Starting this week, the Flotsam Festival on the Gold Coast is a platform for local creative folk to spruik their wares.

Among a packed lineup of events - think local surf films, photography exhibitions etc - is a media makers forum being held tomorrow. The forum will be led by Tim Baker, while the don of Swellnet, Ben Matson, will be sitting on two panels discussing issues such as 'Is Surf Washed Up?', and the new media order - the challenges and opportunites following the dismantling of traditional media.

The starting point for each talk is as follows:

"Surf media once meant surf magazines, but with print in decline what is surf media? A panel dissects the current landscape of surf forecasting sites, vloggers, YouTube stars and Instagram influencers, and the few print mags still hanging on by the skin of their teeth."

"With traditional ways for photographers and filmmakers to make a crust shifting reliance from mags and films to incorporate social and new media, we explore challenges for freelancers, dig for insights from success stories, and look at emerging trends across the media-verse."

The full panel for surf media talk will be:

Future of surf media

• Luke Cedarman - Pro Surf Skater/Raglan Surf Report 
• Ray and Lystra Bisschop - Surfing Life
• Chris Smith - Surfing Australia 
• Ben Matson - Swellnet 

Freelancers Guide To The Galaxy

• Spencer P. Frost - Film maker 
• Kate McMahon - Writer 
• John Brasen - Pacific Longboarder 
• Ben Matson - Swellnet 

The forum will be held from 2pm-6pm tomorrow at Rydges Gold Coast. Tickets are free, but seats are limited – grab yours here.

Being horribly self-absorbed we've only listed the talks Swellnet is involved in. Click here to check the complete running order of the afternoon.