Channel Mastery

Episode Highlights:

• Research showed that through the pandemic consumers eagerly want to align with brands who share their values 
• Cooler offers calculations instantly so you can neutralize your carbon footprint as a business to achieve your customers’ climate goals
• Michel and Jon share how the company was founded and how they’re working to fight climate change

Description:

Consumer loyalty through the pandemic and still into 2021 is up for grabs. What we saw throughout COVID and the particularly crazy political climate we’re living in still is that consumers eagerly want to join up with brands that are ethically aligned with their own values. What Michel Gelobter, Jon Dorn and the team at Cooler Incorporated offer is a solution and technology that brands and consumers can trust with a mission to make your business part of the climate solution conversation. 

Taking action as a consumer against climate change can feel daunting and what numerous studies and reports through 2020 showcased, is that consumers are no longer looking at their governments and representatives to solve the problems for them. They’re looking at the brands they self identify with and are aligning their dollars with those brands who are actively joining the fight against climate change. 

On this episode of Channel Mastery, you’ll hear how brands can become “Cooler” and work to first identify their full carbon footprint on the products and services they provide and then create a plan to neutralize that carbon footprint. Michel shares the planned official launch of the business, which also happened to align with the very beginning of COVID and explains how his relationship with Jon Dorn of Outside Inc. helped the company pivot to work closely with the outdoor industry. 

Thirty years ago, Jon Dorn left a low-paying job in academia for a lower-paying job as a magazine editor at Backpacker. But that opportunity to become a full-time adventure journalist fed his wanderlust, and he’s never looked back. He’s slept under the stars in 17 time zones (only 7 to go!), come face-to-face with wolves and grizzlies, led Backpacker to five National Magazine Awards, and made it the world’s first carbon-neutral magazine. At Active Interest Media, Jon served as editorial director and later as president of the company’s Active Living Group, which included brands such as SKI, Yoga Journal, Backpacker, Clean Eating, and Climbing. After several years as the company's Chief Innovation Officer, during which he added oversight of AIM's video studio, online education platform, and in-house marketing services agency, Jon took a break to co-launch Cooler, a software startup that calculates and eliminates the carbon footprint of any product or service at checkout. He jumped back into media in October 2020, helping Pocket Outdoor Media rebrand as Outside Inc. after the acquisitions of Outside magazine, OutsideTV, and several other adventure brands. Today, he oversees Outside and several related business development projects. In his spare time, he serves on the board of a nonprofit serving homeless youth in Colorado and is an avid triathlete, cyclist, and hiker.

Michel Gelobter is the CEO of Cooler, inc (cooler.dev) and Managing Director of Reflective Earth (reflectiveearth.org).  He has held senior positions in advocacy, government, academia, and business, with an ongoing substantive focus on innovation, climate change, energy, and social justice. As a businessman, he founded the first consumer-facing climate software company, Cooler, and was a founder or senior leader in two other cleantech startups.  As an advocate, Michel co-founded a number of environmental justice, water, and oceans organizations, including the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance, and led Redefining Progress from 2001 through 2006, where he worked to originate and design the world’s most aggressive climate legislation (California's Global Warming Solutions Act).

 As an academic Michel was the founding director of the Program on Environmental Policy at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs.  Prior to that, his government service included a stint as a Congressional Black Caucus Fellow, staff at the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee and serving as Assistant Commissioner for the New York City's $2 billion-a-year water utility and environmental agency.

Michel earned his MS & Ph.D. at UC Berkeley’s Energy & Resources Group and presently serves as a Board member of CERES, the California Clean Energy Fund, and the African-American Advisory Committee of the Spence-Chapin Adoption Agency. He is co-founder the Green Leadership Trust, and is a part-time Director at infoedge, a boutique management consulting firm operating at the intersection of big data and strategy. In that role, he leads the innovation and sustainability practices.

 Michel also published Lean Startups for Social Change: The Revolutionary Path to Big Impact (Berrett-Koehler Press, 2016). He lives with his three children in Berkeley, CA.

Episode Highlights:

• Marketing Director, Holly Fraser, introduces Outsider’s Network, the newest network connecting talent and content creators in the outdoor industry
• Outsider’s Network helps drive inclusiveness with their mission to find a diverse, collective of outdoor talent
• Holly shares what phase of their launch Outsider’s Networks is currently in and where the network is headed over the next few months

Description:

All of us in specialty businesses and in the outdoor industry know that it can be challenging to find talent in remote locations or professional models that can do the incredible activities - kayaking down a river, rock climbing, mountain biking - we need them to do to showcase our brands. That’s where the Outsider’s Network comes into the equation. They connect professional models and welcome non-professional enthusiasts to their network with producers, agents, and the makers behind the brands.

My guest this week is Holly Fraser, Marketing Director for Outsider’s Network, a website and talent marketplace in the early phases of their launch. Outsider’s Network helps people search and then book talent in the incredible places where outdoor shoots happen across North America. Holly partnered with the founders of Origin Outside, an outdoor focused marketing agency, to launch Outsider’s Network.

The network is now in what Holly referred to as the “Model Car” phase of their official launch. The components of the car are all available at outsidersnetwork.com and they’re accepting applications for both the talent and booking side of the program, but the engine (or official launch) won’t be added until a little later this summer. 

Learn about the newest network connecting brands with talent in the outdoor industry on this week’s episode of Channel Mastery. 

Holly Fraser is the co-founder of Outsiders Network. The concept of Outsiders Network came from her career as an outdoor content producer with Execution Media Ltd, her Whistler-based boutique production company that works locally and around the world. Execution’s client list includes major car companies, clothing lines and adventure gear brands, all of which benefit from Fraser’s professionalism and creative instincts that she’s been honing since her days studying photography and media at Ryerson University. Prior to founding Execution in 2011, Fraser worked in creative agencies, ran a photo-arts gallery and event space and traveled the world raising awareness for animal rights, a cause that she passionately advocates for in her day-to-day life (just ask her three-legged rescue dog that found the good life when Fraser brought him home). Now a mother of a toddler you can find Holly working from home on the ancestral and unceded territories of the Skwxwú7mesh, Lil’wat and St’at’imc Nations with her daughter and three rescue animals or out exploring the beautiful world on her dirt bike, mountain bike, sled, board or skis.

Episode Highlights:

• Hear how Russ and the Path Less Pedaled team have grown their Youtube following to over 100,000+ by speaking to the enthusiasts, as opposed to the pros, within the biking community

• Party Pace is the how Russ describes the audience of Path Less Pedaled. They aren’t the cyclists on the podium, they’re the newcomers or long-time riders enjoying two wheels as their own pace

• With a tech savvy audience on YouTube, Path Less Pedaled focuses on authenticity and honesty on their channels

Description:

In the active outdoor lifestyle and outdoor recreation markets, and cycling in particular, we tend to get in our own way. We’re known as being too competitive and focus on the professionals. On this episode though, we’re talking about the enthusiasts. In 2020 and through the pandemic, the cycling boom meant newcomers to the sport in a way that has never been recorded and my guest today is speaking directly to that newcomer and inviting them into the community.

Content Creator at Path Less Pedaled, Russ Roca joins me for episode 173. Russ and his partner, Laura, spent a few years key-less, as he put it, meaning they traveled the U.S. and then New Zealand by bike creating content. They launched Path Less Pedaled, which has since grown to an impressive 100,000+ followers. He shares how they’ve been able to grow their YouTube channel and their Patreon network by listening to their fan base and meeting their needs. 

I have been a fan of the Path Less Pedaled channel and network for quite awhile now but am particularly impressed in how they guide their consumer, in their case, viewers, and make them feel like you’re in the garage with them, talking shop and enjoying a chat. Tune in to hear all about the Path Less Pedaled! 

Russ Roca is the content creator behind the Path Less Pedaled Youtube channel.  Prior to Youtube he had worked as a freelance writer/photographer for various bicycling publications such as Bicycle Times, Adventure Cycling and Momentum Magazine.  He and his partner, Laura Crawford, have also worked as bicycle tourism consultants helping tourism destinations market themselves to cyclists and have worked with organizations like Travel Oregon, Visit Idaho, Travel Iowa and other state and local level destination marketing organizations.

Episode Highlights:

• Inventor and Entrepreneur, Joe Wold shares the backstory behind LifeHandle, a versatile sling created to handle anything
• Hear how Kickstarter introduced the LifeHandle team to a new audience and ultimately a new target consumer
• Introducing ambassadors to the product has simultaneously introduced new ways to use LifeHandle’s products

Description:

I have been looking forward to introducing Joe Wold, inventor and Co-founder of LifeHandle to the Channel Mastery audience because he offers a very unique pandemic story. Like so many brands and specialty retailers, LifeHandle experienced supply chain issues in 2020 when they were expected to officially launch their first product. Rather than hiding under a rock, they shifted gears and introduced a Kickstarter campaign to ensure their product was introduced to the market and that they stayed in touch with their target consumers. 

Through the Kickstarter campaign, they were able to tell the story behind product development, Joe’s personal need for it after a car crash and they actually discovered new uses and audiences perfect for the product. I’ve always thought the Kickstarter platform allows brands to get closer to your audience than traditional avenues and LifeHandle proves this to be true. Along with details of the Kickstarter campaign, you’ll also hear about LIfeHandle’s experience adding an influencer program to their brand and the discoveries made from that experience. 

As always, thanks for listening. Enjoy the show!

Joe Wold is the inventor and Co-Founder of LifeHandle, a carrying assist and dog leash company that makes everyday life and adventures a little bit more enjoyable and a lot more comfortable. Joe is a geologist by training but has always been a tinkerer to make solutions for common problems. Joe grew up in Wyoming and is an avid fisherman, skier, mountain biker, hunter, and lover of the great outdoors. He lives in Boston with his wife Chelsey and two children, Wells and Tucker, and their Chocolate Lab, Bruin.

Episode Highlights:

• Vice President of Strategy, Stephen Regenold is focused on continuing to connect with Lola Digital Media’s and AllGear’s consumer through authentic content 
• Lola Digital Media recently acquired a number of sites. Hear what’s on the horizon next for the network of sites.
• With an emphasis on authentic content, journalistic integrity and honesty, Lola Digital Media continues to be the reliable source for today’s evolving consumer

Description:

It doesn’t matter what channel you, as a consumer, buy from or engage on - it all starts with trust. The entire universe has been built on relationships and reciprocity and my guest and longtime friend, Stephen Regenold with AllGear and Lola Digital Media lives and breathes this. He is the absolute caretaker for the focal consumer and works to grow the trust of that beloved consumer. As brands, we are responsible for giving the consumer what they need and empowering them to buy where they want to buy, maybe even more so than we were prior to COVID.  

On this episode of Channel Mastery, Stephen shares how they are further fostering customer and brand relationships through the development of a new network of sites.  With the ever-changing algorithms and data shifts, it’s nearly impossible to keep up, but what Stephen and his team at Lola Digital Media and AllGear are focused on is continuing to put a majority of their efforts into the heart and soul of true research, journalism and writing that leads to authentic content. 

I have been lucky enough to call Stephen my friend for nearly two decades now and love hearing how he’s continuing to further media through the creation of authentic content and always staying closely connected to that North Star we’re always talking about - our consumers. 

Stephen Regenold is the Founder of GearJunkie, a publication covering the outdoors and active-lifestyle categories with millions of monthly readers. GearJunkie was acquired by Lola Digital Media in April 2020, and Regenold now serves as VP of Strategy with the startup company building a new network, AllGear. Regenold is a journalist by training and former writer for the New York Times. A climber, skier, and ultra-endurance athlete, Regenold launched GearJunkie in 2002 as a nationally-syndicated newspaper column. He lives in Minnesota with his wife, Tara, and their five children.

Episode Highlights:

• Rob DeMartini, CEO of USA Cycling since 2019 offers listeners a clear picture of the organization's long-term strategy and plans for the future
• With the recent shift to free youth memberships, USA Cycling isn’t dwelling on the past, but planning for the future of cycling and adapting a mission-driven mentality
• Hear how the vision of USA Cycling is shifting to include a different kind of member;  a member that is excited to be a part of USA Cycling and wears it with a sense of pride.
  
  

Description:

In the cycling world, it’s no secret that there are strong opinions about USA Cycling. What I have always believed in life and in business is that what’s happened in the past, does not dictate our future, which is why I was eager to interview Rob DeMartini, CEO of USA Cycling. Rob is a newer leader to USA Cycling, joining the organization in 2019 and came to the organization from outside of the fishbowl, but with a background working with a number of outdoor brands. He’s incredibly fluent with “our people” in the Channel Mastery community and offers a vision that will be extremely beneficial to the future of both USA Cycling and cycling as a whole. 

We’ve talked about the monumental growth of the cycling industry in 2020 through 2021 and the importance of not only catching and collecting newcomers to the sport but keeping them. Rob shares the long-term vision and strategy for USA Cycling, including offering free youth programming and the importance of doing so for the future of the sport. 

He also shares how the organization is putting “compliance” in the rear view mirror and steering toward a mission-driven mentality for the future. This is a must-listen to episode for our Channel Mastery cycling enthusiasts, but also for anyone interested in hearing how an organization can make strides to become a more inclusive, receptive to feedback and open to change. 

Rob joined USA Cycling in February 2019, bringing with him extensive knowledge and experience from a diverse background as well as strong business-building experience across various industries. A passionate athlete and cycling enthusiast, Rob was drawn to the opportunity to lead USA Cycling after recognizing the potential for the organization to take on a larger leadership role in the cycling industry.

Rob came to USA Cycling after spending 12 years as President and CEO of New Balance where under his leadership, New Balance doubled its global annual sales to reach $4.2B and achieved one of the highest growth rates in the athletic footwear and apparel industry. Prior to joining New Balance, his career at Procter & Gamble spanned 20 years, beginning in their Food & Beverage Division and including management roles with the Gillette Company, North American Snacks, and Millstone Coffee.

Rob is the past Chairman of The American Apparel & Footwear Association and is a former board member of The Advanced Functional Fabrics of America, a nonprofit spinoff from MIT, focused on accelerating innovation in the apparel industry. He is also a current board member of Welch Foods, a Farmer Owned Cooperative and former board member of Aloha Foods.

Rob earned his B.S. in Finance from San Diego State University. Rob, along with his son and daughter-in-law owns Park City Bike & Demo Bike Shop, and resides with his wife in Park City, Utah.

Episode Highlights:

• By sticking to their original business model, Outdoor Prolink offers exclusive membership to active industry professionals
• Hear how guides are the original influencers bridging the gap between brands and consumers
• With a database of over 130,000 members, Outdoor Prolink still provides a customized experience for their members

Description:

For specialty brands and businesses, referrals and recommendations from industry pros are a make it or break it tool and ultimately, a channel in and of itself. I invited Gareth Richards, CEO of Outdoor Prolink on the podcast for this episode to offer insight into the Outdoor Prolink membership, and how the members continue to drive the relationship between brands, specialty retail stores and consumers. 

Outdoor Prolink was created to connect outdoor industry professionals directly with brands. Through a handbuilt approach for accepting applicants and monitoring members, they’ve grown immensely over the years and now have a database of over 130,000 industry professionals. They have never wavered from their original business model and still require proof of employment and annual verification to continue membership.

Influencer marketing has existed since the dawn of time, though it hasn’t always been known as it is today. Guides, along with specialty retail associates, were the original influencers offering advice for newcomers in the sport on which gear and equipment they used and put full trust in to keep them safe. What Outdoor Prolink does is continue to build the relationship between brands and outdoor industry professionals through a tech driven platform, which eventually drives consumers to independently owned retailers. 

With a quickly changing landscape, brands and retailers should be focused on consumer centricity now more than ever. The members of Outdoor Prolink offering third-party testimonials continue to drive consumers directly to retail and master their channel.

Gareth Richards is CEO and owner of Outdoor ProLink. He has a demonstrated history of working in the sporting goods industry and is skilled in retail, sales, event management, team building, and sporting goods. He is a strong business development professional with a MA focused in Experiential Education from University of Colorado at Boulder.

Episode Highlights:

• Hear how the welcoming and engaged community of Veloclub is fueling their membership growth 
• Abby Mickey shares her personal story against inequality in cycling and as a female journalist 
• Learn how Youtube as a channel is helping build an audience excited about women’s racing
  
  

Description:

I’ve been a long time follower of Cycling Tips and became even more of a fan when Abby Mickey, retired professional cycling and extraordinary journalist joined the team. Abby brings a beautiful narrative touch and has such a strong sense of storytelling that it makes every story richer and offers a point of differentiation. I was absolutely thrilled to host her as my guest on this episode of Channel Mastery.

During our interview, Abby shares the story of joining the team at Cycling Tips as Associate Editor and the negative response from some of the audience members. This unwarranted feedback was sent to her via email, comments on podcasts and articles or directly to the Editor in Chief. 

She also shares how the community of Cycling Tips membership, Veloclub is highly engaged, loyal and quickly expanding. You’ll also hear how Youtube is becoming a channel important to women in cycling.

Abby was born and raised in the mountains of Colorado. Until college she was a ski racer but once at the University of Colorado Boulder she discovered the world of bikes. She participated in mountain and road racing until she graduated from school with a degree in History. Afterwards she pursued a professional career in road racing and competed in Europe and the USA until 2019 when she hung up her race bike. Now she is an Associate Editor at CyclingTips. She focuses on covering the women’s professional peloton through writing and also on her podcast, Freewheeling.

Episode Highlights:

• Host, Kristin Carpenter, sits down with Renita Smith and Emily Newman to offer a look at the tools Camber Outdoors offers to “Meet the Moment”
• A recent workplace survey by Glassdoor reported that 76% of employees and job seekers said a diverse workforce was very important when evaluating companies and offers. Hear how Camber Outdoors works with companies to move closer to the goals of diversifying their workforces
• As we approach the one year anniversary of the murder of George Floyd, it’s timeto check in on the goals and promises you made as an organization over the past year 

Description:

In June 2020, Emily Newman and Renita Smith of Camber Outdoors went live on Facebook with Channel Mastery host Kristin, in the midst of protests surrounding the murder of George Floyd. During that discussion, they announced the release of new resources Camber had created to help brands and businesses in the specialty markets and outdoor industry move forward with their diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

Now, as we approach the one year anniversary of George Floyd’s murder in late May, Emily and Renita offered a check-in or progress report and “Tools to Meet the Moment.” The discussion invites organizations to revisit the promises made a year ago and continue to learn, act and change within their organizations.

With a recent Glassdoor workplace survey reporting that 76% of employees and job seekers said a diverse workforce was very important when evaluating companies and job offers, it’s important now more than ever to continue work in this space and continue to revisit the promises outlined in 2020.

Emily Newman is Executive Director of Camber Outdoors and serves as ex officio on the organization’s board of directors. Prior to joining the organization in 2019, Emily served as Founder and Founder & Principal of Beechwood Partners, a social-impact consultancy dedicated to developing vision, strategy, operational systems and teams for foundations and field-leading nonprofit clients.  Notable projects included work with the Obama Administration’s My Brother’s Keeper Alliance, Microsoft, Majestic Realty Foundation, PeerForward, the Los Angeles Urban League and a variety of prestigious Tribal Government and Family Foundations. Emily holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Barnard College at Columbia University and a Master of Science from the New School for Social Research. 

Renita Smith is Chief Programs Officer of Camber Outdoors and a proven leader in driving superior performance, financial value, and positive social impact for enterprises spanning the private and nonprofit sectors. She is passionate about creating diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplaces that enable companies to better reach and serve customers, employees, partners, suppliers, and their communities. In her role at Camber, Renita devises our strategic roadmap and leads the implementation of all programs, initiatives, and resources that will support the $887 Billion Outdoor Recreation Economy in building a diverse talent pipeline and creating inclusive hiring practices and workplaces.

Renita serves on the boards of several organizations focused on health, education, and the arts. She is particularly passionate about helping to equip low-income, minority, and/or underrepresented young people actualize their potential in college, career, and beyond. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from Stanford University and a Master of Business Administration from Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Episode Highlights:

• Scott Buelter, Ascent 360 CEO and founder returns to the show to share the newest consumer trends to focus on in Q2 2021
• In the 2020-2021 ski season, resorts went from 15% consumer data collection to 90% consumer data collection almost overnight. What’s next for the ski industry?
• As biking is about to pick back up, hear what you can do as a specialty retailer to stay connected and engage with your target consumer above your competitors 

Description: 

Ascent 360’s CEO and founder, Scott Buelter is back for another appearance on this episode of Channel Mastery. Scott joined us for episode 157 in January 2021 and shared key consumer trends we could expect as we were in the first month of a brand new year and quarter. We were eager to get him back for this episode so he can share a wealth of information from Q1 and what we can focus on in specialty business as we’re now into Q2. 

We’ve all known that consumers in specialty markets are passionate. They’re willing to work around fragmentation and friction for our products because they adore their sports and the community that come along with them. Scott shares some of the personal touches he’s seen retailers hone in on this year to uplevel their human to human connections and increase their engagement. 

With so many newcomers first to the skiing industry and now as we enter the 2021 biking season, the specialty experience has to evolve. This is a must listen to episode, as Scott advise on what’s working and what’s not working with the data to better understand it.

As CEO and president, Scott Buelter guides Ascent360’s strategy and vision. His mission is to bring enterprise-level marketing capabilities to midsize businesses through a powerful CDP, allowing them to better understand their customers and achieve continual growth. Buelter draws upon his data analysis and digital marketing experience at companies such as Nike, Disney, Royal Caribbean, Loews Hotels, American Express and Samsung, as well as upon his academic background. Buelter received an MBA from the University of California–Irvine and a Bachelor of Science in economics from the University of San Diego, in addition to studying at the London School of Economics and the Institute of Education Sciences in Berlin and Vienna.