PRINTWhere are they now? Vox staffers weigh in. Q&A: Steve Mazzucchi
Courtesy of Steve Mazzucchi
Going into the magazine industry doesn’t have to be taken so seriously — just ask former Vox editor-in-chief Steve Mazzucchi. Instead, Mazzucchi says his experience has taught him there’s a lighter side to magazine writing.
May 15, 2008 | 12:00 a.m. CST
Former Vox editor-in-chief Steve Mazzucchi’s résumé boasts experience at publications such as Men’s Health, Muscle and Fitness and Maxim. But don’t mistake this MU class of 2000 graduate for some meathead. Vox spoke with Mazzucchi to learn more about his career, his thoughts on MU’s admission application and his life as a freelance writer in New York City.
Vox: Did you come to MU for the journalism school?
Steve Mazzucchi: Yeah, among other things. The application was really easy. The college application was like, you know, a big pain in the ass. But at Missouri, you could just fill it out with a pen. That was a big plus. I have some family that actually went there, but the journalism school was definitely a big factor.
Vox: Since graduation from MU, where have you worked?
SM: I worked at Men’s Health. Then at a now-defunct teen magazine called MH-18, a spin-off of Men’s Health for young guys. I worked there for about a year, it folded, and I got laid-off. Then I moved to L.A., and I worked in a tanning salon for about six months. I was trying to be a screenwriter at the time, which was a terrible idea. I got a job at Muscle and Fitness in L.A. After about a year and a half there, I got a job at Maxim in New York City. I am a freelance writer now.
Vox: What kind of freelance work do you do now?
SM: I write for Maxim, Men’s Health, Men’s Journal, Women’s Health, Cosmopolitan, World Wrestling Entertainment, Best Life and Muscle and Fitness. I write about gear. I write about fitness. I do some celebrity stuff. I do some sex and relationship stuff — kind of a mélange that has evolved from working in the industry as long as I have. I think freelance is awesome, but I wouldn’t recommend it to anybody right out of school.
Vox: Do you keep in touch with Vox?
SM: I have taken a couple road trips across the country and every time I do, I cruise through campus and pick up a copy of Vox. It’s been a while since I’ve done that, but I do swing back by and try and keep up with you guys.
Vox: Any advice for current staffers?
SM: I always had the impression before I worked at Vox that what I was going into was such a serious profession. Then I realized from my experience there that you can actually do fun stuff. I do think there is a need to lighten up. There are definitely things in the industry that aren’t necessarily about the Middle East or the race for the presidency.
