Tom Hogan
True in every industry: You never know where the next success story will come from. That’s especially true in the digital publishing world, where anyone with a passion and a little knowledge can start a site or community for like-minded people around the world. No where is this more evident than in the story of Sean Collins, the icons in the surf community and founder of Surfline.com.
On 26 December 2012 Collins died of a heart attack after a tennis match in Newport Beach, California. He is called “Steve Jobs surfing.” Inducted into Surfer Huntington Beach Hall of Fame in 2008, he is very famous in surfing community around the world. In 1999 , he was appointed by Surfer magazine as one of the 25 most influential Surfers of the century. In addition, where he founded, Surfline.com, has become a must-read for rider waves today. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Surfline has more market penetration among groups from Facebook.
I never met Sean Collins, but, as a surfer and a Publisher, I always admired his work. Since his death, I have read some story that celebrates what Sean Collins did for wave riders. But his story, and the story of Surfline.com, is more than just a surfer story. This is a story of innovation and adaptation in the digital media and digital publishing. No matter who your audience is, there are some real lessons to be learned.