wordplay: Billy Schear
image: Sean Hartgrove

A novel approach to creating awareness of all that is hip to do or hot to listen to in the mile-high city, condensed into a pocket-sized scripture of swank.

You all know what it is, and if you are not familiar with the zine than you are most likely to be at the very least on a first name basis with its creator. It would seem that every single person who has even a parentally-chaperoned social life knows who Greg Bloom is. As an I-Spy photographer for the past six months or so, I have had the pleasure of shooting in many of this fine city’s bars and nightclubs, and, without exception, every time I go out, I need only mention that I represent Image and instantly my ears are flooded with questions regarding Greg’s health, or what Bloom has been up to, or why he looks so fetching in a visor.

It comes as no surprise that the president and publisher of Denver’s premier nightlife magazine is as recognizable on the streets as Berretta was in whatever city it was he lived in. Kojak too.
Despite his well-known shyness, Bloom has been a fixture in many aspects of the social scene. Every year he plays host to a world series of events, from fashion shows to restaurant openings, to even the occasional Sunday night poker tournament.  Bloom never misses an opportunity to find out firsthand just what it is the young and the restless do with their time and just how far reaching the Image vibes spread.

As all big pocket-size ideas start small, so, in fact, did Image. The idea, as originally conceived in a Beaver Creek tavern, was to shed a little light on what the haps were during life between the slopes in the Colorado mountain town of Vail. Finding insufficient interest in the small community, Bloom took his glossy-paged baby into the metro area, instantly plugging a gaping hole in what was then an almost empty market.

“When I first started, it was me doing all the sales, all the picture taking, all the article writing, I did everything except for the graphic design work,” explains Bloom. 
Many of the local venues had a difficult time finding proper exposure in the limited media outlets that catered to their businesses; Bloom tapped into this void and provided a sleek sounding board that helped propel many of these venues into verifiable hot-spot status. It was sex appeal meets cost effective advertising and the compact size set itself apart from all pretenders.  What began in absolute obscurity in Vail has triumphed as a radioactive bomb of activity planning in Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins, and even the mountain towns during the winter.

Despite the far-reaching scope and success of the magazine, Bloom remains one of the most accessible among the local media barons. Always on the prowl for clever ideas, he relies heavily on the direct feedback of his readers in formulating new and exciting features. Though he plans to keep the topics within Image in tact, Bloom craves the support of all who are willing in helping him to construct adventurous new avenues for readers to cruise through.

“I would love to add more quirky attention getters that would raise eyebrows, it’s actually fun when people on the street stop me and say ‘hey you should do this, or you should try that!’ It’s great because it shows just how much people enjoy the magazine.”

Reflecting on seven years of devotion to his readers and advertisers, Bloom remembers all who have contributed to the realizing of his dream.

“I would like everyone to know how much I appreciate the support they have given. The friends that I’ve made, you can’t pay for.  You can’t buy the amount of nostalgia that I’ve been living from all the people’s attention they’ve given me.  I just want to thank everybody for every opportunity that’s popped up.  I know some of it’s luck, some of it’s from my hard work, but a good amount of it has been from the people who have opened up their doors and their arms to me and the magazine and all the great people that I’ve worked with.” 

7th Anniversary Bash November @ Martini Ranch

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