We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Nico Urban. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Nico below.
Alright, Nico thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear the story of how you went from this being just an idea to making it into something real.
In November 2024, just a few days after Donald Trump won the election, I was sitting on the porch overlooking a busy street with my roommate, August Shapiro. We talked about how the grief we felt was different than in 2016. The feelings of fear remained, but the results were also unsurprising to the both of us. In the near-decade since the 2016 election, we’ve watched far-right extremism infiltrate the American political landscape in frightening ways. Specifically, we witnessed conservatives positioning trans individuals as scapegoats throughout the campaign trail for political gain. Even in a so-called liberal city like Los Angeles, both August and I noticed that we’d been feeling less safe. Not only has transphobia been ramping up, but plain old homophobia has been as well.
As we sat and stared at the cars driving by, we bounced around different creative ideas we’d each been individually pondering. And then the idea hit me: let’s start a queer magazine.
We wanted it to be different. It wouldn’t just be a magazine to showcase LGBTQ+ artists, but it would also be a vehicle for community building. Suddenly, ideas started flying. What kind of resources could we include? What kind of events could we host to run parallel with our publication? How could we tie in social media to get the word out? August and I realized our individual talents and skills would make us an incredible team. “We need a huge white board!” said August, as we scrambled to take notes.
Those days following the election results, I felt like an iPhone with a dead battery. But coming up with this magazine idea was like when you plug your phone in and you finally see that white apple symbol against the black screen. Your phone turns on and then you are suddenly flooded with a burst of notifications. I felt so helpless and I realized that the way to get through this administration was to build community through art and connection.
Everything that followed after this conversation happened incredibly fast. Within days, we began building a social media presence and we landed on the name: Flag Magazine. We started reaching out to Los Angeles-based queer organizations and events. We began connecting with queer artists. Our support base quickly grew and we realized that we weren’t the only ones desperate for community. I think what makes us unique as a queer magazine is that we place equal emphasis on in-person community and print/digital endeavors. We wanted our publication to uplift and highlight the queer community that already existed in Los Angeles, but we also wanted to host events ourselves to further build queer gathering spaces. This February we hosted a variety show, featuring poetry, stand-up, comedy, burlesque, musical performances, and more. Then in March we hosted an event at Griffith Park, where everyone gathered on blankets and made collages. We plan to continue hosting events and creating more spaces for LGBTQ+ people to connect, such as an upcoming hiking event later this spring.
August and I feel so grateful for the support we’ve received so far. Our inaugural issue releases this July, and it will feature a beautiful mix of interviews with incredible community members, art pieces, resources, fun surprises, and more. It is a love letter to the queer/trans community, and we hope people love our first issue as much as we do.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Flag Magazine is a Los Angeles-based independent queer publication that showcases all of the incredible things happening in the LGBTQ+ community. Whether featuring art and artists, promoting events in Los Angeles (and beyond), or providing resources for our trans/non-binary friends, this magazine exists to uplift creatives and spread important resources. Our first issue releases this July and can be accessed in both print and digital format.
Our inaugural issue’s theme is “coming home,” which can take on so many different meanings for queer individuals. To some, home is a person. To others, home is a place. The act of coming home could equate to healing one’s inner child. Or to many trans folks, it could be the action of taking hormone replacement therapy and finally feeling at peace in one’s body for the first time. A smell. A ritual. A temperature. A childhood memory. Being in nature. A city. The LGBTQ+ community is no stranger to the concept of chosen family. Nor to the concept of redefining “home.”
Our publication will release biannually, with summer and winter issues. But we are not just a magazine. We also host regular events in Los Angeles, spanning from park hangs to variety shows to networking events, and more. We also consistently repost non-Flag events on our Instagram, so keep an eye out if you are looking for queer things to do in LA. Hint hint, there are A LOT.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
My past experience as a social media manager really helped guide us when we were first building our digital presence. I think we’ve figured out a really fun and unique online brand for Flag Magazine, but it took a bit of exploring.
My biggest advice for those starting out with building a digital presence is to find your niche. And then to find your niche within your niche.
Immediately, I knew our Instagram theme had to be loud, colorful, and fun. I wanted our Instagram to not only complement our magazine, but to also stand strong on its own, separate from the publication. That way, you don’t need to read the magazine to enjoy and engage with our posts. We have fun with it! Sometimes we will do a little queer history post, sometimes an art post, sometimes a meme post. People seem to really like the type of content we create because the posts are interactive and diverse.
As for finding your niche within your niche… this can look however you want it to look. But however you do it, make sure that your audience can tell it’s from your account without even seeing who posted it. For example, we have a specific design style that combines 3D elements with collages. Whether it’s color palettes, structure, or tone, having a generally consistent theme to your posts will benefit you when building an audience base.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
This is the first time August and I have done something to this scale. As artists, we feel confident in the creative aspects of building Flag Magazine, but everything else is a huge learning experience for us. As a perfectionist, I feel like everything has to be absolutely flawless right away. Flag Magazine means so much to me, and sometimes I have to come to terms with the fact that not all my goals with this publication are attainable at the moment. When August and I are assessing our capacity, we try to remind ourselves that our largest goal is to have fun, especially since we aren’t personally profiting off Flag Magazine. If we aren’t having fun, then what is it all for?
Contact Info:
- Website: https://flagthemag.com
- Instagram: @flagthemag
Image Credits
Paige Freeman