Celebrity-linked magazine launches quarterly print version
A magazine claiming to be owned by a consortium of Australian sporting stars, celebrity chefs, comedians, and influencers is launching a quarterly print edition.
Australian Life Magazine is a lifestyle publication that highlights Australian-only products, whether they be venues, fashion, accessories, beauty products, restaurants, bars, or cultural events.
Established in 2023 by Mitch Catlin — previously chief of staff for former opposition leader Matthew Guy — as a digital-only publication, Australian Life is transitioning into a quarterly print magazine.
Given its patriotic leanings, the publishers are spring-boarding this announcement off the back of the annual Australian Made Week – although there is no official tie-in with the government-led initiative.
The first issue is planned for September, and is initially being funded via a Kickstarter model, although a media release promises a retail partner will be announced soon. Single issues are priced at $20, with two for $30. To date, the Kickstarter has raised $5,000 of a $30,000 target.
In 2022, Catlin quit his Liberal Party chief of staff role after being caught up in a political donation scandal. He was later cleared of any charges by Victorian anti-corruption committee IBAC.
The first print issue will launch in September.
Former Murdoch gossip writer Ros Reines is features editor at Australian Life, and — fittingly — the list of investors and owners has seemingly walked off the page of her column.
They include shoe designer Jo Mercer; celebrity chef George Calombaris; comedian Ash Williams; cricketer Aaron Finch; AFL legend and former Hawthorn club captain Jarryd Roughead; rugby union star and Wallaby James O’Connor; plus influencers Rozalia Russian, Clementine McVeigh, and Tina Nettlefold.
Perhaps more substantially, other backers also include Gerry Ryan, owner and founder of Jayco Australia, who also owns wineries, NBL teams, bike retailers, and theatre companies; and wellness warrior Radek Sali, former CEO of Swisse Wellness and now chairman of health-adjacent companies Light Warrior and Wanderlust Australia.
This hefty list of backers — the more public owners also double as columnists for the magazine — makes the Kickstarter model a curious choice, especially when the format seems to be begging for wide distribution and an ad-based model, rather than relying on retail sales in a declining sector.
Ros Reines
The websites says that $1 from each copy sold will go towards the ‘Australian Life Fund’, which will “award grants to local small businesses who manufacture at home.” There is no further information of how this will be administered, or whether additional money will be kicked into the fund.
Although the print magazine sector is hardly booming, there has been a slight rebound of late.
Cosmopolitan and Elle have relaunched after collapsing in 2018 and 2020, respectively, while Are Media, whose stable includes Better Homes and Gardens, TV Week and The Australian Women’s Weekly, has been reporting quarterly revenue growth since the end of 2022.
According to the latest Roy Morgan research, 11.5 million Australians over 14 read print magazines, which equated to more than half the population.
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Nathan Jolly is the Features Editor at Mumbrella. He joined the team in July, 2023.
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