December 2025 marks my 20th Anniversary with Ultimate Motorcycling. While it was not a career path that I expected or pursued, it’s one I am glad I took.
I was happy at ATV Action magazine, part of the Hi-Torque Publications empire, where I had been for 10 years. It was a wacky place to work, which made a fun job also endlessly fascinating.
Then, out of the blue, my wife’s stepsister’s husband, an entertainment industry reporter, sent me a job listing: “CurtCo Robb Media is a leading publishing company with a portfolio of well-known titles on the luxury lifestyle, including Robb Report MotorCycling. We have an exceptional opportunity for an experienced professional to serve as Senior/Lead Editor for Robb Report MotorCycling in our Malibu, CA office.”
At the time, I had never heard of CurtCo Robb Media, Robb Report, or Robb Report Motorcycling, so I was a bit perplexed by the whole thing. However, one particular requirement in the job description caught my eye: “We will only consider local candidates.”
I’m thinking to myself, “How many people in Malibu are going to be qualified or interested in this job?” Well, as it turned out, I was the only one, though I didn’t know that.
I sent a brief email to CurtCo’s HR department, explaining that I met all their criteria and that they should contact me if they’re interested. A bit to my surprise, they were.
HR asked me to come down to the CurtCo headquarters at Point Dume for an interview, so I went out and bought a copy of Robb Report MotorCycling at Barnes & Noble to see what I was getting into.
This certainly wasn’t any type of motorcycle magazine I had ever seen. It featured incredibly high production values and covered all sorts of affluent lifestyle accoutrements. I was captivated by the content and decided I’d go down the hill and talk to them.
There was one problem. CurtCo looked like a posh outfit, and I’m a 501s-and-t-shirt kind of guy. While you may find this hard to believe, I have never worn a suit in my life, let alone owned one. If you offered me $1 million to tie a necktie right now, I’d decline the offer because I know I’d fail. I wouldn’t even know where to start.
Then it hit me—this was a motorcycle magazine, so I would ride down for the interview, wearing riding gear, of course. That would establish my motorcycle enthusiast credentials, and solve the problem of my wardrobe. The best part about my plan was that it worked.
I spoke with the stern HR lady for about an hour, and I could tell I was not the type of personality she was used to dealing with. I didn’t really care if I got the job or not, so I was very casual and forthright with her. I didn’t realize that working for CurtCo was an upper-echelon journalism job, though I should have figured it out by the quality of the publications. Most applicants likely came in extremely nervous, hopeful, and guarded—not me.
Regardless, Robb Report MotorCycling needed an Editor, and a deadline was beckoning. So, she sent me upstairs to meet with Arthur Coldwells, who had founded Robb Report MotorCycling for CurtCo. He wasn’t put off by my nonchalance or riding gear, of course—like me, Arthur had been riding motorcycles since the 1970s and was a die-hard enthusiast.
Instead of talking about the job, we started talking about motorcycles—for about two hours. At the end, Arthur said, “So, are you going to work for us?” I said yes, without hesitation or a discussion about my job requirements, salary or benefits. I didn’t care. The job sounded like fun, and I knew it would be great working with Arthur—that was enough for me.
Reluctantly, after publishing 71 issues, our Summer 2016 issue was our last print edition. While we still enjoyed strong circulation, print costs had skyrocketed, and advertising dollars were moving to websites.
We didn’t want to give up the magazine format, so we started the Ultimate Motorcycling (small “c” now) magazine app in September 2016 and haven’t looked back. If you’re reading this on the magazine app, you’re holding digital issue #112 in your hands. If you’re reading it on the website, go over to the iOS App Store (search for Ultimate MotorCycle Magazine) or Google Play (search for Ultimate Motorcycling Magazine) and download the app. The magazine is published monthly, is free, and has no in-app purchases.
If you’ve stuck with Ultimate Motorcycling since the Robb Report MotorCycling days, I appreciate and salute you. If you’re a bit newer, we’re all glad you’re along for the ride. I’d like to think we’re just getting started.
