Leading entrepreneurs Geoff and Justine Ross have given their son Gabe some very good advice on what’s next.
Last week Gabe Ross, along with his fellow Otago partner Riley Meason, both aged 20, took on much older teams to take out the $100,000 win on Tracked,UK star Vinnie Jones’ survival show on Three.
“Mum and Dad’s advice has been to take opportunities when you get them and make sure you make the most of it,” he tells Spy. “This really applies to trying to find traction off the back of Tracked and working hard to reach our short- and long-term business goals.”.
His parents are extemely business savvy, selling their vodka company 42 Below in 2019 and buying Lake Hawea Station, billed as New Zealand’s first certified carbon-zero Australasian farm. They featured on Hyundai Country Calendar in June last year, sparking a backlash from the wider farming community about their supposed “woke” style, the couple’s disrupter style of farming getting global recognition.
Gabe and Meason intend to grow their social media brands and pitch a new TV show or two, hopefully about travel. They are also looking at public speaking gigs in businesses and schools.
Their YouTube show, The Weekend Mish, which has 7000 followers, shows them hunting with messages of conservation and sustainability. They tell Spy they are building up all other social platforms and are now looking for sponsor and brand partnerships.
Geoff and Justine Ross on Lake Hawea Station. Photo / Supplied
“All animals we hunt in New Zealand are not native and do a large amount of damage to native flora and fauna,” they say.
“A similar mindset extends into our fishing and diving, which is however executed differently. Simply, we are always taking just enough fish for dinner or occasionally to gift to locals in the area.”
Before the show, Meason completed an outdoor education course where he learned valuable people skills, new ways to teach people and adapt to their needs and how to make decisions under pressure.
Ross is a marketing and entrepreneurship student at Otago University.
“I am particularly interested in the consumer behaviour aspects of marketing and as such, enjoy finding unique and original ways to target our target market,” he says.
The pair have a chemistry perhaps not seen since Matthew Ridge and Marc Ellis. The former rugby union and league stars teamed up for a number of shows including Game of Two Halves and Marc & Matthew’s Rocky Road to….
Matthew Ridge and Marc Ellis. Photo / Supplied
“Ultimately we are keen to make a TV show that allows us to explore new places, pursue our passions and educate people on sustainability, mixed with the raw emotion of our experiences,” they say.
Their dream travel locations for their adventures and content are Alaska, Western Australia, South America and Austria.
Meason and Ross love the idea of accessing places in unique ways such as via snowmobile or pack raft to give their show an edge.
In the coming months, the hunting trails of the North Island are on the agenda for The Weekend Mish and then doing Western Australia in a large 4WD in collaboration with other adventure-based brands.
It’s not just adventure, the lads are also keen to do a show based on investigating and tackling conservation issues around the country and potentially around the world.
“Although we don’t have much culinary experience, we are also very interested in how we can turn all of our wild meats into an awesome food source, perhaps with some local chefs,” they say.
As for another competitive format show, never say never, the pair would consider competing against each other on Celebrity Treasure Island.
The pair made friends with all the international competitors on the show and hope to cross paths with them soon and potentially film some content with them.
And what about their new friend Vinnie Jones, who jumped for joy with them when they won the show?
“He is a very busy man; however, we feel we did build a decent relationship with him so it would be epic to visit him over at his home and have a good old catch up and potentially even head out for a hunt …”
