“I think there’s a lot of red flags when it comes to starting a print publication right now, but I would almost argue that not as many as three or four years ago,” Kade Krichko

Ori “is a word that started out of convenience, but it’s really turned into something very representative of what we’re trying to do with the magazine, which is connecting east, west, north, south, all of it. And it shows. I mean, I glanced through the first issue, and you get that global feeling within the pages, which I can call like a coffee table magazine.” Kade Krichko

Call it love of print, love for travel, love for storytelling, love for going national and global… or, for short, call it Ori. The new magazine for travel from the source.

Kade Krichko is the man behind Ori. His love for print, travel, storytelling, and going global is manifested in the first issue of a beautiful coffee table type magazine.

I reached out to Kade and chatted about Ori, its origin, its concept, and its roadmap for the future. What follows is the lightly edited interview with Kade, but first the soundbites:
On the name Ori: That was our travel from the source idea that we built this magazine on, and then Ori, the name is kind of funny, but Ori is short for origin, also for original, for orient, all these ideas of direction, right?

On role of print in a digital age:  For us, it was the idea of, again, this antidote of this digital scrolling world that we live in, where everything moves so fast. And we, even magazines, are moving so fast.

On what else besides the magazine they are doing: But, yeah, we want this to be a community that’s represented. And so, part of that is having some merchandise that people can wear and that will, you know, bring up some questions at the dinner party. Like, oh, what is Ori? That’s interesting.

On the action the magazine will generate: When that curiosity is piqued, people want an action step. So, when they’re excited about traveling and they like the way that we see the world and travel the world, why not travel with us and go have these experiences with us?

On the biggest challenge he is facing:  So I think, you know, establishing a path forward, not being afraid to adjust that path, and then explaining and bringing people along that journey with you has been the biggest challenge, but also one of the greatest creative challenges I’ve had in my career.

On the most pleasant moment: I think hearing from creatives and their feedback has been the most rewarding element of my career, maybe even my life.

On his expectations for 2025: I hope that we have launched one to two more trips that are associated with some of our content and that we have a group of curious travelers that are not only reading our magazine but are offering feedback and that are letting us know what parts of the world they want to know more about.

On what keeps him up at night: Besides typos? I go to bed at night full of ideas and anxious to wake up the next day and implement them or explore them.

And now for the lightly edited conversation with Kade Krichko, founding editor, Ori magazine:

Samir Husni: First, congratulations on the new magazine. 

Kade Krichko: Thank you so much.

Samir Husni: Are you out of your mind to start a print publication in a digital age? 

Kade Krichko: I am the right kind of out of my mind, I think. Yes, I think there’s a lot of red flags when it comes to starting a print publication right now, but I would almost argue that not as many as three or four years ago. So, yes, there were some warning signs, and obviously some of these bigger companies have had a very, very tough time of late. And I think what we’re seeing is a rebirth, or maybe a safety valve that is the independent magazine. So, in that respect, I feel like I have entered a completely different lane than some of these other publications that are struggling right now.  But, yeah, obviously a little bit scary to start a print publication in the age of digital, right? 

Samir Husni: So, tell me a little bit more about Ori. I mean, it’s a travel from the source and the name, the origin. How did you come up with this idea to have a travel from the source magazine? 

Kade Krichko: I think you kind of nailed it a little bit in the question. Because Ori, for me, not only did I never think I’d start a print publication, I never thought I’d start a travel print publication. But what Ori is, is kind of an antidote to what we’ve been seeing in the travel industry, which is this idea of, we are a travel magazine, but I’m almost explaining as we are a magazine for travelers, because the travel magazines of old were going to these places, they were talking about their experiences, and they were coming home and explaining what these places were like, but really from the perspective of parachuting in and then parachuting out.

So, this idea of traveling from the source is actually reaching out to the source, being the people who live in these destinations, the people who live in these countries, the people who live in these towns, that work as journalists, that work as storytellers, that work as teachers, that work in restaurants, and having them explain what makes their home so great, or so interesting, or so dynamic. So, in that sense, it’s not a total shift, but a little bit of a pivot, and the idea of getting stories from the people who are living it.

That was our travel from the source idea that we built this magazine on, and then Ori, the name is kind of funny, but Ori is short for origin, also for original, for orient, all these ideas of direction, right? Originally, I started with Origen, I like speaking Spanish, I’ve spent a bunch of time in Spanish-speaking countries, and all of my friends told me they wouldn’t read my Spanish travel magazine.

I was like, come on guys, humor me a little bit, but ultimately they won out, and I decided, you know what, you’re right, Origen only represents part of the world.  If we cut that in half, we have a base word, Ori, which is Latin, which, you know, Origem is Portuguese, I’m not sure what origin is in Italian, so I’m not going to mispronounce it, but it also starts with Ori.  And we have all these Latin words that Ori itself means to begin, to rise, to appear.

But then we look at Japanese and we have origami, and Ori there means opportunity. So, that was beautiful and something that I was like, wow, that’s potent,  that’s, you know, east to west crossing over.  And then I had another friend tell me that, wow, I didn’t know you spoke Hebrew, and I said, well, I don’t.  And he’s like, well, Ori means light in Hebrew.  I was like, oh, wow, now we’re connecting, you know, this is a word that’s connecting.  And I was at an event this weekend in Brooklyn, we had a magazine launch party in Brooklyn, New York, and I had someone come up to me and be like, did you know Ori in Nigeria is actually a very important metaphysical force that is associated with destiny? And this idea that when your Ori is in line that you are living your best life and this whole thing that I had no idea about, you know.

So, it’s a word that started out of convenience, but it’s really turned into something very representative of what we’re trying to do with the magazine, which is connecting east, west, north, south, all of it. And it shows. I mean, I glanced through the first issue, and you get that global feeling within the pages, which I can call like a coffee table magazine.

But at the same time, I mean, it’s like you said, it’s travel from the source. 

Samir Husni: So, tell me, when you came up with the idea and finally determined on the name of Ori, and why twice a year?

Kade Krichko: That was another creative risk we took. We have some modeling with other publications that have done this recently, especially in the independent space.

You have, you know, the Mountain Gazette, which is a mountain lifestyle magazine. You have some more niche mountain and sports publications that are doing a victory journal in Brooklyn, New York. There’s Sports Culture Magazine.

For us, it was the idea of, again, this antidote of this digital scrolling world that we live in, where everything moves so fast. And we, even magazines, are moving so fast. You see The New Yorker, which is ultimately the pinnacle of a lot of what we do as journalists.

And they’re publishing so frequently that people don’t have time to finish that magazine before the next one shows up. And for us, we really wanted people to sit with our magazine. We wanted them to read it cover to cover, hopefully because they enjoy it, but if not, because they have the time to do it at the very least.

And maybe they find enjoyment when they actually have to slow down and read it.  So, we figured, you know, people are going to get angry either way. And if people get a little frustrated that there’s not another magazine for them to read, we’re creating our own demand in that sense.

We want people to be excited for the next magazine and have it show up and then be ready to consume and to learn and to experience what we’ve been putting together.

Samir Husni: And I’ve noticed not only you launched a magazine, but you launched also like a store with goods that people can order and buy. And tell me about the whole brand.

I mean, what’s the goal in 2024?

Kade Krichko: I think, yeah, in 2024, you need to offer a little bit more than just the publication. And if we’re not, we aren’t releasing anything digitally. We do have a blog that will have, you know, useful travel information and fun stories.

But, yeah, we want this to be a community that’s represented. And so, part of that is having some merchandise that people can wear and that will, you know, bring up some questions at the dinner party. Like, oh, what is Ori? That’s interesting.

And then also, yeah, just that idea of representation.  And then also something we’re doing recently is we’ve launched trips that are in association with the magazine. Because we feel like the magazine is about piquing curiosity.

When that curiosity is piqued, people want an action step. So, when they’re excited about traveling and they like the way that we see the world and travel the world, why not travel with us and go have these experiences with us? So, we have kind of tied this into the full circle experience. Read with us, then come see the world with us idea.

So, in the spring, we’re going to Basque Country, Spain, a place that I lived for a number of years, connecting with some friends there. And kind of living this mantra that we’re pushing in the magazine, this idea of going to the source to learn about things. We’re going and interacting with local businesses, with local wineries, with local restaurants, with local guides, and trying to emulate what we do in the pages out in the real world.

And, you know, I think the shop connects with the magazine, connects with the trips. We want to create this ecosystem, this community, rather, that once you’re kind of bought into it, you really can be a part of it. And you can help, you know, you can help us spread the word, but you can also use it to connect with other folks, including the people who put the magazine together.

Myself, I’m an email away. I mean, we’re super small.  Our staff is two, maybe three, depending on the day, because sometimes our designer is working with us, but most of the time he has a real job. Good for him. But yeah, we want this to be approachable.  And we thought that having, you know, some merchant some connection to the product was part of that.

Samir Husni: So tell me, Kade, what was the most challenging moment you faced from the moment you came up with the idea to the launch of the magazine?

Kade Krichko: Well, that is a great question, because it all kind of molds into one massive mountain that I’ve been climbing. I think the challenge has been turning. The vision is very clear for me of what I would like to do with Ori and what we would like to do as a community.

But it has been hard to translate that in today’s landscape, that I feel like there’s a set of boxes that people are comfortable with, and we rest comfortably outside of that box. So trying to show people that there are multiple ways to consume this information, to enjoy this experience, has been the most difficult. These conversations help. I think you and I getting to talk, you know, helps you understand what we’re doing and hopefully some others to understand what we’re doing. But I don’t, I’m not able to have that conversation with everybody every day. So I think, you know, establishing a path forward, not being afraid to adjust that path, and then explaining and bringing people along that journey with you has been the biggest challenge, but also one of the greatest creative challenges I’ve had in my career.

Something I really enjoy. Get me talking and I won’t stop, because I really do believe in this product, but I also believe in this platform. I think what we’re doing is somewhat innovative in our space, as far as, you know, supporting storytellers and yeah, something I can go on and on about.

That’s been the challenge, is doing something a little bit different, believing in it and then translating it.

Samir Husni: And what was the most pleasant moment you had?

Kade Krichko: I think hearing from creatives and their feedback has been the most rewarding element of my career, maybe even my life. And when I say creatives, I mean writers, I mean photographers, I mean illustrators and artists. I’ve had so many people that I’ve worked with in just the short amount of time reach out and say thank you, and that this was something that they’ve been waiting for, and that they never thought it would come, and that they wish us the best. When somebody wishes you the best, you feel a responsibility to keep going and to make sure that you make them proud. So when the magazine did come out this past November, our first issue, to then get a second round of thank yous and wows and this is better than we imagined, that’s a great feeling. And part of the thank you is this creative grant that we’ve built into our magazine, which again, when I speak of innovation, I didn’t think this was something innovative, and it’s not innovative in the nonprofit space, but perhaps in the publishing space.

Every subscription we get, we take a portion of that subscription revenue and we put it into a safe bank account, and we watch that grow as we gain subscribers. And then once our issue comes out, we go back to our subscribers, folks like you and me, who have read the magazine, and we ask them, what was your favorite piece from this magazine? What really resonated with you? And we basically have a vote, and when that vote is tallied, we award that money that we’ve been saving to a creative team, so a photographer and a writer, to fund their next project.

We don’t ask them what their next project is, we don’t tell them it has to be with us, we give it to them and we say, we believe in you. And to have that belief, I’ve been on the other side as a writer, to have that belief from an editorial staff, you feel like you can move mountains. You feel like you can do anything if somebody’s like, I believe in you. It’s not just me saying that, it’s all of our subscribers saying, we believe in you, your storytelling, and we want to see what you do next, and we’re following along. And so as far as gratification goes, we just awarded our first creative grant, and actually you’re one of the first people to officially know this, but we awarded it to a creative team out of Mexico City, a female writer and a female photographer,  Tamara de Anda and Eunice Adorno. And so they will be receiving our first creative grant this week, and we’ll be able to use that for whatever they want moving forward.

And we’re excited to see where they go, and I think a lot of people will be following along now because they want to see where their money goes, right?

Samir Husni: That’s great. So you and I are talking in January of 2025, what would you tell me you’ve accomplished in 2024?

Kade Krichko: I love this. We should hire you on our business side of things to keep us focused. By 2025, I hope we have three magazines out the door. I hope that our creative grant has grown into something that people in the media industry cannot ignore, that this is a new way of doing things in publishing, that at this point, I hope multiple magazines are copying us because I don’t want to be the only one that’s rewarding creatives in our small space. I hope that we have launched one to two more trips that are associated with some of our content and that we have a group of curious travelers that are not only reading our magazine but are offering feedback and that are letting us know what parts of the world they want to know more about.

Hopefully that’s not just in the U.S. and North America, we hope that that is all over the world. Our first issue went to 13 different countries. We’ve only really done marketing in the U.S. and very limited marketing. Marketing being reach out to my friends and say, hey, this is pretty cool. t’s something we’ve been working on. You should check it out.

So, yeah, to be a little more global as a global magazine, I think would be absolutely amazing.

As a pipe dream of mine is to offer this in different languages. But that might be a 2026 conversation.

Samir Husni: If I come unannounced to visit you one evening at home, what would I catch you doing?  

Kade Krichko: I would probably be trying to put my laptop down, but I would be doing so while cooking  and listening to music. I think those are the two things that help me recenter myself in the evening time and also continue learning while relaxing. I think cooking and music are both really fluid and imperfect, similar to language, similar to some kinds of storytelling.

So yeah, I’d probably be playing some music from some part of the world that I hadn’t heard yet and cooking a dish with what I have in the kitchen, hopefully with more than one person in the apartment, but I’ll do it for myself and for a new friend too.

Samir Husni: Excellent. And what keeps Kade up at night these days?

Kade Krichko: Do we really want the answer to that?  Besides typos? I think that Ori has ignited an energy in me that I haven’t felt in a long time.

I go to bed at night full of ideas and anxious to wake up the next day  and implement them or explore them. I wish I was getting more sleep because it does keep me up at night, but that is a fire I feel really gifted to have, that every day I wake up very motivated to make this thing better and to see where it can go. And I’m sure you get that a lot from, especially like self-starters and people in the independent space, but I do think it’s true.

I think the people who hang around the longest have that. And I think finding satisfaction in that is often the hard part, but when you do align those two things, it’s intoxicating. It’s an incredible feeling.

Samir Husni: Thank you and good luck on the future of Ori.