Matt Bielby | |
|---|---|
 Matt Bielby in Bath, 2007 | |
| Born | 1965 Huddersfield, West Yorkshire |
| Alma mater | Bradford Grammar School |
| Occupation | Magazine editor |
Matt Bielby is a magazine editor based in the UK.[1] He is best known for launching and editing many successful titles in assorted markets during the 1990s, mostly on the subjects of computer and video games, and film and television. These include.net,Amiga Power,Super Play andPC Gamer.[2]
Bielby was born inHuddersfield, West Yorkshire, in 1965, and spent most of his early life inBradford, West Yorks, where he attendedBradford Grammar School.
Developing an interest in journalism, and magazines in particular, he was film editor of theUniversity of Nottingham student newspaper, Impact, before getting a job atEmap in London in February 1988, as staff writer onComputer and Video Games magazine. By the end of 1988 he was deputy editor ofYour Sinclair magazine atDennis Publishing, also in London, and became editor in early 1989.
In 1990 Bielby moved to Bath, whenYour Sinclair was bought by Bath-basedFuture Publishing,[3] and there he became part of Future's growth during the 1990s. There, Bielby launched the computer games magazineAmiga Power (1991), theNintendo video games magazineSuper Play (1992), the computer games magazinePC Gamer (1993), the internet magazine.net (1994), the SF and fantasy magazineSFX (1995),[4] the movie magazineTotal Film (1996),[5] the computer and video game magazineArcade (1998), and the video game magazineOfficial UK PlayStation 2 Magazine (2000). Most of these titles became the best sellers in their particular markets, with the exception ofTotal Film, which established itself as the No.2 title in its market, after Emap'sEmpire.[citation needed]
In addition, Bielby spent six months inGreensboro, North Carolina, USA, launching the US edition ofPC Gamer (1994), and some time in Munich, Germany in the late 1990s, helping set up Future's German subsidiary.[citation needed] Further, as Group Senior Editor at the company, he oversaw the launches and relaunches of many other magazines, while in a short stint as an Assistant Publisher he worked on titles such asPC Plus andPC Answers.
After leaving Future in 2001, Bielby worked as a freelance journalist at assorted companies, including Emap, Future, and Highbury House, usually in the development of new projects. One of these went on to becomeZoo (2004), EMAP's weekly men's magazine.
In 2006, Bielby launched his own publishing company,Blackfish Publishing, which published the magazinesDeath Ray[1] andFilmstar.[6][7]Death Ray was a science fiction and fantasy title,[6] created as a rival to Future Publishing's market-leadingSFX. Bielby repeatedly talks positively aboutSFX throughout the first issue ofDeath Ray.Death Ray ceased publication in October 2009.
Matt contributed to Future titles again, editing anSFX spin-off calledComic Heroes.[citation needed]
