Wavelength’s New Managing Director Shares Vision of Surf Magazine
Following the sale of the title earlier this year Source met up with the New Managing Director of Wavelength Surf Magazine to hear his vision for the future of the title and his plans for his other title Longboarder magazine.
Wavelenght
Please tell us about your background
My name is Chris Thomson. I started surfing in 1990 at age 9 on the Isle of Wight and moved to Newquay when I was 16. I lifeguarded at Watergate Bay, where I founded and later sold Errant Surf Holidays in 2011, then moved to Canada for a few years, where I founded Marwick Marketing. We moved back to Newquay in 2019, opening an office for Marwick here and launching Longboarder Magazine as a side project.
Why did you buy Wavelength?
I was a typical grom back in the 90’s, pre-social media, when surf magazines were the epicentre for fresh photography, surf news, and surfer profiles. I had surf posters covering every inch of my bedroom. Wavelength, which was established in 1981 in Newquay, was one that I subscribed to.
So when I was approached by the previous owners in early 2024 to take over the media platform, I couldn’t say no. Wavelength sits well with our other media platform, Longboarder. Wavelength is a high-quality surf magazine with a rich heritage, published in winter and summer. Longboarder is published every spring.
Chris Thomson
What are your plans for Wavelength?
I believe the previous owners did a great job improving the quality of the actual product. Wavelength now looks a lot different from issues 1–150. My vision for Wavelength is to ensure the platform’s voice is diverse and not just Newquay or Cornwall-focused. I’d like to see it celebrate surfing in the UK and Ireland as a priority, returning to its roots while giving a voice to surfers around the UK and Ireland.
We’re investing in the website in the coming months and creating a team of regional representatives from every coastline in the UK and Ireland. The website currently gets three times the organic traffic compared to its competitors, and we aim to double this in the next 12 months. We’re also committed to creating more native, rich content for the surfing audience in the UK and Ireland, including films, podcasts, videos, and grassroots events.
As for print, we will have a rotating guest editor to give each issue a different perspective and flavour, supported by a permanent team to assist them. Next issue we have surf photographer Bella Bunce taking the guest editor role, the first time in 42 years Wavelength has had a female editor.
Managing Director Chris Thomson with Guest Editor Bella Bunce
Tell us about Marwick Marketing. What does Marwick mean?
Marwick takes its name from a remote, but perfect, surf spot on a secluded Scottish island. To reach perfection, you have to escape the crowds and push beyond the ordinary. This journey is as true for effective marketing as it is for surfing!
Marwick Marketing is an agency that specialises in search (SEO and Google Ads) and paid social media advertising in the outdoor/surf industry, resorts and destinations, food and beverage, and e-commerce. We’re a team of 23 marketing professionals with offices in the mountains of Squamish, BC, Canada, and the surf town of Newquay, UK.
Why did you launch Longboarder Magazine?
I longboarded professionally in my twenties, and after a period of living in the mountains, I returned to surfing with our move home. I saw how popular surfing had become and how diverse longboarding was. Despite the global growth of longboarding, there was still only one publication – Pacific Longboarder – which is an excellent platform, but I wanted to create something different that resonated with longboarders around the world.
I enlisted my good friend Sam Bleakley in the early days, and we set about filming a number of short films with Mike Lay, Ben Skinner, Sam Crookshanks, and Izzy Henshall. These were well received, but it was the coffee table-style print magazine that became a big success.
How has Longboarder been received by the industry and consumers?
Longboarder has been very successful. We stock a number of surf shops globally and ship directly to consumers. I believe its success is due to the quality of the publication and the diverse stories we tell within its covers.
How is Longboarder Magazine funded?
Longboarder has very limited ad space within its pages, and many of the brands that support us have returned volume after volume, including Finisterre, DryRobe, and Mermaid Gin. Volume Three, out next spring, has two double-page spreads left. For the most part, we fund Longboarder through 10 Over Surf Shop.
10 Over Surf Shop was created at the same time as Longboarder to help support the cost of getting a print publication off the ground. 10 Over Surf Shop has four distinctive core values: Nurture, Showcase, Community, and Earth – so supporting Longboarder made total sense.
What is the attraction of print media to surf consumers?
People appreciate long-form stories. They enjoy being able to pick up the magazine and sit in the sun. It’s the total opposite of doom-scrolling on Instagram or TikTok. They can collect the magazines, and they look great on a shelf or coffee table.
Wavelenght
Any other surf projects on the horizon?
Nothing new, more developing what we have. Longboarder and Wavelength are two very special media platforms that we will continue to nurture in 2025 and beyond. The next step for them both is to create strong partnerships with other brands, building long-term relationships.
