It was interesting to learn about Marine's path into the sports media industry, and of some of the exciting media projects she has been involved with. Interviewing Marine instilled my belief of confidence as a valuable attribute, and her love of the diversity of her work made me more attracted to a future in sports media.
Here is the transcript of my interview with Marine.
Ali: What drew you to PR, communications and sports media? And how did you first become involved?
Marine: Well I have always been involved in the surf industry - I was born and bred into it as my father is a surfboard shaper! So my interest in surfing has been there since the beginning. I used to go down to surf contests when I was little and was always intrigued by what the media crew did!
At Uni, I studied a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Marketing and PR. I saw this as a relatively broad degree with great career opportunities. And from there I kind of just fell into a job at Rip Curl – working in the marketing department.
At Uni, I studied a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Marketing and PR. I saw this as a relatively broad degree with great career opportunities. And from there I kind of just fell into a job at Rip Curl – working in the marketing department.
Ali: What are some of the ultimate highlights of working in communications/sports media? What do you love about your work?
Marine: The best part about working in this industry is that it is so diverse. I’ve got to meet a lot of amazing people over the years and worked with some incredibly talented photographers, stylists and journalists. I love that no two days are the same!
Ali: From your time in the industry, are there obstacles for newcomers to overcome, specifically for women? Or perhaps advantages?
Marine: The biggest obstacle for a newcomer to overcome would be building their reputation and contacts list. I don’t think it’s necessarily more difficult for women, though you need to know your sport if you want to success in sports media.
Ali: What advice would you give a woman heading into a career in sports media?
Marine: Be confident! The best advice I could give anyone is to be confident in themselves and what they are doing. And a great way to feel sure of yourself is to be knowledgeable – the more you know about the subject, the easier it is to talk about it.
Ali: Do you like the developments and changes new media are bringing, specifically in the surfing world? Last Sunday a friend counted 173 surfers out from Centres to Winki, what do you think about online surf reporting, weather and photo updates, live streaming videos and webcasts? Are the pros outweighing the cons?
Marine: I don’t really like that there are more people in the water! It makes it harder to catch waves!
I think it’s great to be able to check the surf on your computer without leaving the house, but I also believe that you will always get a truer perspective from the beach.
Event webcasts are improving each year which is great for the sport. Fuel TV & ONE HD are broadcasting these now too so it has come a long way from where they initially started.
Ali: And finally, what future projects are you excited about taking on?
Marine: I’m excited about taking on new projects! I’ve recently been working on the PR for a film “First Love” which was about 3 girls from Phillip Island who are chasing their dreams of becoming pro surfers. I thoroughly enjoyed that and am looking forward to working on the PR for “Soul Surfer” – the story of shark-attack survivor Bethany Hamilton which is due to hit cinemas this year.
I am looking forward to chatting with Marine again to find out how her latest project is going, and more about the sports media industry first hand, working together at this year's event.
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