The Active Accounts Podcast

Barriers to entry for the print publication industry are lower than ever. Whilst this is undeniably positive, lower start-up costs, the availability of funding and digital platforms such as The Dots have all contributed to an increasingly saturated and notoriously competitive market. Business strategy has never been more important for an industry that places much of the power in the hands of distributors and such trials and tribulations are the foundation of today's conversation with Seth Footring, Editor and Founder of 502 Bad Gateway, a menswear magazine launched in 2019.  502 Bad Gateway has two key ideas behind it: placing value over hype and telling the stories of brands and the people behind them. In a world where everything is a move we're trying to find the people who are doing interesting things in a genuine and interesting way. Whether that's creating a brand, running an archive or just being a cool guy. All of this is presented in an A5 print format so you can take it with you wherever you go. Memes are cool, but everyone needs a break from the black mirror sometimes. There's also a podcast and a somewhat decent instagram. Follow us. Be our pals. Support the cause. Hosted by Andy Williamson Audio by Elphick Wo  

Jack Self (1987) is an architect based in London. He is Director of REAL and Editor-in-Chief of Real Review. Jack's architectural work promotes social equality through the design of homes, housing, and domestic space. He specialises in radical new typologies (including co-housing), alternative models of ownership, finance and procurement. In 2016, Jack curated the British Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale with the show Home Economics. He is Master of Diploma Six at the Architectural Association, where he teaches domestic design with Guillermo Lopez. Jack's other work includes curation, exhibition design, brand consultancy and communications, publishing, editing, writing, furniture design and art direction. His clients and collaborators have included the British Council, IKEA, MINI, Prada, JW Anderson, Virgil Abloh, the Royal Bank of Scotland, PwC, Comme des Garcons, and many others. His architectural work has been shown widely, including at the Maxxi in Rome, Tate Britain, ICA and Design Museum. Jack's writing has appeared in The Guardian, eflux, 032c, the BBC, Frieze and CNN. He has lectured widely, including at Rice, Columbia, UCLA, ETH Zurich, TU Berlin, ETSAM, UBC Vancouver, Sotheby's, Het Nieu Rotterdam, RIBA, Edinburgh University, KTH, the Royal Academy, and UTS Sydney. Jack's first book Real Estates: Life Without Debt is now in its third printing. His other books include Home Economics (2016), Mies in London (2018) and Symbolic Exchange (2017). He was previously Contributing Editor for Architectural Review(2009–2017), Editor-at-Large for 032c (2014–2018) and Editor at Strelka Press (2011-2013). Jack holds a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of New South Wales (2007), a Diploma of Architecture from the Architectural Association (2014) and an M.Phil in Philosophy and Macroeconomics from the University of London (2011). His thesis explored the morality of neoliberal economic theory and was titled, "Fifty Cent: Taxation and Moral Priority." Hosted by Andy Williamson Audio by Elphick Wo More about Active Accounts We are an accounting and business advisory business working closely with ambitious entrepreneurs and businesses in the creative industries to improve financial management and strategic thinking. Follow Us www.instagram.com/activeaccountsuk www.activeaccounts.co.uk

Today I’m speaking with Steve Watson, founder and director of Stack, a subscription based magazine distributor based here in the UK that provides a curated selection of indie publications to your door on a monthly basis.  Since founding the business back in 2008, Stack has seen remarkable growth and is also known for its highly reputable annual Stack awards. In addition to its subscription service, Stack opened the doors to its web shop in 2018 and if you find yourself in Bangkok or Hamburg later this year, you might just see Steve popping up to spread the word about Stack and its host of independent publications. In this episode, we speak about the origins of Stack, how Steve circumnavigated the traditional sale or return model to provide immediate value to his customers and what’s next for the business, as well as a host of other topics.  I think you’ll find whether you’re interested in the print industry or not, there are plenty of gems in Steve’s story and I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. Hosted by Andy Williamson Audio by Elphick Wo Photos by Stack

After three years of head-down graft to establish an impressive global portfolio, 2019 is quickly hotting up for interior design studio, YOUTH. In this episode of The Active Accounts Podcast, I sit down with co-founder, Liam McGroarty, to discuss the origins of the business he founded alongside Ollie Collinge, the ins and outs of an interior design and architectural practice as well as the importance of developing a business brand that is true to your identity. Hosted by Andy Williamson Audio by Elphick Wo Photos by YOUTH More about Active Accounts – We are an accounting and business advisory business working closely with ambitious entrepreneurs and businesses in the creative industries to improve financial management and strategic thinking. Follow Us – www.instagram.com/activeaccountsuk www.activeaccounts.co.uk

You could argue in recent podcasts that I have focused a little bit more on the form than the function when it comes to guests of late. That is certainly not to belittle the business acumen of the individuals I’ve spoken to previously but to date our guests have by and large been the creative driving forces behind their respective brands.  Today is a little different, however, as I sit down to chat with Scott Masek, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of MAEKAN. If you’re familiar with Active Accounts, you will likely have heard me mention MAEKAN before as something of an inspiration for this very podcast. Much like ourselves, MAEKAN seeks to serve the creative community, primarily through visual and audio platforms, covering a multitude of topics that do not typically feature in mainstream media. With a background in investment banking and the corporate world, Scott now finds himself in the throws of start-up culture and with that he brings a unique perspective in this podcast on best practice for start-ups and entrepreneurs — whether that’s how best to communicate your business value proposition or his approach to growing a global client portfolio. You can listen to our conversation below or on your preferred platform of choice. Hosted by Andy Williamson Audio by Elphick Wo Photos by MAEKAN

I reached out to Caleb as a genuine fan of Hathenbruck, both as a brand and business model. From the outside, Hathenbruck has an interesting and somewhat atypical emphasis on its physical retail store, tucked away in a somewhat remote corner of the world, withdrawn from the usual locations that such brands pop up.  Despite a relative dearth of information about Caleb on the internet, having noticed that he had recently joined Benjamin Edgar’s alternative education platform, th-oughts, I was hopeful that he might be interested in a chat about his personal business journey and to perhaps shed some further light on the business of Hathenbruck which, fortunately for me, he was. The business of Hathenbruck is certainly interesting - despite being very much grounded in streetwear, Hathenbruck is something of a throwback to businesses of old with a genuine emphasis on conversing with each and every customer that "comes thru" to the Salt Lake City based brick-and-mortar store.  I came away from this conversation feeling genuinely inspired and refreshed by Caleb’s authentic and innovative approach to business and entrepreneurship. I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did. Hosted by Andy Williamson Audio by Elphick Wo Photos by Thomas Welch More about Active Accounts We are an accounting and business advisory business working closely with ambitious entrepreneurs and businesses in the creative industries to improve financial management and strategic thinking. Follow Us instagram.com/activeaccountsuk www.activeaccounts.co.uk

“Just get it done. I like to simplify. There’s a lot of people I’ve helped start a business — they think it’s impossible. It’s just overthinking. What are you waiting for?” I had the good fortune to be able to grab an hour with Nathan Haley (@nathshapes) a few weeks back. Sitting in his barbershop which he co-owns with Tom Burbidge, we talked in great depth about Nathan's personal business journey and his admirable ability to pursue his passions without hesitation.