An interview with Katy Cowan
Journalist, creative consultant and founding editor of Creative Boom.
Originally published 29 February 2020.
I’m really excited about this week’s interview, which is with one of the UK’s most prolific arts journalists, Katy Cowan. Katy is the founder of Creative Boom, a UK-based online magazine and leading platforms in the creative industries, which gets over 800,000 monthly readers and has 250,000 social media followers. She recently launched the Creative Boom Podcast, which has been topping out the Apple podcast rankings almost since day one!
Creative Boom is exciting for artists in the UK for a number of reasons, not least being that Katy is based in Manchester, one of our creative hubs, and as such she avoids the London-centric bias that characterises so much other coverage of the UK’s creative industries.
1/ What was it that drove you to establish Creative Boom and have your motivations for publishing changed over time?
It was 2009. We were in the aftermath of a global recession. I'd only been freelancing for two years but suddenly lost a lot of clients overnight – as had many of my Twitter friends. With a degree in Journalism, some experience in PR and lots of extra time on my hands, I thought, why don't I start a blog or something.
I wanted to celebrate artists and designers by writing about them and raising their profile, so they could get work again. And perhaps share some tips on running a business. That sort of thing. It's why I came up with the name Creative Boom – because I wanted to give back and make a difference to the creative industries.
It was a hobby. A much-loved side project and passion. And then it became this bigger platform, quite unexpectedly. Today, it's a magazine with over 800,000 monthly readers from across the world. We're big in the UK and Europe but also America, Canada, India (our fastest-growing audience) and Australia. It's no longer just a side venture. It's my main focus.
“Don't be paralysed by the pressure of social media to be ‘perfect’. Embrace ‘truth’ and put yourself out there.” – Katy Cowan
I've interviewed some of the biggest names in the business and worked with brands such as Samsung, Adobe and WeWork – although to look at the site, many often ask if there's any advertising on there at all. I've done that deliberately – kept it as ad-free as possible. I've travelled all over the world, been to 10 Downing Street to advise the government on small business, written for The Guardian and became part of its Culture Professionals network in 2012 until 2016. I've also met some wonderful people and my magazine has opened many doors. Most importantly, I'm able to do what I set out to achieve and that's to support creatives through inspiration, tips and ideas.
Publishing has transformed enormously over the last decade and has made Creative Boom a huge challenge – at times, I've thought about quitting but then I always come back to why I started it, and I feel I've still got a lot to give back. Besides, a few years ago, Creative Boom became profitable and where I spend most of my time. I'm still part of the team at Boomerang, a communications consultancy in Manchester which I run with my husband Tom – it's just funny how that now feels like my part-time venture instead.
2/ Tell me about the new podcast – what should listeners expect and what do you hope it will offer in addition to the website?
I used to work in radio and really miss it. Podcasts have become increasingly popular and so I thought it was the right time to launch one for Creative Boom. Listeners can expect conversations with creatives. Simple as that. From those conversations, I hope to uncover some inspiring stories and valuable insight to help people in their creative careers.
As for what it will offer, I'm hoping to add a more personal touch to Creative Boom. During the early years, Creative Boom was more of a personal blog and clearly just me. That meant it felt very personal. But as the magazine grew and we introduced a team, I felt it was best to adjust how we presented ourselves – as a team and a bigger brand, and therefore, a magazine. We grew up, so to speak.
The new podcast will be presented by me – so we hope it will bring back some of that personal touch that made us so approachable 10 years ago. Of course, we do strive to be warm and friendly. It was the reason we rebranded several years ago, as we wanted to bring a little humour and warmth to our identity.
3/ Is there any advice that you’d give to artists and creators with new work to promote, based on your experience over the past decade?
I would share your story. People are interested in seeing the real people behind a logo. They love to hear about processes, work-in-progress. People always want to work with people. Don't be paralysed by the pressure of social media to be "perfect". Embrace "truth" and put yourself out there.
4/ Who in the creative industries past or present has inspired you the most and why?
That is such a difficult question, as Creative Boom constantly puts me in touch with inspiring people. I admire anyone who can apply themselves and be creative. It's tough out there, so if you're running your own business and surviving as a creative, that is very inspiring.
5/ If you woke tomorrow and were no longer constrained by time, budgets or even skills that you haven’t learned yet, what would you make?
I would buy a beautiful old building in Manchester – all red bricks and industrial charm – and transform it into a non-profit community hub for the creative community, with a lifelong promise to always provide affordable workspace, co-working, artists' studios – making just enough to cover running costs. I would bring in a bigger team and have the Creative Boom HQ on one of the floors. We would run workshops, provide free courses, stage special events, cinema nights, etc. We'd offer free desks to one startup each year, providing an accelerator fund to get them going – and also track their progress.
I'd transform the ground floor into a big food hall, encouraging lots of independent food and drink brands to come in and have a base there. There'd be big communal tables in the middle and people would gather night and day. There'd be music, large interactive arts events... I'd never leave!
And I'd carry on running Creative Boom. It's my passion, and I'm not sure I could do anything else and be as happy.