Breaking into the fishing industry as a young professional
Turning a passion into a career is a rare privilege. I count myself among the fortunate few who’ve managed to achieve this in the fishing industry.
To lay it out for you, I work as a senior public relations manager for Gunpowder Inc., the creator of the Serious Angler Podcast Network, and host of the Serious Angler Podcast. I also compete in kayak bass fishing tournaments, film them for my YouTube channel (BE the Fish), and say yes to almost any fishing-related endeavor that comes my way. Writing this piece for Fish Insider is yet another opportunity I welcomed with open arms.
According to my father, I caught my first bass at a very young age—too early for me to remember. Little did my 3-year-old self realize that this moment marked the beginning of a lifelong obsession. This obsession, passed down by my father and grandfather, led to us getting a boat, then switching to kayaks. I would beg my father to drop me off at the lake every chance I got, until I reached the age where I could legally drive his truck to the lake myself. You could say I had the fishing bug, and it has only grown stronger with time.
Growing up, I never considered a career in the fishing industry to be a possibility. I had two loves in my life: sports and fishing. Only one of those seemed to offer a clear path to a career, so I pursued a bachelor’s and master’s degree in sport management at the State University of New York at Cortland. In order to complete my master’s, I worked as an event manager intern for the athletic department at the University of Notre Dame. However, working for such a big-name school with high-profile sports teams meant long hours, leaving me with no time for fishing.
After chatting with a friend on how much I missed fishing and the opportunity to continue learning as an angler, he suggested I start a fishing podcast. Already a podcast enthusiast, I saw this as an opportunity to host and learn from fellow anglers while continuing to pursue my passion for bass fishing alongside a busy work schedule. After some discussion with friends in the fishing community, I settled on a name: Serious Angler.
I created a Zoom account and found a decent free podcast hosting platform. I started recording episodes whenever I could find a spare hour in my work week and posted them whenever I had the opportunity. I’ve kept consistent with this podcast, and it has evolved into the Serious Angler Podcast Network, featuring four different podcasts, each focusing on a different angle of bass fishing. Though I continued to develop Serious Angler during my internship, I still had the intention of securing a full-time job in college athletics. That was until 2020.
As luck would have it, for better or worse, when my internship ended and I returned home, the pandemic began. Hiring in college athletics came to a halt, leaving me unsure of what to do next. I am extremely fortunate to have supportive parents who allowed me to live at home and encouraged me to use this time to invest in myself before starting my adult life. So…I went fishing—a lot. But I also dedicated more time to my podcast and social media, even starting a side business to help smaller fishing brands establish their social media presence.
Several months passed, and although the job market was tough, I believe this period was crucial for my personal and professional growth. Then, at the perfect moment, I received a call from a Wisconsin area code. On the other end of the line was Ryan Chuckel, the founder of Gunpowder. After discussing the position they wanted to hire me for, I realized what an incredible opportunity it was. Working with some of my favorite fishing brands, their anglers, and many of the industry figures I had admired for years? I only had one question: “Where do I sign?”
Now, over three years into my tenure at Gunpowder, with the help of some amazing teammates and bosses (shoutout to the incredible Jen Ripple), I’ve worked my way up to a senior public relations manager role. I have the privilege of working with incredible clients like Pure Fishing, Johnson Outdoors, and X2Power. No two days are the same, and each year brings new and exciting ventures. Watching the hard work of the Gunpowder team contribute to our clients’ success is an incredible feeling.
Somewhere along the way, I discovered a love for creating and sharing content. I pushed myself to improve my skills in modern content creation, which led to the creation of my YouTube channel, BE the Fish. (The “BE” stands for my initials, in case you were wondering.)
Maintaining a balance isn’t easy, but I’ve become very efficient over the years by improving my time management and prioritization. Work comes first, which sometimes means sacrificing time for the podcast and other projects. A typical day begins at 5 a.m. and ends at 10 p.m., often only yielding two or three hours for personal time between my work with Gunpowder, my YouTube channel, and my podcast.
However, I believe all my endeavors complement each other. Without my podcast and fishing experience, I wouldn’t have my position at Gunpowder. Without Gunpowder, I wouldn’t have the connections and network I have today, which not only helps with the podcast but has also led to some great friendships.
There are three major lessons that have helped shape me in and held true in 2024:
- Your word means everything. If you say you’ll do something, do it. Your trustworthiness is at stake.
- Be a “yes” person as much as you can. Saying yes to opportunities can lead to big things.
- Be kind, even when you’re at your worst. Kindness is always needed, and you never know how a small act of kindness can impact your future.
The past five years have been incredible, and the 16-year-old me could never have imagined the opportunities I’ve had in the fishing industry or the support system that has made success possible. I’ll continue to use both as fuel, and I can’t wait to see what the next five years bring.
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