You’ve Asked, We’ve Answered

Thank you, everyone. The response to Turnpike has been absolutely phenomenal, and it means the world to us.

Our Instagram Q&A last week was far busier than we anticipated – you’ve asked so many great questions – and seeing as a story disappears after 24 hours, it didn’t seem fitting to give you all of our answers there. We’ve collated all of your questions and condensed them down into the following, so hopefully we’ve answered them here:

• Very simply, what is Turnpike?

We’ve gone into detail about our goal on Turnpike in this article, but you can consider us the home for all manner of car culture going forwards. We’re covering everything from modified cars to motorsport and everything in between.

Between the five of us, and the contributors we’re bringing on board, we’ve got a good global reach, and we’ll bring you the stories and voices from lesser-featured parts of the world.

We’re also emphasising the importance of community in the automotive world, which is why we’re actively encouraging you to get involved. Send in leads, send in pitches, send in your builds – we want to hear from the people who matter in all of this. You.

• Will there be Turnpike videos, and how will they look?

There will absolutely be videos, and we’re in the process of getting our first feature sorted.

We have some very talented video creators in our founding team, and the beauty of this being our project is that we can upload whatever we want. That means we don’t have a set style, and we’re free to try whatever we want – but you can expect gorgeous visuals, compelling stories and a strong Turnpike identity.

• What features do you plan to add to the website?

We don’t want to give away too many secrets, but you can consider this a very, very early stage of development for the website. The most important thing we’re adding is a more community-focused side to the website, to compliment our feature pages and have a dedicated home for your voice.

You can also expect a store at some point in the future, as well as a dedicated video section to go with our media channels.

• Will anyone be able to contribute to Turnpike, and how do we get in touch?

Absolutely, and it’s not that you’ll be able to contribute in the future…we’re taking pitches now!

Send us your ideas at enquiries@turnpike.global and we’ll talk through them with you.

That doesn’t mean that your pitch is guaranteed to make it on the website, but you’ll certainly get a response and a conversation, or a chance to develop a story if we think there’s something to be told!

• What are you looking for when working with photographers and writers?

Creativity and talent, above all else. Whether you’re experienced and present a story that’s ready to go, or up-and coming with a keen eye, but photography or writing that’s a bit rough around the edges or could do with a bit of guidance, we’re here to help nurture your talent.

Original ideas are also crucial, because we want to convey new, thrilling or fascinating stories to the world. Quality of the story is key, too, so take a step back and think, ‘Will others find this as interesting as I do?’ If the answer is yes, send in a pitch!

All of us learned from experience and the help of some masters in this field, and we want to do the same for others. There’s no ‘correct’ way to take a great photo or to convey a story, but a bit of direction helps – and that’s where we come in.

• What countries will Turnpike cover?

Literally every country in the world, so long as there’s a story to be told and someone on the ground to shoot it. We’re lucky to have a multi-national, multi-cultural team here at Turnpike, which feeds our desire to explore the world.

If there’s car culture to be found among the penguins or polar bears, in the depths of the Sahara or in the mountains of Tibet, we want to know, and we’ll find a way to cover it.

Japan, the UK, the USA and Germany are cool, and full of car stories, but we want to explore the road less travelled.

• Will there be Turnpike merchandise?

Yes there will, but it’s something we’re putting some serious effort into, because we want you to enjoy owning, looking at, reading and wearing it as much as we love putting stories on Turnpike.

• Will there be Turnpike events?

This is a big yes, but again, it’s something that we’re putting some major thought into. It’s all well and good putting together a quick meet or a chilled out show, but there are already so many good examples of both around the world.

You can expect to see us collaborating with some of the brands and groups that we’re proud to call friends, and when we put on a solely-Turnpike production, we’ll try to do things a bit differently.

• Can I just contribute photos, or do I have to write as well?

We don’t have a set recipe for features, but without a story, what use is a gallery? And without a gallery, there’s only so much imagery you can convey in words.

There should always be an element of both, but if you’re not confident in your writing ability then send your ideas in anyway. We’re always happy to talk through story concepts and see what we can develop.

• Will there be an open Turnpike forum?

This is part of our next phase of the website. We all love forums, they were a huge part of our formative years and showed us parts of car culture which we never thought we’d see.

The traditional forum format is a bit stale, but we’re looking at making a future-proof way for your voices to be heard; something that we’re very excited about!

• Will there be Turnpike physical media?

Absolutely. We’re all print magazine and book enthusiasts, so get ready to hold, touch and experience Turnpike in physical form. One step at a time, as we’re making sure our basics are nailed, but it’s coming.

That about wraps up the main themes of the questions you’ve asked us, and we hope you’ve got the answer you were looking for! Our inbox is full of pitches and questions which we’re working through, but please feel free to use the contact box or our email to get in touch for anything.