Features

Perspective: “Hawaii” Mike Salman

“Hawaii” Mike Salman
Editor-In-Chief, Inked Magazine
Partner, Seed Communications
NYC

Job history
Prep cook at an Italian restaurant in San Francisco when I was 12.
Athletes Foot ‘88 (to get Jordans and meet the local Nike Rep).
‘92 1st industry internship doing College Radio Promotions for PWL America/Chemistry Records (1st record I worked was Diamond D “Best Kept Secret”.
‘95 Road Manager for Mobb Deep during the Infamous album.
Late ‘95 – Music Promotions Manager for the Source magazine.
‘97 Started my own company Music Solutions doing street promotions.
‘00 Lifestyle/Tech editor at The Source magazine.
‘02 started LTD magazine.
11/04/Present - partner in Seed Communications (full service marketing/advertising agency), Editor-In-Chief of Inked magazine (lifestyle publication with a focus on tattoo, the first upscale, glossy tattoo mag. www.inkedmag.com), founder/editorial director of LTD (a limited edition magazine that services the Influencer market. www.ltdmag.com).

What are you currently working on? Your day-to-day responsibilities?

Building our agency Seed Communications. Recent work includes Carol’s Daughter, GenArt, Ecko. Celebrity and editorial Product placement for premium denim line Prps. LTD and Inked magazines.

Day-to-day responsibilities include: overseeing the editorial for two magazines. Making sure we are getting the right people for features, right products to display, and work with creative department to make sure the magazines look good. On the phones and email constantly, working with current clients and talking to prospective clients for new opportunities.

What inspires/motivates you?

My wife and kids. Creating new ideas for our businesses.

What are your biggest challenges or the downsides of what you do?

Being that I have an agency and two magazines, it’s hard to stay focused on one thing for too long. It’s very easy to get unorganized, but thankfully I have some great partners at Seed communications. We all help each other out and make sure we’re on point.

How do you balance your personal and professional life?

This is one of my biggest challenges since I do have a wife and kid. In my career I need to be out and seen at events, mingle, build relationships, etc., but I always struggle cause I want to spend time with my family, especially since my son is 2 years old and these are his most formative years, therefore, I want to be there as much as possible. It’s a daily struggle, but each supports the other: my work allows me to spend time with my family and my family motivates me to make money so I can support them.

What career achievement are you most proud of?

Putting my magazine LTD out. LTD is something I’m very attached to and is very personal to me. Although it does go out to other people, it’s basically a magazine that I want to read. I guess you can compare it to a recording artist getting their first CD out or an artist selling their first piece of work. www.ltdmag.com

Was there ever a time when you thought you might not succeed in what you’re doing? Please explain.

In my line of work, if I ever felt I wouldn’t succeed, I would probably just walk away from it cause it’s probably something I shouldn’t be doing. If I like what I’m doing, I WILL succeed, no question. I feel like success is something that is achieved at the end of this thing called life. If I’m happy, as well as the people around me, when I’m done, then I have succeeded.

Guiding principles?

The most ignorant person on this planet knows something that you don’t. Always keep your mind open to learning and absorbing new things, otherwise you become stagnant, and in turn, may become irrelevant.
Know you can do anything, then do it better than everyone else.

Birthday? Where you grew up? Where you went to school?

Born in San Francisco July 10, 1973. Raised in SF and Hawaii. I went to the school of life and learned through hands on experience as an intern.

Message “Hawaii” Mike Salman and tell him what you think

By Ray Tamarra on 7/18/2005[read on] [9 comments]

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