The Story Behind Persona's Debut Issue, with Bella Freud

"It's an object of obsession about one woman... you genuinely get an intimacy that you cannot find anywhere else." — Grace O'Neill & Paulina Paige

Grace O'Neill and Paulina Paige have built magazines and campaigns for some of the biggest names in fashion media. But this time, they threw out every rule they knew and started from zero with no guardrails, no existing audience, no safety net. The result is Persona: a biannual, single-subject magazine that reads more like a coffee table book than a glossy, with its debut issue built entirely around Bella Freud.

In this exclusive interview, Grace and Paulina walk through exactly how Persona came together, the cold email that convinced Bella Freud to say yes, the unpublished 90s photo archive they talked a photographer into handing over, getting the rights to a Lucian Freud portrait, and the real numbers behind launching a $75 magazine with zero followers. It's a rare, honest look at what it actually takes to build a print product from scratch in 2026 - the creative risk-taking, the budget conversations, and the trust it takes to hand a stylist "a little kernel of an idea" and let them run the thing.

INSIDE THE EPISODE:

00:00 — Intro: Grace & Paulina The Lead-Up to Persona

05:27 — From Massive Infrastructure to Doing It All Themselves

07:41 — What They Knew Going In

14:26 — What If a Magazine Had No Rules?

16:47 — Deciding on Bella Freud

18:52 — The Cold Email That Got Bella Freud on Board

22:08 — The Moment They Knew It Was Really Happening

22:57 — Building the Book Around What They Had

31:35 — Is It Really an Australian Magazine?

34:16 — Talking Budgets: Landing Dior & Reframing Beauty With Mecca

42:14 — What It Actually Takes to Print

44:18 — Production vs. Printing

48:23 — The Launch Gamble

53:32 — How Much Room Does This Take Up in Your Life?

58:24 — Partnership

1:00:29 — Where the Creative Stimulus Comes From

1:04:00 — Second Issue?

1:08:32 — Where to Find Them

1:10:15 — Persona Launch Party

Take a look at Persona:

• Persona Magazine: www.persona-magazine.com 

• Instagram @thepersonamagazine

Connect with our Guests:

• Grace O'Neill on Instagram: @grceoneill

• Paulina Ortega on Instagram: @paulinapaige

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This episode includes references to third-party archival imagery and licensed material (including works connected to the Lucian Freud estate) discussed for educational commentary. All rights and ownership belong to their respective copyright holders. This content is utilized under Fair Use principles and does not imply endorsement or affiliation with Process The Podcast. For takedowns or copyright inquiries, please contact hello@cinemathom.com