Hip Hop in Print: The Editor: Mike Piroli (Elemental Magazine Editor)
Website: Elementalmag.com
“You have to make sure everybody who needs anything gets it and that all the interviews are set up and its all coordinated. You have to find the writers for the magazine and believe it or not there aren’t that many dope people out there.”
Halftime: So, let us know your responsibilities as editor of Elemental Magazine?
Mike Piroli: That¹s a lot of shit. You have to sort through the music and listen to everything. You have to make sure everybody who needs anything gets it and that all the interviews are set up and its all coordinated. You have to find the writers for the magazine and believe it or not there aren’t that many dope people out there. It¹s the whole nine. There is a lot of different shit. It¹s not a one-person thing either, it’s a tight knit team. Any kind of independent anything isn¹t going to have a humongous staff to rely on so you have to do a bunch of different things at one time.
Working with you directly I know you do just as much writing as any of the other writers on staff. How do you handle that in addition to the editing duties?
Mike: Fortunately it¹s the main thing I have to focus on so I have time throughout the day to do everything. I just try to knock out certain shit at one time, but usually when I write I¹ll take the time out to sit down with it and get back to the other shit. It¹s kinda hard to balance, but fortunately everybody who is involved with the magazine is real on point so it makes it easy overall. Everyone handles things the way they should and it runs efficiently.
What do you feel makes a good story and what are you looking for when you are reading other people’s work?
Mike: People that are thorough and know what time it is. Not only do they know about the artist that they¹re writing about but are thorough. You can tell in how people write how much they know and how much they are into it. I look for that. I really like the artist to be portrayed in a proper light. So when I read other people¹s stuff I look for substance and how thorough they are with it.
For someone aiming to be in your position what are some of the key skills needed?
Mike: The key thing would to be able to do a bunch of shit at one time. There is a lot of stuff going on and there is a deadline every month that has to be met. That¹s the main thing. It¹s a lot of different shit.
What’s the normal routine from planning the issue to the finished product?
Mike: We always get a jump on what¹s what as much in advance as we can. We want to make everything fresh. In the beginning of the month a lot of planning is going on as far as who is in the magazine. As the weeks go on towards the deadline you have to schedule the interviews, the photo shoots and assign the stories. Get music to the people who are writing reviews, decide all of that and put it in effect. About halfway thru you check to make sure everything is going down the way its supposed to be. Shit is gonna happen sometimes but if you¹re on top of it you can deal with it. It just gets more hectic towards the deadline.
What story have you enjoyed the most that you¹ve had in the magazine?
Mike: There are tons. The Jay Dee story was thorough. I¹m a big Jay Dee fan so I thought that was dope. The Ghostface story your boy just wrote is real dope. Every month there is a bunch of shit. It¹s hard to remember everything that’s in the magazine.
Is this something you knew you were going to do or did you just fall into it?
Mike: I never went to school for journalism, but I’ve always been into writing and into music. Basically everything started with Elemental when I tried to apply for an internship. I tried to get a spot and it just worked out.
