Matt Weir / The Collegian
Documenting the ever-changing modern culture
Five students plus one thousand ideas equal infinite possibilities.
For business marketing major Lance Christensen life on campus with his skateboard and laidback appearance, the word entrepreneur does not immediately come to mind. But in fact, he is just that.
Christensen created an informational Web site designed for an audience between the ages 15 to 35. The site shares the news he and his friends are interested in and feel others like them would also enjoy.
By his early teens Christensen observed his favorite bands, current movies and Web sites in which he wanted to be a part of.
The problem, Christensen explained, was “wanting to be in those entities but not knowing how.â€Â
A year later Christensen realized it was possible and with the help of a group of friends The LGM Project was created.
LGM stands for Lean Green Machine. “People think we’re going green,â€Â said Brooke Rolfs, marketing and public relations director. However, the name was chosen, not because the magazine supports environmental friendliness, but to catch people’s attention, Christensen said.
“It’s not that we don’t support going green. It’s just not what we’re about,â€Â Rolfs said.
The headline for The LGM Project states that the company is “pushing the boundaries.â€Â Rolfs said, “We’re so used to the general magazine. We’re trying to take it to the next level. Make it jump off the page.â€Â
Christensen created The LGM Project in June 2009, as a method of “documenting the ever-changing modern culture (thelgmproject.com).â€Â Quickly, The LGM Project was able to interview bands such as Saosin, “Pretty Hurt”, “All Time Low”, “We The Kings” and “3oh!3” as well as companies like Hurley International and Nike 6.0.
“To be where we’re at and talk to those people for those few seconds puts a huge grin on my face,â€Â said editor in chief Brian Alamano.
The enthusiasm and amazement of Christensen, Rolfs and Alamano was nearly tangible when they discussed The LGM Project. “It blows my mind,â€Â Christensen said. “These are people and bands we’ve liked since we were little kidsâ€Â The online magazine is not affiliated with Fresno State but has a staff entirely composed of students.
Besides Christensen, Maxwell, Rolfs, Alamano and Braga, there are two more on the team. Spencer Rolfs, interviewer/correspondent, and Trent Tarasen, videographer, editor and correspondent. Both were unavailable during the interview.
Just four months since the launch of the site, the LGM project has already gained more than 1,000 visitors.
Using Google Analytics, the group views the amount of visitors the site has each day as well as reoccurring visitors, length of page views and even user locations. Christensen said The LGM Project even gets hits from Canada, Norway, Belgium, South America, Central America and parts of Europe.
The LGM Project uses words, videos and photos as informational tools. Every article is written as it best relates to viewers, according to the team.
“We feel people can relate to our personalities through our writing.â€Â Alamano, Christensen and Rolfs all agreed with the sentiment. “Our personalities show through the Web site,â€Â Alamano said.
The Web site contains content relating to music, art, entertainment, trends and fashion. The staff tries to update daily. “We know the type of stuff we want two put on there,â€Â Christensen said. “It’s stuff that sparks our attention. We hope it will spark someone else’s attention too.â€Â
The LGM Project also encourages others to share stories. The Web site has a page allowing viewers to type and submit their own writings for potential site content.
“We’re trying to take the magazine concept to the next level,â€Â said Christensen.
“Magazines have always been conventional. We want to expose the creative people, not just the mainstreamers,â€Â Rolfs said.