Bradford-born Matt Bielby has launched a mission to the stars... and he's determined to fly higher, faster and more successfully than his competitors.

The former Nab Wood and Bradford Grammar School pupil has just launched a national magazine devoted to science fiction.

The first issue of Death Ray features interviews with Johnny Depp, star of the just-released Pirates of the Caribbean 3, and Matt, 41, is proud of his new magazine, which is published through his own newly set up company, Blackfish Publishing.

"It is a risky venture," admits Matt, who lived in Great Horton and Frizinghall before going off to Nottingham University.

"It's needed a massive investment but I'm convinced it's going to be a success because this is what I'm good at doing."

That's no idle boast from Matt, who since leaving university has been involved in launching some very successful magazines.

He worked for one of the biggest magazine publishers, Future, where he oversaw the birth of SFX, Total Film and the Official PlayStation 2 magazine.

Future is based in Bath, and that is where Matt has settled and made the home of his new publishing company, but it has a very Yorkshire flavour. He has two other Tykes on his staff and the first issue features a piece written by his dad Nicholas, who lives in Bradford.

He says: "When I launched SFX there was no other science fiction magazine on the market. I talked Future into doing it and when it came out it did really well."

Now that a market has been established, Matt wanted to work for himself and head up his own company.

He said: "The science fiction scene is huge, in books, film and television. And it's not just science fiction fans who we're targeting - all the big movies have some kind of fantastic flavour to them, while TV's best shows such as Doctor Who, Torchwood, Primeval, Life On Mars... they're all basically science fiction too.

"We want to tackle the subject in an interesting way and have a little more depth.

"We want to attract people who don't really think of themselves as science fiction fans, but who enjoy the big movies and TV shows that are on at the moment."

e-mail: david.barnett@bradford.newsquest.co.uk

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