By Dan Solomon
The bodybuilding media sub-culture is among the more quirky corners of the fitness industry. It’s where I’ve made my living for the better part of two decades. Along the way we’ve been asked to play by an unusual set of archaic, antiquated rules. Many of them, the unwritten ones, have caused us to draw divisive lines in the sand, giving way to the kind of conflict that limits the growth (and exposure) of the entire industry.
Rivalries and hostility have sucked the life out of the creative process. I’ve often said, “If I ever get the chance to build my own version of a media outlet, it would be built on the fundamental premise of collaboration, synergy and unification.” The concept is simply to work together as a collective media “community” to advance the industry, without the pathetic burden of petty conflict.
With the arrival of our DigitalMuscle.com media site, I’m finally free to demonstrate the concept of collaboration.
This past weekend, with the help of my long-time friends Jim Lorimer, Bob Lorimer and their partner Arnold Schwarzenegger, Digital Muscle served as the exclusive LIVE streaming media partner of the Arnold Classic. The event was a monumental step forward for this new media venture, but more importantly, it was my first real opportunity to “walk the walk” on my personal quest to dull the lines that divide our media.
As you watched our webcast, you may have noticed several contributions and participation from individuals and entities from other media outlets. You heard the familiar voice of Dave Palumbo, the creator of the RxMuscle bodybuilding site. It was my pleasure to invite Dave to participate and he did a solid job. You may have also noticed the Flex Magazine and Muscle & Fitness commercials that ran during our various commercial breaks. The collaborative spirit was in full force. Our production featured appearances by several individuals with affiliations to other media, including Ironman Magazine’s Lonnie Teper. It’s worth mentioning that Digital Muscle has no affiliation with any of those entities, but I was proud to showcase all of them as part of our production of one of the world’s biggest sporting events.
I’m committed to proving that collaboration can work. The undeniable truth is that petty conflict only serves to create limitations. And when it comes to promoting fitness & bodybuilding, I have no interest or patience for anything that creates limitations.
There’s plenty of work to do here as we continue to build a true media hub and a thriving blogosphere. But you can be sure we won’t be doing it alone. We will continue to build strategic alliances and mutually beneficial relationships. A mentor of mine once told me, “It’s never a conflict of interest if all parties share an interest in succeeding“.
Speaking of collaboration, be sure to check out Digital Muscle’s Interviews with Arnold and the Arnold Classic Head Judge – Now Featured at the NPC News Online!
Dan Solomon has earned a reputation as a leader in the world of fitness & bodybuilding publishing. Having conducted many of the industry’s most wide reaching interviews, Dan served annually as host and lead commentator for the Mr. Olympia contest, the Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic, also having appeared as moderator at the Olympia Press Conference. In 2018 Dan was named Chief Olympia Officer by American Media to oversee the Olympia brand and its showcase event held annually in Las Vegas. Additional Credits: Co-Executive Producer for the movie BIGGER, The Story of Joe Weider, Creator of the Pro Bodybuilding Weekly radio show (2005), a first of its kind program, for which he was awarded the IFBB’s Lifetime Achievement Medal by co-founder Ben Weider. Prior to creating Digital Muscle, served as Senior Features Editor at Muscular Development Magazine and has worked with many of the top brands in both nutrition and media. Dan’s favorite thing to talk about? Baseball.
