Just general surfing stuff

[steve shearer]

No, no conflict of interest writing puff pieces for an area your brother is spruiking a current real estate development for.

None at all.

Nothing at all to see here.

It's all hunky dory 10/10 above board.

Doesn't have the faintest rotten whiff about it.

I mean Nick has always been a fan of Cresso, and hipsters and longboarding- it fits perfectly with his journalistic interests.

it's not at all weird that he would suddenly about face 180 degrees now there is a pecuniary interest at stake.

[steve shearer]

The Chernin Group motto?

We invest in companies that define culture.

[PeepeelaPew]

Sounds spot on, based on foamy's list.

Interesting that they haven't updated their Surfline Company page- with Kyle Laughlin still listed as CEO.
Kyle was ex Amazon where he worked for Alexa and ex Disney, where he was most noted for work on the Muppets.
...
New CEO is Ross Garret, who is classic Orange County Stepford Wives money.

What's wrong with that?

[Beanpole]

Actually drove out there while we were waiting for our Pizzas this arvo. Nothing is built yet and topography varies from 100% flood prone as far as I can see to slightly elevated. No views. A bit of bush. Rumours in town are that it’s not selling that well….maybe sour grapes….we will see.
What we will see is Yuke choking on Nicks gonads.

[tootr]

Just caught up with this nauseating episode.

TC appearing in ads for cash is one thing - he always has, as have many. The insta post/video is rank, as are 95% of the comments blowing smoke up his arse. And don’t get me started on Hamptons style homes. (See what they have done to Catho)

NC writing puff pieces relating to it is a clear COI. No question. Neither have probably surfed CH since their teens.

Wondering what the financial arrangements are?

The merits of the development are something else. As beans mentioned this is mostly on a floodplain.

[Yuke Hunt]

Actually drove out there while we were waiting for our Pizzas this arvo. Nothing is built yet and topography varies from 100% flood prone as far as I can see to slightly elevated. No views. A bit of bush. Rumours in town are that it’s not selling that well….maybe sour grapes….we will see.
What we will see is Yuke choking on Nicks gonads.

It has nothing to do with dwarves balls ... it's more about people getting sand in their vaginas over what is really not much to see at all. Puff pieces have been getting written for ever, along with advertorials. When NC worked for Surfing Life, did Shearer pull him up on the board review segments, which are pretty much paid advertising. Smorgasboarder, Surfing World, Tracks and any number of publications could be approached to write a multi page spread promoting goods or services ... it would read like a legitimate article and no disclaimer would be required. The only prerequisite would be that the information wasn't fraudulent or misleading.

[Beanpole]

Ah, yes, Tracks. Started with an anti establishment environmental philosophy. All about dropping out of the consumer rat race and living the good life on the North Coast. Getting back to nature. Happy and inclusive. Sounds just like Nicks article about Crescent Head.
We all had a piss out at the Estate yesterday evening.

[buddy]

Well Nick saying how much he likes Crescent Head seems a bit fraudulent and misleading.

And yeh, I reckon he probably talked up heaps of boards he didn’t like in some of those reviews too.

[buddy]

Co-founder of Tracks Alby Falzon lives there or close by doesn’t he?
Wonder what his take is?

[Beanpole]

He lives a bit further up behind Scott’s Head I think.
I’ve seen him out in the surf at Crescent though.

[steve shearer]

When NC worked for Surfing Life, did Shearer pull him up on the board review segments, which are pretty much paid advertising.

Multiple times and as loudly as I could.

This sorry and nauseating trend is getting worse in the media, not just surf media - where advertorial is smuggled into editorial with no transparency as to the commercial arrangement and the punter treated like an absolute dickhead.

[tootr]

Somewhere on the way to Bello?

Apparently has a stonking collection of Outer Islands.

[Yuke Hunt]

Co-founder of Tracks Alby Falzon lives there or close by doesn’t he?
Wonder what his take is?

Alby lives on acreage up behind Scotts Head ... and probably isn't all that interested in any of that, although he's been know to get excited about Mitchell Ray's surfboards.

[buddy]

*Mitchell Rae

Do you work in marketing or advertising or something, Yuke?

Yes it’s been going on a long time, doesn’t mean we should approve of it.

[foamy]

Nick has written elsewhere about his interest in what’s happening in classic east coast surf towns in this time of big post-pandemic social change along the coast. Crescent is right in the centre of that.

[tootr]

Governments have been trying de-centralisation for decades. Unsuccessfully.

The cunning plan now post-Covid appears to be make Sydney/Melbourne so shitt that people want to GTFO.

With many companies wanting people back in the office the job situation is going to be interesting. You’re OK if you’re a tradie or aged care worker.

[steve shearer]

There's a clear distinction that needs to be made (and used to be fundamental) between a persons true thoughts, feelings, impressions, research- Journalism, or even any proper writing and stuff that is written to make something, someone, or some product look good (advertising copy).

True, authentic writing will always have value to me, even if I disagree with the persons conclusions.

Advertorial has no value to me - it's opinions, conclusions etc etc are already pre-ordained because they have been bought.

When I read advertorial dressed up as true writing (editorial) it now has a negative value because I am being deceived.

It's a type of fraud. Possibly, what JK Galbraith termed an "innocent fraud", but a fraud nonetheless.

We'll see this play out increasingly with the use of AI- where they will end up writing most of these puff pieces of advertorial. And readers will be duped into not just reading advertorial but computer generated advertorial- devoid of even a trace of human sentience.

Maybe Nick has spent so much time writing advertorial he's forgotten this, although his old man who was a classic newspaperman for the SMH would have known it and lived it his entire working life.

[buddy]

15 years on, Yuke was either so desensitised to the increased prevalence of the bullshit he started supporting it or he completely changed sides.

Yeah, but there’s making a quid and there’s spruiking. I don’t begrudge the tradies who work on these housing developments. Lending your name and promoting the area is way different in my books.

It's business. Someone approaches a high profile celebrity, in this case a surfer to help spruik real estate in a well known surf town ... there's nothing nefarious or underhanded about it. As for NC writing about the joint, why the fuck not ?

It’s sad and true but I miss the old Tracks
The paper was better for wiping arse cracks
Tracks may have been cheap but the content was great
And the contributors letters were always first rate
What about the Captain and his good mate Astro
Goodvibes was hilarious … I was sad to see him go
The founding fathers of Tracks were a pretty cool bunch
Never afraid of the consequences from a journalistic punch
They put it all out there and harbored no regrets
With their hearts on their sleeves they gained our respect
But then there came the day when Tracks joined the fold
Of the glossy magazine circus and its soul was sold
Now it’s all about advertising and not facts … that’s a fact
There’s no use lamenting the old Tracks won’t come back
Corporate dollars are driving magazine content these days
The media has dropped its bundle in so many ways
Lost its integrity … sold out … gone to far
Goodbye Track … farewell … au revoir.