Since 2002 college students and young adults in New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Lafayette, LA, Gainesville and Tallahassee, FL, Athens, GA and Knoxville, TN have been reading The Speed Magazine to keep "up to speed" on the hottest nightlife, coolest music and latest fashion trends.
Although our office in New Orleans was wiped out by Katrina, our publishers - Über Entertainment - relocated to Hollywood, CA and continued to publish issues for the Fall 2005 and Spring 2006 academic semesters. We even opened up new markets publishing editions of The Speed Magazine in Los Angeles, CA, Birmingham and Tuscaloosa, AL and Louisville, KY.
Then in April of 2006 Über Entertainment along with its subsidiaries The Speed Magazine and Über Models Talent Agency was acquired by Warning Management Services Inc. in Beverly Hills, CA, parent company of Warning Models. Click below for the press release.
Warning Models and Über Models merged to form Über-Warning Models, one of the top agencies in LA which represents names such as Paris Hilton, Dennis Rodman among many other top models who have appeared on the covers of Vogue, Glamour, W, Harpers and in countless fashion magazines. Three of our models have been contestants on Americas Next Top Model.
Then in May, 2006, Warning Management Services Inc. announced the Fall 2006 launch of Warning Magazine, formerly known as The Speed Magazine. The new Warning Magazine will open local editions in sixteen cities including Athens, GA, Baton Rouge, LA, Birmingham, AL, Bloomington, IN, Gainesville, FL, Knoxville, TN, Lafayette, LA, Lexington, KY, Louisville, KY, Los Angeles, CA, Memphis, TN, Nashville, TN, New Orleans, LA, Tallahassee, Tempe, AZ and Tuscaloosa, AL.
Louisville History: By Jacob Zimmer, Editor May 2006
The Speed Magazine published its first issue in New Orleans in 2002. As they expanded, I was the Editor for the Baton Rouge and Lafayette editions. Following Hurricane Katrina, I was displaced to Louisville, KY and opened an edition here. For our premiere Louisville issue our cover feature is Fourth Street Live, our Sports Feature is an interview with Rick Pitino, Dining Review is Hall of Fame Cafe and Local Music Feature is Radianation. Pick up your copy today and share it with your friends! Here is the cover:
Even prior to distribution, we received local press coverage for a formerly New Orleans based business expanding to Louisville. Here is an article in Business First and a screen still from WAVE 3 News:
Unfortunately, we were met with some resistance. A local art museum and the University of Louisville's School of Engineering were named for a philanthropist and business leader named James B. Speed in 1912; and a law firm representing the museum and school threatened us with a lawsuit citing trademark infringement. This event sparked more local press including another newspaper article and FOX 41 News featured myself and The Speed Magazine in their Business Spotlight:
Distribution was halted while we discussed our next move. We concluded that the lawyers threatening us had no case, but we did reprint the back cover with a disclaimer acknowledging no connection between their clients and us. The magazine was distributed all over Louisville following Spring Break.
The name "Speed" has long been problematic for its association with the street drug methamphetamine and the racing industry. While the threatened lawsuit in Louisville did not force us to change the name of the magazine, it was the straw to break the camel's back in encouraging our publishers to change the name nationwide.
In April 2006, our publisher, Uber Inc., was acquired by Warning Management Services. This merger will allow The Speed Magazine to expand into even more markets as well as grow Uber Models and Uber Vintage clothing line. View this press release on Yahoo! News for more details.