20 Years and Grinding

Published by San Francisco-based High Speed Productions, Thrasher cavorts with notable sidekicks including Juxtapoz, Slap and Schwing, all pure-adrenaline print publications catering to extreme urban sports and pop culture enthusiasts. What sets Thrasher apart is not only its veteran status, but also its adaptability. In an age when skateboarding has gone from being an underground punk hobby to an alternative athletic, Thrasher’s production aesthetics reflect the chameleon nature of its high-energy readership.

First things first, Riggins says binding was under scrutiny. “We had been thinking about perfect binding for quite a while,” he explains. “Magazines appear more orderly on the newsstand when perfect bound; there may be some perceived added value for the reader and the advertisers.” Riggins also says that changing from saddle stitching bolstered the magazine’s staying power. To handle a publication with a well-defined spine, explains Riggins, is the professionalism Thrasher has earned during its shelf life as geek misanthrope.

To properly usher in the magazine’s new look, the most recent anniversary edition showed off Thrasher’s perfect binding. Lindsey Byrnes, marketing director for High Speed Productions, confesses that the anniversary issue sold out fast. Not only is it a collector’s item based on the high-octane content, but the issue was also among the first that was perfect bound in the publication’s print history. Byrnes adds that the presentation really enhanced its collector status. “It’s a keeper,” she suggests.

“We also improved the quality of the paper,” says Riggins. “This change in paper has standardized the specifications for line screens used by many magazine publishers to make it easier for the advertisers to move ads from one publication to another.” He believes this is important since a number of High Speed publications share similar advertisers to seduce young readers to buy apparel, music and gear. He explains that as a result of line-screen standardization, advertisers “don’t have to create ads in two different formats for different publishers.” In the past, advertising submissions were measured on a customized basis. But even though Thrasher has yet to jump on the digital highway, there is still an effort in place to better organize the way ads are accepted for print, a preparation today perhaps, toward a purely digital workflow tomorrow.

“The old paper was supercal and the new is coated number five,” elaborates Riggins. “Norske Skog was our supplier of supercal and they are a great company to worth with. Our new paper is supplied by our Print Management Service; we have given them the flexibility to use whatever mill suits them due to location of our printers, pricing, manufacturing ability, etc.”

Once printed, the graphic-heavy monthly is distributed by RDA Wholesalers through Curtis Circulation Company in the U.S., Canada and a few foreign markets. “High Speed Productions has also had a loyal customer base of skate shops, sports venues, music and bookstores and other retail outlets and therefore a large direct distribution business,” reports Riggins. “Other chain bookstore accounts are serviced by Ingram Periodicals and Desert Moon Periodicals for High Speed titles. This is in addition to our monthly mailing to paid subscribers and executives in the skateboard and advertising industries.”

Inside this loyal market, Thrasher created an important publishing niche that no other skate ‘zine has dare tread. In a similar effort to define the sport behind the magazine, Thrasher Editor Jake Phelps writes, “Cops, suits, jerks, parents, core marketeers—so many people have asked what it takes to be a skater. So many want the juice that skating gives, the popularity and coolness, but are not ready for the pain that comes.”
Perhaps the same can be said for publishing.

-Natalie Hope McDonald