Showing My Best Side

I’m new to the outdoor industry. My colleagues here at Backbone Media call me the FNG. Even Gary, our UPS guy, calls me the new guy because he hasn’t learned my name yet. For those of you who haven’t met me or don’t remember a time before golden Aspen leaves and dreams of endless face shots, here is a little background.

I’ve done PR and marketing for years but was recently reminded how tied together work and lifestyle can be. Take advertising, for example. When a brand wants to run an advertisement that includes people, they typically hire models and pay them handsomely.

So, when a buddy of mine from Ski.com asked me if I’d help him out by posing for a few photographs that might make it into an advertisement, I jumped at the chance. I pulled my ski gear out of storage and put it on in August. The heat was brutal but I sweat it out and braved the embarrassment of doing a photo shoot at a popular spot in Aspen. In the summer. In ski clothes. I looked like a real fool but figured that the payoff would be worth it.

Time passed and I forgot all about the embarrassment of the photo shoot and my buddy Dan never mentioned anything to me about it. But yesterday, an advance copy of the November issue of Outside arrived at the office and it was like Christmas around here. Everyone at the Backbone office scrambled to hold the issue and pore over the pages. I did the same and much to my surprise, I found a picture of myself gracing the pages. Only this time I was not being humiliated in an Aspen park wearing my ski gear in the middle of August. I was standing amongst beautiful snowy peaks choosing boxes off a supermarket shelf, determining which resort to visit this winter.

It’s amazing what can be done with Photoshop. The ad came out beautifully and not only will it run in Outside but it’s also on Ski.com and will also appear in Freeskier, SnoWorld, and Mountain Magazine. The ad shows my best side so only I (and a few select friends, and colleagues, and oh, nevermind…) know that it’s me.

Needless to say, I didn’t get rich by modeling for Ski.com so I’ll stick to my day job at Backbone Media. Hopefully my status as the new guy is starting to fade and I’ll just become part of the crew.