Sophie Lord is a good human. Truly her values run deep and one of the most lovely things about this beautiful human is that she doesn’t shout from the rooftops about all the awesome things she does, instead, she just makes value judgments and strives to be better than she has had shown to her in her career as Art Director for the likes of Bauer Media and Pacific Magazines. Sophie unequivocally rejects the messages from corporate execs that the colour green and Asians on a cover won’t sell mags. As a result of this misguided advice, Sophie has developed an MO to raise the bar, but she’s not necessarily spruiking a diversity and inclusivity policy, she’s just living it. She’s not necessarily an environmental ambassador, instead, she makes conscious decisions to support small businesses that consider the life cycle of their product’s consumption. She’s not a paid-up mouthpiece for the industry but she has advocated for better support for bridal businesses through the tidal wave of CV19. She truly is a champion for good. Being the editor of Hello May, a bridal magazine with heart, is one of the many strings to Sophie’s bow. Sophie says she felt like the bridal industry needed a breath of fresh air and authenticity and so she set about doing things differently to the big brand publishing companies. Printed on recycled paper stock with soy-based inks, printed in Australia, she is on the front line of changing the magazine landscape. As Sophie says, independent publishers are kind of having a moment. While the big brands and titles are closing around them, Sophie and her team are weathering the pandemic and regaining momentum after an initial pause. This conversation was a joy to record with Sophie and will be incredibly valuable to vendors, photographers, wedding gown designers, stylists, and all of the creatives who bring our weddings to life. Find Sophie at https://www.instagram.com/sophielord/ https://www.instagram.com/hellomaymagazine/ Find Odette Barry online https://instagram.com/odetteandco https://instagram.com/hackyourownpr