Create! Magazine
Create! Magazine is an independent Philadelphia-based media company publishing a contemporary art magazine, podcast, Substack newsletter, and membership community, serving independent artists and creative entrepreneurs with editorial content, educational books, and original art sales via its sister gallery PxP Contemporary.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersPhiladelphia, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Create! Magazine does
Create! Magazine is an independent, subscription-based media company that publishes contemporary art, artist interviews, and lifestyle content for individual artists and creative entrepreneurs. Founded by Ekaterina Popova and headquartered in Philadelphia, the company operates a multi-product portfolio anchored by the Create! Magazine publication (available in digital and print), supplemented by the Create! Podcast, a Substack newsletter, the Create! Collective membership community (waitlist-based), the AQ Quarterly catalog, an Art Prize open-call competition, and educational books (The Complete Smartist Guide and The Creative Business Handbook). Distribution spans an owned website storefront, Instagram, Substack, and a partner presence on the Artsy art marketplace as Create! Projects, with the sister gallery PxP Contemporary (co-run with curator Alicia Puig) providing a path to original art sales.
The underlying technology is a conventional digital publishing stack: a Squarespace-hosted website integrating e-commerce, blog, and membership signup flows, with Substack serving as the email newsletter backbone and podcast hosting. There are no disclosed proprietary AI, ML, or data systems; the platform's value is editorial and community-driven rather than technology-driven. The core content library, accumulated artist profiles, and podcast episodes function as a long-form content moat.
The business model combines recurring subscription revenue (digital magazine subscription, Create! Collective membership) with transactional revenue (books, branded merchandise, original artwork sales via PxP Contemporary, and Art Prize entry fees). Pricing for membership and subscription tiers is not publicly disclosed, and the company operates as a bootstrapped, privately held entity with 1-10 employees and no institutional funding on record. The primary customer segment is independent artists and creative entrepreneurs seeking business education and community, with art collectors and galleries as a secondary segment monetized through the sister gallery and Artsy channel.
Create! Magazine firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Create! Magazine
- Website
- https://createmagazine.com
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Create! Magazine is an independent Philadelphia-based media company publishing a contemporary art magazine, podcast, Substack newsletter, and membership community, serving independent artists and creative entrepreneurs with editorial content, educational books, and original art sales via its sister gallery PxP Contemporary.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Create! Magazine industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Art Media & Publishing
- NAICS
- Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)
- SIC
- Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Arts, Culture & Literary Magazines (MPAJAEAN)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Art, Photography & Illustrated Books Publishing (MPAJAAAF)
Keywords
Where Create! Magazine is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Philadelphia
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Create! Magazine business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Magazine Subscriptions: Digital subscriptions providing ongoing access to contemporary art content, interviews, and resources for creatives.
- Books and Educational Products: Sale of business guides for creative entrepreneurs including 'The Complete Smartist Guide' and 'The Creative Business Handbook'.
- Merchandise: Sale of branded merchandise through their store.
- Create! Collective Membership: Art career membership providing resources, support, guidance, and community access with a waitlist-based onboarding.
- Original Art Sales: Sale of original artwork through sister gallery PxP Contemporary.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Digital Magazine Subscription |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Create! Magazine product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Create! Magazine publishes an independent contemporary art magazine (digital and print) featuring artist interviews, industry insights, and creative-lifestyle content. Around the magazine it sells a paid membership community (Create! Collective), educational books for creative entrepreneurs, branded merchandise, and original artwork via sister gallery PxP Contemporary. The audience is individual artists, creative entrepreneurs, and art collectors seeking career resources, exposure, and community.
Product overview
Create! Magazine operates as a multi-platform media company offering a portfolio of interconnected products for the contemporary art community. The core offering is the Create! Magazine publication (digital and print), which serves as the anchor brand. This is supplemented by the Create! Collective membership community for career development, the Create! Podcast for audio content, and Art Prize for artist competitions. The company also publishes educational resources including The Complete Smartist Guide and The Creative Business Handbook books, and operates PxP Contemporary as a sister gallery. Additional offerings include curatorial projects and the AQ Quarterly catalog. All products and services are positioned for creative entrepreneurs, artists, and art enthusiasts seeking professional development and exposure.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- PxP Contemporary: Sister gallery operated in connection with Create! Magazine, mentioned as a curatorial project and gallery collaboration partner.
Products and services
- Create! Magazine Independent contemporary art magazine published in digital and print formats featuring artist interviews, profiles, industry insights, and creative-lifestyle stories; available by annual subscription to individual readers, artists, and creative entrepreneurs.
- Create! Collective Membership Paid art-career membership and community offering resources, support, guidance, and networking for individual artists and creative professionals building sustainable art businesses; accessed via waitlist-based onboarding.
- The Complete Smartist Guide Educational book for creative entrepreneurs covering business tactics, sales strategies, art promotion, and overcoming creative burnout and imposter syndrome; written by founder Ekaterina Popova and curator Alicia Puig, and sold as a one-time purchase.
- The Creative Business Handbook Educational book offering veteran insight and actionable advice for building a profitable creative venture, including interviews with successful creative entrepreneurs and the steps used to build three six-figure businesses; sold as a one-time purchase.
- Create! Merchandise Store Branded merchandise store selling Create! Magazine apparel and lifestyle items to the creative community through the company's own e-commerce storefront.
- AQ Quarterly Quarterly art catalog featuring curated contemporary art content and artist spotlights, offered alongside the main Create! Magazine publication.
Companies that use Create! Magazine
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Create! Magazine technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Create! Magazine partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- PxP Contemporary (Sister Gallery)corePxP Contemporary is the sister gallery of Create! Magazine, founded by the same leadership (Ekaterina Popova and Alicia Puig). The gallery collaborates with the magazine on curatorial projects, juried exhibitions, virtual shows, and brand partnerships. Featured artists from the magazine appear on PxP Contemporary for original art sales.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Create! Magazine competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- The Jealous Curator: Founder-led contemporary art platform that grew from Instagram into a curated online art brand and book. Closely parallels Create! Magazine's community-led, social-first go-to-market.
- Juxtapoz Magazine: Long-running independent contemporary and lowbrow art magazine covering artists, interviews, and culture. Directly comparable print/digital magazine model with subscription revenue and art-world audience.
- Hi-Fructose Magazine: New contemporary art magazine featuring emerging artists and interviews, sold via subscription and retail. Mirrors Create! Magazine's editorial model targeting collectors and artist community.
- Colossal: Independent art and visual culture publication with newsletter, shop, and large social following. Comparable as a contemporary art media brand monetizing audience through content, commerce, and community.
- Hyperallergic: Independent arts publication covering contemporary art, culture, and criticism. Comparable digital-first editorial model serving the same contemporary art enthusiast segment.
- Arrested Motion: Online contemporary and street art publication with editorial features, interviews, and event coverage. Comparable digital magazine model serving the contemporary art community.
Broad incumbents
- Artsy: Global online art marketplace and editorial platform. Comparable as both a content discovery channel for collectors and a distribution partner for PxP Contemporary's gallery sales.
- Artnet: Established art market data, editorial, and auction platform. Adjacent as a broader incumbent in art publishing and gallery services with overlapping audience of collectors.
Emerging players
- Contemporary Art Review Los Angeles (CARA): Independent contemporary art magazine focused on LA-based artists and exhibitions. Comparable editorial niche and emerging publisher status, though with stronger regional focus.
- Widewalls: Online contemporary art magazine and marketplace covering artists, galleries, and collectors. Comparable content-to-commerce model though with heavier marketplace focus.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Create! Magazine social profiles
Digital presenceCreate! Magazine financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Create! Magazine leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Create! Magazine funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Create! Magazine M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Create! Magazine
What does Create! Magazine do?
Create! Magazine publishes an independent contemporary art magazine (digital and print) featuring artist interviews, industry insights, and creative-lifestyle content. Around the magazine it sells a paid membership community (Create! Collective), educational books for creative entrepreneurs, branded merchandise, and original artwork via sister gallery PxP Contemporary. The audience is individual artists, creative entrepreneurs, and art collectors seeking career resources, exposure, and community.
Is Create! Magazine a public or private company?
Create! Magazine is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Create! Magazine founded?
Create! Magazine was founded in -1. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Create! Magazine based?
Create! Magazine is headquartered in Philadelphia, United States, in the North America region.
How does Create! Magazine make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Magazine Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are books and Educational Products, merchandise, create! Collective Membership and original Art Sales.
Who are Create! Magazine's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are The Jealous Curator, Juxtapoz Magazine, Hi-Fructose Magazine, Colossal, Hyperallergic and Arrested Motion. Broad incumbents are Artsy and Artnet. Emerging players are Contemporary Art Review Los Angeles (CARA) and Widewalls.
Does Create! Magazine have an API?
No public API is recorded for Create! Magazine.
What industry is Create! Magazine in?
Create! Magazine's product category is Art Media & Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAEAN, Arts, Culture & Literary Magazines, with a secondary code of MPAJAAAF, Art, Photography & Illustrated Books Publishing. Its NAICS code is 5131 and its SIC code is 2721.