Nang!
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| Nang! | |
|---|---|
The Nang! magazine logo |
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| Editor | Kamillia Kasbi |
| Categories | General Interest |
| Frequency | Quarterly |
| Publisher | Tower Hamlets Summer Uni |
| First issue | 2001 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Website | www.summeruni.org/nang |
Nang! is a general interest magazine based in Aldgate, London. Aimed at 14-21 year olds, the magazine is free and is distributed at sixth forms, colleges, universities, libraries and connexion centers in the London area on a quarterly basis. In December 2006 Nang! were presented with a prestigious Philip Lawrence Award[1] for their services to the local community. In June 2007, it was announced that Nang! would be one of the partners for the Philip Lawrence Award 2007.
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[edit] Background
Nang! magazine was created in the summer of 2001 as a course on Tower Hamlets Summer University’s (THSU) summer courses. The course was completely funded by big businesses and other charitable organizations and featured a small group of wannabe journalists who came together to create a free magazine that would paint a positive picture of the youth in East London. Featuring local artists and celebrities, the magazine gained a strong following in the Tower Hamlets borough. A professional journalist worked with the youngsters to create a magazine relevant to the youth in Tower Hamlets.
For the 2003 course, THSU brought freelance journalist, Adeline Iziren, on board. Adeline had previously worked on The Voice (newspaper) and was a regular contributor to the Education and Careers section in The Guardian. She’d also had extensive experience in helping groups of young people to create their own magazine.
The magazine continued to grow and soon distribution increased to include the Hackney area and most of East London.
[edit] Quarterly publication
Following the release of the 2005 summer issue, THSU announced that they’d secured funding to publish Nang! quarterly. The new team created, was made up of a combination of new faces from the 2005 issue and old faces from previous issues with Divina Glah as Editor.
The first quarterly issue, published in January 2006, featured hip-hop magician, Dynamo, on the cover and included an interview with local MC, Professor Green, and a feature on Pride of Britain winner, Ashley Huxley. The magazine received positive reviews for its style and relevance to its audience.
The success of the Winter issue was outdone by the release of the hugely popular Spring 2006 issue. The issue featured a world exclusive interview with former England Head Coach, Sven-Göran Eriksson, just before the World Cup, as well as MOBO winner, Sway.
Two more issues were released in 2006. The Summer issue, featured interviews with rapper and beatboxer, Killa Kella, and X-Men star, Sir Ian McKellen. This was followed the Autumn/Winter issue featuring Eva Longoria.
[edit] Re-launch
In the summer of 2006, the decision was taken to re-vamp and re-launch the magazine to a smaller age range, whilst increasing distribution to include the whole of London. The re-vamped Autumn/Winter issue of 2006 was released with Eva Longoria of Desperate Housewives on the cover. For the first time, Nang! magazine contained paid advertisements signaling a move away from amateur journalism towards a professional youth magazine.
[edit] Financial troubles
Despite the popularity of the magazines, the future of the magazine was put in jeopardy by lack of funds for 2007. The winter 2007 issue was canceled and much of the team resigned due to the uncertainty. Six months later, the magazine returned with a new team and new look headed by former Editor-in-Chief, David Gordon.
[edit] Awards
[edit] 2007 : Guardian Student Magazine of the Year Award
On 22 November 2007, Nang! magazine was awarded with The Guardian Student Magazine of the Year award[2].
[edit] 2007 : TalkTalk Innovation Award
Nang! magazine was recognised for it's technological ambitions. A cheque of £2000 was awarded as well as free broadband for a year by TalkTalk
[edit] 2007 : BT Seen And Heard Award
Nang! magazine was rewarded for its positive image in East London by the BT Seen And Heard Awards.
[edit] 2006 : Philip Lawrence Award
On 6 December 2006, Nang! magazine was awarded with a Philip Lawrence Award by Sir Trevor McDonald and the Home Secretary, John Reid, at the Bloomsbury Theatre, London. Created in memory of the murdered Head teacher, by his widow Frances Lawrence, the awards celebrates the achievements of youth groups and organizations in their local area. Nang! and seven other winners all received cheques worth £1,000.
Nang! renewed its relationship with the Philip Lawrence Awards by agreeing to create the official magazine free of charge. Though no details have yet been released, its understood that the organizers hope to use the association with Nang! to increase the profile of the Awards.
[edit] Rebranding
In 2007, the magazine has sought to rebrand itself in order to increase its appeal. Whilst more serious content, such as the Politics section, have been introduced, 2007 has seen an increase in celebrity features and fashion. Interviewees vary, from Michael Howard to Lethal Bizzle to the Editor of The Times.
The re-designed website will be launched in September, the first of many new initiatives planned for late 2007 and 2008.
In January 2008, after leading the magazine to four awards in 12 months, the successful duo of Editor-in-Chief, David Gordon, and Creative Editor, Sanoobar Patel, left Nang! to pursue other projects. Assistant Editor, Kamillia Kasbi, took charge. Her first issue is due in late April, early May.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Nang! – Official website
