Stupid viral videos and joke apps notwithstanding, there’s not a lot to laugh at on the iPad. The creators of new startup humor magazine Paperweight would like to change that.
Paperweight‘s founders like to call it “a moderately cultured humor magazine,” placing its tastes somewhere between CollegeHumor and cartoons in The New Yorker. Searching for the sweet spot between those two entities, Paperweight’s founders want to use the interactivity of the iPad to find new ways of creating comedy, like making monologues take the form of phone messages or turning charts into board games.
“We think there are a lot of unexplored possibilities for presenting content on the iPad,” Paperweight editor-in-chief and co-founder Chris Duffy said in an e-mail to Wired. “Humor, in particular, thrives on the interaction between the creator and the audience. Every comedian we’ve reached out to so far has had really exciting ideas about how their humor could translate to an interactive tablet magazine, a magazine that can actually talk back to you.”
Duffy, a writer for Makeshift magazine and other publications, founded Paperweight with web designer Brian Perry after the two met doing comedy in Boston. The first issue, which contains interactive affirmations peculiarly targeted at Jennifer Aniston, is scheduled for release in January; the co-founders have launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise $15,000 to help fund development. True to their comedy roots, they are offering Kickstarter rewards like accepting the dare of anyone who donates $100 or flying anywhere to high-five the chosen target of $2,000 donors.
Like many Kickstarter-backed projects, the donation platform is also serving as an initial distribution model. Though the magazine will be available through the iTunes store and available for the iPad and iPad mini at launch, those who donate any amount now will get the first issue when it’s completed and anyone who donates at least $15 will receive a year’s subscription (the founders will also record themselves screaming the donor’s name in public for reasons that are unclear). The actual cost per issue hasn’t been determined (pending results of the Kickstarter campaign).
Unlike traditional magazines, it won’t be on a set publication schedule, although new content will be added constantly and “new issues” of some variety will be released quarterly, Duffy said.
However, in a bit of a nod to old media and the humorists they admire, the founders are planning comedy show launch parties in Boston and Chicago.
“While we're working so hard on creating ways for humorists and audiences to interact in new ways digitally, it only seems logical to us to bring them together in person as well,” Duffy said. “That's how we want to build a community around Paperweight and the comics, illustrators and developers who are a part of it. Plus, we still really love the sound of applause.”
No comments:
Post a Comment