"Accelerated evolution, not revolution!"
The Erik Logan reign has only just begun in Santa Monica but feels like its been in place since the very beginning of the Association of Surfing Professional’s transition to our World Surf League. It’s difficult to even recall Herr Paul Speaker’s voice. I honestly can no longer picture Generaloberst Sophie Goldschmidt’s face.
Her hair color.
Chief Executive Officer and Lord Commander of the Wall of Positive Noise Erik Logan’s blinding white smile has erased the past. Only the present remains.
And future.
But what does it hold?
How does it look?
Thankfully, Erik Larson* sat down with Front Office Sports and shared a singular vision of “accelerated evolution, not revolution.” Of “exponential growth.”
But what does that mean for you? For me?
For us the core audience?
Let’s discover.
FOS: How do you make sure you’re satisfying core fans with the content you’re putting out?
Larson: The league works like a lot of other leagues once you get to the last third of the season or so, it becomes about the world titles, re-qualification scenarios, and other positioning scenarios. For our core viewers, that is extremely important and drives so much of the consumption of our content. There will also be narratives born out of the Olympics that will also help craft the back half of the year from a content perspective.
While we’re leaning heavily into narratives like that, we also now have a full development slate for programming that we’re in active conversations with our platforms about. That’s for things like the Kelly Slater – HBO Sports 24/7 show.
We’re in the market right now pitching a surfing version of the Netflix show “Drive To Survive,” working with the same production company. We’re also in full production of a Kelley Slater documentary where we’ve spent the entire year with Kelly with unfettered access.
We know there is core league content that we can put out on our platforms, and then we have that from a studio perspective. Our goal is to have all of that happening in the background so we can create narratives and help create stories that connect the global surf community.
Easy to fun make but does that satisfy? An entire year with Kelley Slater more unfettered than his note-perfect Instagram account? A behind-the-scenes look Gabriel Medina waxing his board**? The “world titles, re-qualification scenarios and other positioning scenarios” yes of course but our Longtom covers those so infinitely much better than the League itself.
But, again, easy to fun make.
Satisfied?
You tell me!
*Logan’s name changes to Larson halfway through the interview. Erik Larson has a certain ring, no?
**Chest.
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Over heard Eric saying that to be a true World Surf League the Champion should be able to master all surf craft. His vision is for the WSL moving forward is to become a multidisciplinary championship. Competitors will have to progress through heats on boogie boards, surfboards, sups and blow up pool toys. I persoanlly cant wait. Making surfing great again.
Hey, bexy just a heads up !
Your gurlfrend’s commentating at the Noosa log show, right now !
I can’t stand her but thought you’d want to know.
Cheers, a
I don’t want to be disrespectful but when are these guys going to realise that Kelley (sic) is almost 50 years old. No one in the target TV demographic is interested in an old bald cunt, no matter how well he surfs.
Kelly doesn’t have the personality to cut it. Not his fault, not many do. But you have to be outrageous like that arsehole chef or Ozzy Osborne to get people watching once you are no longer the guy that women want to be with and men want to be.
If they had half a fucking brain they’d groom a bunch of young hot surfers and get them to wear Mohawks and set fire to surfboards. Then take them to taehupoo or pipeline and get them to throw themselves over the ledge.
That’s the only TV that will save them.
Or they could just go back to running a pro tour and crowning a legitimate world champion.
Surely being honest and realistic isn’t being disrespectful.
Far worse to pretend Kelly ever was cool and/or interesting…
Yup, TV needs the loose cannons. Throw Wardo, Mason Ho, Bruce Irons and those type of characters in
yep. I know some of those guys. Farrrk
Good one LGR, Lets assemble a crack squad of BG filmmakers and make the shit outta this!
“Digitizing” content
Aint no real surfing satisfaction in life unless you are going surfing yourself and getting beat downs trying to get some tunnel vision. This is just mindless grandstanding by entertainment execs trying to make a buck off of detached, sanitised ‘surfertainment’ with flashing lights and shiny jeeps that never leave tarseal. Preaching to the converted here I know. Good to have a rant now and then about surfing medias celebrity circus while waiting for low tide…
I agree, better to ride waves than to watch, no comparison, but some people seem to like the circus.
Accelerated gastric distress.
My friends that Operate always say that movie quotes serve as useful coping techniques when shit is going sideways. I love this story my friend told: unhappily forced to traverse open corridor towards canyons. And as shit ideas always go when ordered by those coordinating from afar via drone feed, a less than unexpected ambush happens.
Face down in a drainage ditch next to a poppy field, half submerged in water, returning fire but ineffective from present firing position. Call in danger close airstrike. Denied. Too close. Fuck you forward air controller. We precisely know the risk, so precisely don’t miss. Denied. Goddammit!!! (Breaks into voice of Ulysses Everett McGill. “We’re in a tight spot!” Damn! We’re in a tight spot!”
Copy. We’re inbound. Duck.
Boom! 500lb’r. No time to let the dust settle. And then he finishes with this: “My teammate and I couldn’t drop O Brother Where Art Thou character voices as we fell back to better position. Fuck I love that movie.”
Their stories are better told than read.
Why would Kai Lenny agree to this? As far as I can tell, E-Dawg and the Wozz ain’t paying him jack shit to risk life and limb.
*edit what is E-Dawg doing with his left arm/hand.. it appears to be heading south of the border.. “unfettered acess” indeed
Not Lenny!!!!
https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
Maybe Lenny will change his first name to Karl…
Haha that would be legendary. Karl Lenny Leonardson.
Kanga and Bluetorch crew tried the accelerated multi media extreme-sport evolution 20 years ago, but went down the gurgler because of tech stock crash, and largely because they couldn’t attract advertising support. But if Dirk and Natasha wants to keep spending…who knows?
Well those Bluetorch fuckers were total shysters. The Ziffs aren’t shysters. But I fear this current episode may cost them more than just money.
Yeah and nah Nick. Henry Nichols was like an arrogant dictator, but Henry Samueli was more the quiet professor type. Some of the directors and management running Bluetorch, yeah, from many reports, shysters for sure. Of the 100 plus staff the two Henry’s employed there, it is fair to assume many of them, along with certain other managers and directors, Kanga included, were stoked to be making come coin and worked hard to keep it going for as long as they could. This despite all the wasteful spending and things happening beyond their control. The two Henry’s lost billions with the dot com crash. It also cost them their reputations for awhile in the aftermath, until various drug, stock fraud and options backdating charges were dropped a year or so later. Curious as to what you think this current episode could cost the Ziffs, other than a pile of their money?
Well as I understand it they’re quite a bit richer right now than they were before they got involved with professional surfing. When you have that kind of money and you’re working with smart people, the capital is very hard to dent. It’s not the 1920s. I guess what might hurt more at some point is understanding that surfing has no memory for good deeds or constructive effort. The moment they stop kicking down, the whole scene will move on.
Yes Nick you are right. The show as a sport will move on, even without the Ziff’s generous support. Pro surfing’s core fans will still like to see and follow the best surfers competing for a world championship each year. But without the Ziff’s ongoing investment we can only speculate or imagine about any such new ownership, administration, format and schedule, if and/or when the whole scene moves on. Interesting times indeed, especially with ISA and Olympics big in the mix now.
Hurluley is ready and waiting to become a integrated partner into lovely
cash flowexcitement of the WSL.You’ve seen our lifestyle offerings Eric, DON’T HESITATE TO CALL.
Hurluleys musical plea to Elo.
Outfits can be preordered.
https://youtu.be/TL0EoXdpOqg
The ‘A’ hole of surfing…
Where is that? Are they surrounded by a hundred or so hot sandwiches and a couple of beer taps? Intriguing. Why so many sandwiches? Why no drinks poured? Please find out, I’m paying a fucking fortune for this subscription and I expect decent investigative journalism.
Steve Stevens
Da bookie killa!!
Great content!!
New series out soon and movie
This is how you do it.
Warshaw’s clip of Jodie Cooper is better than anything on the WSL web site.
Did he clip her ? (as well as JBG and Carcass)
Cripes, I thought he was meant to be a nice guy…
So many words, so little meaning.
It’s just a ‘ business’ to these dudes–Elo, Dirk, the whole ‘team’- (even Slater I think), all trying to turn a profit. Watched the ‘Lighting Bolt’ short vid at Surfer…. Man, Surfing used to have some ‘Soul’–seriously— it seems that aspect has totally been erased in today’s ‘competitive’ and even non-competitive environment. And when something loses it soul? what happens? It Dies…….
This one?
It’s money! But I’m biased, my niece made it.
Wait, eurika an epiphany? Lewis said “something in surfing doesn’t feel right today, the “magic’ in surfing has been drained out–leaving a pale corpse. I think he was wrong–maybe the ‘soul’ in surfing has been drained out –leaving a souless corpse……
Yup, Bolt did turn into a business, but these cats just wanted to surf, the whole vibe seemed different, even looking at the vids now, their- -attitude/stoke–just seemed–different/more real-.more innocent-.not so win win kill kill. Surfing still had soul.. Tell your niece, good job………
How good is trying to create genuine ‘content narratives’ when your surfers also have a clause in their contracts saying they can be fined $20,000 for swearing in public.
Smelly Skater, always the prophet.
They’re trying to clean up Surfing for mass public consumption, keep it kid friendly and parent approved. Where the $$$ is at…….
Is fuk still a curse?
my god they are truly doomed aren’t they.
In two years Erik Logan will leave the role of WSL CEO and be replaced by Andrew Stark.
“Role” as in we are watching Mystery Science Theater?
“Role” as in “lost at sea and clinging to Kelley like the poor cunt is a life raft”
I mean, really. It’s like the NBA trying to “break through” with their “youth sport” by doing endless documentaries about Michael Jordan.
Eventually it’s going to dawn on these people that they bought a world tour, that’s all they bought, and they best figure out how to get it to make more money, because right now it’s the only thing earning them any money at all.
They think they bought a content farm. With which theycan build an owned audience that can be directly marketed to. From their website: ‘we are the gateway to one of the most desirable audiences on the planet. Our fans over index in being healthy, adventurous, authentic, Eco-conscious.’ I’m not even making this shit up. https://www.worldsurfleague…
But their fans don’t give two fucks about surfing, they just want to see meatheads getting poleaxed at giant Nazare with the ocassional sly tit shot.
And the only corporate partnerships they can sign are with the likes of IKEA and the fucken hairweaver pro.
Fuck this guy and all he stands for.
Times to FRANCHISE!*
*snark aside, why not?
From that link – hadn’t visited that section of site for a while
Our reach is global, with opportunities to customize programs at regional, national and local levels. With competition and community events on six continents, we can tailor a program to reach the markets that best serve your brand and business needs.
Tailor a program – they cant even run a comp that people want to watch
They have no fucking idea. 20 years ago they might have been able to do it because the internet was young and they could have positioned themselves as the multimedia site for pro surfing. But it’s not 1998. That horse bolted years ago.
I think they thought they had it made when they saw the wave pool and thought it would be like being the only company in the world that could make half pipes.
Blind Freddy can see that this isn’t going to work until surfing becomes cool again.
Do you think they’re making any money with the tour ?
Or costing them to underwrite it ?
Not speaking for Nick, but i think that sometimes billionaires invest in money pit companies in order to ease tax burdens on the Holding Company, or ZoSea (?l in this instance.
Yeah that’s what I’ve presumed all along and wonder what he means by “it’s the only thing earning them money”, when surely it costs them a crapload to run and they get no income from it…
I’m no economist, but running the WSL in the red frees up ZoSea capital to move into other ventures.
Ziff: “Code Red. IT’S ON!”
They do get some limited income from Jeep and a few other advertisers– but I don’t think it’s anything close to cover the estimated 30 mil a year cost of running the Wsl…… even if they were getting 10 mil a year in advertising fees, which I don’t think they are, they would still be losing 20 mil a year.. Their operating costs could have gone up also with the added content they’re trying to put out.
Sweet
Yeah I thought they’d be having to sell a lot of shirts and coffee mugs to cover the bills…
What I don’t get is why Ken E-Logans is still in active conversations to secure production funding from Netflix etc. YO!!!! The Olympics are right around the corner. Erik made big moves for OWN. Is he the little fish in the sea. The VAL in great white infested waters. Saint Monica!!! Where art thou Patron Saint of Married women; Difficult marriages; disappointing children; victims of adultery or unfaithfulness; victims of (verbal) abuse; and conversion of relatives
Why has thee forsaken our great, well pretty good at least Savior Erik of the Logan’s?
Bequeath him with the courage to wrap these talks up, and cross the finish line.
For he not be Olimp Biscuit, nay!!!! E-Lo shall summit mount Olympus and grab glory from the clutches of the heathens. And find light for Kelly, to show him the path to Gold. Ultra Gold. Michelob-ish even….
Samsung was paying i think a mil a year I doubt they’re getting more than 3 to 5 mil total from advertising. really kind of a drop in the bucket…..
I’d say right now it’s line ball. There’s a lot of different income streams going on with the CT and QS. CT naming rights, tourism support, mid level and lower level partnerships, all the QS license fees and entry fees, merch sales, broadcast partners, on and on, lots of little bits, all adding up to quite a big bit. Whatever you think of the WSL, running a coherent and effective world tour and an increasingly effective second tier tour, with consistent and effective broadcasts of same, is something they do better than any previous incarnation of pro surfing. The tours reflect the changing power balances in the sport and they actually generate income into the bargain. I just think at some point they will click on that and pull the effort into line with it, instead of pissing in the wind.
Yeah they’re definitely giving us punters a better viewing experience at their expense.
Big sponsors and TV would give them a few bob.
Though didn’t realise QS entry fees etc would add up to much and seems as if they’ll need to sell a heck of a lot more shirts and coffee mugs.
QS entry fees and event license fees would be over $3 million right now, and rising
Interesting…
Wonder if the ebb of sponsored surfers will affect those QS entry fees.
Enough to cover one CT event
Exactly
Truth. It’s all they reeeeeally have… the authority and infrastructure to deem a world champ. As far as content goes they got Red Bull who’s lightyears ahead and doing it 10 times better. Plus all the pros w/ the vlogs. The viewrship pie’s already divvied up and it ain’t getting that much bigger.
That will suit Longtom.
It’s a sinking ship for sure!
Didnt the Oompa Loompas end a song of wisdom to hear and adhere with that line?
Only Tony Stark could save this outfit
Can you outline a strategy of success Sir Nick?
Oh yeah right, that’d be a win win, wouldn’t it — long term niche pro sport growth strategies provided free, here on BeachGrit!!
Think I’ll leave that to Karl Von Fanningstat, he’s way funnier than me.
If I get into the world games and qualify for the Olympics Via Tonga, I’ll change everything. Every surfer you hear about is surf centric pre and post career. You have a one track appeal to the masses. No one I know of has done anything interesting and gritty prior to surfing. I’ll be your huckleberry..
seems a little glass half empty Nick.
Yes , now there’s a thought , ship Starky off to Santa Monica , could be the start of rebuilding Australia’s competitive surfing Culture , lets hope the Coolum scam doesn’t put him in jail…as just deporting him to the USA would be poetic justice , land of the Trumpian Lords and Ben Marcus!
it feels like it’s all just a stepping stone in their career for anyone who gets on their executive board