Surf’s Up With Surf Collective Editor Joseph Licata


 

If you’ve visited the beach house recently you’ve probably noticed a beautiful publication in our lobby and hotel rooms. It’s aptly named Surf Collective and Joseph Licata, the mastermind behind the magazine filled us in on its story, the challenges of print and more below!Describe to our readers what Surf Collective is all about.

Surf Collective at its core is made up of a collection of great features and stories by great contributors. What we love most is collaborating with like-minded people to create a publication that has a unique perspective.JOSEPH-LICATA-SURF-COLLECTIVE-

Why did you choose the MBH to display Surf Collective?

When we were searching for distribution partners we wanted to start with those who we connected with and that offered environments that most represented Surf Collective and our readership.

From being a brand manager at Li & Fung to contributing for Condé Nast, you seem to have a real passion for fashion and culture. How do you channel your personal interests into the magazine?

Like anything, when you first are starting out your personal aesthetic and vision really helps to guide things along. I am lucky to be able to work with some amazing people and contributors who have taken that vision and run with it.

Describe your creative direction for the magazine. What makes it different from other surf related books?

There are so many great surf publications out there doing amazing things. From our inception, we’ve always had a different angle on “surf”, a little less focused on the literal and more focused on how it inspires us everyday.

In addition to your role as Editor-In-Chief, you have a lot of writing credits. What is your favorite topic to write about and why?

I love writing and developing stories about people. Humanity is so beautiful and inspiring. Sure, it’s great to hear and read about those who we look up to, but I find it equally as inspiring to meet and talk to [lesser known] people who are doing great things and finding ways to tell their story.

Print is far from dead, but it does present its own unique challenges – what motivated the decision to have a print version?

It certainly is a challenge. But that’s part of the fun. The motivation for me was really to bring to life something that has been on the books since 2009, since a friend first said – “You should just print it.” There is no better motivation than peer pressure haha.

What can we expect from Surf Collective this summer and beyond?

We hope to be able to keep bringing our zine editions to life and are slowly marching towards a larger edition – one you might see as a more traditional format. Though, we’ll need a little funding first, because this shit is expensive. 😉

 

Images courtesy of Surf Collective – see the full story HERE.


Guest Written by Ashley Karhoff.