He had previously engaged in a number of co-ordinated business ventures in Ireland with his former business partner John Ryan; Kiss succeeded the co-owned establishments of Magill in 1997 and VIP in 1999 and preceded later titles such as the glossy monthly targeted at women in the age group of eighteen to thirty-four Stellar and the failed New York Dog venture in New York City.

Upon its launch Kiss was lauded in the Irish media for its attempts to contribute to a more liberal and sexualised Ireland, one where the influence of the Roman Catholic Church had declined dramatically in the preceding decade[citation needed].

Only three decades previously, such teenage-oriented magazines were much more reserved in their content and approach and even the titles, i.e. Jackie and Blue Jeans, were not as outspoken as the word "kiss" in capitalised letters.

The first issue featured heavily its mantra of dealing with teenage problems, including articles on school bullying and the difficulties of blushing, written in a "chatty and informative" manner so as not to "patronise" the target audience.

[2] To supplement its tone Kiss employs experts on what teenagers consider fashionable, with its so-called "agony aunt" being Sarah Scully, a child psychologist in Saint James's Hospital, Dublin.