Phelps Calls Acquired by Meateater

[Deleted member 16014]

Totally, just because you have ME as a owner doesn’t mean you lose the brand/company/employees.

Better benefits, increased access to capital and ability to weather a tough market.

I hope Steve let’s the talented folks at these companies do what they do best and uses his platform to support them.

IMHO ME is picking great companies.

I generally agree, and they certainly do a lot of good communication on behalf of DIY hunters...but it’s still hard to root for them

 

[Northwoods Labs]

It's the southern drawl isn't it? You xenophobe...

No, for me it is the arrogance he has. Steve is approaching that level as well.

I agree with others, more Cal, Jani, and Spencer. I also like the fishing guys, Miles and Joe, as well.....they don't take themselves too seriously

 

[LuketheDog]

No, for me it is the arrogance he has.

Geez, I'm not sure you're paying attention if you think Clay Newcomb is arrogant...

 

[beginnerhunter]

No, for me it is the arrogance he has. Steve is approaching that level as well.

I agree with others, more Cal, Jani, and Spencer. I also like the fishing guys, Miles and Joe, as well.....they don't take themselves too seriously

Steve definitely, but I think there is some showmanship going on there as well. I don't mind playing along. They both tend to use tongue-in-cheek for sure.

Maybe because we come from similar cultural backgrounds, but Newcomb doesn't come across as arrogant to me. I've reached out to him on social media and he's been very kind and helpful. As a beta male, I'm usually pretty sensitive to assholeness.

 

[1_pointer]

Very true. It has taken me a while to warm up to Cal. But I appreciate what he has to say even though his personality rubs me the wrong way. I think you hit the nail on the head about there needing to be some regional and content diversity.

And I'll take shovelfuls of Newcomb over spoonfuls of Kenyon. Again, different strokes.

 

[beginnerhunter]

And I'll take shovelfuls of Newcomb over spoonfuls of Kenyon. Again, different strokes.

For sure, which is why it's good they try to bring a diverse cast of middle aged white men to their show (I jest ).

But Mark seems like a nice guy. I was moved by the episode he did with his visually impaired father.

 

[NR_Hunter]

I like Clay Newcomb cause it seems like he actually stands up to Steve. The impression I get is that behind the scenes, Steve is the boss man and they better have his coffee when he wants it. Still like ME tho, althought I'm not the jock rider I used to be. They all seem like decent enough dudes. Cal reminds me of some of my friends that probably would have been put on the spectrum if they grew up in today's age.

 

[TexanSam]

I feel more at ease hearing Newcomb, seeing as he has a pretty similar accent as much of my family and friends I had growing up. To me his dialect is preferable to everyone else's lol.

Honestly it's quite admirable what Steve Rinella has done. Makes a good living just getting to mess around and go hunting and fishing with his friends and family. I know he probably works harder than I ever have, and there's probably some stuff we don't see behind the scenes that would classify it as anything but easy, but still. I can't tell you how many non-hunters I have introduced to the show, and they see hunting and fishing in a new light.

 

[NR_Hunter]

@Big Fin you should do a YouTube series a la Jimmy Kimmel where people in the hunting industry read mean comments from hunting forums.

Jeez Louise are we a bunch of jerks sometimes

There's a sick part of me that always makes me open threads like this right away because I know there's gonna be cheap shots galore. I'm like a moth to a flame and I don't like it.

 

[cedahm]

Yeah I like supporting small companies to but now the employees might have better access to health care, 401k (possible match), paid time off or paternity leave... definitely a lot of potential positives that I'm sure that weighed into the decision.

Sad to see a small business get bought out

At the end of the day - Meateater is still a very small company in the larger scheme.

I have several friends who do not hunt but like his show and his ethos. That speaks volumes to me.

I think its a great testament to their brand-building, their ability to articulate and educate, and particularly their customer engagement that they've been able to expand as they have and pull in these kinds of folks. Because those are the folks we are going to need to have on "our" side as hunting and fishing participation declines.

 

[TheTone]

@Big Fin you should do a YouTube series a la Jimmy Kimmel where people in the hunting industry read mean comments from hunting forums.

Jeez Louise are we a bunch of jerks sometimes

Too many fragile egos for that to happen

 

[beginnerhunter]

I like Clay Newcomb cause it seems like he actually stands up to Steve. The impression I get is that behind the scenes, Steve is the boss man and they better have his coffee when he wants it. Still like ME tho, althought I'm not the jock rider I used to be. They all seem like decent enough dudes. Cal reminds me of some of my friends that probably would have been put on the spectrum if they grew up in today's age.

I think they want to give that impression. Sort of like old Stephen Colbert. It's him but a fictionalized version. Maybe I'm wrong, but they make little jokes at him (being on-brand about sports ignorance, his aversion to horses) make me think they're all in on it.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

Too many fragile egos for that to happen

I fell like Randy's crew + Janis and Cal would find it hilarious, those fellas seem pretty comfortable in their own skin.

 

[NR_Hunter]

I think they want to give that impression. Sort of like old Stephen Colbert. It's him but a fictionalized version. Maybe I'm wrong, but they make little jokes at him (being on-brand about sports ignorance, his aversion to horses) make me think they're all in on it.

IDK man... Sometimes the way Steve seems genuinely super annoyed with people over small things makes me think its not really a joke.

Too many fragile egos for that to happen

A-Ron Synder reading the mean tweets



A-Ron Synder on the inside.

 

[Pucky Freak]

From their website: “At MeatEater, we’re dedicated to providing you with entertaining and educational hunting, fishing, conservation and wild game cooking content from respected experts... and we have a damn good time doing it.”

Good for Rinella & Co. for creating and growing a successful outdoors business that is by and large tasteful, likely provides an overall benefit to the future NA conservation, and successfully advances the RRR of hunters, particularly with the foodie/locavore crowd.

It’s obvious that ME has more recently sought to expand in many different directions simultaneously as a business, and time will tell whether that ends up being a benefit or a detriment to the good work they’ve already accomplished. Game calls seems like more of a starter than whiskey, but who knows.

As far as entertainment quality, IMO the original show was a gem, but any more it’s only a gem when they book an occasional unique or expert guest on the podcast. Most of the rest of the content feels a bit washed up.

 

[ThunderNocked]

I'm not saying that I'm Anti-MeatEater/Steve Rinella. I've read several of his books, watch his show with my kids - its one of the three hunting shows I watch.
His podcast was the first podcast I ever listened to 1.5-2 years ago. I think like I said previously and many have said that he is a great representation of hunting to the community. Steve/MeatEater and Randy/Fresh Tracks both represent us well. They aren't hot heads saying the crazy things that though they aren't always wrong are definitely cringe worthy which doesn't make us look good.

I have some differences of opinion on points and have found that I enjoy other PodCasts more. My favorite, being from Fairbanks, is probably Tundra Talk with Tyler Freel but there is a lot of good in all of them. I definitely feel Steve has gotten a lot more abrasive but I probably would too if I was constantly being filmed, scrutinized and have to worry about a lot of the behind the scenes stuff we don't see.

Back to Phelps - I know ME isn't BIG but compared to the awesome success story of Jason moving out of his garage - I like buying at the smaller stories when possible. It would be like the difference in Scheels vs Three Bears or Frontier Outfitters here in Alaska.
Scheels isn't Cabela's/Bass Pro/Sportsmans, but I would rather buy what I can from these small local stories that maybe there isn't as much. I was super excited Black Ovis carried Phelps. Like I said, makes me a little sad but it is a huge story of success for Jason and a great brand acquisition for ME.

 

[SO7mm]

They now own Firstlite, FHF, and Phelps. Any bets on whose next? Weatherby? Schnees? Stone Glacier? Crazy power moves by this conglomerate.

I'll say OnX.

 

[MT Bound]

Nothing better than seeing a good ole midwestern boy having success. I can relate to alot of stuff they discuss about MI since I grew up in in the northern tip of IN.

I say more power to them, hell yah, congrats guys and keep it going!

They are the kind of guys if I ran into them in the mountains I'd bust their chops non-stop and they'd just laugh it off, same as Randy.

 

[Irrelevant]

I think they want to give that impression. Sort of like old Stephen Colbert. It's him but a fictionalized version. Maybe I'm wrong, but they make little jokes at him (being on-brand about sports ignorance, his aversion to horses) make me think they're all in on it.

No, I think Steve has turned friends into employees and has fewer friends to show for it. He's never wrong. Ever. Even when he is he has to twist some detail into him still being partially right.

 

[MO Betta]

Schnee's (and Weatherby) would be in a whole other universe, though. Obviously there aren't detailed financial statements out there on these organizations, but the basic estimates appear to be that FL/FHF fall in the $1M-$2M range - versus Schnee's and Weatherby being 10X-20X that number. I haven't been involved in a lot of M&A but it's exponentially harder the larger an organization is.

Plus I think Adam enjoys the fact that his business is family owned and operated, even if you eliminate the money portion.

It does seem that if you've ever advertised on the MeatEater podcast, there is a good chance that they will make an offer to acquire you eventually.

I still like most of what they put out (outside of the clickbait articles like caliber battles), but they've lost a bit of their shine to me as they've focused more on selling product than diy adventures and a good story. Especially enjoy when Cal, Janis (and Janis' father), and Remi are involved. Still wish them the best and hope they continue to be good voices for conservation.