Mercurs 2014: we were there
When I arrived at the office this morning, it was, pardon my french, a huge mess. On my desk was still an empty bottle of Veuve Clicquot, everywhere lay mascaras, tights, rejected dresses, and eliminated clutches. It was clear, women had been busy getting ready for a night out in a tight dress and high heels. Yesterday, the entire Amayzine Team went to the Mercur Awards because we were nominated in the category Launch of the Year, and that naturally calls for a nice pair of heels and an outfit. A report.
We weren't really nervous, being nominated in the same category as Harper’s Bazaar seems like a done deal, but there was a certain restlessness throughout the day. At 2 o'clock, Josselin, Jet, and I were at our friends from The Building for a party hairstyle, several dresses were hanging in the office ready to choose from, and at 5 o'clock the cork popped off the bottle and we toasted with everyone who makes Amayzine.com on our nomination, which already feels like a real victory for us. Because the Mercur Awards are a magazine party, a print party, and Amayzine is the first digital title ever nominated in a category.
At 2 o'clock, Josselin, Jet, and I were at our friends from The Building friends from The Building.
We were the odd one out, the “intruder,” as was frequently said during the evening. In a media landscape where print is struggling and online is gaining more and more ground, that is sensitive. The industry has to keep up with the times, but how do you do that? So there we were, just under a year online, among the editorial teams of iconic magazines like Harper’s Bazaar, ELLE, Vogue, LINDA, and Esquire. That felt quite special, I can tell you.
We were 10 strong, because you read the pieces from Josselin, May, Jet, Peggy, and me, there are many more people who make Amayzine what it is behind the scenes. Our amazing web developer Robin, for example, who spent the first months of Amayzine among the women and now knows an above-average amount about Chanel bags and Prada shoes. Or Lucia, the best art director in the country, responsible for the look of the site. And Danielle, our sales director, who ensures that Amayzine is not a hobby but a successful business that actually generates revenue. And let me not forget our amazing interns Maud, Lisa, Felice, and Yvette, who are running around and doing great work. If we could, we would offer them all a job right away.
We were 10 strong, because you read the pieces from Josselin, May, Jet, Peggy, and me, there are many more people who make Amayzine what it is behind the scenes.
The evening was presented by Jan Jaap van der Wal, whom I have always liked but now more than ever stands in my list of favorite men. While everyone is sitting at long tables eating, the awards are presented, Bazaar wins Launch of the Year, Flow is Magazine of the Year, and Thomas Hendriks from Quest can call himself Editor-in-Chief of the Year. Once all the trophies have been awarded, we head to the dance floor where Valentijn de Hingh and Geza Weisz keep us dancing deep into the night. We do a conga line with Cécile Narinx, high five with Hilmar Mulder and Jet ends up in an intense dance with Piet Paris.
It's around 2 o'clock when I lie in bed, with quite a bit of wine behind me. Print or online, one thing is for sure, the parties of magazines are always the absolute best. And next year we will be on stage, just watch.
