Aline: our creative community in the outdoors

The outdoor industry has systemic problems. How can we start solving them in a constructive, equitable and progressive way, building a more sustainable industry for creatives, brands and media alike?

For the last few months, I've been involved in a new initiative alongside friends Davy Wright and Rachel Sarah. The idea was Davy's in the beginning. His enthusiasm for long-form outdoor storytelling is legendary, and I can think of few more tireless supporters of quality magazines, good writing, and engaging films. More specifically, Davy is a champion and friend of the people who make up this industry.

But he soon began to notice challenges. A disconnect between what creatives were able to offer and the investment opportunities available from brands. The more he looked, the more he spoke to friends and contacts, the more he realised that there are big issues here. The economic model of outdoors media does not work very well for the passionate creatives who are out there doing the work. And there are far more problems: in representation and diversity, in environmental responsibility, in support for those early in their careers, in how brands choose to invest in social media and long-form storytelling, in new technology and automation being used to disempower workers.

Last but by no means least, we have a major long-term problem with stagnant fees here in the UK. I always find it shocking how much more money international magazines (and in some cases book publishers) are able to offer for the same work. I'm told it's the same for filmmakers too.

It's a struggle for everyone up and down the stack. Writers, photographers, filmmakers, artists, indie magazines, festivals. How can we make this situation better? How can we plug the gaps, close the disconnect, create more opportunities in an equitable way? This is not about moaning, pointing fingers or assigning blame; it's about considering the system as a whole, figuring out how we can start fixing it.

I'll let Davy take up the story in his own words:

So we took a step back and started to look at our friends, peers, and the industry. We already had an idea about the challenges many of us were facing, but it was time to talk to our community and gather information. We organised in-person gatherings with those around us, creating a safe space to talk, vent, pool resources, and share ideas. Many common themes and threads emerged from these discussions. We've pulled together the notes, mapped it out on a whiteboard, created an action list, and now we are coming to you to share the plan.

After many physical meetings, listening to our peers and making notes, we're ready to take this community from the offline space into the online one. The result is the Aline Collective.

We aim to support Outdoor Professional Creatives and create a community where we can learn from each other, support each other, and strive to create positive change in our industry. Aline is for anyone involved in professional activities in the outdoor industry who interacts with the creative process.

There will be an offline panel discussion at the Kendal Mountain Festival, but to kick things off we are starting with an online launch tomorrow evening: Thursday November the 7th at 18.30 GMT. Get your free tickets here. If you're an outdoor creative professional, please come along.

I'm enthusiastic about the potential of this initiative. It's my hope that we can start to do some good here, maybe open up more opportunities in an industry that can feel increasingly challenging.