WEBVTT - Ep. 279: This Country Life - Working at MeatEater

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to This Country Life. I'm your host, Brent Reeves

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<v Speaker 1>from coon hunting to trot lining and just general country living.

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<v Speaker 1>I want you to stay a while as I share

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<v Speaker 1>my experiences in life lessons. This Country Life is presented

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<v Speaker 1>by Case Knives on Meat Eaters Podcast Network, bringing you

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<v Speaker 1>the best outdoor podcast the airwaves have to offer. All right, friends,

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<v Speaker 1>grab a chair or drop that tailgate. I've got some

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<v Speaker 1>stories to share working at meat Eater. People often asking

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<v Speaker 1>I love telling the story of how I wound up

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<v Speaker 1>working at meat Eater and what it's like. It's been

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<v Speaker 1>a long journey that started many moons ago, and I'm

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<v Speaker 1>going to tell you all about it. But first I'm

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<v Speaker 1>going to tell you a story. I was contacted by

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<v Speaker 1>a regional hunting show from South Carolina back around the

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<v Speaker 1>turn of the sentry, which used to mean a long

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<v Speaker 1>time ago, and I guess it's starting to again. But anyway.

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<v Speaker 1>The host of the show was originally from Arkansas. He

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<v Speaker 1>had a cousin he grew up with that was still

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<v Speaker 1>here and he contacted him about finding someone to guide

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<v Speaker 1>him and a cameraman on a film duck hunt. The

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<v Speaker 1>cousin worked with me at the Sheriff's office in the Eldorata, Arkansas,

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<v Speaker 1>and made the introduction. He and his cameraman came out

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<v Speaker 1>for three days of hunting in the flooded green timber.

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<v Speaker 1>We had a great hunt. I made friends with both

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<v Speaker 1>of them, but I was mostly interested in what was

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<v Speaker 1>going on behind the camera and in front of it.

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<v Speaker 1>I saved up and bought a Sony PD one seventy

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<v Speaker 1>camquarder that recorded onto many DV tapes, and at the

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<v Speaker 1>time it was the industry standard for outdoor video. I

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<v Speaker 1>remember the day the ups man dropped it off at

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<v Speaker 1>the house. It was like a new shotgun, but better.

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<v Speaker 1>I would be able to shoot everything all the time,

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<v Speaker 1>and good, honest to goodness quality green timber duck hunting

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<v Speaker 1>footage was scarce in those days. Now, I'm not saying

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<v Speaker 1>that there wasn't any. There just wasn't a lot that

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<v Speaker 1>I thought was very good. There were shots I had

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<v Speaker 1>in mind that I hadn't seen. Most of what I

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<v Speaker 1>saw wasn't shot from a tripod, so the cameras were

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<v Speaker 1>pretty unsteady. So I set out to fill my own

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<v Speaker 1>and show the world what real duck hunting footage looked like.

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<v Speaker 1>I bought a tripod and the fluid had to mount

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<v Speaker 1>the camera. I spent half the season when we didn't

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<v Speaker 1>have clients collecting footage of ducks coming into the timber.

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<v Speaker 1>I had a Pelican case I custom fit for the

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<v Speaker 1>camera and double bagged it with thick contractor trash bags

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<v Speaker 1>to keep overspray, wet dogs and folks getting in and

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<v Speaker 1>out of the boat from kicking water and mud on

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<v Speaker 1>the camera. That costs twice as much as my first truck.

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<v Speaker 1>It was my baby, and I treated it like one.

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<v Speaker 1>Dust was one thing, but water was a whole other

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<v Speaker 1>set of problems. Those cameras would shut down in heavy

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<v Speaker 1>damp environments. The circuit boards just couldn't handle the exposure

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<v Speaker 1>to moisture. I was like a man possessed any time

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<v Speaker 1>I had it in the field, especially around water. I

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<v Speaker 1>guarded it like my life depended on it, and kept

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<v Speaker 1>people and dogs away from every conceivable situation or path

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<v Speaker 1>of travel that would likely bring either in my proximity.

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<v Speaker 1>I would make everyone get out of the boat and

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<v Speaker 1>move over to where they were going to stand. Then

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<v Speaker 1>I'd get out walk the boat to where I was

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<v Speaker 1>going to be standing. Uncase the camera while it laid

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<v Speaker 1>on the deck, attached it to the tripod and set

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<v Speaker 1>it up, never taking my hand off the whole time

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<v Speaker 1>we were there. I didn't walk anywhere with it after

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<v Speaker 1>I took it out of the boat, or take any

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<v Speaker 1>chances watsoever. When it came to keeping it above the water,

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<v Speaker 1>it stressed me to no end. But just like a

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<v Speaker 1>hammer in a toolbox, it won't do you any good

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<v Speaker 1>unless you get it out and use it. When we

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<v Speaker 1>were riding, I would hold that double wrap case to

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<v Speaker 1>my chest and lie down in the bottom of the

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<v Speaker 1>boat like I was guarding the nuclear codes. I had

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<v Speaker 1>some great footage, but I was still missing one scene

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<v Speaker 1>that I hadn't seen yet, the zig zag and ride

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<v Speaker 1>through the timber that everyone loved that hunted with us.

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<v Speaker 1>Some even said it was their favorite part of the trip,

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<v Speaker 1>and the anticipation leading up to it was one of

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<v Speaker 1>the main reasons they came back year after year. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>that and they wanted to be there When Tim and

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<v Speaker 1>I eventually started duking it out because the longer the

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<v Speaker 1>season went, the dumber he got. He would say the

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<v Speaker 1>same thing, but he'd be wrong. Remember he's dumb. But

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<v Speaker 1>them wasn't the one taking the equivalent of a Craigslist truck.

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<v Speaker 1>As my friend Nick Gilliland rates everything above a certain

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<v Speaker 1>dollar amount. He wasn't taking it out in a boat

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<v Speaker 1>with a clumsy bunch of bottled up waiter wearing clowns

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<v Speaker 1>whose first concern was not whether or not my camera

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<v Speaker 1>got with So the best thing to do was to

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<v Speaker 1>go after the season was out, when those buffoons weren't

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<v Speaker 1>in the boat. I'd go by myself. There'd be no

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<v Speaker 1>one else in the woods, and I could film to

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<v Speaker 1>my heart's content. It was six thirty in the morning

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<v Speaker 1>when I unloaded the boat, and there wasn't a cloud

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<v Speaker 1>in the sky. I set the trip out up in

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<v Speaker 1>the boat and spread the legs out with the camera

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<v Speaker 1>at eye level. It was rock solid. I fired the

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<v Speaker 1>boat motor up, pointed it up to by old press record,

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<v Speaker 1>and showered down on the throttle and shot away from

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<v Speaker 1>that boat round like I was late for work. I

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<v Speaker 1>could have pulled a fat dog on behind that boat.

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<v Speaker 1>I hit the trail that led away from the levee

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<v Speaker 1>and never let off the gas, zigzagging like I'd done

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<v Speaker 1>a million times, around stumps and under low hanging limbs,

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<v Speaker 1>cutting hard and left, staying on plane and that full

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<v Speaker 1>throttle from nearly a mile. Leonard Skinnrich called me. The

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<v Speaker 1>breeze was playing in my head, and I wondered how

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<v Speaker 1>big the lawsuit was gonna be when I put their

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<v Speaker 1>music to my video. During that portion of the production,

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<v Speaker 1>as I approached the whole ducks were getting up in

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<v Speaker 1>front of me by the hundreds. I was in a

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<v Speaker 1>hurry now to get out and set up the camera

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<v Speaker 1>and catch them all when they started coming back to

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<v Speaker 1>the calls of all the ducks in the woods that

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<v Speaker 1>had never left. This was gonna be epic, like National Geographic.

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<v Speaker 1>I cut the power to the motor, and as the

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<v Speaker 1>kinetic energy drained away from my vessel, I shoved my

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<v Speaker 1>life jacket, hung my right leg over the side of

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<v Speaker 1>the boat, and followed it with my left, rolling out

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<v Speaker 1>onto my feet like a Navy seal, and kicked my

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<v Speaker 1>camera out into the knee deep muddy water the Biometa.

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<v Speaker 1>It would cost me another fifteen hundred dollars to get

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<v Speaker 1>that camera dried out and clean, and after all that

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<v Speaker 1>costly calamity, I never made that film. And that's just

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<v Speaker 1>how that happened. I get asked all the time on

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<v Speaker 1>what it's like to work at meat either. How in

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<v Speaker 1>the world I managed to pull it off. It's still

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<v Speaker 1>kind of a blur to me, But not one day

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<v Speaker 1>that goes by do I take it for granted or

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<v Speaker 1>fail to give thanks for the blessings of what this

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<v Speaker 1>job entails and the opportunity it has afforded me and

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<v Speaker 1>my family. Some of you, I'm sure it'd have heard

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<v Speaker 1>me tell the story of how I got here, but

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<v Speaker 1>for those that haven't, I'll do a quick recap so

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<v Speaker 1>everyone's up to speed before I go any further. After

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<v Speaker 1>dunking my camera in the Biometa, I obviously got to

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<v Speaker 1>replace and upgraded cameras eventually, and eventually I started out

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<v Speaker 1>filming my favorite hillbilly, lay Nukel, before he was everyone

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<v Speaker 1>else's favorite hill building. He was using video content to

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<v Speaker 1>support the promotion of his former publication, Bear Hunting Magazine.

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<v Speaker 1>Now that content, along with his freelance writing, the magazine's

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<v Speaker 1>podcast he produced, and his singular focus in years of

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<v Speaker 1>hard work to make a living in the outdoor space,

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<v Speaker 1>did just that for him, and Meat Eater offered him

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<v Speaker 1>a job. Well. When that happened, he had professional cinematographers

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<v Speaker 1>and photographers and producers and editors and sound engineers and

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<v Speaker 1>others who were doing all the individual duties that he

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<v Speaker 1>and I used to share in mostly him, and they

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<v Speaker 1>were way better at it. Understandably, I was out of

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<v Speaker 1>a job. I mean, it wasn't like I got fired

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<v Speaker 1>because I'd been volunteering my time all those years. He

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<v Speaker 1>covered my expenses, and I worked hard to help my

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<v Speaker 1>friends succeed just because he was my friend and I

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<v Speaker 1>believed in what he was doing, the content he was creating,

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<v Speaker 1>and the message he was sharing. But my talents paled

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<v Speaker 1>in comparison to those folks. Fast forward a year or

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<v Speaker 1>so after he went to work and Meeta or gave

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<v Speaker 1>anyone who worked for the company the opportunity to submit

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<v Speaker 1>ideas for a podcast through a form. Now you had

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<v Speaker 1>to list the name of the show, who would host it,

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<v Speaker 1>the theme of the content, the link to the episodes,

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<v Speaker 1>and the general idea of the format. Well, Clay convinced

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<v Speaker 1>me to submit an idea, even though my only connection

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<v Speaker 1>to working there at the time was being a guest

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<v Speaker 1>on a couple of his first podcasts and a regular

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<v Speaker 1>on The Bear gree shur Render every other week, which

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<v Speaker 1>was another voluntary effort that in included a five hour

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<v Speaker 1>round trip drive to help my friend. He told me

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<v Speaker 1>over and over that he'd repay me one day, but

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<v Speaker 1>I was already being paid. I was an adopted member

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<v Speaker 1>of the entire newcom clan, and I felt as though

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<v Speaker 1>they belonged to me just as much as I did

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<v Speaker 1>to them. So one time, my wife Alexis and I

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<v Speaker 1>were in Northwest Arkansas and stayed in Clay and missed

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<v Speaker 1>his guest room after I recorded a podcast with him,

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<v Speaker 1>and we all wound up going out to eat supper

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<v Speaker 1>that night. I asked him again about that application process

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<v Speaker 1>for the podcast ideas, and in about forty five minutes,

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<v Speaker 1>the four of us had hashed out ideas in a

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<v Speaker 1>format for what the show is today. What we came

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<v Speaker 1>up with that night is about eighty percent of what

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<v Speaker 1>you're here now, So if you hate it, it's not

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<v Speaker 1>all my fault. Now, fast forward through a couple of

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<v Speaker 1>mock episodes I recorded and submitted for me to listen to,

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<v Speaker 1>and here we are now. Most don't know that the

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<v Speaker 1>monologue format of what I'm doing wasn't the original idea.

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<v Speaker 1>The first one I submitted was me talking to my

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<v Speaker 1>good friend David McDaniels from East Texas. Much like I

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<v Speaker 1>talked to all of you now, Steve Vanella took one

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<v Speaker 1>listen and said, you know there's something there, but that

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<v Speaker 1>ain't it. You need to redo that episode. Instead of

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<v Speaker 1>talking to someone one on one, just talk to the mic.

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<v Speaker 1>I changed it, and here we are. Now that you

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<v Speaker 1>know how I got here, let me tell you about

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<v Speaker 1>what it's like working here. Now. What I didn't mention

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<v Speaker 1>in the opening is my favorite part about working here

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<v Speaker 1>and what I'm most thankful for, and that's the people

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<v Speaker 1>that I get to work with. The on camera folks

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<v Speaker 1>are just as you said here. They're authentic and unapologetic

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<v Speaker 1>in their opinions, open to hear opposing views, and respectful

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<v Speaker 1>even if they disagree, you know, like grown folks should be.

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<v Speaker 1>But it's not the ones you regularly see and here

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<v Speaker 1>that are involved in producing content that I'm talking about,

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<v Speaker 1>even though they are as big a blessing to me

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<v Speaker 1>as well. It's the whole, dynamic world of people that

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<v Speaker 1>make this company what it is. We come up with

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<v Speaker 1>ideas for our content all on our own and occasionally

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<v Speaker 1>through suggestions from our colleagues and sometimes even the listeners

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<v Speaker 1>my weekly podcast content is recorded here in my home

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<v Speaker 1>and edited in Bozeman by Riva Hanson. Then she sends

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<v Speaker 1>it back to me for approval once she's done. And

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<v Speaker 1>they say you can't make chicken salad out of chicken, Well,

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<v Speaker 1>you know. But each week Riva takes the ramblems of

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<v Speaker 1>a mental equivalent toddler and turns it into something a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of you find mildly entertaining. Now. I can't tell

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<v Speaker 1>you how many times I've sent in and recording and

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<v Speaker 1>thought that would be the one that gets me fired,

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<v Speaker 1>only to receive and return a polished piece of media

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<v Speaker 1>that I'm proud to attach my name to. You never

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<v Speaker 1>see or hear Riva on here, but I do. Every week.

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<v Speaker 1>I hear her and how she sees the message I'm

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<v Speaker 1>struggling to communicate and accentuates the mood by adding the

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<v Speaker 1>layers of sounds and music that adds to the story

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<v Speaker 1>and feeling that I failed to capture with my limited vocabulary.

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<v Speaker 1>Fixing the ramblings of an adolescent is only a portion

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<v Speaker 1>of her duties, and yet she remains calm and a

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<v Speaker 1>sea of deadlines and commitments that have her work in

0:13:45.280 --> 0:13:48.800
<v Speaker 1>far more hours than she's required because it matters to

0:13:48.880 --> 0:13:53.959
<v Speaker 1>her how you hear the stories that I tell. Now,

0:13:53.960 --> 0:13:56.240
<v Speaker 1>everyone I've had the pleasure to work with has been

0:13:56.480 --> 0:13:59.480
<v Speaker 1>singularly focused on making the content we've put out to

0:13:59.520 --> 0:14:03.079
<v Speaker 1>be the best that's available. And it takes a whole

0:14:03.120 --> 0:14:05.280
<v Speaker 1>lot more folks than the ones you see and here

0:14:05.320 --> 0:14:08.960
<v Speaker 1>to make this work. None of what we produced is

0:14:09.040 --> 0:14:12.000
<v Speaker 1>left to chance or crafted with the attitude that that's

0:14:12.040 --> 0:14:16.360
<v Speaker 1>good enough. It's never good enough, and there's always room

0:14:16.400 --> 0:14:21.360
<v Speaker 1>for improving. A strapping young lad named Roman from Minnesota

0:14:21.480 --> 0:14:25.320
<v Speaker 1>counts among his daily duties as reading and responding to

0:14:25.480 --> 0:14:28.840
<v Speaker 1>every email and piece of correspondence that comes into meeting,

0:14:28.960 --> 0:14:31.320
<v Speaker 1>and let me tell you, there's a lot of them.

0:14:31.920 --> 0:14:35.200
<v Speaker 1>Then there's a lesson Christine and hr and Valerie and

0:14:35.240 --> 0:14:40.160
<v Speaker 1>accounting Hannah, Matt Will, Maggie Trestaus, Samantha Hillary, along with

0:14:40.200 --> 0:14:43.320
<v Speaker 1>a host of others who all play a pivotal role

0:14:43.400 --> 0:14:47.320
<v Speaker 1>in keeping this ship running in the right direction. It's

0:14:47.360 --> 0:14:50.600
<v Speaker 1>a complicated mass of moving parts that have to all

0:14:50.640 --> 0:14:53.520
<v Speaker 1>be in sync to put out the outdoor related content

0:14:53.600 --> 0:14:57.600
<v Speaker 1>that I feel is second to none. On top of

0:14:57.640 --> 0:14:59.880
<v Speaker 1>all of that, we have to deal with the weather

0:15:00.040 --> 0:15:03.480
<v Speaker 1>and the animals were chasing. Sometimes they don't always read

0:15:03.520 --> 0:15:07.680
<v Speaker 1>the script. The films we produce are playing months even

0:15:07.720 --> 0:15:11.360
<v Speaker 1>a year before the actual event takes place. It's like

0:15:11.840 --> 0:15:14.640
<v Speaker 1>rolling the dice every time you plan something. Now, don't

0:15:14.640 --> 0:15:17.120
<v Speaker 1>get me wrong, this is fun. It's a great way

0:15:17.120 --> 0:15:19.360
<v Speaker 1>to make a living and one that I never thought

0:15:19.360 --> 0:15:21.840
<v Speaker 1>that I'd be able to do. But the reality of

0:15:21.880 --> 0:15:24.960
<v Speaker 1>it is we can only prepare and control so much.

0:15:26.080 --> 0:15:28.680
<v Speaker 1>The most important parts are left up to mother nature,

0:15:28.880 --> 0:15:32.920
<v Speaker 1>and sometimes that don't work out. But that's what makes

0:15:32.960 --> 0:15:35.880
<v Speaker 1>it good when it all comes together, and more times

0:15:35.920 --> 0:15:40.120
<v Speaker 1>than not it does. Here's a generic rundown of one

0:15:40.200 --> 0:15:42.280
<v Speaker 1>project that I and a whole bunch of folks have

0:15:42.360 --> 0:15:44.880
<v Speaker 1>been planning for over nine months now and how it

0:15:44.920 --> 0:15:49.520
<v Speaker 1>goes from idea to finish product or how it's supposed to.

0:15:51.840 --> 0:15:54.960
<v Speaker 1>My friend Connor Flanagan, the brand director over at First Light,

0:15:55.080 --> 0:15:56.800
<v Speaker 1>walked up to me when I was at the office

0:15:56.840 --> 0:16:00.280
<v Speaker 1>impostman and says, Brent, would you be interested in doing

0:16:00.280 --> 0:16:05.280
<v Speaker 1>a duck hunting film in Arkansas for First Line? Why yes, Connor,

0:16:05.680 --> 0:16:07.800
<v Speaker 1>I would be more than interested in doing a duck

0:16:07.880 --> 0:16:12.680
<v Speaker 1>hunting film for First Life in Arkansas. From that conversation

0:16:12.760 --> 0:16:17.360
<v Speaker 1>and approval from my boss, Montana's own Garrett Long. We

0:16:17.480 --> 0:16:20.440
<v Speaker 1>schedule the first of what would be several meetings regarding

0:16:20.480 --> 0:16:22.920
<v Speaker 1>where it would be, when it would be, who would

0:16:22.960 --> 0:16:25.360
<v Speaker 1>be in the project, and the story we would try

0:16:25.400 --> 0:16:30.120
<v Speaker 1>to tell. There's always an underlying story and message we're

0:16:30.120 --> 0:16:33.760
<v Speaker 1>trying to tell amidst the framework of a hunting film.

0:16:34.000 --> 0:16:36.800
<v Speaker 1>To go along with that, we make a list of

0:16:36.840 --> 0:16:40.080
<v Speaker 1>what is needed equipment wise to use for the production,

0:16:40.440 --> 0:16:44.600
<v Speaker 1>everything from firearms and clothing and cameras. That's gone over

0:16:44.680 --> 0:16:48.960
<v Speaker 1>and decided upon weeks and usually months in advance. The

0:16:49.080 --> 0:16:51.720
<v Speaker 1>public land is chosen to hunt, there are certain licenses

0:16:51.760 --> 0:16:54.440
<v Speaker 1>and permits that have to be purchased. If it's private land,

0:16:54.480 --> 0:16:57.880
<v Speaker 1>there are releases and fees to paying. Food and lodging

0:16:58.000 --> 0:17:02.320
<v Speaker 1>is secured. Traveler has arranged. All the pertinent information is

0:17:02.360 --> 0:17:04.600
<v Speaker 1>logged into what's called a production behind there. It's a

0:17:04.640 --> 0:17:08.480
<v Speaker 1>big notebook with all the instruction, who's doing what, where

0:17:08.520 --> 0:17:10.840
<v Speaker 1>they're doing it, when they're doing it, the shots that

0:17:10.840 --> 0:17:15.120
<v Speaker 1>are required for the filming, Any and all emergency medical

0:17:15.119 --> 0:17:17.760
<v Speaker 1>facilities in the area should the need a rise. Nothing

0:17:18.040 --> 0:17:24.280
<v Speaker 1>controllable is left to chance. Multiple Zoom meetings countless emails,

0:17:24.320 --> 0:17:27.000
<v Speaker 1>a dozen or more phone calls, and a novel of

0:17:27.080 --> 0:17:32.080
<v Speaker 1>text messages goes into every production. For this Duck Hunt,

0:17:32.119 --> 0:17:34.399
<v Speaker 1>there were to be about ten of us total on

0:17:34.440 --> 0:17:38.160
<v Speaker 1>the production center, and that's everyone associated with the project

0:17:38.280 --> 0:17:41.919
<v Speaker 1>on location, with only four of us actually being on camera,

0:17:43.200 --> 0:17:45.879
<v Speaker 1>and once all the hours of unedited footage makes it

0:17:45.920 --> 0:17:49.439
<v Speaker 1>back to the editors and imposeemen, there could be another

0:17:49.480 --> 0:17:52.879
<v Speaker 1>handful of folks working on it there. And that's just

0:17:53.119 --> 0:18:00.280
<v Speaker 1>one project. There are others creating content at the same

0:18:00.320 --> 0:18:03.320
<v Speaker 1>time all over the country during this time of year especially,

0:18:03.640 --> 0:18:07.240
<v Speaker 1>and they're all working in the same manner. That's why

0:18:07.280 --> 0:18:09.720
<v Speaker 1>we have to schedule so far out in advance to

0:18:09.760 --> 0:18:13.520
<v Speaker 1>accommodate all the projects and make sure everyone has what

0:18:13.560 --> 0:18:17.240
<v Speaker 1>they need. And then something happens that'll throw it all

0:18:17.280 --> 0:18:20.840
<v Speaker 1>out of whack. People get sick, the weather turns bad,

0:18:20.880 --> 0:18:24.840
<v Speaker 1>the animals don't cooperate, and these folks just deal with it,

0:18:25.680 --> 0:18:30.679
<v Speaker 1>usually with a smile. We affect change on what we

0:18:30.720 --> 0:18:34.520
<v Speaker 1>can to alleviate any and all obstacles that would hinder production.

0:18:34.760 --> 0:18:38.000
<v Speaker 1>And except that when we're dealing with nature, there's only

0:18:38.040 --> 0:18:41.679
<v Speaker 1>so much that we can control. The project that I

0:18:41.760 --> 0:18:44.800
<v Speaker 1>hinted to the Arkansas Duck Hunts with First Light. We

0:18:44.920 --> 0:18:47.960
<v Speaker 1>had to postpone it in a meeting yesterday because of

0:18:48.040 --> 0:18:50.960
<v Speaker 1>low water levels in the area that we're chosen to fild.

0:18:52.119 --> 0:18:55.879
<v Speaker 1>We'll reschedule and maybe even change locations if necessary, and

0:18:55.960 --> 0:18:58.719
<v Speaker 1>go through all the motions again that we did before,

0:18:58.920 --> 0:19:01.760
<v Speaker 1>just to make sure we've got everything covered that we

0:19:01.840 --> 0:19:07.240
<v Speaker 1>can cover. It's fun, it's not easy. It's frustrating at times,

0:19:07.520 --> 0:19:10.560
<v Speaker 1>but it's so rewarding when it all comes together and

0:19:10.600 --> 0:19:14.879
<v Speaker 1>the final product represents the people and their stories that

0:19:15.040 --> 0:19:18.840
<v Speaker 1>deserve to be told. Then when the project comes to

0:19:18.880 --> 0:19:21.440
<v Speaker 1>a close and the final draft is ready for release,

0:19:22.000 --> 0:19:25.760
<v Speaker 1>months or even a year's gone by and we've already

0:19:25.800 --> 0:19:31.359
<v Speaker 1>done the same thing all over again somewhere else, multiple times.

0:19:32.760 --> 0:19:35.160
<v Speaker 1>I never thought I'd be making a living doing these

0:19:35.200 --> 0:19:37.480
<v Speaker 1>things that I would pay to do, even though I

0:19:37.600 --> 0:19:39.840
<v Speaker 1>dreamed of it as a kid and even a young man,

0:19:41.200 --> 0:19:43.600
<v Speaker 1>making a living doing the things that my dad taught

0:19:43.640 --> 0:19:48.280
<v Speaker 1>me to do for fun. It's different than what I thought,

0:19:48.320 --> 0:19:51.080
<v Speaker 1>and I've been associated with the outdoor business for several

0:19:51.200 --> 0:19:53.879
<v Speaker 1>years now. But to do it in a professional manner

0:19:54.280 --> 0:19:57.680
<v Speaker 1>that is the standard here is beyond what I'd ever

0:19:57.800 --> 0:20:00.959
<v Speaker 1>experienced when it was just me and whoever and talking

0:20:01.000 --> 0:20:03.359
<v Speaker 1>to letting me tag along with the camera over twenty

0:20:03.480 --> 0:20:07.800
<v Speaker 1>years ago. I've never seen a more dedicated group of

0:20:07.800 --> 0:20:10.159
<v Speaker 1>people whose singular mission is to do their part in

0:20:10.200 --> 0:20:14.680
<v Speaker 1>the machine that turns out relative, entertaining and conscientious content.

0:20:15.280 --> 0:20:18.320
<v Speaker 1>And the majority of them you will never see, your hear.

0:20:19.600 --> 0:20:23.040
<v Speaker 1>It's easy to overlook them unless you're privileged to see

0:20:23.040 --> 0:20:26.480
<v Speaker 1>how it all works. From the insight, they're the real

0:20:26.600 --> 0:20:32.359
<v Speaker 1>stars of the show, this one especially. So what's it

0:20:32.520 --> 0:20:35.439
<v Speaker 1>like to work with me? Did for me It's like

0:20:35.560 --> 0:20:38.560
<v Speaker 1>going to bed and dreaming about having the best job

0:20:38.640 --> 0:20:42.800
<v Speaker 1>I could ever imagine for myself, with countless opportunities to

0:20:42.880 --> 0:20:46.080
<v Speaker 1>travel and see and experience things that I could only

0:20:46.200 --> 0:20:50.000
<v Speaker 1>dream of, and work with the most professional and supportive

0:20:50.040 --> 0:20:55.000
<v Speaker 1>group of professionals in the outdoor business, and then wake

0:20:55.119 --> 0:20:59.879
<v Speaker 1>up and find out it's all true, every bit of it.

0:21:02.080 --> 0:21:05.160
<v Speaker 1>I think, all of you who listen every week, those

0:21:05.160 --> 0:21:07.320
<v Speaker 1>are not just words. I truly mean it from the

0:21:07.320 --> 0:21:09.920
<v Speaker 1>bottom of my heart. I also want to thank all

0:21:10.000 --> 0:21:13.000
<v Speaker 1>the people I'm so blessed to work with, who each

0:21:13.080 --> 0:21:15.720
<v Speaker 1>play more than a modicum role in the success of

0:21:15.760 --> 0:21:19.479
<v Speaker 1>this weekly struggle. It's for them and you that I

0:21:19.560 --> 0:21:22.960
<v Speaker 1>do my dead level best to provide entertaining content that

0:21:23.040 --> 0:21:29.679
<v Speaker 1>at least is prayerfully entertaining and enlightening at best. Do

0:21:29.680 --> 0:21:31.960
<v Speaker 1>you know that we have another channel on YouTube called

0:21:32.359 --> 0:21:35.720
<v Speaker 1>meat Eater Clips. You can subscribe to it as well,

0:21:35.760 --> 0:21:38.280
<v Speaker 1>and you'll see some short form videos on there that

0:21:38.320 --> 0:21:42.080
<v Speaker 1>you won't see anyplace else. Check it out when you

0:21:42.160 --> 0:21:45.320
<v Speaker 1>have the chance. I think you'll like it. Until next week,

0:21:45.359 --> 0:22:03.000
<v Speaker 1>this is Brent Reeves signing off. Y'all be careful