How Magazine Covers Are Made: Insights From the Producer

by Alexandra Mansilla

How Magazine Covers Are Made: Insights From the Producer

1 Apr 2024

You often admire the glossy covers of magazines without realising the extensive work that goes into creating them. Behind these captivating images lies a vast team of stylists, photographers, makeup artists, creators, and assistants. Orchestrating this collaboration is the role of a producer. But how does it all come together? We reached out to Ekaterina Dementeva, who has experience as a producer on many advertising campaigns, as well as in CNX (Condé Nast creative agency), to get the inside scoop. And, of course, we have uncovered some fascinating behind-the-scenes stories you wouldn't want to miss.

— Kate, hi! Let's start from the very beginning. What is your educational background?

— Well, I am originally from Tambov. I graduated from the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, majoring in Organizational Management for my Bachelor’s degree, and Sales for my Master’s. But before that, I also studied at an art school — and quite successfully. I even planned to apply to the Surikov Art Institute.

— Why only "planned"?

— You know how it goes... I finished art school at the age of 15 and was absolutely in love with everything related to it. I found out that there was a boarding school for young artists affiliated with the Surikov Institute. I applied and got accepted. But my parents simply didn't let me go. I was very upset at the time and stopped painting altogether. My artistic endeavours came to an end. But apparently, I am compensating for that now with what I do.

— What kind of paintings did you create?

— All sorts, but I was particularly drawn to painting and graphics. I had a huge collection of pencils in different shades. I remember it was forbidden to sharpen them with a sharpener — we could only use a paper cutter. I remember knowing exactly which paint I would use — watercolour or something else. I remember all my paint jars. I remember everyone signing their easels and hanging their best works in a row. It was awesome!

— Are either of your parents involved in the arts?

— Neither of them is directly involved in the arts, but they both love art. My dad sometimes collects paintings, and whenever he is in any city in the world, he tries to visit museums. My mom used to draw when she was a child.

— You finished Plekhanov University. What happened next?

— Next, I decided to get a Master’s degree in Marketing. I thought it would be useful, but I wasn't very interested in it. After that, I worked in the procurement department in the government sector. It was horrible. So, I decided it was time to start moving forward, and I took a part-time job as a set designer for weddings.

Source: Ekaterina's personal archive

— How did you end up there? You didn't have any experience in set design. And did you even know what set design was?

— It happened through an acquaintance. I was involved in various aspects there. For example, I made a chest where everyone put their money — I covered it with something and smeared it.

I also remember making vision boards before they became mainstream. I just glued in what I liked and what inspired me. One of the first boards had many magazine covers. I really wanted to get into a magazine, but I didn't know what the person who organises the shoots there is called. At some point, I decided to write letters to Condé Nast Russia and finally, they invited me for an interview. I came in and realised that there were others like me in line. Each was given 10 minutes.

Imagine this scene: a room where they wait — someone reads a book, someone just sits, but they all seem the same. I come in — with long hair, in boots and a llama coat. In the end, they didn't take me. Rumor has it that someone said, "We're worried that because of her, there will be discord in the team."

Source: Ekaterina's personal archive

— What?

— I was too bright. I mean, too unconventional for them — both in terms of personal qualities and how I dressed. I was very upset at the time, didn't expect such a turn. I thought an internship was very accessible.

Anyway, I realised that emails to the general mailbox don't work and started looking for who to write to directly based on the magazines. I found contacts and started writing them to DM. Producer Karina replied to me and agreed to take me on as an intern — with a delay, though, because the contract with the previous intern hadn't ended yet. I started waiting.

Then Karina moved to Vogue. And you know, if a person is not there, agreements are forgotten. Another girl, Nastya, was put in her place. I found her, wrote to her, and we met and discussed everything again. In the end, we started working together. And it was very cool! Still very grateful for all the experience that I have had with her.

But then Nastya left, too. When I found out about this, I didn't know what to do — my contract is ending soon, what is next? Then Aglaya Larina, managing editor of both Glamour and GQ, approached me. There was a rare case in the entire history of Conde Nast Russia: they offered me not an internship but a job. As you understand, I agreed immediately. And then the shootings began! It was not super long-term, but there were a lot of them.

One of the covers featured Ira Gorbacheva and about 10 children from orphanages — but those who had already found their families. I remember our makeup van broke down, but we managed to fix it.

Working with the kids was fun and a bit crazy — not only were they running around and hard to gather in a frame, but there was also the issue of their parents. It was their first time on a shoot, and it was a big event for them. Each parent wanted their child to be somehow highlighted, to have their story heard. It was cute.

After Glamour, I moved to InStyle. I simply saw a vacancy and applied, not expecting much. And they invited me for an interview! There was a match: I brought a magazine with Svetlana Khodchenkova on the cover, a shoot I had organised; and they brought their own cover with Khodchenkova.

Vilet Fashion Campaign

— Now, about Kaya Scodelario, who recently starred in the series Gentlemen. How was the shoot with her?

— You know, everything was calm and just perfect with her. There were no issues at all.

But I remember something interesting not about Kaya. Once, we shot Alisson Brie in LA with a local production team. We were looking for villas and found a gorgeous one, which looked stunning only in the photos — in reality, there was nothing to shoot there. In the end, we just shot Alisson sitting on a chair; there was nothing else to do.

In Paris, we shot Caroline de Maigret. We found the location, picked the clothes, the team was ready. On the day of the shoot, one detail emerged: it turns out Caroline had broken her leg a few days ago — and nobody had warned us about it. That is why we had to change the mood board of the cover story shoot ASAP, and instead of making a street-style dynamic shoot, we quickly shifted to a studio location. So, if you look closely at the photos, you will see that Caroline is either sitting or lying down but not walking.

Once at InStyle, we went to shoot in Pamukkale, Turkey. We shot a still-life on an ancient building, which, centuries ago, was a public toilet. In the end, the wind picked up, and Alexander McQueen's shoe fell and broke. We ended up taping it. That's production for you!

Photo: Evgeniy Kruglov for InStyle

— And did you have any covers that were put together thanks to Photoshop?

— Let’s do it without mentioning the names. I don't want you to get me wrong, but hiding some private details is better!

So, it was the cover of one magazine with a popular singer. We put it together — her head from one photo and the jacket from another.

— How did that happen?

— Because the editorial team wanted to highlight that it was Dior, and the talent herself wanted to highlight how she looked. We just couldn't agree, so we had to piece it together from different parts!

— The producer needs to communicate with a huge number of people: influencers, brands, stylists, photographers. And it's highly undesirable to spoil relations with anyone. That is, you need to be good for everyone, which, as we know, is impossible. Do you manage to do that?

— I am sure I do. I absolutely don't care what your character is like. If, in the result it would be amazing to have you on board for some reason, I will work with you. I will adjust in the moment to make sure everyone is in a good mood. If someone needs support or a chat, I will do it. If I need to be empathetic and helpful, I will be. If I need to step back and not interfere, I will sense that and step back. If I see even hints of a change in mood, I will try to make everything okay. A producer's job is to be able to adapt in the moment, see what is happening, and react accordingly.

— Can you describe the entire process that precedes a cover shoot?

— First, you need to understand who is communicating with the celebrity/talent, or the client. It could be a specific person handling talent management for the magazines, an account manager, or an editor — depending on how things are organised. We, as producers, gather options for photographers if it is a photo shoot, videographers if it is a video, and stylists. There might also be a creator — we usually work closely with them, discussing the concept and offering a couple of options to the client. Then, ideally, the account manager collects all this information and sends it to the client for approval.

If everything is approved, then the story with booking begins, refining the mood board and communicating with the photographer to make sure we're aligned on the vision for the shoot. I will say this upfront: the better the pre-production, the fewer tricky situations arise during shoots.

— What projects do you turn down?

— I will put it this way: I still try to work with everyone. I only refuse when they come today, and the shoot was needed yesterday. I think such people just don't understand how the team works on shoots.

— You have launched the agency “Three Six Zero Production”. How many people do you have in your agency right now?

— I have three people on board: an account manager, a social media manager who doesn't handle my agency but covers all of the social media services, and an accountant.

— But three people — that is not much, is it?

— For me, it is quite a lot, because before this, I did absolutely everything myself. So, for me, it is a not huge number of people, but still.

— What projects are you currently working on?

— A shoot with No One — I can't disclose what it is yet. And in the middle of April — a jewelry shoot as well. And so many upcoming projects for SMM running at the same time.

— Do you have a metaphor that you could use to describe the work of a producer?

— A multi-layered cake. A producer's work really consists of thousands of layers. The base, then the cream, then some filling, then another base—and so on until you reach the top.

— With your extensive experience in production, what is next for you? Do you have any thoughts on moving forward?

— Honestly, yes, I have plans. Firstly, regarding my stay here. I understand that Dubai is an amazing place to live and work, with great opportunities. So I plan to stay here, but I dream of Europe. I would love to shoot in France and even live there partly. Mobility is very important to me, that is the main idea. As for the agency, it is already operating and will continue to develop. As for the office, I am not sure yet how necessary it is. I have friends with production companies and offices, and I notice that they rarely visit them. The office is mainly needed for presentations to clients and showing selects. I think there may be alternative ways of organising work. I need talented people who could become producers in the agency. I produce everything myself, only with assistants, but I would like to have producers on the team. As for my expansion plans, I want to have the opportunity to work with new colleagues and shoot in Europe. Also, I have a desire to undergo training in CGI, not necessarily to do these tasks myself.

— To have just an idea of what it is made of?

— Haha, to know when I am being deceived. And how I can improve things and be more educated for the creative team and clients.

— And the last question: give a list of the main tools for a producer.

— In addition to Pinterest I use Shotdeck, FILMGRAB, and Refsee. These links can help you find inspiration for shoots; they are kind of treasures of reference!

by Alexandra Mansilla