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One step further - if you had an outside the industry product to sell (not your time/services) same question
Team
privateer
Magazine
TV ad (discount tire)
in stadium/series sponsor etc..
What type/level would make the most sense from your perspective?
The Shop
It's been a hell of a week, guys! When I got my first job at Cycle News back in 1990, I had no idea the adventure that lied ahead. My Editor, Jack Mangus, was the gnarliest boss I've ever had, but he instilled a work ethic in me that has stayed with me throughout my adult life. Seven years after I started with Cycle News, I got the call to be the test editor at Dirt Rider. I was scared shitless to leave the CN family, but I took a chance and had a heck of a good time and learned even more. After a couple of years, I was offered the chance to start up MXracer with guidance from Ken Faught and Tom Webb, and that was a huge learning curve. With my art director Mitch Ikemoto, the two of us pretty much put that thing out as a two-man show until I was able to hire my buddy Corey Neuer to help.
In February of 2000, I was at the Fox Racing go kart night during the Indy Trade show, and there was a guy going so slow in front of me that I just started ramming him! After the session was over, he took his helmet off and introduced himself to me as Brad McDonald, founder of Ride BMX and SNAP (and now-owner of all things Vital). He said that they wanted to start a motocross magazine and I was the person they wanted to do it. Now that was terrifying! I felt nice and cozy at MXracer, but since it was the red-headed sibling of Dirt Rider, I never really felt a ton of job security there. So I took the leap, and I was terrified. Brad was one of the smartest guys I ever worked for, though, and I learned a ton from him as we built the magazine up into the best selling in the world. It was a blast starting TransWorld Motocross with Garth Milan...we did everything together for many years.
It's been a hell of a journey, these past 19 years of trying to adapt to new trends and technology. (I remember when Garth and I swore we'd never give up slide film cameras!) I've worked with some truly talented individuals, many whom have become my best friends. I've gotten to see the world, witness amazing races and ridden in some places I would have never dreamt of. I always used to joke that when I got too old to enjoy riding dirt bikes I would transition into the sales side of the magazine, but at 50 I am having more fun than ever riding and racing.
Last week, the rug got pulled out from under us and I was shocked at the news. I felt like my life's work was stripped from me, and that I had nothing to show for it. Believe it or not, I felt like a complete failure when I walked into my home that night. When my wife and daughters hugged me, I sobbed the way I did when my parents passed away. My eldest daughter Sam graduated college last year, a semester early, and to my delight moved home as she transitioned straight into her career. "Don't worry dad, I've got the groceries and whatever bills you choose," she said. "I got you." While providing for my family was certainly a concern of mine, most of the grief I was feeling at the time revolved around my loss of purpose. At that moment, I realized that while my accomplishment of creating and building the TransWorld Motocross is certainly something to be proud of, it is my role as DAD that is why I am truly on this Earth. It is my biggest and more important accomplishment.
With the help of both my daughters this weekend, I put together swapmotolive.com "The space between places, where content will live." Read in between the lines of that motto and guess for yourself. Fingers crossed, though! My career thus far has been a wild adventure, and it could get even wilder if all goes right!
Answers to questions I read...
- If you just subscribed, you will either get a refund from AMI, or you will continue to get mags in the mail if things go right.
- The TWMX Race Series is also on hold. If things go right it will be back and better than ever.
- I never intentionally tried to give the mag a "cooler than thou" flavor. I made fun of myself more than anyone else!
Thanks for reading! And please check out swapmotolive.com As GuyB would say, "There's some nuggets on there." How about Mookie ripping on an Alta?
- swap
I stopped going to their website when they moved away from the old Orange look and tried to implement flash or something way too soon, it was a horrible experience and have never really warmed to any of their redesign attempts since.
Good luck to all of you, including whoever made the call on glue type to be used.
Hopefully that is some good news.
Is there any way you would continue running the TWMX series under a different name if the mag deal dosent work out ?
Its a great race series that everyone in so cal is worried about losing.
Good luck to you , and thanks for all you have done !!
Pit Row
Good Luck with your future endeavors Swap.........without a doubt you will come out of this better than before!!
You guys can make it happen.
One door closes another opens WIDE
SLAPPIE
Edit never mind. Just got explanation later in show .
I vividly remember Donn running around the pit area at Binghamton in 2000, handing out his new magazine (I was a cub reporter for Cycle News, covering the Nationals). It was very nicely done and everyone I showed it to was very impressed.
19 years is a pretty damn good run, if you ask me. Congratulations.
Best of luck in the future. I just added www.swapmotolive.com to my list of favorites.
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