Sed*8 Magazine MARKET REPORT

CONTENTS

1. Concept

2. Rationale-

a. Media portrayal of youth

b. East London

3. Demographic

4. Budget

5. Funding

a. Governmental/Lottery
b. Advertising

6. Distribution

7. Online Presence

8. Media Audit

a. Contrast Magazine
b. LIVE Magazine
c. Catch 22
d. Origins Media
e. Rewind
f. VICE
g. Young Voices
h. Hackney Gazette

9. Market Research

a. Potential readership questionnaire

b. Interviews with youth workers

APPENDICES

A. emails
B. letters
C. myspace
D. blog
E. media on youth issues
F. flyer

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Chapter 1- CONCEPT

Sed*8 is streetculture magazine that will be written by and for the

young people of East London. The aim of Sed*8 is to encourage
underprivileged young people in East London to get involved in the
creative industries through streetculture, ie. street-wear, street art
and urban music. It will take advantage of the wealth of creative
talent in the area and use it to mentor young people who would not
otherwise be afforded the opportunity to pursue creative careers.
It will run a mentoring system, where industry professionals
will teach young people skills, from writing to photography, graphic
design and magazine production which will give them greater
opportunities on entering the workforce. In doing so the magazine
aims to bring the communities of East London together across age,
ethnicity and class. Sed*8 will work to create positive role models,
to end the demonisation of young people and to inspire them to
invest their time and energy creatively.
Sed*8 will develop from blog to magazine to movement and
will eventually organising workshops and sessions around East
London. These will include photography tutorials, music production
classes and classes in design, art and graffiti which will be run in
conjunction with initiatives that are up and running in the area. By
giving them the chance to publish their work Sed*8 will give young
people practical experience in pursuing a creative career.
The project will begin by targeting an audience centred
around but not limited to the Hackney area. Therefore this report
will use Hackney as a model to examine the gap in the market that
Sed*8 aims to fill.

2. DEMOGRAPHIC

Sed*8 will target a three tiered demographic

Primary Target Audience:

Young men who are creatively engaged or have an interest in

creative media, primarily music. They are from lower to mid income
families and are pursuing some form of education/training. They
are very aware of issues in their area but not concerned with
national politics or international issues. They use the internet a lot,

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mostly fore social networking.

• Age: 16-23
• Sex: Male
• Interests: (in order of preference) 1. Music.
 2.Design, Art and Photography.
 3. Fashion- Streetwear
 4. Computer Gaming/Film
 6. Sport

• Income: low income <£20,000 per annum.

OR student.

• High internet-users: average time 20-40hours/week

• Most used sites: Myspace, Facebook and You Tube.

• Average awareness of local issues (1=not aware, 5=very

aware): 4

• Average awareness of international issues (1=not aware, 5=

very aware): 2

Secondary Target Audience

Our secondary target audience is women of the same age group

with similar interests. They are primarily interested in music and like
sports and streetwear. They are also low earners and high internet
users and have a similar attitude to local and international issues.

Age: 16-23
Sex: Female

Interests: Music,
Fashion- primarily sportswear
Art, Design and Photography
Film

Income: low <£20,000

Tertiary Target Audience:

Other groups who may show interest in the magazine are:

• Younger, more street savvy teens in the 13-16 age bracket,

both male and female.
• Older people working with youth.
• Promoters of youth orientated events eg. Music promoters

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 • Streetwear designers/merchants

Chapter 2- RATIONALE

a. Media Portrayal of Youth in London and throughout the UK

The image of youth in the media of this country is at an all time low.
At the time of writing I did a search on the word “youth” on five top
UK media sites and came up with the following results:

BBC- Stab youth guilty of manslaughter Last updated: 19h 13m ago

A teenager on trial for murdering a drug dealer in a Hertfordshire

park is found guilty of manslaughter.

The Guardian

Rejecting youth crime to build a better future

Toni Elkington, 16, was taken into care after problems at home in
Wakefield and repeated clashes with the law. In the third of a series
of blogs to mark National Youth Week, Toni talks about why young
people like her get into crime, and what support they need to get
out of it

TimesOnline

Boris Johnson’s Youth Strategy rejected- Fiona Hamilton, London

Correspondent
‘Boris Johnson’s youth strategy ran into immediate problems
yesterday when the Scouts and Girl Guides refused to co-operate
with his plan to force young offenders and troubled teenagers to join

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their ranks.’

Evening Standard

Drunk, violent, promiscuous... a U.S. view of British youth as seen

on the cover of Time Magazine
Last updated at 23:37pm on 29.03.08

The Sun

‘Three Stabbed at Music Awards’

By BRIAN FLYNN
Published: 17 Nov 2008
A GUEST was fighting for his life last night after three revellers were
stabbed at a music awards in London’s O2 complex.

Three of the above results have profoundly negative messages

about British youth, the other two also present youth in this country
in the context of its relationship to crime. The Evening Standard
Report is the most worrying highlighting the negative image that
precedes British Youth.

Here is the cover of Time Magazine mentioned in the Evening

Standard article

5
 QuickTimeª and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.

The image of youth in this country is in desperate need of an

overhaul. Sed*8 will help to achieve this. It will profile young
people who are the antithesis of the dangerous youth of images like
this and highlight the majority of Britain’s youth who engage in
creative, productive behaviour that is a benefit and inspiration to
society as a whole.

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b. Attitude to Youth among Young People themselves

The ‘Step Inside our Shoes’1 report by the NCH in April of 2008
asked young people from all over the UK directly about their views
on gun and knife crime. The predominant finding of the report was
that young people want and need to feel they have influence in their
community.

The results of the report were as follows:

• 63 % of young people and children who gave their views

believe image is directly linked to gun and knife crime;
• 61 % think gun and knife crime is about revenge and
reprisals;
• 63 % believe peer pressure is a main reason for gun and knife
crime
• 46%, thought certain types of music and violent computer
games could be an influential factor.
• 36% were worried about gangs in their area.
• Just 28% feel 'very safe' in their community.
• Following the results from the consultation, key calls from
NCH include:
• Children under the age of 16 must be included in official Crime
Survey data across the UK now to help understand the true
extent of the issue.
• Children and young people should have real choices and
access to structured activities each week, with guaranteed
access available to all.

There were some interesting responses from young people in

Hackney:

“I think carrying knives or guns makes people think they are bigger.
It makes them feel safe on the street.” (18 yr old, Hackney,
London)2

‘We are already labelled as “troublemakers” so we conform to that

stereotype. As many young people who get involved in crime are
working class our dreams are already shattered, as all hope is lost
because of our background. Resorting to crime is because of anger
fuelled by Government because we are not given enough

1
NCH: Step Inside Our Shoes - Young People’s Views on Gun and
Knife Crime, 16/04/08
2
NCH: Step Inside Our Shoes - Young People’s Views on Gun and
Knife Crime, 16/04/08

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opportunities or chances in life. Racism and discrimination of
backgrounds is the main problem.’ (18 year old, Hackney, London)3

As is evidenced by the survey young people feel frustrated and

misrepresented. Sed*8 will work to create a positive image for
young people. It will champion role models in the area, young
musicians, artists, designers and sports persons and encourage
creative collaboration and fraternity among young people.

b. East London

Sed*8 will initially target an audience in and around Hackney for

several reasons.

a. This is a primarily a community initiative and in it’s initial

stages it must concentrate it’s efforts if it is to create a
network of dedicated young contributors.

b. Why Hackney?

Creativity

Hackney has been subject to an influx of young professionals, an

overwhelming majority of whom work in creative industries, fashion,
art and design. The area has enjoyed economic growth and
prosperity as a result. East London and Hackney in particular have
come to be known as a hub of creativity. However this prosperity
has not filtered right down to the community as a whole.

Crime Levels

Hackney is ranked 2 out of 354 local authorities in England in terms

of average deprivation. (Where 1 is most deprived) according to the
Government Office for London. There are 137 Super Output Areas4
in Hackney, and 76 of those are in the top 10% most deprived. It is
3
NCH: Step Inside Our Shoes - Young People’s Views on Gun and
Knife Crime, 16/04/08
4
Super Output Areas (SOAs) are a new geographic hierarchy designed to improve
the reporting of small area statistics in England and Wales. Their first statistical
application was for the Indices of Deprivation 2004, giving them instant publicity
and usage across the local government sector. They have been increasingly used
for datasets on the Neighbourhood Statistics (NeSS) website and it is envisaged
that they will eventually become a standard across National Statistics and
beyond.

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imperative that the growth and prosperity that is being enjoyed by
some of Hackneys newest residents be shared among the
community as a whole. Sed*8 will do this by spreading knowledge,
information and, most importantly, skills among Hackney’s young
people. It will give more young people a real chance to get involved
in the industries, like fashion, design and journalism that are
contributing so much to the prosperity of our area.

Crime levels in Hackney are also way above the national average.

Table 4.1: All crime for Hackney April 2003 - March 2004

Period Total number Offences per Offences per Offences per

of offences 1,000 Hackney 1,000 London
1,000 England
population population
Wales population
Apr-Jun 2003 9,463 45.3 36.5
29
Jul-Sep 2003 10,082 48.3 36.2
28.3
Oct-Dec 2003 9,860 47.2 35.5
27.6
Jan-Mar 2004 9,614 46 36
27.8

In February of this year the Chief Superintendent Steve Dann

recognised the urgency of dealing with youth violence in Hackney
in a presentation to the Community Safety Board called ‘Policing
Hackney’.5

The key points of his findings on policing in Hackney were

• One of London’s most diverse and vibrant boroughs.

• More than 100 languages spoken with 170+ places of Worship
• 53,000 young people under the age of 17 making up over a quarter
of the population
• 10-17 year olds make up nearly 11% of the population
• 10 – 17 year old young people were responsible for 28% of all crime
• Young people are perceived to have committed almost half
(49.5%) of all Street Crime Offences.
.
• Majority (about 67%) live in council or housing trust owned
5
Policing Hackney- Presentation to the Community Safety Board by Chief
Superintendent Steve Dann in February 2008.
www.teamhackney.org/steve_dann_mps_-_csb.ppt

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properties
• Hackney has 3rd lowest employment rate in the country
• There is a high unemployment rate, particularly amongst 16 - 25
year olds
• 82% of unemployed are not looking for employment (2006 Mori
Survey)
• Young people are more likely to be victims of crime.

The report dedicated a chapter to youth crime and how it must be dealt
with in the borough entitled ‘Youth Violence- Diversion and Intervention’.
Some of the reports conclusions were:

• Leadership Programme for BME Young people - Empowering youth to

engage in their community. Creation of mentors
• Be Safe Project - Delivering targeted anti-violence workshops
through community groups
• Youth Inclusion Programme - The programme gives young
people somewhere safe to go where they can learn new skills,
take part in activities6.

A magazine like Sed*8 could fulfill these three objectives.

Ethnic Diversity

One of the most striking demographic characteristics of Hackney is

its rich ethnic diversity. Residents from white ethnic backgrounds
make up 59.4% of Hackney’s inhabitants, forming a smaller
proportion of the population than is found in Inner London, London
or England & Wales (Table 1.12). Black and Black British residents
are the second largest ethnic group in the area, accounting for 24
per cent of Hackney’s residents. This is a significantly higher
percentage of black residents than found in Inner London or London
as a whole.

Table 1.12: Ethnic groups, 2001

Ethnicity Hackney Inner London England
London and Wales
White 59.4 % 65.7 % 71.2 % 91.3 %

Mixed 4.2 % 3.9 % 3.2 % 1.3 %

Asian or 8.6 % 10.6 % 12.1 % 4.4 %

6
Policing Hackney- Presentation to the Community Safety Board by Chief
Superintendent Steve Dann in February 2008.
www.teamhackney.org/steve_dann_mps_-_csb.ppt

10
Asian British

Black or 24.7 % 16.4 % 10.9 % 2.2 %

Black British

Chinese or other 3.2 % 3.4 % 2.7 % 0.9 %

Ethnic Group

Source: Census 2001

Sed*8 will address issues of ethnic diversity. It will encourage

young people from ethnic minorities to get involved in the creative
industries where they are inproportionately represented. ( See
article from the Independent Newspaper in Appendix E.--)

Youth

In terms of population age Hackney is a very young borough. This

table shows the rate at which Hackney’s population is growing
through births and the low level of mortality in the borough which
indicates a younger, healthier population.

Table 1.6: Natural change in 2001

Population Births Deaths Natural % change

change
Hackney 202,824 4,095 1,306 2,789 1.37 %
London 7,172,075 104,162 58,583 45,579 0.6 %
England 49,138,831 563,744 497,878 65,866 0.1 %

Source: Calculated from Census 2001 and Compendium of Clinical

and Health Indicators 2002

Hackney’s mortality rate in 2001 was lower than that of London and
England overall,
however when these figures are age-standardised to account for the
low number of over 55s in the borough, the death rate rises
considerably, exceeding the London rate by 68 deaths per 100,000.
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Table 1.8: Mortality rates, 2001

Deaths Death rate Age-standardised
(per 100,000) death rate
Hackney 1,306 642 763

7
Hackney Borough Profile 2006. www.hackney.gov.uk/xp-
boroughprofile_chapter1.pdf

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London 58,583 815 695
England 497,878 1,012 691

Source: Compendium of Clinical and Health Indicators 2002

There are more young people dying in Hackney than in the rest of
London as well as in the UK as a whole.

4. BUDGET for Issue 1.

1. Printing Costs for 5,000 copies- approx. £2,500

2. Distribution Costs: rent of individual with van two days up

to £500
Distribution through London Youth £100

3. Marketing Costs: online- domain hosting www.sed8.co.uk

£15/year
plus email hosting- £15

flyers- 500 @ £65

launch party- venue- free

drink- free (to be sponsored by
Brahma beer)
launch exhibition- mounting for
photography- £100

4. Other Production Costs: Printer- £40

printer cartridges- £25
stationary- free (sponsored by
Rymans)
Postage- £35

5. Miscellaneous costs: £100

TOTAL NEEDED TO FUND ISSUE ONE: £3,300

5. FUNDING

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 a. Government/ Funding

I have looked into several different avenues for government

funding.

i. Hackney Council Funding. I have applied to Hackney Council for

the necessary funding for the first issue of Sed*8. While they were
very interested in the project they only provide funding to
registered organizations who have a minimum of two years
recorded of their financial activity. They do not provide funding for
initiatives that are undertaken by individuals or groups.

The same is true of most of the funding initiatives in place for

magazines like Sed*8. Therefore I am considering linking up with an
already established organization like Livity, a creative marketing
agency that runs Brixton’s Live magazine or Social Spider a social
enterprise organization that runs Contrast Magazine. (for
information on Contrast and LIVE see Media Audit)

If Sed*8 links up with an organization like this our options for

funding are:

Hackney Council for Voluntary Service provides small amounts of

funding for local projects in Hackney:
www.hcvs.org.uk

Awards for All is the Lottery fund which provides general funding for
local projects all over the country. Three different people in the
community enterprise sector have recommended this avenue to me.
They areDavid Floyd, Managing Director of Social Spider, Nii Sackey,
Director of Bigga Fish and Emme Ellwood-Russell of Livity. (see
interviews)
www.awardsforall.org.uk

Media Box is a government youth media funding stream. Currently

closed but should re-open next year if funding is renewed.
www.media-box.co.uk

We are V is the government's big funding stream for youth

volunteering projects: www.wearev.com

The Paul Hamlyn Foundation is a fund that supports organisations

that run youth and social inclusion projects.
www.phf.org.uk

However if Sed*8 chooses not to link up with an organization there

are other options for funding.

The best avenue for funding is UnLtd, the Foundation for Social

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Entrepreneurs provides grants to individuals with socially conscious
business ideas. The Level 1 grant ranges from £500 -£5000. UnLtd
doesn’t yet support any projects like Sed*8.
www.unltd.org.uk

The Big Challenge is a seperated fund set up by Unltd.,

Changemakers, an association with a £75m fund to support
voluntary activity and the Vodafone Foundation. It has a £60,000
fund for several projects. Successful applicants also get the chance
to

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