Who is Blitz Publications?

Publishing companies and magazines are renowned for folding. The lifespan of a magazine is less than four years. Initial success may not necessarily translate into long term sales and in the cut-throat world of magazine production, good content, tight production and clever design is paramount for survival. In this business if the product isn't turning over in large numbers, then the product isn't viable.

When you look at Blitz Publications you have to wonder about viability. How can a publishing company with titles such as International Kickboxer and Australasian Taekwondo survive - how do they sustain themselves?

They are sustained because 'boutique' is no longer an apt description of the company; Silvio Morelli's Blitz Publications is no longer a boutique publishing company.

Blitz Publications began in the back of a garage in 1986 where the idea for a martial arts magazine was born. Original copies were rough and the company's staff of one (Silvio) worked around the clock to meet production deadlines. This was a martial artist who had entered into the world of publishing, who had a dream and followed it through.

As the magazine grew to become one of the most popular martial arts publications in the country, expansion became necessary. The garage was no longer big enough, a small office in Bayswater beckoned. Looking back, the office was just as dingy.

Situated in a dark alley at the back of a major shopping chain, you get to thinking that perhaps the garage was still a better option, unfortunately four staff members and a car may have been hard pressed to squeeze in.

The company had grown, had taken its first tentative steps towards becoming a major publishing outlet. There was now an administrator, a graphic artist, a journalist and salesperson with Silvio at the helm.

Blitz had multiplied, not only in staff but in publications, with the introduction of International Kickboxer and Australasian Taekwondo to the market.

Blitz began to base its structure around people who not only knew what they were doing, but who could instigate plans and ideas that would encourage the company to grow.

Soccer International became the largest selling soccer magazine in the country and now enjoys international distribution. It provides some of the best sports photography in the world.

A deal struck with Ironman Magazine in the United States led to another publication in the stable. Ironman was the oldest and most respected bodybuilding magazine in the land of the red, white and blue. It was the first venture towards US shores for Blitz, but it wasn't to be the last.

Several years later when the stable of magazines consisted of Blitz Australasian Martial Arts Magazine, International Kickboxer, Australasian Taekwondo, Soccer International, Women's Fitness Magazine, Women In Sport, (the two magazines combined to create Women's Fitness and Sport - one of the leading women's fitness magazines in the country), Triathlon and Multi-Sport Magazine and Australian Ironman, Bodybuilding and Fitness Magazine, Silvio was in contact with the powers-that-be at Time4 Media (formerly known as Times Mirror Magazines, operating out of New York) and Golf Magazine was born.

"We're only just touching the tip of the iceberg. This company is capable of so much more. More magazines. More books. More everything," says Silvio.

The team has grown from a two man operation originating in 1990, to over 50 full time professionals today. There are ten magazines, four books and a new website in the stable. The growth has been rapid, with peaks and troughs and times of consolidation. To accommodate the growth in staff, Silvio has built his own property, a two storey building with its own production facilities.

Now after that period of consolidation Blitz Publications is looking at new magazine launches, as well as producing more one off specials including Fighting Fat and The Healthy Supplement Guide.

The creation of the Sportzblitz website has given Blitz Publications another avenue to expand upon. A fully interactive site has been designed, with features to buy, swap and sell goods, chat with sports stars and celebrities, interact with peers and editorial staff, read up on the latest content from magazines and provide a forum for future suggestions. As the company grows, so too will Sportzblitz.