A NEW entertainments magazine, produced and published in Ramsbottom, will hit the streets later this month.

The Profile is the brainchild of young businessman John Isherwood who has latched on to an earlier Bury College project for his livelihood.

His Irate Publishing company, which is producing Profile, was established thanks to business grants and loans totalling £4,000.

As well as spotlighting the world of films and music, the monthly magazine will also act as a welcomed showcase for unsigned bands, comedians and other entertainers looking to hit the big time.

And 22-year-old John is something of a one-man band himself. He is the editor and managing director of Profile but his responsibilities also involve sourcing and commissioning articles and attracting advertising, the revenue of which will play a critical role if the magazine is to succeed.

John, who has a University of Manchester degree in multi-media studies and business management, sowed the seeds of his career when he was a Bury College student.

"We were given a project to produce our own magazine. So, I stole the idea and used it to launch my own publication."

Much-needed finance to help fulfil his dream came via a grant from Bolton Business Ventures, together with a loan and grant from the Prince's Trust.

Earlier, John had launched a fanzine which although no longer published acted as a catalyst for this much bigger and bolder foray into the publishing world.

He added: "The only other person working on Profile is a designer. The first edition will be 72 pages but hopefully we can go up from that. The initial print run will be 8,000 but that should also increase."

John, of Garnett Street, Ramsbottom, disclosed: "The magazine will cover all forms of entertainment, including film, music, writing, comedy, books, digital arts and more. I want Profile to live up to its slogan of 'entertainments entirely.'

"Our monthly unsigned section will featured a selection of artists who have sent us their demos, EPs or scripts, films or ideas or have allowed us access to their comedy acts. We also have a monthly prize of some recording studio time available for the best musical unsigned artist."

Months of sheer hard work and preparation will be well worth it when Profile's first edition is launched on January 30.

It will be sold at branches of WH Smith and at other independent newsagents and costs £1.95p. "Apparently retail demand has been high from all the murmurs about us and they wanted us big time," he says proudly.

"All the copies of the debut run are now effectively purchased by the stores, so our shelf space is guaranteed."

John's ultimate ambition is to style Profile along the lines of the best-selling Rolling Stone, the doyen of music mags. "I want Profile to be soemthing akin to the Rolling Stone. That's the benchmark for any publication."