Instant is about documenting an event — a moment in time.
The Instant Publishing Group brings together a team of talented and experienced writers, editors, photographers and designers — each with a distinct voice and vision.
We are on a mission to inspire readers and viewers with a captivating, gorgeously designed collection of in-depth profiles, portraits, narratives and images: a post-modernized version of an old-fashioned, high-quality magazine,in hard-copy and online.
In addition to producing Santa Cruz’s newest tech-culture journal, Instant Magazine, The Instant Publishing Group offers its unique set of talents and services to forward-leaning organizations and companies seeking an entirely new kind of story-telling tool.
(noun) e•vent
An observable phenomenon or an extraordinary occurrence
Matthew Swinnerton
Publisher
Matthew Swinnerton is co-founder of TechRaising and lead interrogator at InterrogationHub.com. Matthew is completely dialed in to the Santa Cruz tech community and has written articles, including interviews with leading Silicon Valley CEOs and entrepreneurs, for various trade publications.
Eric Johnson
Editorial Director
Eric Johnson is a Santa Cruz-based journalist, web strategist and entrepreneur. He’s spent much of the past 15 years guiding teams of writers, photographers and production artists as senior editor at local alt-weeklies including Metro Silicon Valley and the Monterey County Weekly.
Ted Holladay
Creative Director
Ted Holladay founded Studio Holladay in 2005. Since then he has led the creation of comprehensive design, brand and marketing programs for regional and national-tier clients. He is also a highly regarded Leica-slinging photographer.
Conrad Altmann
Art Director
Conrad Altmann, who leads the design team at Studio Holladay, specializes in producing multi-channel, inspired design solutions through creative strategy and innovative typographic-based design.
Eric Zwierzynski
Senior Designer
Eric Zwierzynski, also of Studio Holladay, is a designer whose all-inclusive approach requires a big-picture perspective. That means viewing limitations as fuel for creativity, generously asking incisive questions and executing design with authenticity and enthusiasm.
Traci Hukill
Associate Editor
Traci Hukill is a Santa Cruz–based writer and editor with 15 years’ experience in alt-weeklies, websites and magazines. She was the editor of the Santa Cruz Weekly from 2007 to 2012.
Before we’d even completed publication of the premiere issue of Instant Magazine, we knew we’d hit upon a new way for communities, organizations and companies to tell their stories.
With a team of professional writers interviewing folks associated with an event in advance, we are able to produce in-depth articles of deep interest to stakeholders.
By deploying our team of writers and photographers, we are able to create a uniquely rich account of the stories that erupt throughout the event.
With a team of photographers and designers led by Studio Holladay, Santa Cruz’s leading full-service branding agency, we are committed to producing niche publications that rival the best-designed boutique magazines in the world.
Our team comes to your conference, meeting or business function and produces a boutique magazine documenting the event, available for immediate download at the close of the event. (!)
We deploy our editorial team to produce in-depth articles about your organization, company or event, based on interviews with principals, organizers, key participants, and other key influencers.
We produce creative, clever features that tell your organization’s or company’s story in a fully engaging way.
Each of our publications is unique—custom-designed to match the story or stories it tells.
We bring passion and rigor to every task required to produce a first-rate publication: We select fonts, shoot photographs, create custom illustrations, and lay out every page with care.
We are a creative collaboration. Sometimes we’re linear thinkers, forging a direct path between points A and B. Other times we’re broken-field runners, taking the audience on the scenic, memorable route. Either way, we deliver the destination, distilling even the most complex messages into elegant outcomes.