Parlé Magazine is a bi-monthly urban entertainment print publication established in 2004, featuring some of the biggest names in urban literature, music and film. To date we’ve released 30 volumes (issues) of the publication.
Parlé Magazine is a bi-monthly urban entertainment print publication established in 2004, featuring some of the biggest names in urban literature, music and film. To date we’ve released 30 volumes (issues) of the publication.
Tyrese, Tyler Perry, T-Pain, Mario, Teri Woods, New Edition, Zane-the queen of erotica, Lil’ Wayne, Eric Jerome Dickey and Busta Rhymes are just some of the names and faces who we’ve featured in the publication over the last six plus years.
Our slogan is ‘Not Your Average’, therefore every volume, we put together a publication unlike anything else in print and now online. Our cover stories aren’t the same generic stories as the other publications; our stories are real stories and not just transcribed interviews like the other guys.
Parlé Magazine is distributed throughout NYC at record stores, bookstores, colleges, laundry mats, barbershops, beauty salons, night-clubs and at events. Every issue we distribute 10,000 free copies.
Kevin Benoit... I started Parlé when I was 17 years old in my first year of college. The only real print media experience I had was from starting my own high school newspaper and the summer after h.s. graduation I interned with a startup magazine basically helping him get contacts and try to get the publication off the ground. That magazine never launched.
I was in school for legal studies and never intended for a career in media, but while at John Jay I was getting a financial aid refund check every month I was in school. It was a good look, but I was spending the money without a care. After I’d spent the first few checks I stopped myself and told myself that I need to invest it in something that would impact my future once I was out of college. I was sitting in English class one day in early April 2004 and it all came together in that hour. I came up with the name, the concept, the slogan (not your average) and all I had to do was figure out how much it would cost.
By May 4, 2004 my first issue was out on the streets. A lot of the contacts I had found while I was interning for that other publication turned out to be the contacts for most of the features early on, and a lot of those same people are still in touch with me. Even though I had the refund check I had to have my girlfriend at the time, put the cost of the issue on her credit card. I think I gave her a couple hundred but she paid for a majority of it.
When I first started I had no idea what I was doing. I used to cut and paste my articles onto a sheet of paper because I didn’t know what photoshop was or how to graphic design. I didn’t have a camera or photographer so the companies had to provide everything. It was just a really big learning process for me. I’m still learning. I believe that you shouldn’t think too long or hard about things though, if you want to do it, just do it!!! Make mistakes, learn from them but keep doing. I know people who were talking about starting something around the same time I started Parlé…and their still talking. All that talking is for losers!
I just turned 24 on January, 2nd 2011, and I've been doing the mag almost 7 years. Not quite where I wanted to after 5+ years, but its here, and I’m not stopping until I am where I want to be, and even then…can’t stop, wont stop.
How did you start Parlé? How were you able to do it at 17 years old? What's been the hardest obstacle?
Editor & Founder of Parlé Magazine, Kevin Benoit answers all the common questions about the creation of Parlé Magazine, even providing some untold facts and stories.
Sometimes, it must fall upon the journalist to ensure that what they are hearing in an interview is clear enough that they can truthfully and accurately present their subject's words as quotations. This may require asking for an answer repeatedly, admitting you missed something that could have been important, or actively picking and choosing which quotes should be completely captured in a form of verbal triage. Other times, it may simply require asking the subject to slow down because your cell phone's speaker is woefully inadequate. Such was the case with Kirko Bangz, and regrettably, I did not follow the advice laid out above. The following is what I can transcribe from my conversation with the Houston hopeful, whose Drake on promethazine approach has been reverberating within the scene.
