Posts Tagged “fhm”

There is another update here btw. Link

Yes, I know I said I’d put all the stuff on the new site, and I will, but just for now, I thought I’d let you listen to one of the guys at Zoo offer me work doing images for them.

These are 100% genuine.

An apology and the offer

and an ego massage for me from Zoo

This recording is of a guy called Ben Wilson, who emailed me and we set up a time to talk. His email said he was the Associate Editor of Zoo Magazine but I see he is now listed as Film Editor. Date of recording - 14th August 2006.
Sorry Ben, but you’re the one I have the recordings of.

Quite embarrassing - for me - all this talent crap talk - Anyone can create decent images as long as you can use the undo function of photoshop when you make a mistake.

Now, Zoo magazine are asking for more and more proof that I created the compositions they published (a burden of proof much greater than they are currently asking from others.) and I’m certain they’re just dicking me around.
Zoo’s agents were told of the type of evidence I would supply but they did not say it was unacceptable until they received the data that I had spent weeks collating.
So, maybe you can understand why I am reluctant to spend further time providing evidence that they will, I’m sure, knock back again.
(A new pc, hard drives etc. make it a pretty thankless task collating photoshop files, some of which are over 3 years old.)

So, considering the proof they require, they are stating that they doubt I created the compositions. They don’t trust me.
I’m probably not the guy whose work they deemed of sufficient quality (!) to run in their magazine.

SO WHY DID THEY ASK ME TO CREATE ARTWORK FOR THEM ?
SURELY YOU WOULDN’T MAKE AN OFFER TO SOMEONE UNLESS YOU’D SEEN HIS WORK?

Why beat about the bush eh ?

Animal House and anonymous publisher who’ve been running so many of my pictures are the ailing (circulation-wise) Zoo Magazine and media monolith EMAP, owners of Heat, FHM, Loaded, Mojo, Q Magazine and numerous radio stations.

Well, this week’s edition of Zoo Magazine (Publisher EMAP) has come out and the changes promised by Associate Editor (Entertainment) Ben Wilson have not been made.

I accepted a goodwill gesture of the same prize they were sending to someone who sent in an image a couple of weeks ago (because I was being sooooo nice about things) on condition that it’s acceptance did not nullify the problem or affect my legal rights in any way.

Interestingly, the prize was a (I think discontinued) DVD player you can buy on Amazon for about £19 and a few DVDs.
For a magazine with a young age profile, (ABC1C2 16-30) I wonder if they check the ages of the prize recipients as among the DVDs were a couple of 18 certificate movies.
I’m sure the sponsors of the page who sometimes provide the prizes have a duty of care just as EMAP does to ensure that adult material doesn’t fall into the hands of under 18s. This week, the prize provider is Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

Importantly, I was asking for changes to be made that acknowledged the viral creators as well as those who sent them in, not just a resolution for my current problem.

I called today to find out why the promises weren’t kept and was assured that I would be called back when Ben made it back from lunch.

Well, at the time of writing it’s obvious he’s having a pretty good lunch as he has failed to call back.

I suppose the ‘flash’ at the top of this week’s magazine’s cover gives it all away.
“50 BEST NEW JOKES - STOLEN FROM THE UK’S FUNNIEST STAND-UPS” and inside states that they are all from The Edinburgh Festival.
Whether or not it is true that they stole them, the magazine seems to revel in declaring they misappropriate material (I assume to save on it’s editorial budget.)

Funnily enough, The Edinburgh festival ran a course for comedians this year on how to ’stop their jokes being stolen by rivals’

Click here for full story from The Scotsman

I’ll add to this post a little later with a summary of what happened which I was asked to prepare for a National Newspaper and for a well known blog.

A couple of talented viral creators have been having the same problem - pictures appearing with tags removed and no attempt to discover who created them.
I think they’re also going to contact Ben soon.