Since its launch two decades ago, The Extreme Sports Company has been a pioneer in the alternative sport sector. Starting out as a company sponsoring athletes, the group’s founder, Al Gosling, has developed the Extreme identity into one of the most recognised brands in the sector and grown its turnover to US$50m a year.
Marketing itself as “unapologetic, irreverent and anti-establishment”, the company has been at the centre of the popularisation of the adrenaline and adventure sports. Through its Extreme TV Channel – which broadcasts in more than 60 countries – it has had a major role in overseeing the growth of BMX, skateboarding and wakeboarding from niche sports to mainstream activities.
The company’s business model is to work in partnership with companies across a wide range of markets, licensing its brand and delivering distinctive products and experiences.
Its most recent venture will see it enter the hospitality sector, with three Extreme Sports-themed hotels planned in Russia, Switzerland and Cape Verde. It already has a strong presence in the drinks, fashion, men’s grooming, electronics, apps and gaming sectors.
Pictured:Al Gosling
Al Gosling - Founder and CEO
Could you describe the journey that lead you to founding Extreme
My career and life in general has been shaped by my passion for sport – and especially the extreme side of sport. From an early age I was into surfing, snowboarding and skiing. Mountains and oceans were “my thing”. I had no A levels and never went to university, which was a source of frustration for my parents. Instead, I worked and travelled until the age of 24, when I finally thought “right, I’m going to set up a company and try and build something I really love”. It was all about wanting to make my passion my job.
When did you set up Extreme and how did it grow in its early years?
Extreme will celebrate its 20th year this year. We started by managing athletes and having a TV distribution business – and built it from there. TV distribution was our core business for the first three years. It did rather well and we started to plan the launch of a TV channel. It took around a year to secure the money and the channel started broadcasting in 1998.
We first launched the channel in the Netherlands in 1998 and had Extreme TV up and running in 18 countries before we began broadcasting in the UK. It was quite funny, trying to convince my friends that I was the boss of a cable TV channel. The reason we weren’t in the UK earlier was that Sky was being very difficult about it all.
Since those early days the company’s grown into a number of sectors. How would you describe Extreme as a company in its current form?
It’s a brand and lifestyle company. What we do is manage the brand and develop it into multiple areas using a partnership model. So we partner with companies in different areas and sectors to create Extreme-branded products, events and services.
That’s why – from the outside looking in – we look a very big company. We are, in terms of the areas that we’re working in with partners, but in terms of the core team, we’re not. You don’t need this huge team of people to do what we’re doing. We have a small, very tight knit team and that’s working very well. Whether it’s Natalie working on licensing and commercial side of things, whether it’s Ryan, who’s on the marketing side of things or Pippa, who is running all the events part of the business.
What are your core markets?
Events, our sports theme park concept, branded fashion and apparel, drinks, hotels, video gaming, electronics – so quite a few!
How do you identify the new sectors you want to expand into?
It’s strategically thought through. We look whether there’s a gap in a market somewhere and assess if there is an opportunity to create something. The brand also has to fit the sector. We do have a presence in a diverse range of markets so from the outside looking in it may not look like there’s a strategy behind it, but I can assure you there is!
Extreme has the look and feel of a youthful brand for adrenaline junkies – is that your key customer group?
What’s interesting is that extreme and adrenaline sports have huge appeal across a wide range of age and socio-economical groups. We reach everybody from young skateboarders to middle class parents with disposable incomes and a thirst for an adventure. It’s extraordinary how extreme sports resonate with all types of people.
Class and age don’t come into it – it’s about a mindset. Our brand is driven by that kind of anti-establishment, irreverent mindset that appeals and connects with many consumers in many ways.
How has the extreme/adrenaline sport sector changed since 1995?
It’s really developed from being a niche sector to a much more mainstream one. As an industry, we could have been described as a stroppy teenager up until about five years ago, but we’re now in the mid 20s and becoming more sensible.
The core hasn’t changed though. It’s still about man – or woman – against the nature and the environment and even themselves. It’s not like most mainstream sports where you have federations, associations and clubs dictating rules and regulations – creating the structure within you have to perform. Non-traditional sports are much more independent and there are a wide range of people setting stuff up independently and just going out there and doing their own thing.
It’s 20 years since you found Extreme – what have been the high points?
The thing I love most about of the journey is that I’ve worked with some phenomenal people over the past two decades. We’ve done some amazing things with amazing people. I’m proud of the fact we launched a TV channel and grew it into something that has inspired many young people to get into sports – especially those young people who would not do a traditional sport.
What about the low points?
We nearly went bust twice, which was pretty intense – both of those experiences were definite lows. There were also people who tried to take the company off me. I had some pretty interesting shenanigans going on so it hasn’t all been plain sailing!
I could probably speak to you for about an hour, describing mistakes I’ve made – but that’s all part of it and you need to stay positive. In fact, I do a bit of public speaking nowadays and when I do, I normally spend five minutes on what’s gone good in the company and then spend the next 40 minutes just about where I’ve really screwed up. Entrepreneurs who stand up and talk about how amazing and brilliant things are can be interesting – but the ones that explain where they really got something wrong are much more useful.
What are your future plans and targets for Extreme as a company?
Continue to build the brand and expand it into multiple areas. We’re particularly excited about the three hotels in Sochi, Cape Verde and Switzerland and can’t wait for them to come online. Also, as part of the hotels arm, we have a destination experience project which is more like a sports theme park offer.