Layoffs give way to idea for locals magazine

By Joe Brown

Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2009 | 2 a.m.

A brand-new 100-page, full-color, free magazine aimed at hip young Las Vegas locals is all written, photographed, illustrated, designed and ready to go to print.

All it needs is someone to buy an ad — well, $18,000 worth of ads — enough to cover the costs of printing and distributing the first issue.

The magazine, called Sinner, proposes a sassy, stylish take on the “new Vegas.”

And if and when it finally appears on newsstands, it will represent the silver lining from one dark, cloudy reality of the new Vegas: Layoffs.

It was September, and Sinner editor Ginah Lasta and her friends were working at the ad agency SK+G, which focuses on lifestyle, tourism and travel, with clients including MGM Mirage, the Palms and Planet Hollywood.

Gas was approaching $4 a gallon at the time. Tourism — and the city’s hospitality market — was at an all-time low, and Las Vegas went from the nation’s fastest-growing city to ground zero for foreclosures. Lasta heard the whispers, felt the approaching chill, sensed the shadow of corporate downsizing.

“Many hotels began to take all of their advertising in-house,” says Lasta, 31. “I knew my time at the agency was limited.”

She watched as the ranks of her office friends thinned, until the day finally came when the human resources number blinked on her phone’s caller ID.

“I surprised the nervous H.R. administrator with a hug and complete cooperation,” Lasta says, laughing.

Unlike many who found themselves shocked, paralyzed and depressed by sudden unemployment, Lasta and her future conspirators had been dreaming up their Plan B. She had called a meeting when the desks at the agency began to empty.

“We need to do something ourselves,” Lasta said, rallying her colleagues. “We have such good friends who have so many creative resources. Let’s do something.”

Thus was created an alliance of five, each with his or her own superpower: Lasta specializes in print production; Rob Alcantar, 28, in design and art direction; HyunHo Anthony Han, 33, is nicknamed “Technical Tony”; Kris Mayeshiro, 30, handles photography and image retouching; and Juan Herring, 28, is the biz whiz.

Living on unemployment checks and savings, working individually from their homes, occasionally meeting up at a friendly bar and grill they used to frequent when they worked at the agency, the gang began to research and develop what would become Sinner, which now resides on Alcantar’s MacBook, waiting for those life-giving ads to fill in the blank spaces. (The irony is not lost on the former ad agency employees.)

The magazine’s title acknowledges the Sin City cliche without resorting to it. And it proposes an alternative name for those who live and play here.

“There really isn’t a cool term,” Lasta says. “There’s ‘local’ and there’s ‘Las Vegan,’ and neither of them are good. Locals sounds like yokels.”

“And ‘Las Vegan’ sounds like a confused vegetarian,” Mayeshiro adds.

Their hope is that as the magazine gains the attention of its target audience, “Sinner” will catch on as a byword for young residents.

As Lasta describes it, each issue will be divided into seven sections representing the Seven Deadly Sins. Pride, for instance, will focus on fashion and style; Greed (business and politics); Lust (sex and relationships); Envy (celebrity and success); Sloth (relaxation and entertainment); Gluttony (food and restaurants); and Wrath (local news and topical rants). The magazine will end with a page called Saints, spotlighting a community volunteer organization and how to get involved.

For the inaugural January issue — which is being refashioned for a hoped-for February launch — the crew called in some favors and landed, among others, UFC star Randy Couture, KLUC Morning Zoo DJ Lauren Michaels, boutique owner Patty Barba and Brandi Mahon, a Wasted Space bartender who won VH1’s “Rock of Love Charm School” for the cover shoot.

The group acknowledges there is considerable competition among free publications, including Las Vegas Weekly (published by Greenspun Media Group, which publishes the Las Vegas Sun), City Life (published by Stephens Media, owner of the Las Vegas Review-Journal), 944 (published in eight cities), the pocket-size Six Degrees (four cities) and 24/7 (a Clear Channel freebie distributed in taxis).

But an aggressively local focus will be Sinner’s trump card, Alcantar says.

“We didn’t feel there was a really strong publication targeted toward us,” Alcantar says.

“Us” being the 21-to-35, work hard, play hard audience who prefers neighborhood hangouts and discoveries to Strip joints, he says.

“We’re not poppin’ bottles on the red carpet every night while DJ AM is on the ones and twos. I’m not saying that we haven’t done it, I’m saying that is one tiny piece of the lifestyle here.

“Our first issue is all about that Vegas has a unique culture — and we’re gonna start rockin’ with it, being proud of it,” Alcantar says. “Sinners unite!”