Magazine to Dig Deep Into O.C. Culture

CORONA DEL MAR — Is there an underground culture in Orange County?

A trio based in Corona del Mar will be looking for it as they launch a new magazine, Subterranean, on Nov. 20.

Publisher Anton Rosandic, 28, who works by day as a Newport Beach lawyer, says the inspiration for the magazine came from his friends, who are working people tired of driving to Los Angeles for a night out.

“The magazines in Orange County are targeted to the upper echelon,” he said, “but most people don’t own Rolls-Royces.”

Adds editor Maria Valdez: “If you don’t hear about the Orange County scene by word of mouth, you don’t know about it.”

The first issue is black and white, 40 pages, with an emphasis on artful photography. The cover story: “Does Orange County have an identity?”

The magazine, which will cover art, fiction, photography, music and entertainment, will sell for $1 in coffeehouses and music stores. The plan is to publish every two months.

Valdez, 28, works by day as managing editor of Entrepreneur magazine, a national business publication based in Irvine.

The third member of the group, Derek Avritt, 31, is art director of Off Duty, a military consumer magazine based in Costa Mesa. He formerly worked at Entrepreneur, where he met Valdez.

Advertisers for the first issue include the Coach House, the Improv, Absolut Vodka and clothing stores Decades and Soho.

The three are using their own savings to start the magazine.