MAVERICKS BIG WAVE INVITATIONAL RETURNS!
HALF MOON BAY LOCAL PARTNERS WITH LEADING PRODUCTION COMPANY
CONTEST TO RUN WINTER 2022-23 – STORYTELLING & CONTENT CREATION THIS WINTER!
(For Immediate Release, Dec. 3, 2021) In reviving the fabled Mavericks big wave surf contest, young entrepreneur Elizabeth Cresson is on a mission to help her community and bring the event back to the world stage at the highest professional level. She aims to run the event in the winter season of 2022-23 after spending this winter big wave season collecting content and helping to share the story of this iconic natural wonder.
Her roots are in Half Moon Bay, where the historic big wave is located. These ties go back three generations as her grandfather, David Cresson, founded the Half Moon Bay History Association, which honors the Coastside’s rich history. Her father, George Cresson, developed several properties along the Coastside and the family continues to have business interests in the area.
“My goal is to give the wave the global platform it deserves while giving surfers – men and women, local surfers and those from around the world – a stage to demonstrate their extraordinary abilities. In tandem, this event supports Half Moon Bay in celebrating its core values of conservation, equity, and small business stewardship,” says Cresson, a recent Georgetown University graduate currently working in the Bay Area tech industry. “We spent the last couple of years navigating the permit system and are very proud to share that after extensive conversations and negotiations Mavericks Ventures, LLC, has been awarded the exclusive rights for the next five years to hold the event."
“We know there’s been a history with challenges, but we’re starting with a fresh slate for the benefit of the surfers, the town and fans of big wave surfing around the world,” Cresson added.
A foundational cornerstone of the event and a requirement of the permits is that, for the first time in surf contest history, there will be true parity between men and women. There will be an equal field of 12 men and 12 women competing in gendered divisions, which will be awarded the exact same prize money and offered equal opportunity to perform. Cresson will be establishing panels of local surfers and experts to independently select the fields and, while still in the planning stages, is looking at an innovative format to involve as many locals as possible while staging a world-class competition. Details soon.
To execute the event on a world-class level, Cresson has engaged the services and expertise of multi Emmy-winning sports production company TAUBLIEB Films (www.taubliebfilms.com ). The company not only has extensive experience producing large-scale action sports competitions, but specifically, is known for its logistical and story-telling skills around the world of big waves. Based in Malibu, CA and headed by lifelong surfer Paul Taublieb, working with his wife and partner, Susan Cooper, the company has a proven track record in a world where risk and reward have to be balanced with creating compelling content. Experience includes starting his career writing for Surfer Magazine and later assisting in the creation of the ESPN X Games and managing the competitions and programming at that property for over 16 years, producing not only the ABC mini-series “Big Wave Hellmen,” but also award-winning long-form content in surfing and big waves, including the Surfer Mag/OP Pro Boat Trip Challenge, a contest held only on boats in the Mentawai Islands of Indonesia, the multiple-award winning documentary “Ground Swell: Epic Stories of Monster Waves” and the Emmy-winning, ESPN 30 for 30 film, “Hawaiian: The Legend of Eddie Aikau,” about the iconic cultural figure and big wave rider. The company also produces mainstream commercials, viral videos, feature films (including having produced the film “The Vow” starring Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams), and sports documentaries (including recently the NASCAR-related “Blink of an Eye,” now in development at Sony Pictures Entertainment as a narrative feature). TAUBLIEB Films also creates branded entertainment for companies including Monster Energy, Special Olympics, EA, and Ferrari, and provides programming to networks and streamers including ESPN, ABC, Twitch, Showtime, NBC, and Amazon Prime, among others.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled to take our passion for big events and big waves and combine that with our storytelling skills and work with Elizabeth to bring her vision to life,” said Taublieb. “The live event will be the centerpiece of a multi-level content initiative driven by storytelling and respect for the locals and the local environment, and we’re glad Elizabeth has decided to make the contest made-for-streaming only, with no live crowd impacting the sensitive setting of the event, and we will be creating a full, ongoing digital presence, as well,” Taublieb added.
“The appeal and worldwide visibility of this wave and its history has proven impact and history,” Taublieb continued, noting that according to Sports Illustrated when the contest ran some 15 million+ people tuned into the livestream, and there was extensive global media coverage.
At this time Mavericks Ventures, LLC and TAUBLIEB Films are engaged in active discussions with a number of potential title sponsors, media partners and streaming platforms, but welcome inquiries in this regard. For sponsorship or media inquiries please email paul@taubliebfilms.com and/or elizabeth@mavsventures.com.