Darren Scott is Editor of Gay Times, the largest, longest-running and most recognised gay magazine in the world. In this in-depth interview, he discusses how he grew the readership to nearly 3 million by making the content less news-driven, building a female audience, and a commercially-driven focus on creating content ‘that will sell’. He explains that while their coverage of ‘serious’ issues such as persecution of LGBT people in Russia is important, he isn’t driven by activism per se ‘because everyone has bills to pay’. He talks through his career, revealing how Smash Hits magazine and a challenge from an ex-boyfriend inspired him to get into journalism, and gives advice to those who want to follow in his path.