Michael Dunphy
01 - Overview
A digital feature exploring Michael Dunphy's decision to learn to fly during Covid and how it ultimately reshaped his surfing career, taking him from competitive surfer to surf explorer and content creator. The project demonstrates how a single piece of editorial content can be repurposed into multiple social assets to extend its reach, generate engagement and maximise the value of the original story.
02 - My role
Identified and developed the story concept.
Conducted the interview with Michael Dunphy and wrote the digital feature.
Developed the strategy for repurposing the article across social media.
Concepted and produced multiple social assets based on key themes from the story.
Managed the social rollout and monitored performance to measure audience engagement.
03 - Digital story
Excerpt
Flying at 3,000 feet has given Michael Dunphy a unique method of checking the waves and a fresh perspective on his surf career. Because the truth is that just surfing alone doesn’t pay the bills anymore.
“I know that I wouldn’t still be getting paid to surf if I was competing on the QS or Challenger Series,” said the 35-year-old from Virginia Beach.
04 - Social rollout
Objective: Use Michael's unique story of learning to fly to create an engaging carousel that builds on the original article, showcases his transition from competitive surfer to surf explorer, and encourages audiences to engage with the wider story.
Creative approach: Designed in InDesign and Photoshop, the carousel combined photography, editorial typography and textured backgrounds inspired by the colours of Caribbean water to create a visual narrative.
Metrics:
Likes - 1,661
Shares - 224
Views - 47.7k
Objective: Show how Michael uses his plane to access waves and create a sense of adventure, while capturing the freedom and spontaneity of surf missions by air.
Creative approach: A fast-paced carousel created in CapCut, combining carefully selected surf and aviation footage with simple, minimal captions. The attention-grabbing title draws the audience in, while the visual storytelling and sense of wanderlust cut through the churn of modern surf content.
Metrics:
Likes - 4,844
Shares - 1586
Views - 127.2k
Objective: Use Michael’s story to explore the broader theme of surf adventure and exploration, while encouraging audience interaction and debate around different approaches to chasing waves.
Creative approach: A scrapbook-inspired visual style using textured backgrounds and coloured deep-etch cut-outs to give the carousel a tactile, handmade feel. The concept leans into the ‘Choose Your Fighter’ trend, presenting different surf-adventure options in a playful format designed to spark discussion and engagement.
Metrics:
Likes - 5,027
Shares - 550
Views - 94.6k