Welcome Pulp 365 to the Internet

Here’s an insight on Pulp365.com, a web entertainment magazine with a vision.

In this day and age of the internet there are thousands of sites that cover all things entertainment. Whether they focus solely on TV, video games, movies, comics or a combination of such, there’s no doubting that this is a crowded market. So who’d be willing enough dive into the crowded pool? The answer to that would be Pulp365.com. Pulp is an entertainment web magazine that’s trying to make its mark, and they know it won’t be easy, but they do think they have what it takes to do so.

I got a chance to talk with George Berry, EIC to EIC, about himself, the staff and Pulp365.

George who?

George Berry is the Editor in Chief of Pulp 365, but no way did he just acquire that position without a little time and work put into the craft. Most of his experience comes from recreational writing. That experience is what helped him land the position of EIC at Pulp. George wrote a blog on the “Crysis 3 Multiplayer Beta” with no expectation of anyone reading it or him getting notoriety for the piece. Small things can indeed lead to bigger opportunities, which is what happened in George’s case. The blog got the attention of former IGN community manager and now Founder of Pulp365, Sean Allen. George didn’t hear from him for couple of months until finally they crossed paths via Facebook where Sean presented Geroge with the opportunity. So in his time post university, he went from being confined to blogs, short stories and general rants and raves on internet boards, to EIC of an entertainment site with potential to be something great. In his new position, though, he had the task of finding the lifeblood that would make Pulp365 what it is and what it will be.

We’re forming a team to fend off a global threat.

The task of rounding up a group of writers that have the traits and values you believe will drive your project forward is no easy feat. There was only one way to do things in George’s eyes: unite with his buddy Jason and grab the rifles and nets and go scouting through the jungle that is the internet. Jason is a former IGN moderator, so with that comes the positive baggage of knowing where the talent is in the IGN community. Combining their expertise, they read through about 40 blogs and picked the ones that they saw fit their ethos, and the ones that had the talent of course. Rather than stopping there, they headed over to Reddit where they got a handful of industry figures. After finding the editorial staff, they tasked them to finding the third tier of writers, a task that led to Pulp having 50 active staff members, a huge accomplishment no doubt.

“I wanted my team to be the best possible so we had to meet numerous times before I was confident in offering them the position.”

I asked George what traits and values do you look for when recruiting and to put it concisely, it came down to experience and talent. “I wanted my team to be the best possible so we had to meet numerous times before I was confident in offering them the position.” George added that dedication and enthusiasm is something else they look for. He mentioned that writers can be trained, and if they have a real passion, we want to give them the best possible opportunity. He wants people on his side who want to inspire change and progression.

Building a team is going to get you content, but building an audience causes for a community that’ll be there to view/read/hear that very content. Social media is no doubt the advocate for this and George believes that’s the key to expansion. “To grow we need the word to spread, and if people like our message and want to help us, that’s how they can.”

What is their to spread exactly? What is Pulp365 all about?

Freshly Squeezed

Pulp365, as you may already know from reading this, is a site dedicated to entertainment content, you know, video games, TV, movies, music and comics. George states they they will always have the usual bread and butter in the form of reviews, previews and news, however, he says the real draw will indeed come from original features and future community content. The draw here is being apart of the Pulp 365 community, or as it’s widely known, #PulpNation. Blogging tools are said to come in the next build which will definitely have an impact on the site socially. According to George, the most popular posts will make it to the front page which will further drive home the philosophy that Pulp is trying instill: it’s all about building a community.

If you are trying to get your name out to the masses, you have to have a pitch, and a strong one at that. I asked George how would he pitch Pulp365.com to someone interested in entertainment, and his words spoke for themselves.

“There are hundreds, if not thousands of entertainment websites out there. To suggest we are collectively better than all of them would be arrogance paramount. What I will say is that we pride ourselves on integrity and refusing to be afraid to ask the questions to those who others find untouchable. Games, movies, music, comics; they are art, and only through the critical improvement and discussion of the medium can we further ourselves and what we love. I can guarantee that we will never lose our morals, lose our ethics. We will stand up for what is right when the world is with us, and also when our back is against the wall.”

Pulp365.com launched officially on Tuesday, May 26, which was only the beginning. When asked about what the future was for Pulp both inside and out, George couldn’t give any definitives understandably, but he did have this to say:

“I want all of our staff paid a good, fair wage before I touch a single penny. They made this happen, not me. As a company I want to stand with the giants of journalism and push them towards the people and not the publishers. I want people to want to see their name on Pulp and be proud of their work. I want to give intelligent, real individuals the chance to be heard and I believe we can and are currently doing that.”

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George and everyone involved with Pulp seem to all posses the same outlook on the site. What I learned here, and what others should take heed to, is that it all lies within building a community. Entertaining not for the paycheck, but because you believe that you have something great to give and there are people who are willing to listen. Too many times do I see companies and establishments go the route of doing things not because their audience would enjoy it, but rather what’s lucrative and what’s not, no matter the contents. Speaking in my own voice, I believe that Pulp 365 is doing something great, and whether they make it to the top or just halfway, they did so by sticking to their beliefs.

Have you visited Pulp365.com yet? Give them a shout on Twitter @Pulp365 and in the comments below. #PulpNation.