Channel Mastery

Episode Highlights:

• Live Feisty founder, Sara Gross, shares how creating content that fits their ever-evolving target consumer and staying connected with that consumer has helped Live Feisty grow and expand their community

• Sara shares insight to her life and story as a professional athlete, mom, content creator, podcast host, Ph.D., and business owner and more

• Hear how Live Feisty expanded into a number of different spaces when the pandemic hit and how they pivoted from in-person to virtual events

Description:

On the Channel Mastery podcast, we focus on the importance of knowing your target audience and really speaking to them, engaging with them, and staying connected to them. What I enjoyed most in speaking with Sara Gross, Live Feisty founder, for this episode is that she not only focuses on staying true to her target audience, but is also quick to pivot and expand Live Feisty’s content as their audience continues to grow and change. 

Sara tells us how the name “Live Feisty” came to fruition and how building a safe and inclusive community is at the heart of all they do. She also shares the challenges and opportunities Live Feisty faced in order to shift from in-person events to virtual events through 2020.  

To wrap up the interview, she said something that is still resonating so much for me. She said, “...people say to fake it until you make it, but I don’t think that’s it. It’s a willingness to work in the dark.” If you’re an entrepreneur struggling to forge ahead or simply looking for some inspiration from a real visionary, you’ll find a lot of value in this episode.

Sara Gross is an Ironman triathlon champion, an academic, podcast host, tiktok-er and the founder of Live Feisty Media. After twelve years as a professional triathlete and three major international wins, Sara set her sights on shifting the cultural narrative for athletic, performance-minded women. Sara founded Live Feisty Media in 2017, a company that creates content for active, feisty folks who love to sweat or be covered in mud from time to time. Sara’s PhD is in women’s history and you can hear her unsolicited opinions about many things every Friday on the ‘If We Were Riding’ podcast.

Episode Highlights:

• You’ll hear how Outside Inc., is modernizing endemic journalism through editorial and experience acquisitions and a strong content ecosystem
• Robin and Kristin share how Covid-19 shifted consumer behavior and how those shifts are connected to a massive influx of newcomers into the outdoor markets 
• You’ll get Robin’s take on one of the most important approaches to retain these newcomers - making it easy for them to identify and actively engage with their passions
• Discover the long-term vision and strategy for Outside Inc., including its membership program and how the teams at Outside Inc.’s myriad of publications and brand experiences will work to “catch and keep” our outdoor recreation newcomers in 2021 

Welcome to another season of Channel Mastery! This episode featuring Robin Thurston, CEO of Outside is our inaugural episode of season four. We can’t wait to offer another season of Channel Mastey, presented by Verde Brand Communications. 

Robin is the CEO of Outside, the world’s leading creator of active lifestyle content and experiences. Formerly known as Pocket Outdoor Media, Robin acquired Outside along with other companies such as OutsideTV, Gaia GPS, AthleteReg and Peloton magazine in February 2021. To say I was excited to interview him is an understatement. Through these acquisitions and a major rebranding, Robin and the Outside team have created an incredible content ecosystem that is changing the experiential and outdoor media market and single handedly modernizing journalism. 

On the episode, he shares how their strong content enables them to create data that leads to personalization and ultimately converts to membership and a tailored consumer experience. We touch on the consumer behavior shifts that took place in 2020 and how Outside is focused on connecting and engaging with newcomers to the outdoor industry.

As always, thanks for listening to Channel Mastery! Subscribe today to hear new episodes first all season long!

Robin Thurston is the CEO of Outside, the world's leading creator of active lifestyle content and experiences. Formerly known as Pocket Outdoor Media, Robin acquired Outside along with other companies such as OutsideTV, Gaia GPS, AthleteReg, and Peloton Magazine in February of 2021. Outside now reaches 70 million of the most active consumers across its web, print, podcast, social, video, and TV platforms. Before joining Outside, Robin ran a consumer genetics company called Helix in Silicon Valley, and co-founded and built MapMyFitness into one of the world’s largest open fitness tracking platforms. A Colorado-native, Robin resides in Boulder with his wife and three children.

Description:

For this week’s show, we’re replaying our MOST downloaded show ever in four plus years of Channel Mastery - the Jennifer Kriske, Machines for Freedom show, originally released as episode 118 in January 2020.

Jennifer is founder and CEO of Machines for Freedom, a very specialized, very awesome women’s cycling apparel brand. Her entrepreneurial spirit and approach showcases a spirit and drive to serve her target consumer. She does that through the right mix of channels, remarkable content and a comfort around putting a continued stake in the ground with inclusivity. She was a groundbreaking leader in this regard and I am completely inspired by her. 

Her message in this episode is one that should really resonate with the specialty business community served with Channel Mastery. 

Enjoy this encore episode, and know that within a couple of weeks, Channel Mastery will enter a new season with a stellar line-up of guests. We’re up-leveling the show to be the vehicle you need to know what’s working and what’s not to serve your focal consumer today. 

Jennifer Kriske is Founder of Machines for Freedom, a high quality, high performance, women’s cycling apparel company. Prior to Machines for Freedom, she held positions ranging from entertainment media and hotel and restaurant design. In the midst of designing restaurants, she took up cycling and realized the need for kits that were more specifically designed for women.

Machines for Freedom launched in 2014 and immediately created palpable changes in the cycling world which has led to an industry-wide shift in the way cycling apparel is designed and marketed. Machines For Freedom not only proved to the industry that an entire market exists, but the company innovated and elevated cycling apparel for women in a way no other brand has, while building a strong and organic community riders who support each other, challenge themselves, and spread good vibes.

Episode Highlights:

• After in-person events were cancelled in 2020, SIA names tradeshow and event veteran, Brian Stephenson Director of Snowbound Festivals
• What changes can consumer trade shows like Snowbound make to minimize the negative environmental impact of such large in-person events?
• Hear how offering educational and relevant content year-round through SIA’s membership portal creates a barrier-free entry point for newcomers to the sports and bridges the gap between experts and novices 

Description:

In the summer of 2020 and in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Brian Stephenson was named Director of the Snowbound Festival, an event that many of us have always considered the kick off for the winter season. Brian was hired by SIA and brings with him an extensive background in consumer events like Comicon, Star Wars Celebration with Disney and Lucasfilm, and many others. 

The cancellation of in-person events was our reality over the past year, and though we can’t say for certain what the next year will bring, developing a whole new ecosystem and expanding on the concept and community facet of an event like Snowbound is what Brian will bring to the table. 

A membership site is a platform we haven’t discussed here much on Channel Mastery, but our consumers are continuing to evolve and become even hungrier for our content. Similar to email lists, memberships create an audience willingly engaging in what we have to say and offer a community. SIA and Snowbound are widening the portal for the newcomer to winter sports, bridging the gap between an expert and a novice and bringing all of these components together under one portal and then the literal, roof, of the consumer shows.

Also on the minds of so many of our evolving consumers is sustainability and how their favorite brands, businesses and organizations are aligning their practices with that of the consumers. Brian shares what Snowbound Festivals of the future are doing to ensure they’re practicing what they preach and keeping the environment and sustainability at top of mind.

Brian Stephenson is the Director of Snowbound, the new consumer platform of Snowsports Industries of America (SIA). Brian started his career in the winter division of Airwalk and then became the Sports Marketing Manager for SoBe Beverages at PepsiCo and oversaw the partnership with Burton Snowboards including the US Open of Snowboarding and the winter athlete program. After leaving Pepsi, Brian helped create a new consumer pop culture event division at Reed Exhibitions called Reedpop. Reedpop runs some of the largest consumer events in the world including New York Comic Con, Star Wars Celebration, ComplexCon, PAX, Emerald City Comic Con, and many more. While at Reedpop Brian built and maintained relationships with global partners including CBS, Crunchyroll, Disney, DC Entertainment, Lucasfilm, Marvel, Microsoft, Warner Bros, and many others. Brian joined the SIA team in 2020 and is bringing his multi-faceted brand and event experience together with his love of Snowsports to build the new Snowbound Festivals.

Episode Highlights:

• Rach McBride, a non-binary pro-athlete, shares how they use their platform to be a vehicle for positive change and how brands can follow their lead
• People for Bikes introduces new sub committees including a DEI focused committee bringing together individual brands to discuss racial and gender inequality and how to make everyone feel safe on bikes
• Hear why accepting progress over perfection is the first step for brands!  

Description:

Rach McBride is known in the sports community as ‘the most interesting person in triathlon.’ They were the first triathlete to come out as non-binary and they are using their voice, story and platform, to create an inclusive community and bring awareness and education to individuals and businesses. Rach joins me on this episode of Channel Mastery, along with Jill Nazeer, Diamondback’s Director of Marketing.

You’ll hear Rach’s story of becoming a professional athlete a little later in life, respectively, and what’s ahead for 2021 after the cancellations of so many races in 2020. Rach and Jill share details of the Diamondback Gravel Scholarship, the growth of gravel and what People for Bikes is doing to create a more inclusive and safer environment for new or established cyclists. 

This is a must-listen for brands and businesses unsure about where to start when it comes to inclusivity, diversification and equality. Brands are in the driver seat of the vehicle of change and it’s time to embrace progress over perfection.

Rach has been racing full-time as a professional triathlete since 2011. Known as the “Purple Tiger,” they are a three-time Ironman 70.3 Champion and have numerous podium and course record results across several distances in the sport. Deemed "the most interesting [person] in triathlon" by TRS Radio, Rach is the first professional triathlete to be out as gender non-binary. They hold two graduate degrees in genetics and are an accomplished cellist. Rach loves being a minimalist, spinning fire, and working in sexual health education and advocacy in beautiful Vancouver, Canada, where they live and train.

Jill Nazeer is the Marketing Director at Alta Cycling, the parent company of Diamondback, Raleigh, Redline, Haibike, and IZIP. Jill has experience working in the outdoor industry for brands such as K2 and The North Face, as well as at non-profits such as the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team In Training where she managed their Triathlon and Cycle teams. Originally hailing from Chicago, Jill takes full advantage of Seattle’s adventurous spirit, and enjoys bringing her passion for the outdoors to the community.

Episode Highlights:

Learn how Overland International is utilizing a multi-channel approach to marketing - print, podcasting, online, email - to connect with its customers.
Why authenticity is so important in your marketing strategy - it makes all the difference and Overland International is doing an amazing job at it!
The future of consumer shows, like the Overland Expo. Is there still a place for shows like this today?
Overland International’s secret sauce to making newcomers feel welcome - and how this is the key to success for the industry.

Description:

Scott Brady of Overland International has been a path burner for the overland community for years, and continues to lead the charge when it comes to connecting, engaging with and welcoming new participants to the industry. Overlanding, which has grown into a nearly a trillion dollar industry was once thought of as separate from the outdoor industry, but Brady continues to tie together the two into a broader ecosystem that is beneficial for everyone.

In this episode, you’ll hear how he’s mastering a multi-channel mix to continue to connect with his established audience on channels he owns, while also welcoming and engaging new enthusiasts. He also highlights the importance of continuing to diversify the fans and followers of the sport for long-term industry success. We also touch on predictions for the future of consumer shows like Overland Expo and the challenges we’ll face in years to come because of the pandemic and shutdowns.

Overlanding may be a lesser known branch of the outdoor industry, but it’s one I’ve been excited to keep an eye on for the past few years and even more so while studying how the consumers have changed and shifted their behaviors and preferences because of COVID-19.

Scott is an adventure driver and consultant who has worked on various specialty-vehicle projects for auto manufacturers, aftermarket companies, and television producers such as Top Gear. He is a passionate photographer and writer with international credits, the only American to have won the esteemed Outback Challenge, Morocco, and a Tread Lightly Master Trainer. Business ventures during the past decade include the Overland Society, Expeditions West, Expedition Portal, and Overland Journal. He has traveled through over 60 countries and across every continent. His most current project, Expeditions 7, is a round-the-world overland odyssey in two 78 Series Toyota Land Cruisers. After reaching the end of the road, he enjoys canyoneering, climbing, and mountain biking. Scott lives in Prescott, Arizona.

In this episode of Channel Mastery, I sit down with Maria Boustead. Maria started Po Campo, an international distributor of functional, stylish, and practical cycling bags for riders of all ages after realizing there was a major need for a bag that cyclists would find functional and enjoy using throughout their normal workday. Maria and I dive into the foundation of Po Campo, how the pandemic completely shifted their marketing efforts, product focus, equity crowdfunding, and much more.

Over the past 11 or so months throughout the pandemic, we’ve seen huge booms and a wave of newcomers in the cycling industry. Maria admits that their success at Po Campo, may have been a bit of - right product at the right time - but she is incredibly proud of being able to support and serve both the new cyclists of 2020 and the veteran cyclings with good gear from Po Campo. Through the biking boom, she and her team were especially focused on finding the right channel mix to reach their target consumers, who were surprisingly different in 2020 compared to years prior. While their company website may have been the initial workhorse, investing heavily in their digital presence and a new website, proved to be a focal point and necessity for the brand in order to reach and engage with their new consumer

What I was most excited to talk to Maria about is a channel we haven’t explored much here on Channel Mastery and that’s Equity Crowdfunding. Rather than crowdfunding with a model like Kickstarter, Po Campo opted for a Equity Crowdfunding, which provides donors with a financial stake in the business. After building the brand alongside their customers, Po Campo felt providing this piece of the Po Campo pie and financial stake was the absolute right move for their business. 

If you’re  interested in scaling a small business, while keeping the end consumer at top of mind and focusing on how to reach and engage them, tune in to this week’s episode of Channel Mastery.

TAKEAWAYS FROM THE EPISODE

• Maria shares the channel shifts and growth they discovered at Po Campo with the massive influx of newcomers to the cycling industry. Through a new website focused on serving their target consumer and investing in their digital presence, Po Campo grew their online sales by 250% yoy.
• Po Campo brought in a team of industry professionals, including past Giro and Marmot teammates to grow the business in marketing, product development and financial management to help with planning for the future. 
• Through equity crowdfunding rather than a more traditional crowdsourcing platform like Kickstarter, Po Campo offers a piece of the company to continue to connect with their consumers and brand followers.
  
  

Maria is the founder and CEO of Po Campo, an internationally-distributed line of functional, stylish, and sustainable bags designed specifically to make biking a better and more seamless part of your life. Since May 2013, Po Campo has partnered with World Bicycle Relief, donating a portion of sales to funding the purchase of bicycles for girls in developing countries so that they can get to school. An in-demand speaker, Maria has presented about her entrepreneurial journey in the bike and outdoor world at the League’s National Bike Summit, the Industrial Designer Society of America (IDSA) National Conference, and the Outdoor Retailer Trade Show, among others.

Kim Miller, CEO of SCARPA North America and a revered friend of mine and client of Verde Brand Communications is our guest today on Channel Mastery. In 2020, Verde launched a regular monthly episode series featuring resources and solutions to ensure people of color are more comfortable identifying as part of the outdoors communities. Verde is committed to strategically using our reach and the reach of our clients to welcome a more diverse participant base into the incredible outdoor community.

On this episode, Kim shares the initiatives SCARPA North America has made to ensure they’re continually thinking about equity, diversity, inclusion and sustainability. In early 2021, they launched the inaugural “SCARPA Stands for Guiding Growth - Athlete Mentorship Initiative.” The goal of the program is to connect and engage the SCARPA Athlete team with accomplished athletes from historically marginalized communities, who are aspiring to take their sport or career to the next level.

Listen to the full episode to learn more about the new initiative, Kim’s past and the mindset for SCARPA’s future and how diversity plays a role in the outdoor industry, growing a brand, and creating a sustainable working environment.

TAKEAWAYS FROM THE EPISODE:
The Scarpa team launched a program in 2021 entitled, “SCARPA Stands for Guiding Growth - Athlete Mentorship Initiative.” The program is designed to connect and engage the SCARPA athlete team with accomplished athletes from historically marginalized communities, who are aspiring to take their sport and career to the next level.

Kim talks through the development of SCARPA’s Pillars of Principles or Pillars of Values - people, planet, principles and product.

Now, more than ever, it is important for speciality businesses and brands to be vehicles of positive change. Kim shares how he and his team at SCARPA are ushering this type of positive and forward change.

Kim Miller is the CEO of Scarpa North America, a performance-driven and purpose-built backcountry skiing, climbing, hiking, mountaineering, trail running, and telemark footwear company.

Scott Buelter, CEO and President of Ascent 360 joins us on this episode of Channel Mastery. Ascent 360 was founded with the mission to build advanced technology that does amazing consumer personalization and bring it to the outdoor industry and specialty businesses and brands. This idea was an incredibly forward thinking idea at the time and I truly believe it has elevated the opportunity for small and mid-sized specialty brands to earn the hearts, minds and trust of their target consumers - a mantra you hear me say often, Channel Masters.

If nothing else, 2020 granted us all in specialty business experiences that worked or didn’t work. We now have so many things we can look back on and either graduate forward as we’re looking to manage another year or leave behind. Consumer behavior shifted at unprecedented rates last year and with that, consumer expectations changed too. We have to continue to be nimble and connect with our consumers on an emotional level and Scott is here today to offers real life examples of how to do just that.

This episode is a great way to lead into 2021 and I am excited to see what Ascent 360 does next!

GUEST PROFILES:

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.

In this episode of Channel Mastery, I am joined by Andrew Osborn. Andrew became the VP of Brand Creative at Outdoor Research, a beloved Verde Brand Communications client, after years of working in creative studios and on the design side of advertising agencies. He started at Outdoor Research just weeks before Covid-19 hit the states and has played a pivotal role in rebranding and guiding creative efforts throughout 2020 and is leading the charge into 2021.

Outdoor Research proved to be the leader of innovation and product development when they pivoted their productions early in the pandemic to create their face masks. In this interview, we dive into Andrew’s past work, how they quickly shifted production in the pandemic, where OR is headed next, and what 2021 has in store for brand storytelling, consumer engagement, and hard goods marketing, and more.

With a background in design and interactive experience, Andrew Osborn isa creative director who blends passion and profession with a strategic focus in the athletics and outdoor industries. He currently serves as Vice President of Brand Creative at Outdoor Research.