The past couple of weeks have illustrated the shifts in media we’ve been seeing since social media gobbled up ad dollars and allowed individuals to compete with established media outlets.
Enthusiast titles that we’ve worked with for years closed, more mainstream outlets were purchased (again), and print versions killed.
We see these changes in real time. We get the calls from editor friends who are caught in the shifting tides so we can talk through what’s happened and what’s next. These are our friends and longtime colleagues. It’s personal, and that part really sucks.
But it’s also reality, and while we enjoy optimism when appropriate, we’re also pragmatic by nature and by name here at SPEC. (The “P” SPEC literally stands for “Pragmatic.”)
We know that while the media industry will continue to change and evolve, good stories are timeless. And many of the best stories we’ve been a part of come from life changing experiential events. Doing real things in the world matters, and for us, that ideally means we’re doing some really cool stuff outdoors. We feel like those are the best, most impactful, most meaningful and most memorable moments.
When you spend time outside doing exceptional things (moto, offroad, cycling, hiking, camping, fishing, hunting … whatever it is), you make memories. And when you do those things with other like minded people, you make lasting bonds. And when we share those experiences in captivating words and images, we inspire others to go outside as well.
I was fortunate to see this first-hand in New Zealand and Fiji working on Eco Challenge races 20+ years ago (before it was the Amazing Race on Amazon). Some of my best friends are people I met on those trips. Those bonds are strong because we did some amazing things together – outside.
Today at SPEC, we pride ourselves on our ability to produce authentic outdoor experiences. Experiences that bring together more like minded people, create more strong bonds, pass along that wisdom and knowledge that we’ve gathered, and help tell stories that are impactful and memorable.
We have a bunch of these events already on the calendar for this year. It’s something we’re really good at because we’re passionate about outdoors experiences and sharing our stories. And while the media world changes, that constant is more important than ever.
Let’s get outside.
Van
