Hello Darkside. Thank you for this taking the time to do this interview with us
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Q. So could you let our readers know what is Darkside?
A. Darkside is a monthly publication aimed at fetish and BDSM lovers, whether they are very experienced or just starting out on their kink journey. Although predominantly digital, Darkside is also available as a printed magazine for those who prefer a traditional read.
Q. What made you start the magazine?
A. It is an interesting question. Darkside did not come through a normal route where kinksters decide to start a magazine. I came at it from a different direction. I have a background in media, having worked in magazines and video production for most of my career. The magazines were very dry, business publications mostly. For a long time I was looking to start my own magazine, but wanted something different and engaging. At this point I was not into kink, just more vanilla stuff, so the thought of a fetish/BDSM magazine never occurred to me. Then one day, I was chatting to a friend of mine who told me that she was into kink and how huge the scene was, and that I should start a publication on that. I was intrigued, did some research and decided to give it a try and see what the response was. The feedback I had was very positive so it progressed from there.
Q. What would you say were the hardest challenging to start the magazine and how did you overcome them?
A. People often think that the hardest thing is in finding the content, but we have never had that problem, and over the years wec have developed great relationships with superb photographers and writers who has been such a big help. No, the biggest problem really is in getting the magazine ‘out there’. The kink scene, as I already said, is huge, but connecting the magazine with that audience always has been a struggle, largely because the major platforms are so against anything remotely adult so posting photos or ads have often been an issue. Also, it took a while to figure out the best way of hosting the magazine, again because many magazine hosting sites are adverse to anything adult.
Q. To our readers that are just finding out about you what different adult topics does your magazine cover?
A. We try to cater for all kinds of people, whatever their background, orientation or experience. So, we often cover the basics of BDSM; what it means, how to get started etc. For example, this might entail how to find a Mistress that’s right for you, or what to look for in a play partner. For those more experienced, we also have articles which are more in-depth, talking about subjects like play parties, sub-space and interpersonal relationships. Kink literally is a rabbit hole and the more you delve into it, the more fascinating it becomes, so I like to think we cover the wide range of issues that make up the lifestyle.
Q. You have a lot of different interviews in your magazine. How do you decide who you are going to interview?
A. Quite often we interview people who are ‘current’ or ‘popular’ on the kink scene, for want of a better way of putting it. A Mistress, for example, might have just won an award for Best Domme at one of the awards shows, or are simply very popular on social media. Other times, we might interview people who are involved in something which is topical, for instance, we have done a few interviews with kinksters who are creating online fetish content using AI (Artificial Intelligence), so it is good to keep the magazine relevant by including such topics.
Q. Could you let our readers know what you have coming up in the next few issues?
A. We have just released issue sixty two of Darkside, which includes some fascinating interviews with The Baroness, a US Domme who speaks about her experiences in BDSM and how she is making a name for herself as a kink educator. Dirk Hooper, who is very well known for his kink podcasts and art, is featured in a debate about how the outside world views all things fetish, and there are stunning photosets from some incredible alternative models including Natasha Thorn and Red Ammunition. Plus tons more! Our future issues promise more of the same!
Thank you Darkside for this great interview.
