This weekend marks one year of Chris and I’s journey that is Old Breed Outdoors. As I sit and reflect on what that journey has been over of the last year, I am excited. We have learned so much in that time and I honestly feel that we have had great success. There have been plenty of challenges that is for sure. However, as with any journey, you will have those. Often it is those challenges that are what makes it the great experience that it is. There was a lot of hesitation on my part to even strike out on the journey, to begin with. I am very thankful that Chris was as enthusiastic about our ability to make it happen. He was right and here we are a year later.
So, what have we learned in the last year? Well, I can tell you we have learned a lot about self-filming that is for sure. The biggest challenge is that Chris and I live so far apart. Chris is in southwest Georgia and up until about a month ago, I was in central Florida. Having moved to Virginia I am even farther away now. Eventually, Chris will be heading to California, probably in the fall, once he recovers from knee surgery. Being so far apart makes it difficult to create content. Self-filming and trying to work on projects or whatever becomes challenging. Especially when you do not have any experience. We did not start our YouTube channel until over the summer. The reality; however, is that we really did not start getting video content together until the fall. I look back on the work we were doing in then compared to now and am impressed with how much better we are doing. We have a long way to go but we are getting there.
Social media has been a whole other experience for us as well. Neither of us is much on the social media thing but we committed to learning and maintaining a presence with our brand. I know that social media is not the end all be all but the reality is that is what society feeds off of these days. If you want to get your brand out there you have to be involved on social media. For us, it is about exposure. Learning little tricks of the social media world to get exposure to an audience that is interested in what we have to say. Maybe even an audience that we can open a dialogue with that may not have been otherwise interested before. What is important is the conversation that we want to have. We want people to get outdoors and enjoy the amazing opportunities that we have on this amazing planet we call Earth.
I know that much of the content we have put out so far has been hunting related. However, we do have other content and discussions we have put out there. Our overall goal is to continue to build on what we are putting out to our audience. We are not just a hunting brand but an outdoor enthusiast brand. What we hope for is that we can join a growing community of like-minded people who love the wild places where you can enjoy a wide range of activities. We want to bring people together from all parts of the outdoor community. Whether it is hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, rock climbing, or any other outdoor activity we are all one community. A community that cherishes what the outdoor world provides for us.
A century and a half ago people like Theodore Roosevelt and John Muir stood up and said enough is enough. They and others were the birth of the conservation in the United States. Yes, I know that may seem simplistic and it is. There is so much more to that conversation and I encourage you to read about it. Today we are able to enjoy millions of acres of public land thanks to them. We have the opportunity to experience so much of the natural world. It would take multiple lifetimes to experience all that it has to offer. I believe that today we are at the beginning of the next revolution in conservation. People like Steve Rinella, Randy Newburg, Doug Duren, and so many more are becoming the Theodore Roosevelt and Ding Darlings of our time. They are true leaders and I am inspired by them to be part of this community.
Chris and I hope that we can be a part of this conversation. Even if it is a small part we hope we can help raise awareness. Get people involved. Just do our part to make this a better world through our love of the outdoors. Between the two of us, we have over 40 years of experience in the Marine Corps. Our time is quickly coming to an end and we will have to move on to the next part of our lives. We would very much like for this to be that part of our lives. We have seen and done a lot in our Marine Corps careers. We have seen a lot of the ugly in this world. Much of that is what brings us such peace when we are in the protective blanket of Mother Earth’s wonders. However, we have been blessed to serve this great nation. We are grateful for the gifts we have been given. We see this opportunity ahead of us as a way to continue to serve. To stand behind those leading the way in the outdoor community. We are not the kind of guys that stand outside the arena watching. For us we choose to be in the arena so that the generations to come can stand on the same lofty peaks we have and feel the stillness of the soul as Mother Earth wraps her arms around you quiets the chaos.
