The Story
THE SKINNY began in autumn 2005 with the aim of informing people about Scottish culture, to help them go out and make the most of the scene. When released The Skinny filled a gap: it's free, and covers cutting edge, forward-thinking culture as a priority, directly engaging with the creative and curious populations of Edinburgh and Glasgow.
From the start venues clamoured to get copies and returns were practically non-existent – people had clearly been waiting for us. The magazine continued to grow with support from local clubs, bars, venues, restaurants, galleries, theatres and retailers; we expanded to Dundee in May 2007. We’ve won awards for our leading journalism (Allen Wright Award, 2006), had the first word on now leading acts (Battles’ and The National's first UK magazine cover, plus ahead-of-the-game praise for Arcade Fire, CSS, Twilight Sad, Frightened Rabbit and more), and had our photographers there to record what it looked like. The Skinny doesn’t stop at reporting on the scene, though, and has made its mark across the board with a range of exciting events, sponsorships and associations. These have included packed parties with the best local acts and artists, internationally talked-about conferences with the top speakers in their field, and exhibition openings for the hottest young talent we’ve tracked down to showcase.
In August 2011, The Skinny launched its new website at www.theskinny.co.uk
We are in the process of making www.theskinny.co.uk an essential reference point for people who want to know about culture in Scotland and beyond, and bringing new services to the digital community everywhere.
www.theskinny.co.uk
The Skinny Vision
The Skinny should be:
A good place to work. The Skinny should have happy staff, who are passionate about what they do and find being part of the team provides them with support, experience and opportunities they wouldn't otherwise have.
Seen as a mark of quality – an independent critical voice with an eye for talent across the arts, whose opinion is respected for being unbiased and informed.
Cutting edge: the first ones to tell you about your new favourite band, artist, club night, designer, writer, film, play. We want to inspire people to go out and experience things they wouldn't otherwise know about.
Innovative in our use of technology, in our development of design and content in the changing cultural landscape of new media. Our writing should be entertaining, provocative, engaging; our design and the images we use should be bespoke and ahead of the curve.
Authoritative. We want to be the go-to place for opinion and information on all things cultural in print and online. Open to and supportive of new talent, providing a platform for exposure and a forum for debate and development.
Renowned – for all of the above across the UK and internationally
