1. For the uninitiated what is Darkside magazine? What are you guys about?
Darkside Magazine is a sexy digital magazine aimed at BDSM/fetish lovers. We publish 12 issues a year, with each issue containing hot fetish and BDSM photos, interviews, stories, BDSM lifestyle advice and so much more. We like to create an all-inclusive, fresh, sexy and above all helpful publication about all manner of topics in relation to the fetish lifestyle.
2. How did the idea of Darkside magazine come about? What influenced you to put out a fetish magazine?
Well, I’ve been in publishing for much of my career, working mainly in business publications, which, I have to say, can be pretty boring! For quite some time I had been wanting to start my own magazine but wasn’t sure which topic I wanted to go for. I had never considered the kink lifestyle, and had only ever dabbled in very light BDSM. Then a friend of mine revealed that she was into the ‘scene’ and she suggested a magazine about kink. I did a bit of research. There was a huge market so the audience was there. I looked at some other fetish publications and thought there was a space for a more upmarket publication. I approached FetLife initially to see if they’d like me to produce a magazine on their behalf, but they weren’t interested. Nevertheless I was taken by the idea, so it went from there.
3. You advertise yourselves as the hottest digital fetish mag on the planet, what separates Darkside mag from other fetish magazines?
We’ve always aimed to be high-quality in terms of how the magazine looks and the type of content we include. We like to include a diverse range of content and try to cater for all tastes. From beginner to lifestyle kinksters – whatever they identify as – we try to have articles and photos that will appeal. But we also range from softcore to hardcore photos; something other mags tend to shy away from.
4. You are an award-winning digital fetish magazine. Tell us more about this?
This came as a complete surprise! AltStar Magazine and the chat site Chaturbate hold an annual awards ceremony and we were told we’d been shortlisted with around six other fetish magazines for the title of Best Alternative Magazine. It was nice to be shortlisted but I thought no more about it until a few weeks later when we were told we had won! Our award - a beautiful glass trophy - came to use direct from Hollywood California, which was a bit surreal! But it was lovely to win and an endorsement for all the hard work that goes into our magazine. We have some very talented writers, photographers and models and (as is often said at awards ceremonies) the award is as much for them as it is for myself and my wife Dee, who co-edits the magazine with me.
5. What offers are you offering at the moment and why should people sign up, subscribe or read Darkside magazine?
At the moment we have a 30% discount for a year’s subscription to Darkside. People can get the discount code if they subscribe to our email newsletter at darksidemagazine.com They’ll also receive a free copy of Darkside as well. We also have a special offer for anyone running an adult business, which is for a banner ad on the magazine for £25 for the year. Details for this can be obtained by emailing darksidemagazine@hotmail.com
If kink is your thing, whether as a lifestyle choice or as a casual ‘kinkster’ then there will be something of interest for you.
6. Can someone of a vanilla background read Darkside magazine or is it strictly for kinksters?
As I say, Darkside Magazine caters for both ends of the spectrum, so there is bound to be something for those from a vanilla background. Articles are often for people who are new to the scene, and we also have a regular Q+A where readers can write in and get answers to their particular questions about kink.
7. What is Darkside magazines ultimate mission? What are you trying to achieve? And do you have anything exciting that you're working on?
Well, firstly we want to keep up the high standards we have set for ourselves, but otherwise, our mission would be to reach a bigger audience and spread the message that kink is perfectly normal and healthy in many ways. There is still a stigma about kink and BDSM and we want to dispel that myth.
Yes, we are working on something very exciting! We have a video production arm to the magazine, Darkside Media, where we’ve been working with Mistresses and porn stars to create video clips. But, for the past year and a half we’ve been writing a sci-fi/fetish web series called ‘Valoria: Goddess of the Galaxy’, which starts filming in the next month or so. It’s set in a galaxy where Goddesses rule, and is a blend of the old Barbarella comics and Star Wars, Flash Gordon etc. It’s highly ambitious and should be a lot of fun! It’s very tongue-in-cheek and we have some fabulous people involved. Watch this space!
By Podopheleus