Look At Me

Look At Me (often abbreviated LAM) was a Russian internet publication about culture, design, technology and the creative industries. It began in 2006 as a blog about street fashion run by Vasily Esmanov, and grew into a full editorial media outlet with a social-network component, advertising special projects and a broad pool of contributors. The site described itself as covering "how it is made", "why it is made" and "by whom it is made", addressing designers, architects, animators, developers, musicians, directors and copywriters. Look At Me was part of the publishing house Look At Media, an independent private company with no state participation and no affiliation with large financial-industrial groups. The holding later spun off several publications that began as sections or blogs on Look At Me: The Village (launched on its own domain on 1 April 2010), Furfur (a men's magazine launched about ten months later) and Wonderzine (the fashion section moved to its own site in July 2013). Look At Me itself went through several redesigns and editorial-policy changes, and in 2012 it closed its user-generated sections to become a media outlet almost without user content. At various times the publication experimented with additional formats on its platform, including a radio, a clothing store and its own wiki encyclopedia. Its main authors included Grisha Prorokov, Anton Mukhataev, Rita Popova and Artyom Luchko, among others. In 2009 Vasily Esmanov received the Media Manager of Russia award in the "New Media" category. On 1 January 2016 the Look At Media holding froze the publication: the site stopped being updated and has since served as an archive of old articles, with regular selections of the best materials on its homepage. Many staff members moved to other publications of the holding — The Village, Wonderzine and Furfur — and former editor-in-chief Rita Popova was appointed product director at the holding's English-language publication Hopes&Fears. Look At Me was often described as a key publication of hipster culture, a characterization tied to its audience and to that of other Look At Media outlets.

Look At Me began in 2006 as a blog about street fashion run by Vasily Esmanov. Gradually an editorial team formed around it, the pool of materials expanded to include interviews and society chronicles, and the blog started selling advertising. The publication had five founders: journalists Vasily Esmanov and Alexey Amyotov, former head of the analytical department at the marketing agency "Kislorod" Ekaterina Bazilevskaya, and heads of the design studio Nimbler Anton Gladkoborodov and Kirill Ten. In 2007 a social network with editorial and user materials was launched on the basis of the blog, and the range of topics broadened. Look At Me began offering advertising special projects. During the 2008 crisis the team managed to attract borrowed funds and expand its staff with journalists who had been laid off from other publications. The first new publication to spin off was The Village, formerly the "Society" section of the Look At Me site. It opened on a new domain on 1 April 2010. Ten months later, a magazine based on a men's fashion blog was launched as Furfur — a publication about men and their interests that later became an informal youth outlet. In July 2013 the "Fashion" section moved to its own site under the name Wonderzine, which became a women's publication. Look At Me itself went through several changes of design and editorial policy. It tried different formats. In 2012 the site closed its user sections and turned fully into a media outlet almost without user-generated content. In different years the publication launched a radio, a clothing store, its own wiki encyclopedia and other projects on its platform. Its main authors included Grisha Prorokov, Anton Mukhataev (ex-IGN Russia), Rita Popova and Artyom Luchko, among others. On 1 January 2016 the Look At Media holding froze the publication: the site continued to work without adding new materials. Many of its employees moved to other publications of the holding — The Village, Wonderzine and Furfur. Former editor-in-chief Rita Popova was appointed product director at the holding's English-language publication Hopes&Fears. In 2009 Vasily Esmanov, by unanimous decision of the jury, became a laureate of the Media Manager of Russia — 2009 award in the "New Media" category with the wording "For creating the only media youth internet in Russia". Look At Me was often called a key publication of hipster culture, pointing to the audience of the site itself and of other Look At Media publications. The publications The Village, Furfur and Wonderzine initially arose as blogs or sections on the Look At Me site.

• 2016

  On 1 January the Look At Media holding freezes the publication; the site becomes an archive.

• 2013

  The fashion section moves to its own site as Wonderzine in July.

• 2012

  Look At Me closes its user sections and becomes a media outlet almost without user-generated content.

• 2011

  Furfur is launched as a men's magazine about ten months after The Village.

• 2010

  The Village launches on its own domain on 1 April.

• 2009

  Vasily Esmanov wins the Media Manager of Russia award in the "New Media" category.

• 2008

  During the crisis the team attracts borrowed funds and expands its staff.

• 2007

  A social network with editorial and user materials is launched on the basis of the blog; topics broaden.

• 2006

  Look At Me starts as a street-fashion blog run by Vasily Esmanov.

An independent Russian online publication about culture, design and technology for the creative industries, known as a key outlet of hipster culture.

• lookatme.ru website

  The main online publication covering culture, design and technology.

• Advertising special projects

  Clearly marked commercial content projects produced by a separate team.

• Social network features

  User and editorial materials on the site, closed in 2012.

• Radio

  A radio project launched on the platform in some years.

• Clothing store

  A clothing store launched on the platform in some years.

• Wiki encyclopedia

  The publication's own wiki encyclopedia.

1. 1Look At Me — Интернет-издание о креативных индустрияхlookatme.ru
2. 2Как возник самый ненавистный шрифт в истории — Look At Melookatme.ru
3. 3О сайтеlookatme.ru
4. 4Look At Me — Wikidatawikidata.org
5. 5Look At Me — Wikipedia (Russian)ru.wikipedia.org