Two Communities, One Goal

Nation

graphic courtesy of nella media group

 At first glance, surfers and skaters shouldn’t be at the same party as vendors of photovoltaic cells and wind turbines. The action sports and sustainability communities, however, do share a common interest in saving the environment, say the founders of Nella Media Group. So NMG has set out to connect the groups through events and promote them through marketing and public relations. “Our goal is to merge these worlds together,” says Jason Cutinella, who founded NMG with Tyler Mongan.

 

As the marketing and sales executive for surf publication Heavywater magazine, Cutinella brings a network of businesses and people in the action sports crowd. Action sports includes any outdoor sport ranging from surf and skate to mountain bike riding and windsurfing. Mongan is president of Honu Guide, an annual directory for local sustainable businesses. NMG now partners with Heavywater magazine and publishes Honu Guide.

The goal is to bring together the two groups that weren’t explicitly connected before, Mongan says. He adds that clients now see the advantages of being in both markets when it didn’t before.

In addition to the Honu Guide, other sources of revenue for NMG include public relations and marketing services. NMG hopes to leverage its network into future clients and potential advertisers and sponsors for future publications and events.

One of the events is ecolounge, a business and social networking event held every third Thursday of the month. The formula is simple: an action sports organization or company sponsors the event, as does a sustainability company. Each can have a booth or demonstration. The first hour is devoted to networking, but to keep the crowd there, DJs or live music will perform after. For NMG, it’s an entry point for businesses from both sides. NMG wants to take the concept national; in fact, the first ecolounge was held in Augusta, Ga., in September. NMG hosted the first Honolulu ecolounge a month later.

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