Podcast

TDF Talks with Lou Bannister, Co-Founder & Editor of Lunch Lady

The magazine industry around the world, but particularly in Australia, is a notoriously hard market to succeed in. So when someone has created not one, but TWO successful publications, you know it’s about more than just a bit of good fortune.

Lou Bannister is one-half of the brains behind Frankie magazine, and more recently, Lunch Lady magazine, an indie darling beloved by parents all over! In this episode of TDF Talks, Lucy chats with Lou about following her intuition, building community, and having integrity at the heart of every decision.

Written
by
Lucy Feagins
Writer
Lucy Feagins
24th of October 2019

In this episode of TDF Talks, I had such a brilliant and very honest conversation with Lou Bannister, who is one of the original co-founders of Frankie Magazine, and now, co-founder and editor of Lunch Lady, a beautiful quarterly magazine, about family, food, and more.

After creating Frankie, and building it into a phenomenal success between 2004-2014, Lou and her long-time collaborator, Lara Burke, made the difficult decision to leave. Around a year later (after vowing NEVER to launch another magazine!) they stumbled across a blog called Lunch Lady, originally created by photographer Kate Berry. Lou and Lara saw an opportunity to turn Lunch Lady into a magazine – and that’s what they did!

Lunch Lady is now into its fourth year, and just as they did with Frankie, Lou and Lara have built something so unique with this magazine, gathering a loyal following which continues to grow.

Last week Lou was in Melbourne for The Finders Keepers market, and we took the opportunity to FINALLY meet, in her hotel room, and chat about the highs and lows of her career.

NOTES + LINKS

You can Check out lunch lady at here and follow them at @hellolunchlady!

Each issue of Lunch Lady is so beautifully designed, with a refreshing, inclusive editorial voice. It’s full of family-friendly recipes, creative ideas, and insightful opinion pieces. Beci Orpin is a regular contributor, as is our former managing editor Lisa Marie Corso, amongst many other talented people!

Subscribers are so important to indie titles, so if someone in your life needs a great gift anytime soon, a subscription to Lunch Lady could be a great idea!

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