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The Where Are They Now, prelude to a 12oz Reunion Thread


misteraven

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Super long story, but I'll try my best to pass along the Cliff Notes version...

 

As 12oz started coming into its own 2003ish, we started getting offers from companies. Since the cost of running this site (just in software and services) was about equal to a hefty rent payment and the complexity was quickly outpacing my ability to keep up, we had to figure out some sort of business plan. Meanwhile we had brands like Nike sending free product and looking for ways to work together. Eventually, we got caught up with them and the more we did, the more offers we got. Meanwhile 12oz was growing quick and requiring exponentially more resources and attention. I wound up looping in a few people I thought could help, mostly on the tech side, but also with content. Because I was busy trying to service our clients now that we'd evolved into an agency, I took my eye off the brand side and website. During that time, I got burned repeatedly... Website was moved to a more robust (and expensive) server setup that was never configured properly and after spending a small fortune (over six figures) to build a bridge between the forum and rest of site, instead I got left with a broken authentication system and unstable user session. After a while those issues only compounded and required more and more time, energy and especially money to fix. While that's happening, the agency is growing steady and also taking larger investment and more attention to manage. Ultimately, something had to give and by the time I realized just how fucked up 12oz had become, I didn't even know where to begin fixing it since by this point I'd had left it in the hands of other people for years.

 

Ultimately, I take responsibility. I should have stayed more involved, but hope you guys can understand that since 12oz never produced enough revenue to even cover its own bills and the agency took over and actually provided a respectable living (not to mention a near endless stream of all the hardest to get sneakers and gear), how it became increasingly difficult to qualify the time and energy. In my mind I thought just continuing to keep paying the server and software bills and being able to load a page was better than pulling the plug, which almost happened many times... Just couldn't bring myself to do it.

 

Fairly recently, I reached a point where I sort of woke up to the fact that it's been a great opportunity consulting for brands and working on some of the coolest projects out there, that it had come at the expense of my own brand. so about a year and a half ago I decided to plan / prepare for a transition back. Took a few false starts to fully dial in my strategy and approach and then essentially rebuild the website from scratch. Preserve what data I could and essentially create a new foundation to build 12ozProphet from. I'm at the tail end of that now. I'm not going to bullshit anyone and say I'm suddenly able to focus on this full time, but I am serious about it and have been making a lot of sacrifices, as well as investments to build this back up.

 

Considering how big the scene is (really all related scenes as well) and just the dismal state of what I see being put out there, I figured there's an opportunity. Since I also have a clear vision for 12oz, which hasn't been the case for almost 10 years, that it was time to get to it. So here we are... At the beginning of a new chapter in the 12ozProphet story.

 

That's a hell of a lot more explanation than I was expecting! Definitely clears things up though, so thanks. It'll be fun to see what happens down the road as things progress for sure. Props for keeping it going.

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Been talking to Tesseract a bunch on IG, as well as a few other OG members. Hopefully we'll see some of them migrate back here.

 

Just a heads up that the new forum seems to be just about complete. I still have one technical issue regarding mobile usage I'd like to try and correct, but mostly, I just need to wrap up a couple details and the content for the new website so we can launch it. Though it isn't a ton of work, maybe a week or two tops, I'm in the middle of moving out of state so shit is a bit hectic personally and that's impacting my ability to focus and knock out the rest of what needs to be done (not to mention posting on here). Anyhow, just wanted to pass along that update to you guys.

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Misteraven if you can say.... where are you moving?

 

No huge secret, anyone following my personal IG (@allenbenedikt) can probably guess...

 

Was in NYC for 15 years, just spent 1 year in LA and now settling in NW Montana though I expect to be on the road a week a month hitting other cities.

 

Anyone else on here happen to be up that way?

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No huge secret, anyone following my personal IG (@allenbenedikt) can probably guess...

 

Was in NYC for 15 years, just spent 1 year in LA and now settling in NW Montana though I expect to be on the road a week a month hitting other cities.

 

Anyone else on here happen to be up that way?

Spent a lot of time in that area. Libby and Kalispell. Bonners ferry and sandpoint

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Kalispell....i knew I had heard that name before....googled it just to make sure and yup, same place I thought it was.

 

So, there are some white supremacists that are actually trying to start a movement to move many other white supremacists to the pacific northwest (Washington, Oregon...but also Montana and Idaho). They want to establish a "whites only" section of the country, and as for Montana, Kalispell is the place some of them have chosen to set up.....i remember reading about those 2 young girls in the white supremacist band called Prussian Blue (which i think someone on 12oz once posted about) moving out there with their mother who is big in the white supremacist movement.

 

but I also remember reading an article online somewhere that a majority of the residents that lived there were NOT in favor of white supremacists moving in....im not saying Kalispell isn't a good place to move to, but now the first thing that pops into my head when i hear "kalispell montana" is white supremacists..lol.

 

heres a link to prussian blue's wikipedia page (look under the history tab for the story of why they moved to kalispell):

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prussian_Blue

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It's close by but not the town I'm moving to. That said, part of my motivation for going is to get away from most people. Property we're looking it is 40 acres that borders tens of thousands more in protected lands.

 

That said, it's definitely among the most beautiful landscape be seen in the USA and at this point, I've pretty much hit every state except Alaska.

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Kalispell was a cool lil town. i changed a headlight bulb there.

 

travelled through Montana going to Glacier National Park a few years back

i love the idea of being around less people. especially as the future approaches

 

40 acres. hell fuckin yea. maybe one day ....

 

having been to all the states, Idaho might've been the biggest surprise. it's gorgeous. Montana absolutely lives up to the name 'big sky country'

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Surprised so many people know of the place, but guess it makes sense since those couple towns sit at the base of Glacier National Park. Definitely look forward to the beautiful vistas and lots of nature. Also, the people seem to be more genuine somehow. Perhaps the wrong word, but something about that area or perhaps rural areas in general seems to me to be that the people are more straight forward. Sort of remind me of watching old television shows from like the 1950s where things just seemed more simple or straight to the point. In any case, the idea of moving out to something like that has been nagging at me for years and the longer I take, the more it feels like the world is spinning out of control. No doubt shit can always get worse (and likely will), but this election cycle literally has me heading for the hills. Just going to go back to the stuff that matters and do my best to tune out the noise. Try and grow as much of my own food as I can get away with and surround myself with people that matter. No so much that I want to live like a hermit, jut want the ability to control somewhat the people I'm surrounding myself with. Limit it to friends and family and use the large property to carefully vet out anyone else.

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You lost me at "not want to live like a hermit."

I can't wait til I'm financially able to do just that comfortably. I think I'm about 5 years out. Looking at Tennessee or surrounding. Prefer a longer growing season and a less harsh winter, and my dollars will go pretty fucking far there compared to Colorado.

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