Interview with Zeus Editor-in-Chief Roderic Montrece

PC: Can you tell us about the process of starting Zeus? What was your inspiration to start the publication, and how long did it take to make your idea a reality?

Roderic: Zeus was a five year process. I have always been an avid magazine reader. But I realized when I was in my mid 20’s that I had subscriptions to four or five magazines, and still wasn’t getting the information I needed or wanted. I wanted to know “how” and not what. I wanted to know “why” and not who. It was 2001 and I was 25. I was in law school in Pittsburgh. I knew my life wasn’t going always revolve around bars and baths. I had no idea [how] to put my life together as a young gay professional. I read Men’s Health for health issues, Out, Genre and Instinct for gay issues, GQ for fashion and Details for cutting edge intelligent articles. I said to myself, “there has to be a magazine with all this information for gay men.” There wasn’t. But I had accepted an offer to practice law at a large law firm in Chicago. During the last two years, I was up to six subscriptions and it was evident that the gay magazines were not doing it and the heterosexual magazines were missing the mark. I knew it was time for me start Zeus.

First, I bought a bunch of books on the magazine industry. I scoured the web, went to seminars on the magazine publishing business. As a future publisher I wanted to know the business of publishing. After I learned the business, I refined my concept. Because not only was I going to be Publisher I was going to be Editor-in-Chief as well.

I wanted a magazine that substantive. A magazine that makes you think and question the issues raised in the features. But I also wanted a magazine that was sexy and provocative. Conceptually, I thought of Playboy, GQ and Details, with a dash of Vanity Fair. Practically, I wanted a handbook. A magazine that after a year you have all the information you needed to be the best gay man you can be. Knowledge was power and my magazine would give gay men the power they needed to create their best lives. I wanted my readers to think of themselves as men who can do anything. I wanted them to consider themselves gods among men. I had a name, a concept, a corporate entity and business plan by the fall of 2006. However, it took me four years to get the right editorial mix for the first issue. However, it was time well spent. I am really proud of the Premiere Issue. The five years were used well.

PC: What can potential readers of Zeus expect to find in the magazine? What do your articles and fashion spreads focus on?

Roderic:  Zeus is sex and substance. In every issue there will be standing columns on finance, entertaining at home, etiquette, style, business/work and wine. Each column will be written through the lens of a gay man. Our next issue will add standing columns on beauty & health and sex & relationships. Our features will cover various topics; politics, gay men’s issues, issues that affect all men and a gay erotica. The fashion spreads will be edgy and focus on the clothes and models. We want to show with both that not all gay men look the same nor do they dress the same. Zeus is not about fitting in; it is about standing out. And Zeus provides gay men with inspiration and information to stand out.

PC:  We’re happy to see that Zeus is fully embracing both print and digital mediums. What led your decision to make the magazine available in both formats?

Roderic:  Today’s readers want their media to go with them, and for Zeus to be competitive it had to be not only in print but portable. Zeus is not only digital; it is portable. Print is never going away. Some consumers still want to go to their coffee table and pick up their magazine and read it. But there is also a growing demographic that wants everything on their laptop. And that demographic is growing. I knew I had to get ahead of the curve. I knew the conversation was more than print versus digital. I knew there was second layer to that conversation. It’s about portability. Digital portability is an important issue, when your target demographic is technology savvy and comprises a large amount of the early adopters of new technology. That is why Zeus is available on the iPad. It is no longer a conversation about print vs. digital. It is about portability of data and portability of value.

PC:  Where can one purchase the premier copy of Zeus?

Roderic:  Zeus can be purchased in two places. You can purchase a print version of Zeus from Mag Cloud through our website www.zeusmagazine.com. You can also purchase a digital version from Zinio at our website as well. What is great about the digital version is that Zeus is available for Mac, PC and even the iPad. But the added bonus is that Zeus can also be purchased directly from our Facebook fan page www.facebook.com/zeusmagazine. We have over 8,000 fans. Zeus Facebook fans get a discount if they purchase Zeus from the Facebook site.

PC:  What can we expect in future issues of Zeus? Do you have any juicy articles planned?

Roderic:  Our next issue of Zeus will be our Pride Issue and that will also be our Men of Big Ten Issue. So you can expect 11 hunky men from the Midwest for our fashion feature. And like I said we are adding two new standing columns; Beauty & Health and Sex & Relationships. The rest you will have to wait and see.

PC:  And finally, I’d like to ask you a few questions we ask all of our interviewees.  What is your all-time favorite magazine? Book?

Roderic:  Surprisingly, my all-time favorite magazine is Playboy. I am huge fan of Hugh Hefner. I think Playboy is a groundbreaking brand. It is my dream that Zeus shapes American culture as much as Playboy has over the years. My favorite book is the Art of War by Sun Tzu.

PC:  What was the last book you read?

Roderic:  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

PC:  What one word do you love?

Roderic:  Portentous

PC:  What one word do you despise?

Roderic:  Irregardless (which is not a word)

PC: Often, when writing or publishing work, writers and editors will be striving to please or impress a very specific one-person audience, be it their mother, their husband, or their high school English teacher. Who were you thinking of in this way when you were working on the first issue of Zeus?

Roderic:  The person I desperately wanted to please was me, and I knew that was no small task. I knew what I wanted Zeus to feel like after I read it. That is why it took me so long to get the right editorial mix. The Premiere Issue of Zeus had to be just right. And I truly believe it is.

PC:  Thanks so much! And best of luck to you with the publication.