Two hundred issues ago, it was 2002. We were a tiny budding magazine hitching to carve out a niche in the Berlin publishing market. By the time we celebrated our 100th issue in December 2011, we’d somehow turned ourselves into a staple of the international Berlin community, with a reputation for quality, ballsy journalism and a loyal following of readers and cultural partners. That loyal following turned out to be our helpers and our saviours when Corona struck. Without you, dear readers, we wouldn’t be here today.
Inaugurating 2021 with our 200th issue feels like a good omen, and the perfect time to defy the pandemic gloom with a proud, celebratory edition. We wanted to dedicate this issue to these Berliners we’ve featured over 19 years. Choosing 35 of them wasn’t easy. We decided to rule out the famous and the powerful, the artists, the hipsters, the thinkers – we favoured the ‘doers and makers’ over movers and shakers. Meet 35 protagonists of the great Berlin narrative, those folks whose endeavours and stories each stand for one of the many facets that make this city so distinctive to us.
But there is more reason to celebrate; the new year also marks an exciting next chapter for Exberliner.
A milestone: EXB ties the knot
After nearly two decades sailing solo on the local publishing business, we’ll now be flying the flag of Tip Berlin Media group, the company that’s been running city magazine tip Berlin (and previously Zitty) for over 50 years now. Tying the knot with local publishers who understand Berlin and understand who we are, and also have the ambition to help EXB expand further feels like a great opportunity – for both our team and this magazine as a publication aching to grow.
It feels like the perfect match for the best possible future. It’ll allow us to merge resources and find the support of a bigger, older sister company, working in close collaboration with their journalists and editors. We already have so many plans in the pipes (including special, annual editions and more specialised newsletters), so many ideas (including live events and podcasts), we can hardly wait to get going and bring them to you.
I’ve been asked if we’ll be losing our voice, edge or freedom. No, we won’t. We won’t change, but we’ll improve!
To our readers in Berlin and beyond, we wish you all the best for the new year. Here’s to a new era and new beginnings for all of us. Thanks for being part of our story. See you for issue 300!
