My Journey to Associate Editor at Recoil Offgrid Magazine

Written By Nick Italiano

It’s been pretty quiet here on the Black Flag Website for a little while, and there is a very good reason for that! I have accepted the role of Associate Editor at Recoil Offgrid Magazine!

The Beginning

The last few years have been a pretty wild ride. I left my full-time job in the financial industry. With its end, I faced a lot of questions about what to do with myself. I decided to pour my heart and soul into being a writer and content creator in the outdoor, survival, and self-reliant living space. Initially, I was skeptical that it would ever really take off.

My Instagram page was doing well. I decided to launch this website to add a new layer of long form content to the mix. I wanted to create a place where I can manage my own writing and photography, unencumbered by a social media platform and its long list of rules. Shortly after that, I started writing for the Knife Pivot Lube Blog. I also took some odd jobs doing copy and newsletter work for other brands in the industry.

Trials and Tribulations

The first year this website existed, the performance was lackluster, to say the least. I questioned if it was even worth continuing to pay to keep the website up and running. However, as we went into year two, web traffic picked up significantly.

With renewed hope, I continued to plug away, adding more articles, bringing on additional writers, and launching new projects. Some of these projects, like the podcast, worked out well while others faded away.

Each success brought confidence to keep moving forward. Success is a great teacher and motivator, but failure can be as well if we let it. At first, failed projects were demoralizing, but I quickly learned to see them in a different light.

When the Black Flag Outdoor Academy failed to pick up traction, I took it hard. I realized after much thought that this was not the right platform for that type of material. I also realized I was not in a place where I wanted to build a robust learning platform.

I decided it was best to focus my energy on what was working. I cut out the things that I simply didn’t have the time or resources to make great!

Raise The Flag Podcast

The Raise the Flag Podcast was one of Black Flag’s more successful endeavors. It remains a staple of what we do here today. With new episodes coming out at least twice a month, and sometimes more. The podcast features my two good friends and amazing co-hosts Tom from Knives by Nuge and Heather from PNWBUSHCRAFT.

We interview other business owners and professionals in the outdoor/survival industry and have a ton of fun doing it! We also sometimes just banter among ourselves. Either way, it’s always a good time!

Black Flag Business Solutions

Last year, I launched Black Flag Business Solutions. My goal was to provide professional guidance to other businesses in the outdoor space. It was a blend of my old professional experience and my passion for all things outdoor and survival.

This was never meant to be a full-time gig. It was more of a way to use my experience to benefit other small businesses. This venture helped me make a lot of connections. One of those connections is Patrick Diedrich, who is now my boss over at Recoil Offgrid!

Recoil Offgrid Job Offer

Patrick and I spoke quite a bit regarding a personal project he was working on. He joined us on the podcast for a few episodes. I even put together a video course on foraging for his website. Our discussions progressed. Then, one day, Patrick sent me a text out of the blue and said, “Hey man, call me.” When I called him, he asked if I would be interested in working with him at the Recoil Offgrid Magazine.

It was a surreal moment. Everything I had spent the better part of 4 years working on positioned me for a job. It was a job I had only dreamed of when I started down this road.

We talked about the role and all it entailed, and of course, I said I was interested! After a few more conversations and a tense week or so of waiting, Patrick called me back to tell me I was being offered the job! I was just about over the moon and was excited to get started. That enthusiasm didn’t go anywhere once I started, and I absolutely love every minute of it!

Recoil Offgrid Job Responsibilities

Much of what I do at Offgrid is similar to what I do here at Black Flag. However, it is on a much larger scale. I write, curate, and edit web content for the magazine’s website. I help out with the magazine’s social media accounts. I reach out to various gear makers and discuss writing pitches with freelance writers. I also will be making appearances on the upcoming Recoil Offgrid podcast and attending in person events.

In addition to the tasks I have more experience with, I am also taking on new responsibilities in the print side of the business. Learning a ton of new technical skills while working to keep my outdoor and survival skill set growing!

The Future of Black Flag Survival

It’s all a big undertaking. Being so new in my role at Recoil Offgrid, I haven’t had as much time to write for this site. I assure you all, Black Flag Survival isn’t going anywhere! I will continue to bring new content to this site, producing our podcast and keeping my social media pages going!

I do have a lot of written content coming out on offgridweb.com. Please feel free to head over there and check it out. I will also be adding links on here when new articles drop there or anywhere else I write.

Closing Thoughts

I’ll leave you all with this. Don’t be afraid to take a chance. Even when it doesn’t seem like it will pan out, it is worth a try. You truly never know what road things will lead down. Follow your passions, work hard, and never give up!

Also, know that if this is the first or the hundredth article you have read on this site, I appreciate you. At the end of the day, none of this matters without the people who take the time to read my work, listen to the podcast, and follow me on social media!