Ariel Adams was on course for a career in the legal profession when he emerged from law school as a licensed attorney for his home state of California in 2007.
An obsession with timepieces was gnawing away at him, however, and he shifted his focus to launching aBlogtoWatch while still practicing law.
Two years’ later, he left the legal world and dedicated himself full time to his passion project.
Fifteen years on and aBlogtoWatch is one of the world’s most-read watch titles, attracting about 1.5 million visitors per month to its news, reviews and commentary on the latest timepieces and trends.
“The media landscape is more or less the Wild West. Only the diligent, careful, enterprising, creative, and relentless will ever have a chance for success.”
“Years ago I thought that, for sure, by now someone would have come along and do what I do better than me,” Ariel says.
“It actually hasn’t happened yet, despite the presence of people with more money, more time, and lots of incentives. The reality is no publication or social media platform that has replicated the honest, helpful and curated approach to celebrating being a wristwatch enthusiast like aBlogtoWatch.”
Authenticity is key, he argues, in a media landscape that serves up far too little independent thought and far too much “junk food for the brain”.
Ariel doesn’t entirely blame over-enthusiastic and under-resourced bloggers for the volume of junk food being created.
Watch brands and retailers also bear responsibility as they strong arm writers into serving-up unedited marketing messages.
That makes integrity a valuable commodity and competitive advantage.
“The media landscape is more or less the Wild West with risks at all angles,” he insists. “Only the diligent, careful, enterprising, creative, and relentless will ever have a chance for success.”
