Surfing

Monster Children Turns 20 Years Old

by The Editors on November 29, 2023

Congrats and happy birthday to those stalwart Aussies hipsters who keep the action culture print dream alive with their parties, promotions, and pop-cultural sensibilities printed on actual paper and distributed the old fashioned way–by truck.

Twenty years is a long time to be at the wheel swerving this way that that to avoid the potholes most other print publications have fallen into on their profit driven roads to ruin. To celebrate the staff in Sydney threw a monster party and apparently it was rather large.

It was huge. We’re still hungover. Was it a dream? Thank you to all of our friends, staff, contributors, and fine people who work so closely with us now and throughout the last twenty to make Monster Children what it is that came out to celebrate. After all this time, it is you who keeps us in the game.

If you’re in NYC stop by Saturdays NYC on Crosby Street tonight (Wednesday, November 29, 2023) for the stateside version of the birthday party. Free everything will be provided apparently. For photo proof of all the Sydney festivities, please click the link.

[Link: Monster Children]

{ 0 comments }

Arena Group Using Zombie Writers?

by The Editors on November 28, 2023

The Arena Group, the company who ended up with Surfer, Snowboarder, TransWorld Skateboarding, Powder and Bike magazine titles after the last round of brand swapping has been accused of using “fake AI writers” to write fake AI generated stories at their flagship title Sports Illustrated, according to a story on Futurism. They’re running zombie titles, why not hire a hoard zombie writers?

“There’s a lot,” they told us of the fake authors. “I was like, what are they? This is ridiculous. This person does not exist.” . . . “At the bottom [of the page] there would be a photo of a person and some fake description of them like, ‘oh, John lives in Houston, Texas. He loves yard games and hanging out with his dog, Sam.’ Stuff like that,” they continued. “It’s just crazy.”

Futurism says that as soon as they asked Arena about it, the stories and writers were gone from the site. None of this is surprising to anyone who has been following along. Arena did eventually claim that the content was provided by a third party who uses real writers to write real stories but sometimes under pseudonyms. But we don’t believe them.

Just so you know, although he may look like an AI generated handsome man, Blair Alley actually exists. . . but Justin Leveille? We’re not so sure about that guy.

[Link: Futurism]

{ 0 comments }

John John Florence Goes VivoBarefoot

by The Editors on November 3, 2023

We’ve always laughed when someone claimed to “love barefoot walks on the beach,” but lately we’ve discovered that putting our bare feet on the earth each morning for a couple of miles makes a huge difference in the rest of the day. Apparently, John John Florence agrees and he’s added his name to a line of “barefoot” shoes from VivoBarefoot. ”

“Nature is where I find myself getting the most enjoyment out of life. Being in the ocean, surfing, sailing, or in the mountains exploring just feels natural. It’s where I choose to spend my time,” 2John says. “It all starts with getting moving, using your feet.”

Friends who have run barefoot for years say it improves balance, foot strength, and creates a more positive connection to the world around them (among other health benefits).  We’re going to try John John’s shoes for a while. If you’re interested, click the link and check out them out for yourself.

[Link: VivoBarefoot]

{ 0 comments }

Arena Group Launching Zombie Channels

by The Editors on October 4, 2023

From the “wonder what The Arena Group is going to do with all their zombie magazine brands” files comes news that Arena has partnered with AcTVe to launch five FAST (stands for free, ad-supported television) “channels” with their action sporting brands, according to story on Deadline.com.

Powder Mag, Surfer Magazine, Transworld Skateboarding, Bike Mag and Snowboarder will provide the backbones for the new channels, which will debut globally this fall. The channels will be available on free, ad-supported streaming platforms like SportsTribal, FreeMovies+ and FreeCast, as well as via Roku, Vizio and Samsung. More distribution platforms will be added in 2024, the companies said.

We have absolutely no idea what these “platforms” are, who watches them, or what this means for the brands. Nor, do we believe they will spend any real money on content. So what is going to be on the channels (aside from paid advertising against no viewers)? If you understand any of this, please let us know in the comments.

[Link: Deadline.com]

{ 0 comments }

Authentic Brands Group Liberates Boardriders

by The Editors on September 27, 2023

Today (September 27, 2023), Jamie Salter’s Authentic Brands Group announced that they have chosen Costa Mesa’s Liberated Brands as the licensee for several of their recently purchased Boardriders brands.

In the deal, Liberated will run retail and e-commerce ops for Quiksilver, Billabong, Roxy, RVCA, Honolua and Boardriders in the US and Canada. They will also act as the official licensee for the Billabong, RVCA, and Honolua brands. The press release makes it seem like they’ve reached outside Authentic Brands to do a licensing deal, when it’s actually more of an inside play. ABG owns a rather large chunk (officially a “minority stake”) of Liberated Brands so they’re basically licensing the brands to themselves while building in a little distance. Here’s how Nick Woodhouse explains it:

“We are thrilled to expand our partnership with Liberated,” said Nick Woodhouse, President and CMO at Authentic. “As evidenced by their focus on the growth of Volcom and Spyder, Liberated’s unwavering commitment to innovation and community engagement makes them the ideal partner to take on Billabong, RVCA and Honolua, as well as the retail operations for the best lifestyle brands inspired by skate, surf and snow. Together, we look forward to implementing our strategic vision for growth and expanding the brands’ presence in the US and Canada.”

Yes, your own business usually makes a great “partner.” Sorting out the facts of this announcement are well above our pay grade, but let’s just say it is always entertaining to see how these businesses shuffle things around. Side note: if you’re a graphic designer, Liberated is looking for a few good people to shape the vision for the brands moving forward. For the official release, click the link.

[Link: Authentic Brands Group]

{ 0 comments }

Dawn Patrol Updating App For WatchOS 10

by The Editors on September 7, 2023

Our long running love/hate relationship with the Apple Watch surf tracking app Dawn Patrol continues. It is, by far, the most elegant solution to putting a tide chart on the Apple watch, but when it comes to actual live tide data it falls way short.

Dawn Patrol gives the high and low tides along with the local time of each event, but for current tide measurements, and/or what the tide will be tomorrow or the day after, Dawn Patrol offers nothing at all. Some of this will reportedly change soon.

In our next release you’ll get a short term forecast on the Apple Watch! Stay tuned for the update, it will come alongside the release of watchOS 10.

In the meantime, we’ve found that by adding the free Ocean Watch app to our Apple watch we now have the live tide (lower right complication) and forecasting that we need. Ocean watch also has a tide chart complication, but it’s clunky. Dawn Patrol for pretty graphics and moderately close water temps, and Ocean Watch for real tide data.

{ 0 comments }

Jamie Salter Closes on Boardriders Purchase

by The Editors on September 1, 2023

Authentic Brands Group has officially completed its purchase of Boardriders (parent company to most every action sports brand you remember from your youth) for the alleged sale price of $1.25 billion and added a reported $1.4 billion to its annual sales totals, according to a blurb in Women’s Wear Daily.

In March, the brand development, marketing and entertainment firm inked a deal to acquire Boardriders, the parent of Quiksilver, Billabong, Roxy, RVCA, DC Shoes, Element, VonZipper, Honolua and Boardriders, for a reported $1.25 billion. At the time, Authentic had sales of $27.6 billion. . . The company said it would shortly begin to orchestrate its plan to “announce a roster of best-in-class partners around the world to help drive the brands in their next stage of growth.”

And to think, it all started for Jamie Salter with a little company called Kemper Snowboards. Ah, those were the days, weren’t they?

[Link: WWD]

{ 0 comments }

The Perils of Fiji’s Surf Paradise

by The Editors on May 2, 2023

A little reminder that in any tropical paradise there are many more pieces in play than anyone could possibly imagine, from Vanity Fair.

Five years ago, Ratu “Jona” Joseva, a 32-year-old Indigenous Fijian boat taximan, and two Aussie lifelong surfing bros, Navrin Fox and Woody Jack, bought an overgrown five-acre patch of coastline on Malolo, among the most popular of Fiji’s more than 330 islands. With its crescent beaches, Seussian palms, and proximity to the international airport, the roadless three-mile-long island has become a post-lockdown playground for billionaire yachties and privacy-seeking celebs.

What could possibly go wrong? Click the link for the rest of the horrifyingly complex story.

[Link: Vanity Fair]

{ 0 comments }

Dawn Patrol Launches 5.0 Surf Tracking

by The Editors on April 18, 2023

We have a love hate with Dawn Patrol for the Apple Watch. When it works, it’s fun to see how many waves we got, how fast slowly we surfed and save it to analyze later. When it doesn’t work, however, it can be just enough of a tech annoyance to ruin an otherwise good session. That’s why we’re hoping that the newest update (version 5.0) of their surf tracking app will tip the balance in the right direction.

We have made some sleek design changes, increased overall performance, and added more intuitive user interfaces. . . We have enhanced the interface of the surf map. Your surf metrics are laid out in a clean and efficient way to read. . . Get to know how efficient your paddle is, allowing you to measure your strength and ultimately catch more waves. . . Our renewed tidal chart shows the current water level height and spot name.  . . Get to know your spot better and learn at which tides you are catching your best waves.

One thing is for sure–Dawn Patrol is the best way to put a tide chart on the face of your Apple Watch. And it’s all worth it just for that. For all the details, please click the link.

[Link: Dawn Patrol App]

{ 0 comments }

Requiem For The Surf Industry

by The Editors on April 3, 2023

In one fell swoop, the entire surf industrial complex has disappeared from the world. Poof! All the stories, all the late-night parking lot parties and premieres, and all the dreams of kids from the dusty streets of middle America who longed to reach for the beach. Today, Jamie Salter’s oxymoronically named Authentic Brand Group has agreed to buy Boardriders (Quiksilver, Billabong, Roxy, DC Shoes, RVCA, Element, VonZipper, Surf Dive & Ski, and Honolua) from Oaktree Capital for a reported $1.28 billion, according to stories in the Chain Store Age and the Australian Financial Review. Here’s how Mr. Salter spins it:

Along with the great brands and impressive global reach that will come with this acquisition, we see Boardriders’ potential as a thriving online marketplace under Authentic’s ownership,” said Jamie Salter, founder, chairman and CEO of Authentic, whose brands include Reebok, Eddie Bauer, Nautica and many more. “With Boardriders’ proven retail playbook, we also see tremendous opportunities to accelerate the expansion of its shop-in-shops, branded retail stores, wholesale and e-commerce worldwide.”

By far the funniest quote is from Boardriders CEO Arne Arens:

We are proud of our deep connection to the global action sports community, industry-leading brands and world-class teams,” said Arne Arens, CEO of Boardriders. “Under Authentic’s ownership, Boardriders will be uniquely positioned to expand the reach of our iconic brands to millions of consumers, capture market share in our core categories and grow white spaces, including premium athleisure, training and lifestyle.”

We know Mr. Arens has to say this, but does anyone really believe it? We don’t. In the meantime, make sure you buy from. . . well, authentically authentic action sports brands that are privately owned and funded. If you know of any, please help us out and leave them in the comments.

[Link: Chain Store Age and Australian Financial Review]

{ 1 comment }

← Previous Entries