AN INTERVIEW WITH DAVE ALEXANDER, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF RUE MORGUE MAGAZINE.
Announced in a recent MONSTER MAGAZINE WORLD post was the Sasquatch-sized news detailing RUE MORGUE magazine’s landmark 100th issue (which I will be reviewing right here in the not too distant future). This is a huge accomplishment for any print ‘zine these days, let alone one that has nothing but measly monsters and horror stuff in it. For that, I tip my pointy hat to you guys!
MONSTER MAGAZINE WORLD cajoled Mr. Dave Alexander, Editor-in-Chief, to put down his bone saw for a few bloody minutes and agree to answer a few questions about RM’s long journey to its centennial edition and what’s in store for the future. The interview will run in several installments of MONSTER MAGAZINE WORLD.
MONSTER MAGAZINE WORLD: Have you got a dream job or what?
DAVE ALEXANDER: Hell yeah, I get to work with the coolest and most talented folks around, geek on monsters and horror, and generally not have to grow up. Ha!
MMW: One hundred issues! Can you describe your overall feeling?
DA: I started freelancing for RUE MORGUE at issue #34, and was hired as an editor starting at #43, and time has really flown by. The 100th always seemed so far away; we worked super-hard on it for months, and now it's gone in a flash and we're already onto #102. So, yeah, it's extremely gratifying to hit the big 100, especially given the current state of the magazine industry, but we also don't have much time to sit back and take it all in.
MMW: In the recent past there have been some changes in the staff of RUE MORGUE. What happened?
DA: Without getting into unnecessary details, there are things that make for a toxic work environment that include being very negative, being very vocal about not wanting to be there, and making oneself the focal point at the expense of the contributions of others. Even if it's not like that all the time – sometimes it's great, in fact – and if that person is indeed talented, it's a poison that builds up. I read an interview that claimed things happened because everyone here was "jealous," which is hilarious. We all have our successful artistic endeavours outside of Rue Morgue and we're all very supportive of each other's projects, so I guess that kind of a statement just proves my point. More importantly, though, our current team is on the same page, love working together and are able to take things to the next level, as they say.
MMW: RUE MORGUE can’t be possibly masterminded by one individual. Can you give me a quick rundown on who does what?
DA: Well, Rodrigo Gudiño is the president and founder, Jody Infunari is our ad and promotions guy, and Marco Pecota is our money man. Jessa is our office manager and keeps the day-to-day stuff running smooth, usually with the help of an intern or two. Ankixa Risk handles rue-morgue.com. Liisa Ladouceur is our copy editor. Dave Daniloff handles Rue Morgue events. Our design team consists of Art Director Gary Pullin, and designer Justin Erickson. Monica S. Kuebler is our Managing Editor, who also oversees the literary section. Trevor Tuminski, the latest addition to the team, is our Associate Editor, and he oversees music content. I'm the Editor-in-Chief, and I program our monthly CineMacabre movie nights. Of course, there's the Rue Morgue Radio gang, which consists of Tomb Dragomir, Stuart F. Andrews, Last Chance Lance, Shannon and Liisa. And then we've got a couple dozen freelancers, who keep the Monster Machine running. (More info here: http://www.rue-morgue.com/rmp_rue_crew.php).
MMW: Do you have an office where editing and production is conducted or do you all work remotely?
DA: Jody and Ankixa work out of home, the RM Radio crew come in to work on segments in the office radio room – or, in Shannon's case, work remotely because she's across the country. Our freelancers are always dropping in and out of the office, as is Dave Daniloff. The rest of us are here in the House of Horror, in west Toronto, which makes for eight of us regularly in the office. That's not counting the re-animated werewolves in the basement, the giant spider in the roof or that gelatinous blob growing in the back of the lunch room fridge...
TO BE CONTINUED . . .
Good start! Looking forward to pt. 2!
ReplyDelete