Big wave rider seeks web audience
Evan Slater is the 38-year-old director of communications at Hurley. Previously, he was an editor of exceptional ability at Surfing magazine. When’s he’s not writing internal company memos, pitching stories or drafting press releases at Hurley, Ev rides v big waves. As I write, he is on standby for a big-wave surfing contest at Mavericks in northern California.Stabmag.com called Ev to talk about the upcoming worldwide webcast premiere of The Drifter.
Stab: In your press release, you describe The Drifter has “the definitive surf travel film”. What movie did it usurp for the title: Tubular Swells, Morning of the Earth, The Present or The Endless Summer?
Evan: It’s the best thing since The Endless Summer. It’s just an opinion; it’s not a fact. I think a lot of people will be inspired by it. If you can get beyond the fact of questioning whether or not it’s real or whether it’s acting, you’ll have a whole lot of fun.
Is there the possibility of a site crash when the world hears about the free premiere, that for the price of opening the clamshell case of your laptop, you can be in LA, watching The Drifter, live?
We had a little practice with the Hurley Pro. We’ve got enough bandwidth to support a lot of people, so crashing isn’t on my mind. Plus, we do a lot of low-budget webcasts. And, this isn’t going to be the super-slick big premiere webcast. You’ll see the acoustic set, the banter, and then we’ll pop in the DVD of the movie.
Can you tell me what country has been most thrilled by the movie?
Rob’s big in Japan and his biggest fan in Japan was there, with a wig, and dressed in the same basketball outfit Rob wore in The Show. Y’know, Rob’s the second-most famous surfer in the world, maybe even the most recognisable.
Is it his tapis sauvage (wild hair)?
He can’t go back to short hair, f’sure. But, the longer the hair, the less the fro. Now, it’s more a willow tree than a fro. He’s definitely the face of the brand. He’s larger than life. No one’s surpassed Rob, yet.
1995 and 2000 were, in a roundabout way, the best year’s of Rob’s life i.e. losing the world title shook his faith in the system as a pro surfer, and 2001 confirmed it. Now, he achieves a deeper meaning.
This film is his example of what’s been doing since his bitter departure from the tour – an affirmation of his path. He’s the envy of a lot of other guys his age, guys working at marketing offices, guys for whom the dream has vanished. And The Drifter means a lot to him. He’s at the one-yard line pushing it through.
How much did the movie cost? A mill?
No, no, no. But, more than a hundred thousand. It was a lot more than expected. Way larger than your average surf film.
Tell me about you. A year ago, you were the George Plimpton of surf journalism, now you are the Anthony Robbins of marketing. What dream did The Drifter awaken in you?
To always reach for a balanced life. To get good waves, put food on the table for my family and to be stimulated creatively. If anything falls off, the dream falls apart. – Derek Rielly.
Posts: 12
Reply #12 on : Sat November 07, 2009, 05:43:37