Andrew Cotton has told his story to audiences around the world. Photo: Chris Farris Events
“Everyone wants to be able to navigate the waves like the world’s top surfers,” says the Athlete Speakers website, one of America’s largest sports marketing and athlete booking agencies. “Surfing speakers are the epitome of cool and share their stories with corporate groups, charities, universities, faith-based groups and other organizations looking to appeal to a younger demographic.”
And they don’t do it for free. The website’s most expensive surf speaker is Mick Fanning who is listed at $100,000 or more. A few hours with Laird Hamilton will set you, or your corporate organization, $50,000 to $100,000. Bethany Hamilton, listed as a professional surfer and Christian speaker is in the $30,000 to $50,000 range, a rung she shares with big wave surfer Maya Gabeira, and just above Maverick’s OG Jeff Clarke (10 to 20K).
Kelly Slater is also on the books, though with an undisclosed fee, joining more than 20 other stars including Kai Lenny, Layne Beachley, Lakey Peterson, Chippa Wilson, Briana Cope, Coco Ho, Josh Kerr and Courtney Conlogue. The most surprising though is Tom Curren, a known introvert who among his many, many talents, we wouldn’t have included public speaking.
“The positive side of corporate speaking is that you get to share your experiences with a non-surfing audience,” says big-wave surfer Andrew “Cottie” Cotton, who averages around five bookings a year. “It was Mark Visser who first alerted me to the potential of corporate speaking, and then Mark Mathews. If you commit to it properly, it can be lucrative. You can get paid way more than sponsors pay you for risking your life.”
It seems that “inspiring his audiences to embrace resilience, foster a collaborative spirit, and navigate uncharted waters with courage,” (as Cottie’s agent website says) pays more than riding 80-foot beachbreaks. And is much safer.
“I was far more terrified of speaking to a room of 500 bankers than I was of towing in at massive Shipsterns or paddling huge Jaws,” said Mark Mathews. “And even now I still get so, so nervous, but seeing as my talks are about overcoming fear, I often use that as an opener in the talks’ example.”
Mathews is no Johnny-come-lately to the corporate speaker scene. He’s been a motivational speaker since 2011, and now has a finely-honed, slick and emotional keynote address that delves into the relationship between personal growth, high performance and fulfillment. Or as Thor, aka Chris Hemsworth, recommends, “Turning fear into excitement, drive, motivation and not letting it govern your life. No one knows that better than Mark.”
Mathews does have plenty to draw on. From his youth growing up in Maroubra to his big-wave exploits and fighting back from almost having his leg amputated after severing the major artery and nerves, he can blow the minds of a group of accountants from Deloitte. These days he comes across more Tony Robins than Tony Ray. Or as the booking form says, “he mixes a surfer chill vibe and magnetic charisma.”
As Cottie said, the corporate speaker scene is a rich vein for big-wave surfers. It makes sense. They often push the envelope of what humans are capable of, and the drive, training and commitment required can be readily contextualized into a business and corporate environment. Oh, and they often don’t get paid enough for their day jobs.
Last week South African charger Matt Bromley hopped from the Leaderex HR Summit in Johannesburg to Birmingham UK for the Sugro UK Annual conference. And if the members of the Confectionary, Chewing Gum, Biscuit and Soft Drink Wholesale industries didn’t know what it takes to surf giant Jaws, or endure a two-wave hold down at maxing Nias, they do now. Guinness World Record Holder Sebastian Stuednter is another Nazare-based big-wave surfer in demand on the circuit, especially in Europe. Tom Carroll meanwhile motivates audiences with talks on addiction recovery, mental health, and finding purpose beyond the waves.
Which, I suppose, is what the rest of the surfer/speakers are trying to do. And if the corporates are willing to pay, it’s a side hustle that won’t go away.
