Guest roadkill86 Posted August 16, 2007 Report Share Posted August 16, 2007 well i have been deer hunting since i was 10 yrs old and i am now 21 i was wondering how these people get the chance of a lifetime to join all these prostaffs if anyboby knows and wolud share the sercert please tell me i have always had a dream of being a realtree prostaffer (like every other hunter i am sure) I just want to know what has to be done Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest COACH J. Posted August 16, 2007 Report Share Posted August 16, 2007 I share the same dream buddy and I started bow hunting when I was 9! I dont know I guess you gota know the right people....I have Michael Waddel though and got to spend a good amount of time with him but I still aint a prostaffer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lungbuster12point06 Posted August 16, 2007 Report Share Posted August 16, 2007 Well what do you have to offer besides hunting skills? You need to be able to bring something unique to the table,like videography skills,or have taken a number of record book animals, anything that makes you stand out from the rest of the skilled hunters. Other than that,yeah it's who you know! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted August 16, 2007 Report Share Posted August 16, 2007 Quote I dont know I guess you gota know the right people.... Knowing the right people would certainly help. Imagine for some it was probably about being in the right place at the right time. Think there are some opportunities out there to be made though with some of the shows like Drury's dream season. If a person was interested and was able to get a start in the industry even if it is from behind the camera, you have to start somewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bownarow Posted August 16, 2007 Report Share Posted August 16, 2007 wtnhunt said: Knowing the right people would certainly help. Imagine for some it was probably about being in the right place at the right time. Think there are some opportunities out there to be made though with some of the shows like Drury's dream season. If a person was interested and was able to get a start in the industry even if it is from behind the camera, you have to start somewhere. This is pretty spot on. I think a lot of the newer guys get their starts behind the scened like running a camera and then slowly work their way up. Waddell is a guy who started behind the camera with Realtree before he became popular with some growing appearances on the MB videos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest roadkill86 Posted August 16, 2007 Report Share Posted August 16, 2007 Well i have met and talked to waddel the other week but i just wasn't thinking about asking him the sercerts of gettin in i figured he would probably tell me good luck and wait but bill jordan is coming to bass pro this saturday and you better beleive that i will be there and i am gonna ask him what needs to be done. I don't care if i have to be behind the camera to me ui think it is just as much fun filming it as it is killing it i have done quite a bite of filming for my buddies but i will just have to wait and see wahat happens It don't have to be realtree prostaffs (but that would probably be the best) it can be any prostaff and i wouldn't care Iam just trying to get my foot in the door somewhere Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nativetexan Posted August 16, 2007 Report Share Posted August 16, 2007 Make some of your own hunting videos, and have them professionally edited and produced, or do them yourself. Plenty of software out there to do it at home. Then set up a website. Take your videos to a Outdoors Show, and sell them for a couple bucks with your request for feedback and your website link or email. Get an idea of what people want to see, and what you need to improve on. Do that for a while and then maybe shoot your vids out to the different companies by starting with up and coming hunting product companies and see if you might could pick up a sponsor. Keep up the production of the videos working your way up each time to get your name out there. Then hit the big dogs. Or, stick with the smaller names. You could be just as happy. This is just an idea and is in no way proven, but I see a lot of guys doing this at various sportsmens shows. I have bought several videos from people like this and some of them weren't half bad. Never know. Sometimes instead of trying to get your foot in the door, you have to kick it in and walk in with both feet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revhard Posted August 16, 2007 Report Share Posted August 16, 2007 +I know some people have started as guides, some in photography(behind the camera) and others were just writers in magazines. But those people knew what they wanted to do at a young age. Like taking photography classes in college or writing classes. They got there stuff published, and it snowballed from there. But Im sure some peole have just gotn plain ol lucky.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest roadkill86 Posted August 16, 2007 Report Share Posted August 16, 2007 well i am looking at going to photography classes but i hate to waste the time amd money do it and then it not get me anywhere my sister has her own photography bus but she just does like family pics and stuff she went to college for a graphic arts maybe she can help with the editing and things on my own videos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michiganbowhunter_SQ2 Posted August 16, 2007 Report Share Posted August 16, 2007 hard work, start by hunting, hunting, hunting and get as much on film as you can, not just kills, but good footage of deer, turkeys, anything and everything, make sure you have a good camera personality...that, along with kills is what is going to have people coming back for more. some places (i believe the Drury's are one) have an address on their site you can send resumes/videos to...also, once you get a good amount of footage done, look for some up and coming outdoor companies...there are tons out there looking to make it big and they will need pro staffers. good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nativetexan Posted August 16, 2007 Report Share Posted August 16, 2007 Take her with you... You can also rent professional video camera's. Your sis having a photographic eye might be able to tell you what is appealing on film. Never know.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nativetexan Posted August 16, 2007 Report Share Posted August 16, 2007 Michiganbowhunter_SQ2 said: hard work, start by hunting, hunting, hunting and get as much on film as you can, not just kills, but good footage of deer turkeys, anything and everything, make sure you have a good camera personality...that, along with kills is what is going to have people coming back for more. some places (i believe the Drury's are one) have an address on their site you can send resumes/videos to...also, once you get a good amount of footage done, look for some up and coming outdoor companies...there are tons out there looking to make it big and they will need pro staffers. good luck! What's a deer turkey? Can't say i've ever seen one of those..Reckon it's probably hard to fly with those antlers on their head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michiganbowhunter_SQ2 Posted August 16, 2007 Report Share Posted August 16, 2007 nativetexan said: What's a deer turkey? Can't say i've ever seen one of those..Reckon it's probably hard to fly with those antlers on their head. WHAT!! you've never seen one? guess they are only here in michigan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
okiedog Posted August 16, 2007 Report Share Posted August 16, 2007 roadkill86 said: but i hate to waste the time amd money do it and then it not get me anywhere Thats part of the gamble. If you truly want to do this, set your mind to it and do everything you can think of to make it happen. Go to the hunting shows, meet and talk to people. Like others have said, you have to show them why they need you to promote their product. If it was an easy road, there would be tons of "pro-staffers". Alot of times we just see the glory part of their work. I myself love to hunt more than anyone I personally know, and I also enjoying coming home to my family every evening. Alot of these guys are gone most weekends doing seminars and such. Don't get me wrong, I would love to do it, but you have to be committed to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nativetexan Posted August 16, 2007 Report Share Posted August 16, 2007 One thing that needs to be realized on that topic is none of these guys got anywhere without spending a significant amount of their own money to succeed. Whether it was on education, personal expenses related to self exposure, equipment, etc. Most anyone can kill an animal, but to do it and be able to sell products, draw in the public, be entertaining, and in some way benefit the company off screen and out of the woods is the key. It's a business, plain and simple. Without a marketing plan, it will fail. Might take some tips from the man himself and read Bill Jordan's bio from day one he stepped into this biz. I would also have to add that these guys are a family, often religious, very patriotic, and essentially require the same mentality with their prospective pro-staffers, but could be said about many everyday hunters and their families. I like the advice given above about starting with a small company. Build a resume with experience and advertise yourself as a product tester. Give good reports, offer advice for improvement, etc. and you might just get hired on as a pro-staffer. But you will still need to get some sort of education with video production, marketing, etc. It's pretty common for hunters to go out and one film the other hunting and vice-versa. But i'm not a pro, and the only thing I can do is just think about what I could do to make myself marketable to these companies, and get the education and experience to back it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaskMan Posted August 17, 2007 Report Share Posted August 17, 2007 Who you know.....that's my 2 bits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhino Posted August 17, 2007 Report Share Posted August 17, 2007 A lot of it is who you know and who you get to know by doing something special hunting related. For instance Jim Jones used to own a bow shop here in town (Indian Archery) and made his own hunting videos, selling them out of his shop. Making videos along with his contacts through the hunting industry got him to where he is now. Now he and his partner (Mike) are the host of Hunting Across the Country. Then there's Gene Wensel. Basically he and his brother Barry were the 1st that I can recall to make a bow hunting video. Gene also started writing articles for magazines in the early days and wrote one of the first whitetail hunting books. I think he has written 3 books now. There's also a lot to be said about the buddy system too. Some of the well known guys you see got in from already knowing someone real well. Could have been old friends, school buddies, etc. Another quality that will help alot is an open, friendly personality. The kind of personality that makes people want to be around you. If you have that your chances are much better too. Yea I know there are a few jerks in the business (no names) but they are generally the exception to the rule. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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