Mel Campbell
Encyclopedia
Melissa "Mel" Campbell is an Australian journalist, blogger and cultural critic. She is a co-founder of Is Not Magazine
and currently runs the online pop-culture magazine The Enthusiast.
, then pursued a Master of Arts degree by research at the University of Melbourne
. Her research concerned the Australian cultural figure of the bogan
, which she argued does not refer to a social class, a subculture or an aesthetic, but rather is a consensually imagined figure that arises in Australian media and public debate when Australian national identity is perceived as fragmentary or under threat. As part of her research, Campbell has written and spoken on the Jaidyn Leskie murder case, Ned Kelly
and the phenomenon of "cashed-up bogans".
Campbell's other academic interests include fashion and popular music. Her paper about the non-verbal vocalisations of Michael Jackson won the International Association for the Study of Popular Music's Postgraduate Prize in 2003.
In 2009 Campbell tutored in online journalism at Monash University
.
, The Sydney Morning Herald
, Meanjin
, Crikey
and New Matilda.
Between 2006 and 2007 Campbell was pop culture editor at Australian alternative women's magazine YEN.
From 2007-8 Campbell was deputy editor at Triple J
's monthly music magazine, jmag. She continues to write and review for the magazine on a freelance basis.
Campbell is currently the film editor at ThreeThousand, an online subcultural guide to Melbourne, as well as its sister sites around Australia: TwoThousand, FourThousand, FiveThousand and SixThousand.
in 2005. An independently published, bimonthly magazine in the form of a 1.5m x 2m bill poster, Is Not ran for eleven issues (and several special issues) before the five co-founders declared it officially defunct in August 2008.
"We wanted to make a community around this magazine and reinvigorate public space," Campbell told The Age in 2005. "It changes the way you approach reading, because there's no logical place for you to start. We love the way that it's physical. You look up, you bend down, we've got spaces … where you can make contributions of your own."
In 2008 Campbell formed the creative partnership Infinite Ape Media with fellow journalists Andrew Tijs and Daniel Zugna. Their first publication is an online magazine of culture and the popular arts called The Enthusiast. Launched in January 2009, The Enthusiast publishes news, features, opinion and review.
Campbell has contributed to Crikeys politics blog, The Stump, and is also a contributing editor at feminist blog The Dawn Chorus.
, Campbell created the satirical character The Incredible Melk, a human resources consultant-turned-hip-hop MC. Her comedy cabaret show The Incredible Melk's Booty Pageant was commended in that year's Fringe Awards, and she performed a revised version at the 2005 Melbourne International Comedy Festival
.
Reviewer Helen Razer
described the show as "a confusing delight", writing: "Performer Mel Campbell has constructed a complex man-eater at ease with language and pop culture."
Is Not Magazine
Is Not Magazine was an independently published bi-monthly magazine in the form of a 1.5m x 2m bill poster, produced in Melbourne, Australia. It was created by five young Melbourne writers and designers, who edited the magazine: Mel Campbell, Stuart Geddes, Natasha Ludowyk, Penny Modra and Jeremy...
and currently runs the online pop-culture magazine The Enthusiast.
Academia
Campbell studied creative advertising at RMIT UniversityRMIT University
RMIT University is an Australian public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. It has two branches, referred to as RMIT University in Australia and RMIT International University in Vietnam....
, then pursued a Master of Arts degree by research at the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
. Her research concerned the Australian cultural figure of the bogan
Bogan
The term bogan is Australian slang, usually pejorative or self-deprecating, for an individual who is recognised to be from a lower class background or someone whose limited education, speech, clothing, attitude and behaviour exemplifies such a background....
, which she argued does not refer to a social class, a subculture or an aesthetic, but rather is a consensually imagined figure that arises in Australian media and public debate when Australian national identity is perceived as fragmentary or under threat. As part of her research, Campbell has written and spoken on the Jaidyn Leskie murder case, Ned Kelly
Ned Kelly
Edward "Ned" Kelly was an Irish Australian bushranger. He is considered by some to be merely a cold-blooded cop killer — others, however, consider him to be a folk hero and symbol of Irish Australian resistance against the Anglo-Australian ruling class.Kelly was born in Victoria to an Irish...
and the phenomenon of "cashed-up bogans".
Campbell's other academic interests include fashion and popular music. Her paper about the non-verbal vocalisations of Michael Jackson won the International Association for the Study of Popular Music's Postgraduate Prize in 2003.
In 2009 Campbell tutored in online journalism at Monash University
Monash University
Monash University is a public university based in Melbourne, Victoria. It was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. Monash is a member of Australia's Group of Eight and the ASAIHL....
.
Journalism
Campbell is a freelance journalist who writes about popular culture, advertising and branding, media (particularly online media trends) and everyday life. Publications to which she contributes include The AgeThe Age
The Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...
, The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald is a daily broadsheet newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1831 as the Sydney Herald, the SMH is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Australia. The newspaper is published six days a week. The newspaper's Sunday counterpart, The...
, Meanjin
Meanjin
Meanjin is an Australian literary journal. The name - pronounced Mee-AN-jin - is derived from an Aboriginal word for the land where the city Brisbane is located.It was founded in December 1940, in Brisbane, by Clem Christesen...
, Crikey
Crikey
Crikey is an independent Australian electronic magazine comprising an open access website and an email newsletter available to subscribers. Well known in Australian political, media and business circles, Crikey was described by former Federal Opposition Leader Mark Latham as the "most popular...
and New Matilda.
Between 2006 and 2007 Campbell was pop culture editor at Australian alternative women's magazine YEN.
From 2007-8 Campbell was deputy editor at Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
's monthly music magazine, jmag. She continues to write and review for the magazine on a freelance basis.
Campbell is currently the film editor at ThreeThousand, an online subcultural guide to Melbourne, as well as its sister sites around Australia: TwoThousand, FourThousand, FiveThousand and SixThousand.
Creative projects
With Stuart Geddes, Natasha Ludowyk, Penny Modra and Jeremy Wortsman, Campbell co-founded Is Not MagazineIs Not Magazine
Is Not Magazine was an independently published bi-monthly magazine in the form of a 1.5m x 2m bill poster, produced in Melbourne, Australia. It was created by five young Melbourne writers and designers, who edited the magazine: Mel Campbell, Stuart Geddes, Natasha Ludowyk, Penny Modra and Jeremy...
in 2005. An independently published, bimonthly magazine in the form of a 1.5m x 2m bill poster, Is Not ran for eleven issues (and several special issues) before the five co-founders declared it officially defunct in August 2008.
"We wanted to make a community around this magazine and reinvigorate public space," Campbell told The Age in 2005. "It changes the way you approach reading, because there's no logical place for you to start. We love the way that it's physical. You look up, you bend down, we've got spaces … where you can make contributions of your own."
In 2008 Campbell formed the creative partnership Infinite Ape Media with fellow journalists Andrew Tijs and Daniel Zugna. Their first publication is an online magazine of culture and the popular arts called The Enthusiast. Launched in January 2009, The Enthusiast publishes news, features, opinion and review.
Blogging
Campbell began her personal blog, A Wild Young Under-Whimsy, in March 2004. She also maintains a fashion blog called Footpath Zeitgeist, where she posts research for and discussion about her published work on fashion.Campbell has contributed to Crikeys politics blog, The Stump, and is also a contributing editor at feminist blog The Dawn Chorus.
The Incredible Melk
For the 2004 Melbourne Fringe FestivalMelbourne Fringe Festival
The Melbourne Fringe Festival is an annual independent arts festival held in Melbourne, Australia. The Festival runs for three weeks from late September to early October, usually overlapping with the beginning of the Melbourne International Arts Festival...
, Campbell created the satirical character The Incredible Melk, a human resources consultant-turned-hip-hop MC. Her comedy cabaret show The Incredible Melk's Booty Pageant was commended in that year's Fringe Awards, and she performed a revised version at the 2005 Melbourne International Comedy Festival
Melbourne International Comedy Festival
The Melbourne International Comedy Festival is the third-largest international comedy festival in the world and the largest cultural event in Australia. Established in 1987, it takes place annually in Melbourne over four weeks in April typically opening on or around April Fool's Day...
.
Reviewer Helen Razer
Helen Razer
Helen Razer is a Melbourne-born and Canberra-raised radio presenter and writer. She is the author of four non-fiction books and a columnist with the Australian version of The Big Issue, Melbourne newspaper The Age, and contributor to monthly magazine, Cherrie .-Media work:Razer was a prominent...
described the show as "a confusing delight", writing: "Performer Mel Campbell has constructed a complex man-eater at ease with language and pop culture."