Bonnier Fully Integrates Around Enthusiast Communities
February 8, 2023 — WINTER PARK, FL — Bonnier LLC took significant actions this week to continue its transformation into the leading outdoor adventure company.
Most significant among the actions is a new integrated structure built around brands and communities instead of products. Whereas the company previously had separate Media and Events divisions, moving forward Bonnier will be grouped by the enthusiast activities in fishing, boating, sailing, travel, motorsports and hunting.
Bonnier’s new Marine Division, under Executive Vice President Glenn Sandridge, will integrate the company’s media and events properties within five groups: the Sport Fishing Group, Marlin Group, Boating Group, Yachting & Sailing Group, and Travel Group. The Marine division will include all print, digital and broadcast assets, as well as the company’s fishing tournaments, expeditions and sailing regattas.
A new Motorsports & Outdoor Division, under Executive Vice President Jonathan Moore, will apply full focus on the rapid expansion of Bonnier’s already robust portfolio of motorsports, hunting and other outdoor enthusiast franchises.
“The key to our future growth lies in advancing the way we serve and market our passionate and affluent communities,” CEO David Ritchie said. “To become the leading outdoor adventure company, we have to fuel the passion of our enthusiasts across various channels, whether that’s through content, tournaments, expeditions, regattas or expos. Today we are putting the structure in place to fully realize that vision and to accelerate our growth trajectory further.”
About Bonnier: Bonnier LLC is an outdoor adventure company that fuels passion for fishing, boating, sailing, motorsports, hunting and travel. Bonnier has the nation’s leading portfolio of outdoor events and iconic media brands in the marine category, as well as an extensive series of nationwide motorsports and hunting events. Bonnier publishes Salt Water Sportsman, Marlin, Sport Fishing, Boating, Yachting, Cruising World and Sailing World; produces the award-winning SFTV television series; and hosts world-class fishing tournaments, sailing regattas and experiential events across the US and in Mexico, Bermuda, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Australia, and the Virgin Islands. Bonnier LLC is owned by Sweden-based Bonnier AB, a globally operating conglomerate with more than 200 years in publishing.
- Published in Corporate
Marlin University Relaunches as Marlin Expeditions
January 12, 2023 — WINTER PARK, FL — Marlin University, which hosts a series of all-inclusive and fully curated immersive fishing trips around the world, has relaunched as Marlin Expeditions, kicking off a new era of experiences and exploration.
Since 2002, Marlin University has been taking anglers to some of the world’s top billfishing destinations. As the program heads into its 21st season, it’s announcing a new name, a new website, and an ever-expanding list of expeditions for 2023.
“We’re rebranding to showcase this franchise’s primary calling card: adventure,” said Sam White, editor-in-chief of Marlin magazine. “While we will retain the program’s concept of providing professional instruction aboard top boats in the finest destinations, our attendees tell us that what they value most is the opportunity to share adventures with like-minded anglers. Those experiences happen on the high seas and not in a classroom.”
The reboot of Marlin Expeditions is the first of several expansions of the Bonnier Expeditions franchise planned for this year.
“Given Bonnier’s portfolio, and its deep connections with passionate anglers, hunters, boaters, sailors and motorsports enthusiasts, we have come to recognize that there is a significant appetite for highly curated, peer-to-peer skill-development programs,” said David Ritchie, Bonnier CEO. “Our consumers have an insatiable desire to learn and to experience, and to do so within an environment of luxury and full-service. Those have always been Marlin University’s hallmarks, so we’re excited to use that platform as our base of a new suite of Expedition offerings.”
This year’s Marlin Expeditions calendar is filled with both past favorites and new adventures. New for 2023 are Cape Verde, where anglers will be fishing the waters off western Africa during peak Atlantic blue marlin season, and the Dominican Republic, fishing for white marlin out of Cap Cana, one of the top destinations in the Caribbean. Due to popular demand, Marlin Expeditions is offering two trips to Los Sueños Resort and Marina in Costa Rica to chase billfish aboard the famous Maverick “Fly” boats. The program is also returning to Guatemala’s Casa Vieja Lodge, including a Ladies Only trip, and Australia’s Great Barrier Reef to hunt for giant black marlin. More dates and locations will be added throughout 2023.
Marlin Expeditions is part of Bonnier LLC’s outdoor media and events portfolio, which includes Marlin, Salt Water Sportsman, Boating, Yachting, Offshore World Championship, Bermuda Triple Crown, Scrub Island Invitational, Los Cabos Billfish Tournament and SFTV.
For more information about Marlin Expeditions, visit marlinexpeditions.com, and follow @marlinexpeditions on Facebook and Instagram.
About Bonnier:
Bonnier LLC is an outdoor adventure company that fuels passion for fishing, boating, sailing, motorsports, hunting and travel. Bonnier has the nation’s leading portfolio of experiential events and iconic media brands in the marine category and an extensive series of nationwide motorsports and hunting events. Bonnier publishes Salt Water Sportsman, Marlin, Sport Fishing, Boating, Yachting, Cruising World, and Sailing World; produces award-winning SFTV television programming; and hosts world-class fishing tournaments, sailing regattas, and educational events across the US and in Mexico, Bermuda, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Australia, and the Virgin Islands. Bonnier is owned by Sweden-based Bonnier AB, a globally operating conglomerate with more than 200 years in publishing.
“Overproof” Wins 2022 Bermuda Billfish Blast with Final Day Heroics
July 08, 2022 – Hamilton, Bermuda – Team Overproof, a 50-foot Topaz based out of Bermuda led by Captain Peter Rans with mate Morgan Outerbridge, came from behind to win the 2022 Bermuda Billfish Blast. Overproof angler Jason Friedman released one blue marlin on the first day of fishing but the team scored a blank on the second day. The third and final day of competition started well with angler Martin Estis releasing a blue at 9:16am. Team Overproof was tight again at 9:35am with Estis back in the chair. After an hour-long battle, Captain Rans called in the boated fish that ultimately weighed 610 pounds to bring their score to 1,610 points, giving them first place team honors and winning them $38,587.50 and an invitation to the Costa Offshore World Championship. Captain Rans has weighed seven qualifying marlin over the many years he has fished the Bermuda tournaments but this is his first outright win of a BTC series event. Team Overproof leads the Bermuda Triple Crown Billfish Championship with 1,610 points heading into the second leg of the series.
The 35-team field of 197 anglers caught 73 billfish including 44 blues, 26 whites and three spearfish over the three days of fishing. The tournament culminated with the traditional gala awards banquet in the Harbourview Ballroom at the historic Hamilton Princess Hotel. The tournament awarded $303,000 in purse plus prizes.
The Bermuda Billfish Blast is sponsored by many industry leading companies including: Bermuda Tourism Authority, Hamilton Princess, Bacardi, Costa, GPlink, CAT Marine, Gregory Poole CAT, Pantropic Power CAT, Foley CAT, Ring Power CAT, PW Marine, Miles Market, The Waterfront Residence, HAWKINS, Satcom Direct, Garmin, YETI, Lindgren-Pitman, Bodo Muche Studio, Butterfield & Vallis, Spar Yard Marine Solutions, Dassalt Aviation, Viking Yachts, Merritt Boat & Engine Works, Spencer Yachts, Willis Custom Yachts, Blue Water Desalination, Steve Goione Marine Artist, WEDCO, Royal Naval Dockyard, AFTCO, King Sailfish Mounts, Release Marine, Fishing Tease, Island Construction, IWS Scales, PENN, OluKai, AIRMAR, QUICK, Island Glass, Vanmark Jewelery, Coastal Carolina Cutting Boards, Rego-Sotheby’s International Realty, MEATER, City of Hamilton, RUBIS Energy Bermuda, Big T Lures, Marlin, Salt Water Sportsman, Sport Fishing and Out Your Front Door.
About Bonnier: Bonnier is an outdoor adventure company that fuels passion for fishing, boating, sailing, motorsports, hunting and travel. Bonnier has the nation’s leading portfolio of experiential events and iconic media brands in the marine category and an extensive series of nationwide motorsports and hunting events. Bonnier is the publisher of Salt Water Sportsman, Marlin, Sport Fishing, Boating, Yachting, Cruising World and Sailing World, produces the award-winning TV series SFTV, and hosts world-class fishing tournaments, sailing regattas and educational events across the US and in Mexico, Bermuda, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Australia and the Virgin Islands. Bonnier is owned by Sweden-based Bonnier AB, a globally operating conglomerate with more than 200 years in publishing.
Epic Final Day of Blue Marlin Fishing at the Costa Offshore World Championship Presented by Continental
May 06, 2022 – WINTER PARK, FL – The Costa Offshore World Championship presented by Continental, held Sunday, April 24-Friday, April 29, brought 37 teams with 168 anglers from 18 different countries to Quepos, Costa Rica, all with hopes of winning the coveted championship rings. This year’s competition released 673 billfish including 606 sailfish, 65 blue marlin, one black marlin and one striped marlin for an average of 18.19 billfish per team.
The teams spend four days on the water fishing out of Marina Pez Vela aboard a different Costa Rica flagged charter boat each day including the world class Maverick Yachts game boats. The tournament anglers follow International Game Fishing Association (IGFA) angling and tackle rules targeting marlin, sailfish, tuna and dorado using video verification to earn points.
The competitors represent an international group of offshore teams that earned an invitation through OWC qualifying events. The competition has a demanding format that requires angling skill to convert the bites into catches.
Sitting in sixth place heading into the final day, the Kenyan team that qualified via the Watamu Fishing Festival would need all the luck to place in the tournament let alone win the competition. The team managed to release eight blue marlin, setting a daily record for the tournament, ultimately scoring a total of 8,300 points from 14 sailfish and 11 blue marlin releases to pull off the biggest come from behind win in the history of the tournament.
The tournament is also the subject of a three-part TV series that will showcase the many sides of this global event: the fishing competition, qualifying events, team profiles, behind-the-scenes action and more. The series will debut on Discovery on Labor Day Weekend.
The Costa Offshore World Championship presented by Continental is sponsored by Costa, Marina Pez Vela, Continental Tire, YETI, Guy Harvey, Parador Resort & Spa, Garmin, Maverick Yachts, Bodo Muche Studio, AFTCO, Flor de Caña, IGFA, King Sailfish Mounts, Pacifico Travel Services, Outdoor America, Imperial Beer, 2Costa Rica Real Estate, VanMark Jewelry Designers, Marlin, Salt Water Sportsman, Sport Fishing, Big-T Lures, Diesel Premier, Penn, Hilton’s Realtime Navigator, IWS ScaleMaster and Tropic Star Lodge.
About Bonnier: Bonnier is an outdoor adventure company that fuels passion for fishing, boating, sailing, motorsports, hunting and travel. Bonnier has the nation’s leading portfolio of experiential events and iconic media brands in the marine category and an extensive series of nationwide motorsports and hunting events. Publisher of Salt Water Sportsman, Marlin, Sport Fishing, Boating, Yachting, Cruising World and Sailing World, Bonnier produces award-winning SFTV television programming, and hosts world-class fishing tournaments, sailing regattas and educational events across the US and in Mexico, Bermuda, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Australia and the Virgin Islands. Bonnier is owned by Sweden-based Bonnier AB, a globally operating conglomerate with more than 200 years in publishing.
New Original TV Series Documents the 2022 Offshore World Championship
April 14, 2022 — WINTER PARK, FL — The Costa Offshore World Championship Presented by Continental will be the subject of a three-part TV series documenting the most globally diverse sport-fishing tournament in the world.
Mixing high-level competition with reality TV, the docu-series will showcase the tournament’s four days of fishing action in Quepos, Costa Rica, and present a 360-degree view of this global spectacle: the 90-plus qualifying events, target species, judges, fans and roughly 40 competing teams with anglers from 20 countries including the U.S., Brazil, Bermuda, Mexico, Croatia, Canada, Panama, Kenya and the Seychelles.
“For more than two decades, the Offshore World Championship has represented the ultimate achievement in big-game fishing. This new series will bring the global story of this tournament to life,” says Dan Jacobs, the event’s longtime tournament director.
The televised Offshore World Championship will reach an international audience of more than 3 million with primary and secondary airings on Discovery, Outdoor America, Bally Sports Sun and Outdoor America’s digital streaming and video-on-demand platforms. It will air in the third and fourth quarters of 2022.
The series is the latest project from the producers of SFTV, the award-winning fishing-travel-adventure series on Discovery that began its 21st season on April 2.
“Developing a national and regional broadcast component for the Offshore World Championship was the right move for the sport and will help grow the audience exponentially,” says John Acosta, Costa Del Mar Vice President of Marketing. “It’s a first-class event and we are proud to have an ownership position that reinforces our brand’s presence in competitive saltwater angling.”
The Costa Offshore World Championship Presented by Continental is one of several international fishing tournaments produced by Bonnier, the outdoor adventure company with a portfolio that also includes Salt Water Sportsman, Sport Fishing, Marlin, Boating, Yachting and SFTV.
For more information on the Costa Offshore World Championship Presented by Continental, visit offshoreworldchampionship.com, and follow @offshoreworldchampionship on Facebook and Instagram. Click here for the TV series’ full creative brief.
Bonnier Corp. Hires Nate Matthews to Lead Salt Water Sportsman
March 1, 2022 — MAITLAND, FL — Bonnier Corp. has hired outdoor enthusiast and digital-content strategist Nate Matthews as editor-in-chief of Salt Water Sportsman, the nation’s leading authority on saltwater fishing. He will join the team on March 1.
Matthews returns to Bonnier Corp. after more than a year of service as Vice President of Commerce at Recurrent Ventures, a division of North Equity, which acquired the titles Field & Stream and Outdoor Life, among others, from Bonnier in fall 2020. Prior to his transfer to Recurrent, Matthews served in a variety of roles at Bonnier Corp. over a span of 15 years, culminating in his appointment to digital director for Bonnier Corp.’s outdoor group. In that position, he provided pivotal leadership in the development of content initiatives that included print, web, social, video and e-commerce.
“In hiring Nate Matthews as our next editor-in-chief, we are redefining the position as much as we are hiring a person,” said David Ritchie, Bonnier Corp. CEO. “The role of editor has grown exponentially in the past 10 years to include brand stewardship across an ever-growing and ever-changing base of distribution channels and technology platforms. During his previous time with Bonnier, Nate distinguished himself as someone who converts intuition and data into actionable editorial insights. In this new role, he will work to introduce fresh ideas into the print product, while also expanding Salt Water Sportsman’s reach into new areas of opportunity.”
Matthews will succeed Glenn Law, who departs Bonnier to pursue other professional interests.
“The opportunity to expand the relevance of Salt Water Sportsman is truly a career-defining role,” Matthews said. “As a lifelong angler who lives on Long Island, I have a deep appreciation and respect for the many industry legends who have led this iconic brand since its inception in 1939. I look forward to building on that legacy for years to come.”
About Bonnier Corp. Bonnier Corp. is an outdoor-adventures company that offers the nation’s most robust portfolio of experiential events and iconic media brands in the marine category. Along with Salt Water Sportsman, Bonnier Corp. also publishes Yachting, Boating, Marlin, Sport Fishing, Cruising World and Sailing World, reaches 6 million households annually through its award-winning SFTV television programming, and hosts world-class fishing tournaments and educational events in the US, Mexico, Bermuda, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Australia and the Virgin Islands. Bonnier Corp. is owned by Sweden-based Bonnier AB, a globally operating media conglomerate.
- Published in Corporate, Salt Water Sportsman
Bonnier Corp. Hires Olsewski to Fuel Motorsports Media
January 25, 2022 — WINTER PARK, FL — Bonnier Corp. has hired Steven Olsewski as the editorial lead for its motorsports brands. Olsewski, who has a long history of content creation within the market, will oversee editorial-content creation as Bonnier expands its offerings within key motorsports segments.
“As an event producer and publisher of world-leading content across an array of markets, we have long believed our authoritative voice in motorsports represents a tremendous opportunity to provide value to our engaged audiences,” said Jonathan Moore, Bonnier’s executive vice president of events.
Olsewski previously served as editor of Power Automedia’s leading brands, Off Road Xtreme and Diesel Army, and more recently was the driving force behind Off-Road Assassin.
Beginning with Off-Road Expo and Sand Sports Super Show, Olsewski will develop the editorial plans for motorsports content, work to develop content partnerships with key stakeholders, build out new editorial offerings, and leverage Bonnier’s market-leading events as year-round content engines.
“I am excited to be joining the Bonnier team and have the opportunity to further develop their motorsports business. Having been a lifetime participant and advocate of these markets, this is a tremendous fit for my experience. Creating the content in support of authoritative brands such as Off-Road Expo and Sand Sports Super Show will generate new value for the passionate enthusiasts, sponsors, and exhibitors who support those events, as well as the industry at large,” Olsewski said.
About Bonnier Corp.
Bonnier Corp. is an American outdoor adventures company with a broad portfolio of experiential events, supported by iconic media brands. Notable brands include Boating, Off-Road Expo, Yachting, Sand Sports Super Show and Salt Water Sportsman, among others. Bonnier Corp. is owned by Sweden-based Bonnier AB, a globally operating media conglomerate.
- Published in Corporate
Andrew Parkinson Joins Cruising World as New Editor-In-Chief
January 24, 2022 – MAITLAND, FL – Andrew Parkinson has been named editor-in-chief of Cruising World. A lifelong sailor based in Ft. Lauderdale, Parkinson comes to Bonnier with more than 22 years of experience in publishing, marketing, multimedia, and public relations.
Parkinson most recently served as editor-in-chief at Passagemaker, where he led a full-scale redesign of the print product while directing best-in group measurables across the brand’s digital, social and events platforms (Trawler Fest), including the conceptualization and launch of the brand’s first podcast, “Trawler Talk,” which surpassed 50,000 downloads in its first year. Before joining Passagemaker, Andrew held managing and executive editor roles at Southern Boating and Yachts International, and has a solid understanding of both the power and sail sides of the marketplace.
Parkinson has plans for a 360-degree content plan that evolves the brand in its current channels and expands into new ones to grow the audience base and optimize revenue opportunities.
“Andrew’s reputation as an editor, creative and mariner precedes him, and he’s a perfect fit for our company culture,” says Shawn Bean, Bonnier’s executive vice president of creative. “We don’t just expect great things from him – we know they’re coming.”
- Published in Corporate, Cruising World
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