living many checkpoints away in Israel. We thought it was important for our audience to read about the many barriers and roadblocks, literally and figuratively, which Palestinians face living in an illegal occupation, recounted to us by a fellow skateboarder.
Sometimes in Instagram comments or on skate forums you see the classic “Keep politics out of skateboarding,” but at Free we don’t believe in that. I can’t think of anything worse than picking up a skate magazine and only reading about how big a gap someone kickflipped. Sure, it’s nice to have some skate talk here and there, but skateboarders are human beings from various backgrounds with differing life experiences, I’d like to think we provide a platform for skaters to speak their mind.
“In mainstream educational discourse, ‘resilience’ is an approach to teaching that envisages learning as a journey that embraces, rather than shies away from trial and error. The relevance of that one to skateboarding should be obvious,” writes Ben Powell in ‘Learning Curve(s)’ for Free Skate Mag (2023). John Dahlquist at Bryggeriets Gymnasium, Malmö by Nils Svensson
Do you have a preference on when a story begins in relation to it being pitched? What’s the balance of taking on an idea that someone is already working on, and trying to find a home for, versus workshopping the concept first?
There’s no cut and dry answer, each pitch differs. Sometimes we get full, complete articles sent to us, sometimes it’s a couple of paragraphs of an idea. If we’re unfamiliar with the particular writer’s work, it helps to see examples of what they’ve written before. If it’s someone we’re familiar with, it’s easier to trust their instincts.
At what point in corresponding with a contributor should rates be discussed?
If the piece is unfinished, but we’re familiar with the writer’s previous work then we’ll often talk about rates they can expect upon receipt of the completed piece. If we’re unfamiliar with the writer’s work, we usually like to see a nearly completed piece, or a rough draft, before rates are discussed.
From an editor’s perspective, why don’t some publications don’t respond to pitches? Do you think there is a responsibility in publishing to at least give a reply, even when turning down a story, or is that not practical when running a magazine?
We do the best we can to reply to whomever sends us pitches, but inevitably, sometimes emails slide through the cracks. Our inbox can be quite overwhelming at times, apologies.
Free Skate Mag: www.freeskatemag.com • @freeskatemag • freeskatemag@gmail.com • YouTube
Will Harmon: @willharms
Jessie Van Roechoudt, Mess Skate Mag
Jessie Van Roechoudt, 46, is the co-founder of Mess Skate Mag and senior manager of global brand communications for adidas Skateboarding. Originally from British Columbia, Canada she is now based in Portland, Oregon and runs Mess as a collective by sharing the role and responsibilities of creative director, editor and designer with fellow co-founders Shari White (Vancouver, Canada) and Kristin Ebeling (Seattle, Washington). Mess seeks to “authentically represent the stories of skateboarding’s more diverse audience which doesn’t always have a voice in media,” says Van Roechoudt, whilst creating opportunities for younger photographers, writers, videographers and those engaged in creative fields.
Mess Skate Mag co-founder and co-editor-in-chief, Jessie-Van-Roechoudt. Jake Parsons
What’s important to see in a pitch? What does someone need to communicate about a story, photo, video or project right off the bat to be of interest to your publication?
Firstly, it’s the skating and secondly, if it’s something which is going to be great visually. In terms of an interesting story, something that the magazine audience would want to be a part of is great. We published an article with Sarah Meurle who shot photos of her crew biking through Scandinavia and skating along the way. Sure, that kinda thing has been done as a tour article but I don’t think it had been done by that representation of a female photographer and a younger diverse crew. You can imagine that concept in Thrasher with the Anti-Hero team but this was such a different slice.
A lot of people come with ideas but we aren’t going to commit to something until we see solid skate photos. Lifestyle photos are great, we do want to show that, but it needs skate material so it’s meeting in the middle. It’s good to have bigger names, there’s an amount of trying to carry the print magazine whilst considering how an article can also work on social media. It helps to have a subject who is somewhat known.
If you’re sending photos to magazine, or any business, do it pro-style and make sure you’re sending non-expiring links. Google Drive or Dropbox with content that can be accessed when the email is read will go a lot further than an expired WeTransfer.
Sarah Meurle for Mess Skate Mag (Issue #3, 2023). Photography and words by Sarah Meurle with additional photography by Kyle Seidler and Bryce Golder.
Who and where have some of your favourite stories come from that were produced by people who aren’t the magazine’s staff? Why did you want to run them?
The #1 powerhouse is Norma Ibarra. She’s everywhere and has been at the forefront of creating more diversity behind and in front of the lens. The natural relationships stemming from that have been highlighted, I think of the recent exhibit Ted Barrow worked on at the San Francisco Public Library, a good portion of photos were from Norma and she isn’t even in SF full-time she just had a completely different [photographic] selection.
There’s this special sauce in having a more diverse array of skating but also the younger generation who fit that “core” image. Mike Heikkila has shot some of my favourite photos we’ve run. It’s good to break down those walls of not just being about this diversity which exists in this box of otherness, we’re intertwined with everything. We’re a new generation of magazine and our aim is to make this mesh that’s organically everyone and represent what skateboarding is right now.
Diego Sarmento from South America has been a wonderful collaborator. What he represents so well if that no skater has come up without a relationship with a photographer or videographer.
“The #1 powerhouse is Norma Ibarra. She’s everywhere and has been at the forefront of creating more diversity behind and in front of the lens.”
— Jessie Van Roechoudt, Mess Skate Mage
Soph Grant, frontside 5-0 by Norma Ibarra for Mess Skate Mag #5
“There’s this special sauce in having a more diverse array of skating but also the younger generation who fit that “core” image. Mike Heikkila has shot some of my favourite photos we’ve run. It’s good to break down those walls of not just being about diversity … we’re intertwined with everything.”
— Jessie Van Roechoudt, Mess Skate Mage
Dick Rizzo, 5050 by Mike Heikkila for Mess Skate Mag #4
Do you have a preference on when a story begins in relation to it being pitched? What’s the balance of taking on an idea that someone is already working on, and trying to find a home for, versus workshopping the concept first?
I don’t want someone to come with something fully baked and think we’re going to run it exactly as it is. The best idea is to have a conversation about the story. We’re not only looking for sponsored skaters but there has to be some sort of industry relevance to it or someone who is known, to some degree.
At what point in corresponding with a contributor should rates be discussed?
We pay based on what gets run. For photography that works on photo placement so, for example, $150 [USD] for double page spread, $75 for a full page photo, $50 for half, and so on. With words, it’s a $150 for a recorded and transcribed interview and stories go off word count. We have a flat rate card that we send to contributors when we’ve confirmed an interest in their work.
For established photographers, who are on staff for bigger companies as their main job, we ask if they’re down to not be paid so we can re-invest into up-and-coming photographers and writers. Universally, everyone [in that position] has been cool with that. Mess isn’t profitable endeavour but I hope what we can do more than anything is provide the opportunity and platform for a new generation to get started. As I see it right now, if you look at the mastheads of bigger magazines that have been around a long time, there people on there who are older than me.
Jessie Van Roechoudt, backside 180 nosegrind, Bank of England, London, 2003. Wig Worland for Sidewalk Magzine
From an editor’s perspective, why don’t some publications don’t respond to pitches? Do you think there is a responsibility in publishing to at least give a reply, even when turning down a story, or is that not practical when running a magazine?
I would have expected us to but, honestly, it’s more volume than we can keep up with. The amount of time you could spend deflecting is energy not put in the best direction. It’s already difficult to make a magazine, in addition to a day job, so it’s not realistic to reply to all of them, unfortunately. I hope people are understanding of that.
If people are disappointed that something isn’t going to get run, we always suggest they start something of their own. We’re not trying to own the airwaves but it’s a very DIY time where you people can create some form of skateboarding outlet. I never dreamed twenty years ago when I was writing for TransWorld that I would have a magazine and it’s definitely in a far different shape or form than I would have imagined. It’s good that things change. That’s why skating is interesting, right?
Mess Skate Mag: www.messkatemag.com • @messskatemag • info@messskatemag.com
Jessie Van Roechoudt: @jessievan__ • LinkedIn
Do you have an idea for a story that you would like to pitch to us or need some assistance in refining it for elsewhere? Get in touch and we’ll do our best to help.
Farran Golding is the founding editor of Skate Bylines, a senior correspondent for Quartersnacks and the associate editor at Closer Skateboarding.
Field notes on pitching, continued
“Why does this story matter? Why is it relevant to the current moment and that publication? Why are you the person to tell it?” — Cole Nowicki, Ian Browning, Josh Sabini, Claire Alleaume, Norma Ibarra, Greg Navarro and Alex White share insights on pitching stories to skate magazines ans brands from a variety of creative perspectives and backgrounds in ‘Making The Big Leagues’.
“Where Can I Pitch A Skateboarding Story To?” — A continually updated resource of contacts for publications who are open to pitches.
Insights from writers
“I do think it’s the personality bit that’s more crucial. And that’s where the interview comes in. It explores that very thing.” — Question and answer interviews have long been a predominant format for written skateboarding journalism. To unpack how they became so ubiquitous and decipher what, exactly, makes for a good one, the script was flipped on Eric Swisher (“Chops”) of The Chrome Ball Incident.
“It’s an accessible first point of, like, ‘How do I connect with this culture?’” — Ian Browning examines municiple space in New York City through the lens of the Lower East Side Skatepark in ‘The Civic Center of New York City Skateboarding’ on the Skate Bylines podcast.
“The Boss became “The Boss” because at some point he stopped being the guy you were worried about and he started being the guy who people were guided by. He was a north star for all of these other skaters.” — Kyle Beachy on his essay ‘A Very Large Puzzle: On Andrew Reynolds’, also on the Skate Bylines podcast.
More storytelling in skate media
“My goal was to get a mix of well-known and lesser-known people from all areas of skateboarding culture that you didn’t see or hear in other skate podcasts” — Quentin Delille reflects on the highlight of Beyond Beyonds on account of the podcast’s 100th episode.
“Cats are pretty hard to wrangle” — A welcoming into the homes of professional skateboarders and their pets in Heckride‘s zine, Tres Leches.
“I always remember Callum Paul and Jimmy Roche putting on “Wuthering Heights” when we were drinking. They’d get a record player and crank that song. Jimmy and Callum would get into it, dance about, get really theatrical and I remember that vividly. “Of course, the other thing is Nick Jensen’s part in Eleventh Hour…” — Videographer Geoff Campbell talks Kate Bush for the debut episode of ‘The Eleven O’Clock Number’, a show about the sleeve notes of skate video soundtracks.
