“Nobody is waiting for you on the internet” – Interview with HYPEBEAST Editor-in-Chief Petar Kujundzic Tags Blogroll About OSK

With over 14 million visits a month, Hypebeast.com is one of the largest platforms for streetwear worldwide. We asked editor-in-chief Petar Kujundzic how a humanities scholar from Pforzheim ended up in Hong Kong, to what extent digital storytelling will continue to develop - and whether there is a social media platform that could outperform Instagram.

From Pforzheim to Hong Kong: Petar Kujundzic moved from Baden-Württemberg to the metropolis for his dream job. Here, Petar is Editor-in-Chief of HYPEBEAST, one of the largest streetwear platforms in the world. Since 2015 he has been responsible for a team that provides millions of users with fresh content every day. The content appears on the website, in the associated print magazine and on the brand's social channels. A great responsibility for Petar, after all, the website alone generates 14 million visits a month, and another ten million people follow HYPEBEAST on Instagram and Facebook.

The sneaker and fashion blog launched in 2005 was initially known primarily in the streetwear scene. At that time, Petar was still working for various record labels in Germany and followed the blog as a loyal reader. After just one application email to Kevin Ma, he was able to become active himself and blog as a freelancer from Germany. Four years later he said goodbye to his homeland: off to the south coast of China, into the noisy, fast-moving metropolis of Hong Kong. From then on he supported his colleagues at headquarters. Around 250 employees worldwide are currently working for the e-commerce business with their own creative agency. But how did HYPEBEAST become so successful? That's what we asked Petar when we reached him on the phone in his office.

Petar, as the editor-in-chief of streetwear blog HYPEBEAST, we have to ask you this first thing: what pair of sneakers are you currently obsessing over?

I don't own that many sneakers myself. But the model "Lunar Force 1", which was launched through the cooperation between ACRONYM and Nike at the end of 2017, is one of my favorites. It's not a brand new shoe, but I like the unconventional look. Lots of symbolism and functionality at the same time.

Let's talk about you - how does someone from Pforzheim end up at HYPEBEAST in Hong Kong?

I studied humanities and didn't immediately find anything suitable. Through a very good friend I ended up working as a freelancer at Sony Music Germany. In 2007 I discovered HYPEBEAST while surfing the net and knew: That's it, that's what I want to work for. So I applied. Kevin Ma, founder and CEO of HYPEBEAST, answered me directly. From Pforzheim, almost from the nursery, I then wrote the first texts as a freelancer. Pretty crazy when I think about it now.

What happened next?

Around 2009 I worked for HYPETRAK, the musical arm of HYPEBEAST. In 2011 I flew to the office in Hong Kong for the first time - and only once back to Germany to get my things. That certainly sounds ill-considered to one or the other. But I didn't have to think. Nothing else was an option for me. I've been here ever since. In 2015, as Editorial Director, I took on overall editorial responsibility, also for our subpages HYPEBAE, HYPEKIDS and the regional pages for Korea, Japan and France.

How exactly can one imagine your task?

As Editorial Director, I work closely with the editorial directors of the various sites. Each has its own editorial team and social media team. The editors create the content, which is controlled and distributed by our social media team. I am responsible for the editorial structure, team composition and our global strategy. So I keep an eye on which editorial course we are moving.

Sounds like a lot of work.

That's right (laughs). This is due to countless overtime hours and little vacation time, especially in the first few years. But one thing is certain: I am living my dream.

How did HYPEBEAST become so successful?

With a lot of patience, diligence and a large portion of determination. And of course curiosity. We keep asking ourselves what moves people. What excites you, what is being discussed out there? We only remain relevant if we address these issues. Our editorial focus covers many areas without the HYPEBEAST brand suffering from it with its core topics of sneakers and fashion. With our content from the fields of music, art, design, architecture and technology, a broad platform for our community is created. That's what makes us. And at the same time, this community is also our editorial engine. We have very demanding readers who let us know what interests them or what they are missing. That drives us.

How do you manage to remain a pioneer?

We work routinely, but with sufficient leeway, we are flexible and don't stand still, because digitization never stops. Nobody is waiting for you online. That's why we have to decide quickly whether we're going to take up a topic. And we don't just want to report on trends, we want to set decisive impulses for "hypes". In 2018, you have to be incredibly on the ball for that. We are extremely well connected through our teams in New York, London, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Seoul and can use synergies.

Who are the most important trendsetters in the world of HYPEBEAST?

Too many to name. But those who've been following our content lately couldn't ignore the likes of Virgil Abloh, Kanye West, Heron Preston, Errolson Hugh, and Gosha Rubchinskiy.

What kind of posts resonate best with your readers? And on which channels?

New collections, music themes and technology news with a focus on smartphones are currently doing very well for us. We always consider individually how best to play this content and learn from our data. Ultimately, our content is our business card. Instagram Stories are useful because the reader can consume them on the go. When a collection comes out, I rely on the classic blog article. There are transparent indicators, our so-called “hypes”. If the website visitor likes an article, he can give it a "hype". This is a benchmark for us, but also a popular recommendation medium between readers.

You mentioned Instagram - what do you think is the next social platform?

I don't currently see any platform that can seriously outperform Instagram. I rather believe that the possibilities are not yet exhausted. But this question is very country specific. In Brazil, Pinterest is popular, in Korea the messenger KakaoTalk.

What do you think: how will digital storytelling evolve?

It's going to be more democratic and more regulated at the same time, I guess. Precisely because users notice that they can decide when and where they want to read which content. Companies have to adapt to this. I'm excited to see what opportunities social networks will offer us in the future. Users are becoming increasingly mobile and have less time. “Snackable Content” is the keyword. Storytelling has to constantly adapt to the rhythm of the community in order to catch on.

Finally, let's take a look back at your beginnings at HYPEBEAST. Was there a point at which you noticed: it works, what we do is successful?

This is an ongoing process. I should take a deep breath, look back and be amazed much more often. When I started in Hong Kong, the team was just under ten people. We now have 120 employees here and 270 worldwide. The other day I found out about these current numbers and had to force myself to pause for a moment. An official game changer was the moment HYPEBEAST went public in Hong Kong in 2016.