Sam McIntosh on modern biz and Beach Grit

stunet's picture
stunet started the topic in Tuesday, 1 Aug 2017 at 9:01am

To those who follow such matters, the Stab/Beach Grit show has been a slow burning melodrama. The potted history of it goes like this: Sam and Derek start Stab - Derek leaves Stab - Stab gets bought by SurfStitch for top dollar - Derek starts Beach Grit - Beach Grit lobs a barrage of public grenades at Stab.

Conspicuously, Stab is yet to return fire, however it doesn't mean they aren't seething as this interview with Sam McIntosh shows. He's a switched on fella, old Sam, and it makes for good reading - not just the voyeurism of old biz partners squabbling but how he's guiding Stab through post-acquisition headaches and the shifting sands of social media.

From The Business of Surf:

http://www.thebusinessofsurf.com/behind-the-curtain-stab-magazine-sam-mcintosh/

 

terrance's picture
terrance's picture
terrance Thursday, 3 Aug 2017 at 2:35pm

Not really, just a good memory.

And like Kramer, I like a good cat-fight.

terrance's picture
terrance's picture
terrance Thursday, 3 Aug 2017 at 2:42pm

freeride, no doubt McIntosh got his Alan Bond... And that's unlikely to ever happen again. I wonder if McIntosh has some golden handcuffs as part of the deal with Surfstitch?

you're right freeride, money doesn't necessarily bring happiness, but it does provide more options!

goofyfoot's picture
goofyfoot's picture
goofyfoot Friday, 24 Jan 2020 at 8:00am

Anyone else finding Beachgrit hard to read these days?
Chas is trying too hard to be wacky and out there, it’s turning into garbage

crg's picture
crg's picture
crg Friday, 24 Jan 2020 at 9:17am

Agreed GF...outside of LT it was pretty average to begin with...now I think garbage is almost being too nice.
I hope you’re getting paid well Steve for propping up their page clicks with actual quality writing.

indo-dreaming's picture
indo-dreaming's picture
indo-dreaming Friday, 24 Jan 2020 at 11:34am

Those two sites have always been trashy, their forum replies are even worst just total trash, only time i read their articles is if it's something that i just cant get enough of or interesting topic.

For example the melb wave pool, good too read a variety of reports from different places.

velocityjohnno's picture
velocityjohnno's picture
velocityjohnno Friday, 24 Jan 2020 at 11:58am

The BG replies run at a much faster vibration than around here, there are many masters of the acidic one-liner. I reckon I'd be hard pressed to keep up over there. And I like paragraph replies, and dislike Disqus. Here at Swellnet the hive-mind can really get into a topic, and provide informative, researched reply and discussion. FR writing over at BG is worth reading.

Eddie Haiku is gold, too!

Edit: damn that video popup on the RHS of screen - if I wanted a video while I'm reading I'd f&%cking click on it! Have to use Tor on BG I guess.

zenagain's picture
zenagain's picture
zenagain Friday, 24 Jan 2020 at 12:46pm

I'm kinda with Indo on that one.

Stab has some pretty good video stuff though.

Balance's picture
Balance's picture
Balance Friday, 24 Jan 2020 at 3:02pm

+1 on Indo...never been a fan

+1 on velocity as well...that dam pop up video really shits me...my thumb must be too big because it seems to take me at least 10 attempts before I can get the bastard to close.

Comments section is the Jerry springer of the surf world

velocityjohnno's picture
velocityjohnno's picture
velocityjohnno Friday, 24 Jan 2020 at 3:24pm

haha jerry Springer!

:0

Lanky Dean's picture
Lanky Dean's picture
Lanky Dean Friday, 24 Jan 2020 at 3:26pm

Swellnet, Beach Grit and Stab
The Big three of surf media for the next decade.
The future looks bright round here!

jayet-010's picture
jayet-010's picture
jayet-010 Friday, 24 Jan 2020 at 4:40pm

BG is the literary equivalent of spitting the winkle. Mainly harmless but usually messy for those involved.

Blowin's picture
Blowin's picture
Blowin Friday, 24 Jan 2020 at 11:18pm

You always got the feeling that BG was a part time gig for the two authors running the show, but it’s getting to be ridiculous.

You’d have to assume that they’re trying to juice the numbers in order to sell it. They’ve revealed that shark stories are Radio Friendly Unit Shifters and they’re just hitting that thing like a booze hag on the 20 cent slapper come Centrelink payday.

Too much. If it wasn’t for Freeride with a guest appearance from our very own Surf Ads , then it’d be game over.

The pro tour offseason reveals just how shallow their grasp of the breadth of surf culture really is.

Take away the commercial aspect of it all , the brand backstories, the industry circle jerk and they’ve got......ever more ludicrous fish news.

It’s illustrative of the lack of decent surf content online that I still visit. It’s Swellnet then........lots of daylight.

Big plus for BG is their clips of anonymous ripping on the boards they’re reviewing. Some of my favourite clips on the net are of the BG gimp giving it some on the board du jour .

jayet-010's picture
jayet-010's picture
jayet-010 Friday, 24 Jan 2020 at 9:57pm

It's got nothing to do with the articles ... it's the comedy of of the comments section that keeps me coming back ... kinda the opposite of here

Blowin's picture
Blowin's picture
Blowin Friday, 24 Jan 2020 at 11:15pm

But you’re so funny !

jayet-010's picture
jayet-010's picture
jayet-010 Saturday, 25 Jan 2020 at 1:45pm

We can't all be grumpy fuckers Blowin

freeride76's picture
freeride76's picture
freeride76 Saturday, 25 Jan 2020 at 7:08pm

I'm obviously biased, but although having never met Chas Smith, I can identify him as a very, very talented comic writer, easily the best ever in the surf world.

People have varying levels of tolerance for the dosage but when he's on song - and the shark thing is brilliant example- it's satire on a swiftian level.

Rielly is very funny too, brilliant interviewer and very sly, deft use of the sarcastic needle.
This story on the dust storm at the tub is classic Rielly.
https://beachgrit.com/2020/01/extreme-weather-melbourne-wave-pool-closed...

"Shat on from outer space".

who could come up with that line?

Plenty of smart, funny bastards below the line, bit more US centric than Swellnet .

Pupkin's picture
Pupkin's picture
Pupkin Sunday, 26 Jan 2020 at 11:35am

Chas Smith is what?? Like Tom Switzer?

channel-bottom's picture
channel-bottom's picture
channel-bottom Saturday, 25 Jan 2020 at 9:13pm

IMHO, it comes down to the quality of the writer and exploring new, potentially difficult subject matter.

I used to rate Stab really highly for articles like these
https://stabmag.com/style/sarge/
https://stabmag.com/style/zane-harrison/
And another great one I can’t find about Matt Branson.

Quality, long form writing.

Nowadays, Stab seems to be an aggregator of video clips, Beachgrit industry gossip and shark clickbait stories with commenters trying to use post-ironic usernames.

goofyfoot's picture
goofyfoot's picture
goofyfoot Sunday, 26 Jan 2020 at 12:05am

Interesting story about Zane Harrison.
What ever happened to him? Anyone see him surfing these days?

lostdoggy's picture
lostdoggy's picture
lostdoggy Sunday, 26 Jan 2020 at 12:35am

Kept surfing his old pipe dreams up in qld until he finally broke his last one and got his first new stick from bourton a few months back.

Island Bay's picture
Island Bay's picture
Island Bay Sunday, 26 Jan 2020 at 6:08pm

BG comments, especially live during CT events, are gold. So many smart and witty people there.

Derek is a very clever cookie, and FR/LT an incredible surf writer.