Episode Summary Recorded on the banks of the Clutha River / Te Mata Au in Albert Town, this conversation traces the unlikely journey of Nathan Weathington - civil engineer, accidental comedian, schoolteacher, tech entrepreneur, and now publisher of 1964, one of New Zealand's most distinctive print magazines. Nathan talks candidly about the repeated decisions to walk away from security, the creative life he stumbled into, and what it takes to build something meaningful in a modern society that rewards noise over depth. Key Themes & Highlights Getting out by any means necessary Nathan grew up in Bremen, Georgia, in a landscape he describes as a poor fit from an early age. Math became his vehicle out — not out of passion, but necessity. He worked as a professional engineer throughout his university studies, graduating in 1998, and left the day after graduation without attending the ceremony. The McMansion moment A career-defining scene: invited to the home of the youngest vice president in the history of the Southern Company (one of the US's largest electric utilities) Nathan realised that if he did everything right, his reward would be a McMansion in Atlanta and a timeshare on the Gulf Coast. He was 23. He walked away shortly after. Twice he packed up everything in two hours Nathan describes two separate moments, once in Montana and once in Florida, where he quit his job, ended his relationship, and vacated his apartment in a single afternoon. Both times the right call. The Bahamas: building a village in the middle of nowhere A chance encounter while cycling a remote Bahamian island led Nathan to a semester-abroad school where he taught mathematics and helped build an off-grid community from scratch, generating their own power, growing food, and constructing buildings. He describes losing half the staff to isolation every year. He loved it, and also met his wife Morgan there. The accidental writer Nathan's writing career began with a karaoke night in Korea, a stand-up routine he hadn't planned, and eventually 12 horoscopes written under the pseudonym Mr. Asstrology for a struggling Canadian newspaper. Sold out by lunch on Monday for more money than the paper had ever made. He then had to write 12 jokes a day, seven days a week, and found it came as naturally as breathing. A book deal followed, then two more books, and a tour through the American South. On humor, editors, and just going for it Nathan's key insight from the writing years: don't slow down to question yourself. Nobody's watching. Grammar matters less than the joke. And find an editor who is smart enough not to be cruel. 1964 Magazine: engagement as a mathematical problem The magazine emerged from Nathan's observation — as a numbers guy running digital media — that online engagement rates were collapsing even as total impressions soared. He crunched the numbers, concluded that a well-made print product with strict limits on advertising could command engagement — and therefore advertising value — that digital couldn't. He was right. Ads sell out at full rate. The constraint he and editor Laura Williamson have set: never exceed 23% advertising by page count. The goal is 20%. Finding Laura Williamson Nathan read Laura's book on the history of cycling in New Zealand, knew immediately she was the right editor, took her to lunch, and by the end of the meal had discarded his original concept entirely in favour of whatever she'd just described. He hired her on the spot for that idea. The wagon and the coveralls Nathan hand-delivers 1964 across Wānaka, Queenstown, Clyde, Cromwell, Dunedin, Oamaru, Christchurch, and Wellington — in forest green coveralls, pulling a wagon. He gets free coffees and muffins. He gets subscribers. He gets advertisers. He's not delegating it to anyone. The subscription lever 1964 currently sits at around 800 subscriptions. Nathan's analysis: 1,500 changes the dynamic meaningfully; 2,500 is the number where everyone gets paid properly, Laura can go full-time, and the magazine reaches its potential. No one gets rich at 2,500. It's just a functional, sustainable creative operation. That's the goal. The internet runs on anger A recurring thread throughout the conversation: Nathan's clear-eyed view — from years inside digital media — that online engagement is structurally dependent on outrage. The algorithm doesn't surface good content; it surfaces content that provokes a reaction. His response is to work in a medium where the editor, not the algorithm, decides what goes on the front page. What he's working on now A screenplay he believes might actually be good. Another book in progress. A first proper camera for 1964. And a growing sense that, with his boys needing him less, there's bandwidth opening up for the next creative chapter. Mentioned in This Episode 1964 Magazine — Mountain Culture New Zealand — 1964magazine.co.nz Laura Williamson, editor Where the Hell Are Your Parents? — Nathan's first book David Sedaris (met on tour), Carl Hiaasen (almost performed with) Wānaka Poker Club Allied Press, ODT Spoke Magazine, NZ Geographic Wastebusters, Wānaka (where the original dictionary definition of "mountain" was found) Please subscribe to 1964 Magazine If this conversation resonated, the single most useful thing you can do is subscribe. Nathan's numbers are clear: every subscription directly funds better journalism, better art, and more time for the people making it. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theunmakingpodcast.substack.com
