Big Issue 35th anniversary edition in September 2026, and managing director Russell Blackman. Pictures: Big Issue Commercial partnerships with major brands are helping street magazine Big Issue diversify its income beyond its traditional vendor selling model. Managing director Russell Blackman told Press Gazette the creative studio Big Issue Create is seeing “very positive year-on-year results” despite magazine revenue declining. This is one part, he said, of building out “other revenue streams that support the core traditional business model of our magazine sales to vendors”. Big Issue Create produces commercial content, advertorials, sponsored content, film content and contract publishing, putting out work across its own editorial platforms and via partner channels. It works with media agencies and brands directly and partners have included: Specsavers, Giffgaff, Citroen, Nespresso and Experian. Blackman pointed to the increasing trend of a “purpose-driven consumer”. “We’ve seen that there is a greater demand for brands to seek out very credible and authentic platforms to demonstrate their commitment to doing good, essentially.” He added that ideally this work not only delivers commercial results …