Voice of the Rodeo Kory Keeth on the Cowboy Way EP. 71

Episode 71 brings you inside the world of rodeo through the voice behind the mic—Kory Keeth. We sit down with Kory to talk about what it really takes to be a rodeo announcer, from keeping the crowd fired up to telling the stories that make the western way of life so powerful.

We dive into his journey, how he got his start, the behind-the-scenes of big-time rodeos, and the responsibility that comes with representing the sport and its people. There’s plenty of laughs, real talk, and a look at the grit and passion it takes to live this lifestyle.

If you’ve ever wondered what goes into making a rodeo come alive—or you just love good conversation about cowboy culture, faith, and the western industry—this one’s for you.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:04

Hey y'all, welcome to the registered ranch and podcast for humor and a little bit of cowboy wisdom alive. I'm Tucker Brown sharing stories from the Rant and a TikTok every now and then. We're gonna keep the ranch in the family, and the family in the rant. So let's saddle up. Saddled up for episode number 70. Welcome to the Registered Ranching Podcast. I'd love to say this is the first time I've ever said that intro, but this is actually the second. I just didn't hit record. So there we are. Tucker Brown, Michael Stevens, and Corey Keith in the house. Corey, welcome to Throckmorton. America.

SPEAKER_01 0:42

Man, it's good to be in Throckmorton.

SPEAKER_02 0:43

Have you been here before? No, this is my first time. Wow.

SPEAKER_00 0:46

First time. First time, yeah. Something funny. Yeah. What's so funny? I was just thinking, like, we just got done eating hamburgers and Fowler's, right?

SPEAKER_02 0:57

Pretty good, huh? You're just laughing about eating Fowler's burger. You're not laughing about how I forgot to hit record for 15 minutes.

SPEAKER_01 1:07

Not at all. Hey, it's all good though. Yeah. It was practice. Yeah. I mean, you said some things that we we probably shouldn't have put out there anyway. So we gotta talk about it.

SPEAKER_00 1:17

Really, I'm glad Tucker didn't press record.

SPEAKER_01 1:19

Yeah, it's it's good. It's good. We didn't want those ladies at the convenience store to have your number anyway.

SPEAKER_03 1:24

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:26

Well, welcome to episode 70 again. And uh yeah, Corey Keith in the house, a rodeo announcer. I was just about to learn like what your two main sources of income were. We're gonna have to get back to that. Rodeo announcer, cowboy channel host, guitar singer, sings and plays at church. Did you know that?

SPEAKER_00 1:44

Did not, but that's awesome. Yeah, that's pretty cool.

SPEAKER_02 1:48

Yeah, a lover of uh cowboy lifestyle and rodeo. Would that be fair to say? Oh, yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah, and um I do, yeah. Where was where did I go to? The ranch. We are doing breeding right now at the ranch. Uh yeah, I got to do a Monday. We did a branding with my cousins, and we're pulling cedars, setting up things for cows to breed next week, transferring embryos, so a lot going on. But a lot, but uh I think glad to be back behind the mic. It's always a good time.

SPEAKER_00 2:17

Yep, that's right. Got a flip-up on.

SPEAKER_02 2:19

Michael got a flip phone.

SPEAKER_00 2:20

We did a joke earlier. We did a joke. Yeah, super. Yeah. Check it out.

SPEAKER_02 2:26

I learned something about Michael today, and that's that he has he bought a when did you buy the flip phone?

SPEAKER_00 2:31

Last night with Colton.

SPEAKER_02 2:33

Oh, so it was it was an urgency buy.

SPEAKER_00 2:36

It was like a oh no, I was I've been thinking about it for about three months.

SPEAKER_02 2:40

Have you?

SPEAKER_00 2:41

Yeah, and then like that's satisfying.

SPEAKER_02 2:44

Do you actually have T9 Word on that flip phone? Do you know what T9 Word is? No. What is that?

SPEAKER_00 2:51

I'm not old, Tucker. How how old are you? I'm 26. I'm not in my 30s yet, okay? Dang it, dude.

SPEAKER_02 3:00

That that did make me feel a whole it comes with 4G. I didn't know of anybody that didn't know of. I've never talked to someone who didn't know what T9 Word was.

SPEAKER_00 3:09

T9 Word?

SPEAKER_02 3:10

Then if you're if you're watching on YouTube, which you I hope you do, you can see the uh you can see the flip.

SPEAKER_01 3:17

I can't talk right now, but I have a feeling you're gonna hear that click a couple times the next few weeks. I'm afraid so. You're gonna hang out too fast. Gonna roll your eyes.

SPEAKER_02 3:27

Did you ever have a razor?

SPEAKER_01 3:29

I yes, I do. No way. What is shot in the dark and you got it?

SPEAKER_02 3:33

It's like we talked about this before.

SPEAKER_01 3:36

Yeah, so I remember seventh grade is when I got my first flip phone. Right, it was Razor. Uh, and I remember the big thing was you could Bluetooth songs to each other for ringtones. To make your ringtone. What was your ringtone? Oh my gosh, that's a tough question. It was probably something, it was probably some A C D C song.

SPEAKER_02 3:55

No, it's like you know, I've had the same ringtone since seventh grade.

SPEAKER_01 3:58

What's yours? Call me. Call me. Hey Siri. Call Tucker Brown.

SPEAKER_00 4:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:05

Is he gonna do it? Dang, I thought it'd be a nice.

SPEAKER_00 4:08

Call Tuka.

SPEAKER_01 4:10

Will you? Why is he not using his flip phone?

SPEAKER_00 4:13

I don't have his contact yet. Unbelievable. By the way, Tucker's name on my phone is Tuca. Pretty funny. Here, I'll just call him.

SPEAKER_02 4:23

Here we go. Oh, it's connected to here. Oh, what a picture. Thank you for that. It's sweet child of mine, for those who are wondering. Oh, guns and sweet child of mine. It's been that since seventh grade.

SPEAKER_00 4:38

Isn't that so funny? Dang, that was a long time ago. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 4:42

I'm gonna mute you. I'm gonna mute you. Yeah, but I do, I love it. Because what I found out that um, like when I went to I remember it went off in college one time, my freshman year, and it was sweet child of mine. Yeah. But and other people's phone had gone off and he had gotten mad, the professor had gotten mad, and mine went off and it was sweet child of mine, and he was like, Who was that? I was like, sorry, sir, like turn it off. He was like, Sweet child of mine, huh? Nice. And that's all he said. And I was like, I'm never changing this.

SPEAKER_01 5:15

No, the the biggest question of all this, what what did he what what class was that?

SPEAKER_02 5:20

It was um intro to the old testament.

SPEAKER_01 5:24

I mean, I was about to say it makes sense, but now it doesn't make sense.

SPEAKER_02 5:29

I know what did you think it was gonna be like I thought it was gonna be like history teacher or something. I mean it basically is history. Yeah, it is history.

SPEAKER_01 5:38

Oh, that's funny. Yeah, he was like, sweet child of mine. Nice, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 5:43

Yeah, like I thought like he was like about to make fun of me for it or something. Sweet child of mine, like questioning, yeah, with a squint in his eye. Uh yeah. Next thing you know, everybody on campus has the same ring terror.

SPEAKER_01 5:56

Yeah, he didn't even say anything. I was just like, oh my gosh. Okay, I'm in perfect dog. Oh, that's funny.

SPEAKER_02 6:03

Okay, you never know. I know. Now what is now you have the yeah, flip phone. I don't know. It's pretty good. You know, Tyler Rogers had one. He's been on the podcast before. If you haven't listened to his, you gotta go back and listen to it because he's done it twice and they're both great. Um, Tyler Rogers had a flip phone and he said it was the biggest chick magnet he's ever had.

SPEAKER_00 6:23

Well, hey. He's gonna have way too much fun with this. Yeah, he is.

SPEAKER_01 6:31

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_00 6:33

I'm gonna get one of those uh little cases from a belt loop. Oh lord. No, you are old. Yeah. With the with the snap on it, so I can pull it out.

SPEAKER_02 6:44

Alright, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 6:44

My little holster.

SPEAKER_02 6:45

Yeah, I'm gonna mute you. This guy works for you. Yeah, no. Anyway, back to Corey Keith. So, okay, now I've uh I'm gonna give you. Hang on, here's what we're gonna do. Right off the bat. Oh gosh. Dang, I don't know if you can hear it.

unknown 7:02

No.

SPEAKER_00 7:02

He'll be able to?

SPEAKER_02 7:03

Yeah. Put put put that up to an ear.

SPEAKER_00 7:06

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 7:06

Get in rodeo announcer for him. Did you listen to my pod with uh Lucy? Uh yeah, I listened to those two. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So you want you in? Yeah, I can do it. Let's do it. Alright, so rodeo announcer. Name a few uh some of the rodeos that you've got what you do.

SPEAKER_01 7:23

Yeah, so uh as far as announcing rodeos goes, uh I just got back from Logendale, Nevada, which is the Clark County Fair and rodeo. Uh this summer I'll be I'll be in uh Pinoca, Alberta, Kildeer, North Dakota over the 4th of July for this year, and then Eagle, like Eagle, Colorado, uh Ellensburg, Washington. So I heard Ellensburg is really cool. McKee always talks about it. Oh my gosh. So Ellensburg, every rodeo, and we can talk about this in a minute, but every rodeo has its own niche.

SPEAKER_02 7:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 7:53

And Ellensburg is you you don't understand it until you go there. Like it is the nickname of the town is Rodeo Town USA. Like it just unbelievable. And uh, and maybe that's just the name McKee came up with it. I don't know. But it's stuck, you know. He's been there for tw over 20 years. But it's so amazing to see that community come together for five performances and pretty much the sell out every performance. It's the largest Labor Day rodeo in the PRC. So it's it's cool. Wow. Cool to be a part of it.

SPEAKER_02 8:24

So you've even asked a few rodeos in your lifetime. Just a few. Do you want a different song than what Lucia had?

SPEAKER_01 8:30

I don't care. What song did Lucia have? I can't remember. Americana deal. Oh, Americana?

SPEAKER_02 8:35

No, no, no. He had uh I just did um Lonesome Dove. The introduction. Oh, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 8:39

He did like a flag speech. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, just what whatever you want to play. That's fine.

SPEAKER_02 8:44

That's normally what we do. Whenever we mess around in here, we'll do an Americana.

SPEAKER_01 8:48

Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, that's fine. With that. It's been a while since I've heard Lonesome Dove. The intro to it? Yeah, let's let's turn it on. Oh my goodness. Man. It makes me just step back in time for just a second. But now, like, you gotta envision this to paint the picture. I agree. You can't just you can't just say it's go on. So now the flag is coming into the arena. So people are standing up, right? Hats coming off. Hats are coming off. So we yeah, let's take our hats off. That's fine. Ladies and gentlemen, tonight it is an honor to be able to look at the greatest symbol of freedom in the world. And this year is special. Because this 4th of July, we will celebrate 250 years as the greatest country in the world. And it doesn't happen by accident. It's not by mistake, but it's by the sacrifices that men and women have made throughout our entire history. And it's the three colors that intertwine us together: the red, white, and blue, the stars and stripes that make me want to give up each and every single morning to do what we're doing here today. And this flag represents a lot of things to a lot of different people. This flag could represent a young lady who's working 40 hours a week to try to get through nursing school because that's her life of the dream. It represents the farmer and rancher that endures Mother Nature four different times a year during calfing season and breeding season and travels. It represents the young man and woman that's standing on a ridge right now, fighting and protecting freedom as we know it. I don't know what she means to you, but she's a lot of things. But how about we welcome her into the arena tonight with a little class? What do you say? You say something for the red light.

SPEAKER_02 10:45

Yeah! Come on, dude.

SPEAKER_01 10:48

Give me goosebumps. I know I got like three different tables. Yeah, goosebumps. So it's funny, it's funny you do that. So when I was five years old, so Marsh Marshfield, Missouri would be like technically the town I grew up in. Conway's just 15 minutes from there. But I remember going to the rodeo in the in my hometown, and that was my favorite part, is when they prayed during the rodeo. Yep. They brought the flag in, then they prayed, and then they did the national anthem. It was like that was the only thing that mattered. It was super weird, like five years old. And I told my parents, like, I want to do that someday. Look at that. So that's kind of what inspired me to do that. And what's really funny, and I'm and maybe I'm bad, maybe this is where I've gotten it wrong. A lot of guys have a flag speech that they have memorized. I don't have one. Like I because every town is different, every place you go to is different. So like when you're when you're up there before the rodeo, like I always look around and try to get the vibe, like what's going on, like or what's going on in the world right now, or what's going on in life right now, or in the last six months. Like, what do these people need to hear? And honestly, I I I pray about it all the time too. Of like what I'm gonna say. And I have to think that I I do a good job, but I I think I'd probably need to come up with some script, some kind of script, but that's just one that's one part of announcing that I've never had scripted.

SPEAKER_02 12:14

Wow. Yeah, it does seem like you would have to have some kind of a or like I would need some sort of like outline to follow a little bit. Yeah. Which I'm sure once you do like don't do as many as you've done, you have an idea of what you want to say.

SPEAKER_01 12:27

And and it's it's everything that leads up to that is like what puts you in the mood. Like uh doing it right here, like that's probably the hardest, that's the hardest time I've ever had to do it, you know. Like this is the this is the hot seat. But um and it's different between outdoor rodeo and maybe like a a PBR, an indoor an indoor venue, like where they're gonna shut the lights off and they got spots, like man, when you shut them lights off and turn spotlights on, and there's a flag out in the arena, and people are and there's a full Coliseum or building somewhere that's sold out and everybody's standing up, like it makes you a proud American. Oh yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 13:04

So we did the San Antonio Ranch Rodeo. Yeah, yeah, and I got to run the flag in the spot, yeah. And that I was like, I get to carry this thing. Like, what have I ever done to be able to carry this flag?

SPEAKER_01 13:17

Like, what an honor.

SPEAKER_02 13:18

Yeah, it was it was really cool. But then my horse did not appreciate that he was the one running the flag. We did okay, but the he didn't really like it. He was like, take me back to the ranch, man.

SPEAKER_01 13:30

Oh my gosh, that's so cool.

SPEAKER_02 13:32

But you're right, like whenever you can do some some lights flashing, yeah, like whenever at the very end, yeah. Um, I've never thought about the difference of an indoor and an outdoor that way.

SPEAKER_01 13:43

Yeah, it's just you know, uh, I think like theatrics would be the word for that, you know, just the the mood setting trends between the two. Because like outdoor building, you're just gonna get a different vibe. And then of course you look at like uh a fourth of July rodeo compared to uh just a rodeo uh during another time of year. I mean, you don't think about those things because you gotta think like when people show up to a Fourth of July rodeo, they already know like, man, we're celebrating freedom this week. Like we've been on the lake or you know, we've been on vacation, and people are in that mindset of red, white, and blue. Yeah, you know.

SPEAKER_02 14:16

So but then you go to Denver and January. Is it January?

SPEAKER_01 14:21

Yeah, January. Uh yeah, and you get it, you get a different vibe. I mean, even Fort Worth, you get it, and yeah, it just all depends on the city and the and the niche that goes on with it.

SPEAKER_02 14:30

So I think Fort Worth does a pretty good job of kind of putting you into that freedom feel before you get in.

SPEAKER_01 14:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:38

Maybe that's just me of going there over and over again.

SPEAKER_01 14:40

But well, no, it well, and uh a lot of it too, like you've you've noticed those things like walking in, so that tells me that they they have done a good job. And when I've been there, like it is it when you just come when you come to Texas though, yeah, like there's just a different feel. Oh yeah. And especially during stock show, it's like the start of stock show season. It's like you start getting this little vibe, and then they all just they all just change. So and then you go to places like St. Angelo, they they stand up and remove their hats for the tie-down roping. So like, not really. Oh, I was like, I was like, dude, that is news to me, man. No, so uh you should have seen the look on his face. He was like, dude, what? No, we uh so Andy Siler and I we we announced a rodeo together in Logendale this last week, and he made the comment over the microphone. He said, It's the only place I've seen him give a standing ovation for tie-down roping. And you really think about it, San Angelo is a that's tie-down roping country. Like you got the Harris, the Harris Boys are from there, and uh you got Dylan Hancock, you know. I mean, it's just cool. Sam Lewis, not from there, but going to college there, he just won it. So it is tie-down roping country, so you get different vibes every place. Yeah, that was a big deal.

SPEAKER_02 15:52

It is of uh do you have a hot take on any of that? Juicy Cody Ole's post. Oh yeah. He got fired up about it. Yeah, he got fired up, and you know, I and for I'm not a I guess if somebody hadn't seen what was going on.

SPEAKER_01 16:05

Yeah, could you well so bait basically and what I'd read, and I I guess help me if I'm reading it correctly, understanding it, because I'm I'm trying to remember everything he said, but talking about the the calves that were being roped there, and he was saying that they weren't full beef calves. Is that that's what I understood? I didn't like that. That's what I understood. Now, I honestly don't know if that's true.

SPEAKER_02 16:26

But all of this is coming from uh collegiate uh rodeo. I mean, what is Sam?

SPEAKER_01 16:33

Is he uh yeah, he's he's in college rodeo. Yeah, he's he's a he's a college rodeo athlete and he won San An San Angelo. Yeah, he just he just won San Angelo, which is that this is relevant. I mean, just a couple days ago. Uh but yeah, Cody got on there and and kind of kind of made his presence known about the calves that were being roped. And to be honest with you, I'm not a tie-down roper. Yeah, so I mean, I think it's cool, like it when you see the horses working and and those guys can get down that rope really fast and tie three legs. I mean, I think it's impressive. And when when they do it under eight seconds, it's even more impressive. So, regardless of the calves, I mean, I don't know. You know what I mean? Right, I don't like I I don't know. Like, I don't really have an opinion on that, I guess, because I'm not a tie down roper. Sure. So If right no, can you believe that? Unbelievable, unbelievable, unbelievable. But no, like if Riley Webb, you know, the reigning world champion was sitting here, like he might have a comment to say about that. Or, you know, he might agree or disagree, and I'm um or Sam Lewis. I mean, maybe we should get his take on it, or Cody Ole. Maybe I should have Cody on. I need to call him back, you know. He is my neighbor. Is he? Yeah, I didn't know that. Yeah, so I don't know if Cody knows who I am or not, but uh my Cody Ole story. So last year, Tyler Calhoun, I was in announcing OMAC Washington, and Tyler was in the running to make his first NFR, and he he did not make his first NFR last year, but he was the rookie, and he was the number one rookie. And at the time of OMAC, he was like 16th in the world, and it's kind of you know, you're starting to run out of time in August, right? Why I did this hype on Tyler and and Cody shared the video, and he's like, I don't know who this guy is announcing, but this is exactly what Bob Tomman and Boyd used to do to me when I was in Vegas, and I'm like, holy cow, like okay, cool. Thanks, Cody. Like, appreciate that. I thought that was pretty cool. So yeah, anyway, sidetracked. Yeah, shout out. There you go, plug. God, where were we? Yeah, talking about America. Yeah, we were talking about America. And then you started talking about tie-down roping. Sorry. Interesting.

SPEAKER_02 18:40

It is funny to hear different rodeo guys, like how the Brisbee crew talks about the time events and yeah, cracks me up.

SPEAKER_00 18:49

Yeah, cole. Especially, especially Cole.

SPEAKER_02 18:53

Yeah, uh he doesn't hold back much as a as a bear rider.

SPEAKER_01 18:57

Yeah, I just love rodeo though. But it starts it starts at the prayer in the national anthem for me. Oh, yeah. So yeah, what other sport in America does that?

SPEAKER_00 19:08

Especially a prayer.

SPEAKER_01 19:09

At one time, at one time NASCAR did. I I don't watch NASCAR, yeah, but I I think they st I think they still do.

SPEAKER_00 19:17

I think they still do a prayer, but it's kind of like God bless these engines and and these mighty machines. Heard that one day. Thank you for these drivers here to transcend to get Alabama.

SPEAKER_01 19:30

Yeah, you see that?

SPEAKER_00 19:32

No rights here, just left.

SPEAKER_01 19:34

Oh, what's what's the guy? He was I think he was a pastor. Yeah, he was. Yeah, he prayed over the race and he's like, and I thank you for my smoking.

SPEAKER_00 19:44

And these mighty machinery and these great drivers behind them. Thank you for the engines.

SPEAKER_02 19:51

I don't know if I've ever heard a prayer like that in rodeo.

SPEAKER_01 19:55

Yeah, I don't think I have to mind well. Yeah, I probably I've yeah, I've heard some I've heard some crazy prayers. Yeah, yeah. I'm not gonna mention any names, but uh but on the flip side of that, sometimes uh the committee's like, hey, we've got such and such, they're gonna pray today. And that doesn't happen very often, but every once in a while, and a lot of times, like a pastor will come in from a local church and pray, and it's always good. But I do remember, I'm trying to remember where I was. It's been seven or eight years ago. Uh they had a guy pray, and and everyone was kind of looking around, like, what what what just happened? Yeah, like it so it has happened. It has happened.

SPEAKER_02 20:36

Something similar to that.

SPEAKER_01 20:37

Like, who did we just pray to? Yeah, like I don't know. Wait a minute. Yeah, wait a minute. Maybe he was speaking in tongues and I missed it. I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 20:47

Like as a as a rodeo announcer, I'm sure you've seen how long you've been announcing rodeo.

SPEAKER_01 20:52

So I started in the fall of 2012. I was a freshman in college at Northeast Oklahoma. College. And your first rodeo was, do you remember? Weatherford, yeah, uh Southwestern Oklahoma State University's college rodeo. Nice. Yeah, I was so good. I did it one time and I've never been back. Never been bought it to me back. Sorry, Mike V. Coach Mike Venzinski. No, I uh I filled in so Jim Pugh, who owned a car dealership, I think he still owns the car dealership there in town. Um, he's he's a rodeo announcer and um great guy. Well, he he had gotten sick and they needed somebody to come announce. And at this point, I had only announced calf rope and jackpots and barrel jackpots at NEO and one ranch rodeo. And they called Justin McKee and they said, Hey Justin, can you come announce this rodeo? Like they were in a bind, like this was two days before. And Justin's like, Well, I can't come, but I got this kid that I just met not long ago that's wanting to want to be an announcer. And he goes to NEO, which is in the same region. They're like, Why don't you give him a shot? So next thing I know, coach Mike. Mike V calls me and I'm heading to Weatherford, Oklahoma. Oh yeah. Yeah. And Jim Pugh ended up being it worked out it was great because Jim ended up being okay to announce, so I got to co-announce with him. Oh, there you go. And so I wasn't like just wolves. And you know, Jim was like, I'm not gonna let you go astray. Like, I don't feel the best, but you know, you're here and and it was it was fun. It was a good time.

SPEAKER_02 22:23

Nice. That's it. How do you uh you know I always get asked a lot on social media now how do you get your how do you get your foot in the door to ranching? And how did you get your foot into the door to announcing? It wasn't just that Justin was like, Oh, I know this kid, I like him, I'm gonna send him your way. I don't think Justin does that.

SPEAKER_01 22:48

Well, so it's it's funny, uh Justin and I, we we have a unique relationship, and uh I think I think he would say the same thing. But when I first met him, so I I was actually playing guitar at the Barnun Cowboy Church in uh Afton, Oklahoma, and it was the first the first Sunday I'd ever played there. Uh do you know Trey Johnson? Like Trey Johnson Ministries? I don't. Okay, so he's a team roper.

SPEAKER_02 23:13

Anyway, do they do their phone calls together? McKee and him?

SPEAKER_01 23:18

Uh no, Trey Trey's not on our our uh he might be on a different call with Justin. But anyway, so Trey, it was the first time I'd met him and the pastor there, I this was like the third week of college, right? And I've been wanting to be a rodeo announcer since I was five years old. I knew nothing about being a rodeo announcer. Like I went to college to play baseball and ended up not playing, got on the rodeo team. So I'm I'm three weeks into this journey, right? Nice and I played guitar on the sun on this Sunday, and Trey comes up to me afterwards and he's like, Man, you like you did a really good job on the guitar, like you can really sing, like, what do you want to do with your life? And I was like, Man, I want to announce rodeos. And he goes, Well, we're going to Justin McKee's place tomorrow. Like, do you want to go? Like, I just met this guy. Like, literally just met this guy. And I'm like, dude, I want to meet Justin McKee. Absolutely. Of course I do. So I go over there, meet Justin. I think Justin thought I was probably just some punk kid from NEO who wanted to, you know, be a rodeo announcer and never thought I'd fall through. And he's like, if you ever want to come hang out at the house, just come hang out. He's 50 miles from Miami. So when you want, when you want something, this this is I think this is the key. When you want something, you gotta go out of your way sometimes to make things happen. And that's with any, yeah. With any industry that you're in, you've got to take the risks and you've got to be willing to fail, and you've got to be willing to not look back. And I remember like this Justin, I I knew who Justin was because I grew up watching him on the PBR and going to Cheyenne. And I'm like, I'm gonna call him. I'm gonna I'm gonna go hang out. I'm gonna take him up on that offer to come hang out with him. So I go hang out with him for a weekend. And we just kind of hit it off. It was crazy. We became buddies, and that is how I got my first announcing gig. Yeah, the the ranch rodeo I was telling you about. Uh somebody called Justin and they said, Hey, we need an announcer. And Justin's like, Well, I got this kid that's going to school school at NEO. He knew me for four weeks. I went and announced this ranch rodeo. I didn't know anything about it. Like I knew nothing about it. So to answer your question, yeah, Justin did just send me to the walls, more or less. But he did it a couple times, but but on the flip side, like to get in places, I think it helps when you know somebody and especially when someone has credibility and people respect them. But you also have to go in there and you have to create your own credibility and you have to create your own respect when you walk into these places. So, like by going there and by going to this ranch rodeo, I remember asking all sorts of questions, like probably a million questions, because I didn't want to mess up, right? And they they highly respected that. Like they thought, wow, this this kid like did a good job just because he asked questions, he was patient, and even though I didn't know anything. So um, but yeah, looking forward, I think I think that first year 2013, I think I might have announced six total events. So like the fall of 2012 is when I when I first announced that ranch rodeo, and then the spring of 2013 is when I was in Weatherford announcing my first rodeo per se. And then yeah, six six events my first year, and I think I think last year I announced over a hundred performances. Wow. So like you think about where I've gone.

SPEAKER_02 26:41

Overnight success. Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_01 26:43

You know, it's like I just showed up and all of a sudden, like, this all just happened. Like it's crazy. Did you have uh like a breakout year? Ah, that's a that's a that's a good question. So I felt like 2019 was my breakout year. Um so I got to go to the American. I was actually the third guy at the American that year. And to be honest with you, looking back, I was not ready for that role. Like I I was not ready. And I I did uh I did a good, like a good job, but I didn't do like a great job. But that year that just being there opened up like four four more doors for some pro rodeos because they thought like man, this kid was at the American. Well, I didn't necessarily do a great job there, but at these rodeos, I did. And I thrived. And so then 2020 comes along. Here we go. So I had this, I had this awesome schedule lined up. Like it was unbelievable. Like I think um I want to say and you gotta you gotta know I got my PRCA card in 2017, at the end of 2017. So I I did one rodeo, one PRCA rodeo in 2017, and 2018 I did like a handful. And then 2019 I would have been NFR eligible, which you have to do. I think it's I think it's eight rodeos and 20 perfs. So 2019, I was actually NFR eligible, which it's it's cool to be eligible to get the the to get the NFR is gonna take a lot. Like I'm still not there yet, you know. Um but like 2020, I was I doubled that. Like I was like 15 rodeos and maybe 50 performances. That's what I was looking into. So I felt like 2019 was the year that like, okay, things are kind of coming together. The plan, the 2020, we're about to do this, and then all of a sudden, everyone knows what happened in 2020. The world kind of went crazy. And you didn't have any rodeo. And you may have a few. I had a few, yeah. They were in uh South Dakota and Texas, yeah. In places that didn't shut down. So but yeah. Uh and then 20, uh, yeah, 2021 kind of felt like I was starting back over. I can see that. Yeah. So uh and then what is it, 2026? I don't even know what year it is. But uh but yeah, that's kind of that's kind of the breakout year, I guess.

SPEAKER_02 29:10

And uh breakout year of 2019. Man, I've never thought about like everything I'm doing now started after COVID. Not everything, yeah, but all the social media stuff and podcast stuff started after, and so I've like that's what made me start. Yeah was the it was that and and I'm I've never thought about like building that career and then all of a sudden just yeah, then it just all just gets taken away.

SPEAKER_01 29:39

What now? Yeah, so to to back up a little bit, so in January of 2020, I felt like I felt like God was calling me to move to Texas, which I you know, I'd been from Missouri my whole life, obviously went to school in Oklahoma. I had a chance to go to Tarleton and ended up not, it didn't work out when I was in college. So now it's twenty it's 2020. I'm like, okay, like I feel like I need to go down there. Well I had I got a job interview with the Cowboy Channel because Justin was pushing for me to be on there because like this is a new network, it's a perfect time to get like a young kid on there. We can mold him, we can we can coach him and teach him. Like this is the perfect time. And like they had this huge vision of how many rodeos they were gonna broadcast and all these things they were gonna do. So I go down there and I'm on Western Sports Roundup twice in 2020. And uh yeah, they they offered me a job. So I'm like, dang, I'm gonna have to move down here now. So, but I didn't know what that plan looked like. So I I went back to Missouri, hooked up my horse trailer, went to Clifton, Texas, have some really good friends that live there, and they let me plug my trailer in there, and they're like, you just make this your home base. Like, if you need to leave the trailer here, like do whatever you need to do, like we'll help you out. I said, Okay. And so all these things are happening, and then obviously the American in 2020. Um I I wasn't gonna be a part of the the actual American, but the junior NFR, which is the basically the same, the same people running it. I just had a different role. And uh all that happened, and then I was supposed to start at the Cowboy Channel like during Rodeo Houston. So which that's when COVID, that's when I was like, I was like, yeah, because I was actually gonna go to Rodeo Houston. I had never been. And some friends of mine were down there, like, man, you need to come down and check Rodeo Houston out. Uh like if you have a couple days off, and then uh then you can start at the Cowboy Channel next week. I'm like, okay, cool. So I literally I'm heading to Houston. And that's when my friends call and be like, man, they just canceled it. And I'm like, dude, what? Like they canceled Rodeo Houston? Yeah. And I'm sitting here thinking, like, for what? Like, why? Why? And uh so yeah, like that, that's the my start of 2020. Like you you sit back and look at that, you think, man, life's getting ready to get really crazy, like this is a dream come true. And then it all just gets tests your finger a little bit. Oh yeah. Yeah, you want to talk about reading some the book of James now, having your faith tested, man. You don't know, you don't know you're being tested until you've been through something like that. And I'm everybody's been through stuff. I'm not saying it was the worst thing. Like people are people are going through things right now, you know. Like everybody goes through stuff, but in my mind, like it was.

SPEAKER_02 32:23

And then you also had all that income planned out. No, oh yeah.

SPEAKER_00 32:26

Contracts written, oh yeah, move and everything. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 32:30

And then like, oh, actually, you know. Yeah. But what's funny is so when all that happened, ranching is actually what saved me. Really? Yeah. So because my cause I still I I owned a place in Missouri across the road from my parents, and my dad my dad and I have always ran cows together. And even though I shout out to my dad if he's watching this today or whenever this is airs, uh we still own cows together. But I don't own any land anymore up in Missouri. Like he they they helped us buy it and we we worked a deal out. But in 2020, when I went home, he was like, Well, he said, since we own the convenience stores, he's like, that's considered a central business, right? Like kind of sarcastically like it's not going anywhere. He's like, I'm just gonna go focus on the stores, which is what he did anyway when I was home. And he said, Why don't you just here here's the reins to the ranch? Run it, run it. And I was like, okay. So my first Saturday at home, I don't even know why we're talking about this. This is kind of fun. My first Saturday at home, I'm like, I'm gonna go buy me some calves now, which we I already had cows, yeah, but I'm like, what else am I gonna do? I got grass growing. Yeah, like let's let's try to do something special. Like, let's go, let's go to the sale barn, right? Never bought calves before. Yeah, never. It's gonna be easy. I came home, I think, I think I bought a like a groundload of calves. I called my dad, like, all right, I got these calves. He's like, You did what? And I'm like, yeah, you told me to run it. Which in on the flip side, like I was, I did this with my own money, you know, at the at the time. So uh he was but he was like, I'll I'll I'll partner with you on them. I was like, perfect, all right, cool. So we brought these calves home. We did the heifer thing because in my mind I'm like, okay, if we buy heifers, what I'll do is I'll I'll buy some that are the same size as some that we just weaned. And I said, worst case scenario, if the market's terrible, like we'll breed them. We'll go through them, we'll pelvic exam them, we'll we'll feed them, get them where they need to be, we'll uh breed them, and if the market's good, we'll sell them as breads. If the market's terrible, then we're gonna have plans in February next year of calving these stupid things out. Like, you know what I mean? So like I'm I'm I'm in the back of my mind, I'm like, I'm taking this risk. Well, I ended up running these yearlines. I I can't remember how many we had, and it does, it doesn't matter, but what whatever however many I bought the sale barn that day, I basically matched what we already had, like weaned. So you doubled up. So we doubled up, yeah. So it's like double down, you know, like you're playing, like I don't even play cards, like I'm doubling down right here. Hit me, you know? And brought them home. We raised those things on grass. I tried to do the bare minimum on feed, and I ended up selling those things at the end of the year, and that's the only reason I made money in 2020. Wow, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 35:23

The ranch and saved me, the ranch and saved me, and it wasn't exactly a great market. It wasn't exactly a great one, no, like it is today.

SPEAKER_01 35:33

Yeah, it wasn't a great one for sure. And and you know, you you look back on that year, like uh you didn't have all the expenses of traveling and uh airfare and rental cars and diesel and you know eating out. So like you if you looked at it from a different perspective, like it was a it was a decent year, like if you really look at look at it and break it down, income minus expenses was exactly, yeah. So and obviously, like mom and dad have always helped me out, like you know, letting living in their house still, yeah. Like, you know, you go home and um yeah, it's kind of crazy. There was never a reason for me to have a house since I was gone so much.

SPEAKER_02 36:12

Right, so just traveling, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 36:14

Like I'd leave most of the time you'd leave like the beginning of May. I wouldn't be home till October. Wow. So like it's kind of crazy. Is it still that way? No, which is which is actually really nice. That's what uh my wife and I, Jess, we were talking about that this morning, actually. She's like, Aren't you glad you don't have to leave in May and come home in October anymore? And I'm like, Yeah, it's pretty nice. And think because of the Cowboy channel, actually.

SPEAKER_02 36:38

Like you can gives you a home base.

SPEAKER_01 36:40

Yeah, it gives you a home base, and like you can kind of that rodeo's always on. Yeah, there's always a rodeo, and the AC usually works in the studio, especially in Texas, right?

SPEAKER_02 36:53

Yeah, you need that. Gotta have AC. Come May to October. That's right. That's right. What um well, this leads me to one of my favorite segments. Okay. And it's called the Finolio Boot. I wear Fenolio boots. I love Fenolio boots because they're built for the cowboy. Okay. Built for the cowboy, and uh they're in the stockyards and they're in Nokona. So if you ever go there, make sure and go there and tell them Tucker Brown sent you, and you get a discount for saying that. So you you should say it. I think it's like a 15% discount. I think. Maybe 10. I don't remember. But you get a discount. And so what would you give in rodeo announcing? What would you give? Or you can you can do it in uh hosting too. But what would you give the finolio boot? Kick it out.

SPEAKER_01 37:38

What would I give the finole boot? Oh man. Like, what am I gonna kick out? Yep. Oh gosh, that's a tough question. Where do I start? I gotta be careful here what I say. Uh no, that's a are you just are you talking about like rodeo in general? I'm gonna keep it. Okay, we're just gonna keep it pretty vague. Okay. All right, let's um you guys are gonna you guys are gonna hate me for saying this. Every everyone, you're about to get all are you ready for the hate mail? Yeah, let's go. This is a hot take. I'm so sick of the Whataburger hype. Let's get rid of Wadding out. Let's go to In N Out. In and Out, bro. In and Out guy. Let's go to let's go to In N Out. Let's go to Freddy's. I like me and Freddy's. Yeah. I haven't gone to In N Out enough. Yeah, so In N Out's more like a I guess you can't really compare them if you're gonna so to me everyone gets so mad. Uh I don't have a I know this.

SPEAKER_02 38:46

I know, but you know what I think. There is this general term of like you know, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 38:49

Like it's water burger, like you have to like it. And it's like, no, no, no, no, I don't want to like it. Um it it's comparable to Sonic to me. And that see, that makes all makes most Texans mad. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 39:01

I didn't like that. I didn't like that comparison. It's amazing. Because I do like water Yeah, Alabama over here. Did you put mustard on it, Mike? Sure did. Did you get our camera fixed? Yeah, we got it rolling. Okay, that'll boy.

SPEAKER_01 39:18

You put frog legs on top of your burgers too. You put frog legs on top of your burgers too.

SPEAKER_00 39:24

Frog meat would be pretty good. Shredded frog meat. Uh sure. Yeah, on a double cheeseburger? A pinion bun from Fallers? Yeah, I'm not gonna. It's a dream burger right there.

SPEAKER_02 39:38

No.

SPEAKER_00 39:38

Hans mustard.

SPEAKER_02 39:39

I don't think anybody's actually ever dreamed of that.

SPEAKER_00 39:42

Well, it's about to be done.

SPEAKER_02 39:43

I'm gonna get a comeback on the next podcast and tell us about.

SPEAKER_00 39:48

I will. I'll bring one for you to try.

SPEAKER_02 39:50

No. No. No, not that one. But you can tell me about it. So that you're you're giving the boot to the hype of Whataburger. To Whataburger or to the hype? Oh, just to the hype. Okay, just to the What's the one?

SPEAKER_01 40:02

Like if I'm if I'm with if I'm with a group of friends and I'm like, hey, we want to go to What are like I'll go. But like I'm not gonna sit there and be like, this is the best burger ever. Because you just had it over here at Valerie. Yeah, exactly. On the jalapeno bun. Here's the deal. When you go to when you go to a local place, you have to look around and see what the locals are eating. So like when I walked in, I noticed everybody was getting cheeseburgers. And Tucker leaned over. He's like, you gotta get the jalapeno bun. Like that's advice from a local. From the local. From the local. And then what was the kid's name that came in and said that was Dallas? And he did one.

SPEAKER_00 40:38

He didn't get one.

SPEAKER_01 40:39

He didn't got a clean jane burger. It was just on Dallas. He must get his salsa from New York City. He must you like In N Out? I do like In N Out Burger. Pretty good burger. It is a good burger.

SPEAKER_00 40:54

Yeah. Did you know the deal on the packaging? Apple versus? Okay, I do know about that. It's pretty neat.

SPEAKER_01 41:00

Yeah. See, and that how can you not like In N Out burger? Is that like Jesus' burger? How chick-fil-a chicken is a bigger. You have the Lord's chicken and then you have God's beef. God's beef. Straight from the dairy.

SPEAKER_02 41:16

Yeah. Yeah, that's where uh all of basically all of they get a lot of their beef from one place here in Texas anyway. Yeah, yeah. And it's all the dairy col cows.

SPEAKER_03 41:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 41:29

Which marble extremely well.

SPEAKER_01 41:31

So you might say, God, it's like God's jersey. It's God's jersey. Or God's Holstein.

SPEAKER_02 41:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 41:37

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 41:38

In and out. There you go. The finale boot. I mean, that was a good one. Like, I'm glad I left that open for you to just take wherever you want to.

SPEAKER_01 41:47

Yeah, because there's a lot of things I could say, but I'm like, I'm really going to get in trouble.

SPEAKER_02 41:50

Is there another one you want to say?

SPEAKER_01 41:52

Gosh, I don't think I know. I better not. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 41:54

I better not.

SPEAKER_01 41:54

I'm going to.

SPEAKER_02 41:55

I mean, this podcast is going worldwide. Everybody could be good.

SPEAKER_01 41:59

Sure could. You're kind of famous in this town.

SPEAKER_02 42:02

From the awesome ladies. All the way to the burger joint. Yeah. Well, that's the Penolio Boot Penolio Boot segment. So check out Finolio boots. You'll love them because I do. Make for the cowboy. Which leads me to uh one of my next favorite. Leads me to my favorite segment called the Bedrock Tough Question. Welcome to the Bedrock Tough Question. The toughest truck beds. And that's what we use them. Get one today. The bedrock tough question. Bedrock truck beds is what we have on all of our trucks because they are the toughest ones. And that's why we have them. They're work for us. And I'm getting a new one. Do you know that, Mike?

SPEAKER_00 42:55

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_02 42:56

On that 450. Yeah, I got a new truck. First truck. First new truck I've gotten. Only took nine years. Since being at the ranch. It took me nine years to get it, but I got it. But I got it. And it is getting, it is currently being built a new bedrock truck bed. So because the bedrock truck truck beds are the toughest ones out there, what is the toughest thing about your job?

SPEAKER_01 43:28

But dealing with people. And I say that because you go places and sometimes you take it for granted, like there's some places you go where uh everybody everybody's like on the same level and everyone has the same kind of ideas. And uh then you go somewhere where everyone you or everyone might have the same idea, but there's one guy that doesn't. You know, and you it's as an announcer, like you want to make everybody happy, like because I'm a people pleaser by nature. So when you when you walk into a meeting like you kind of have to you kind of have to figure out who that person is because you don't want to make them mad because first of all you can't a committee that you're talking to committees or you know stock contractors uh because some people don't like the way you you know people just have different personalities right yeah so you have to know how to navigate through those people and you have to know how to deal with those people and that's a that's probably the hardest thing about my job because because every room is gonna have a hundred different personalities in it if you if you really and because like if you say the wrong thing like some people some people are looking for a reason to to get their own way or get rid of you uh or some people are looking for the reason why to keep you yeah you know and like I don't want to say like you always have to be thinking about that because at the end of the day if you if you show up and you're authentic and true to who you are nine times out of ten everyone's gonna like you but there's always that one person like you you leave a rodeo and you're like man I just I don't know how to connect with that person. Like how what can I do different next time to connect or what can I do different tomorrow to maybe try to find something in common like that's the biggest thing for me which is maybe maybe that's a little too vague question. No that's great. But it is it is difficult.

SPEAKER_02 45:23

No that's that's kind of the that's kind of the deal of um like you got to walk with us to the office before we got started and kind of see us do our business behind the scenes right and that's just the business behind the scenes for a rodeo announcer that we don't get to see.

SPEAKER_00 45:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 45:39

Yeah because like you know when you get hired somewhere like at the end of the day so like when a committee makes a decision normally normally there's an odd group of people like a not an odd group odd number of people that make the decision. So like say there's say there's 11 people on the committee well obviously there has to be a you know a majority vote to get you the job. Well now you don't know if all 11 people voted in favor or five other people wanted another guy.

SPEAKER_02 46:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 46:09

So now you you know what I mean like it's it's just and maybe I'm thinking yeah one person swing like maybe and maybe there was one person that was the deciding factor like no no like we want to hire this kid. Um I don't know you just always I've always been fascinated by that. Kind of holds you accountable. It does and and that's why I I keep that in the back of my mind because you don't want to walk into a situation and think that you're arrogant and full of yourself and think you know everything because at the end of the day like we're all just people and we ought to learn something every time but some people expect you to show some people expect you to show up and know everything and have it all together and I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 46:49

Glad they didn't invite me there's been a few places I'm like they they'll it's funny like some places they'll ask you a question you'll be like um let me circle back to you know but that's that's the process of learning too like I don't think there's any way you know all the answers at the point of course not no way no way unless you're Anthony Lucia unless you're Lucia never heard of her yeah he's dude he's so good he's so good you ever got to do any rodeos with him or work with him if we uh we did the BFO World Finals together we did it a couple of years and man he's just that guy's on another level yeah it's in Vegas isn't it at the same is it at the same time as NFR or no well so what's going on while we were there uh that I meet that I missed even though we talked about it oh yeah yeah it was the BFO but see Lucia couldn't do it because he was doing the NFR yeah so which tells you where where he's at yeah you know what I mean like guys good problem yeah it's a great problem to have which we missed him at the BFO but but uh but yeah he's so good at what he does he's incredible do you um know Jake Gray Jake Gray Radio Clown yeah the barrel the dude in the can yeah so I were where did I work uh Hampton Virginia PBR yeah that's my buddy that's your buddy yeah he's from Alabama really I think Andaluza Alabama and then he he lives in South Florida now in Ocala I thought he was from Florida yeah he lived in Ocala now with his wife dude he was he was he was good like I'm I'm not just saying that because we're on this podcast like I remember he did this deal um he came out of the stands we were in a a dark house which once again theatrics takes it takes a place uh lights are off an old school Coliseum building and uh they turn the no wait that wasn't that wasn't Hampton where were we at that was Greenville South Carolina what did Jake do I'm trying to think he did because he did something spectacular he was really good because he does trick roping too doesn't he sure does he is nasty with a rope and he's super witty yeah yeah he is he's super witty he can yeah he'll snap back with a good one yeah no no that was that was cool that was cool yeah no he's he's good he's yeah he is he has a cool story too no yeah he did share some story with me so it's always cool to see where people come from yeah but look at you Mike pulling one out of the hat look at that you know people I know some people I know I know some people yeah Alabama boy oh Mike does a little rodeoing really ranch bronx ranch bronx yeah here and there's some blue moon it's like the cliche question we ask on the Cowboy channel so you know the fans want to know where you're gonna be next it's a good question I have no idea where you head tonight where are you entered next I'm not entered Fort Worth can we enter him somewhere Fort Worth we should enter him at Fort Worth again in Fort Worth Cowtown at Cowtown didn't he go there yeah and there's no night latches there so I'm not going back to have the night latch took off his night latch because he got in whenever he got in like hey you'll be DQ'd for this and I was like uh I think we should enter him at Fort Worth again Fort Worth again yeah yeah there's some there's surely there's somewhere else I think Seymour has one a ranch bronch Seymour has one um really yeah there's a bunch of little rodeos like Stamford has one that aren't on like next gen or anything like that you just gotta like know people or something because that's no I think it's just an open open I don't know I don't know get on your flip phone and call somebody you're gonna have to go old school gonna have to get you a sports news start looking at the sports news magazine when I enter you're gonna have to write them a letter is what you mean write them a letter send a pigeon their way send a pigeon oh lord well this leads me to one of my favorite segments of the podcast and it's a new one first time we've done this one and it's uh brought to you by American hats I got my first American hat the other day pretty sure it had like American or bald eagle legs it was so American and uh so I they hooked us up and got our crew some hats awesome and they it is I'm pumped I'm pumped I have not yet put my American straw hat I have not got it shaped. I'm not an artist in that way yeah so I gotta get somebody to help me I am you know the best place to get them shaped right tell me the best hat store in Fort Worth I've been there it's like you've been there it's like I've been there yeah I had old Dan hook do my I had Carly bring I was traveling from Austin to Fort Worth for two different speaking gigs and I had my wife bring you need to answer that?

SPEAKER_01 51:46

No no okay I had my wife bring uh I was like hey bring my hats I need to get them I need to get them shaped and uh she had only I didn't clearly say to bring both of them she I had just been talking about this felt new felt that I got uh but yeah the best hat store those guys are great oh man so uh to to tag on to your American hat deal so American's been with me that they were one of my very first sponsors yeah I had and Keith met me I announced tough Coopers uh he had a calf rope in Fort Worth this has been forever ago this may have been 2014 maybe 2015 although you're gonna say 20 years ago I was like wow yeah it made it sound good though but I met Keith Mundy and he shook my hand and he he told me straight up he's like whatever you need you let me know. Nice and I'm telling you like those guys have gone above and beyond like they they actually made me a pair of shaps to wear like when I'm announcing at rodeos and uh yeah that they've just that's so cool. If you ever get a chance to go to Bowie to go to the factory it will blow your mind. Isn't that pretty close to no cona aren't they pretty close? Yeah they're pretty close. I need to go I'm supposed to go to the Fanolio boot factory yeah pretty soon so so some of the like the hat makers in there are over a hundred years old right they're still using them to make felts wow that's like it's it's it's impressive the people or the well the people are really impressive but the machines that they use are are pretty impressive too yeah which one's over 100 years old the people or the no but it's it's funny like the hat making world like not much has changed on making hats it's all about the the felt yeah and American like they they sift through those things to make sure they have the best felt like it's it's that's cool. Like every hat is literally personally made it's it's awesome. Anyway well anyway we got off on that tangent um so I need to get my I still need to get my straw hat made but American hats positive times what is the American hat positive times most memorial memorial memorable moment for you at a rodeo well memorial would be a good word for what I'm about to tell you so the maybe the coolest thing I've ever seen at a rodeo hands down uh and it was just it was the there was a lot of things that went into this so it's funny we're celebrating 250 years so we might as well celebrate America's freedom right well stepping back in time to the hundredth anniversary of the Ellensburg rodeo I think this year will be 103 years Labor Day weekend well on the hundredth they had got word that there was a uh a soldier that had been found like he had been missing in action since World War II whoa yeah an American soldier an American soldier really yeah been missing in action and I'm gonna try not to get teary eyed when I tell you the story because it's so cool so they the the committee the rodeo committee found out about this the guy was from Ellensburg Washington this is crazy. Yeah so they go to Seattle the like I don't know who the escort like police and you know FBI like everybody they go get him off the the Navy ship at uh Puget Sound like where they well wherever the the shipyard is because they they brought him back and they gave him an escort from there from Seattle all the way to Ellensburg during the extreme bulls event that on Saturday night. That you were announcing yeah I was announcing but I I didn't even announce this part that's what's crazy this is just it was just a moment I got to be a part of but Justin McKee was announcing and started telling this story of who this guy was and say he's been missing for X amount of years but now it's time to welcome him home. And they brought that car into the arena and you want to talk about not a dry eye in the case oh you dead dude I bet that place was dude it was like I'm I'm teary I'm thinking about it because like that's what this is all about. Wow that's rodeo yeah like that yeah if you want like that's that's the coolest thing I've ever seen anywhere in the country but the fact that they they took time out of the event and the whole entrainage of people like they brought him in that hearse and we paid tribute. Like it it took it took like seven minutes like people were just standing on their feet and they were just clapping and they they could not get enough of it. Dang like it was so cool. I'm gonna have to look that up and I don't even remember I should remember that guy's name but like yeah missing in action from from the from the valley there so from the Kittitas Valley. And they like found him where how did they find him they I think I think they found him in I I want to say it was in Germany. Like somewhere like I I don't even know like they they identified his somewhere so like to me that's the that's the coolest moment I've ever seen and so he wasn't alive. So he he just lived his life out in Germany that's right okay yeah yeah yeah I'm sorry I'm sorry so yeah he he had been missing in action but yeah yeah they found his body okay they found his body brought his remains found out who it was okay yeah like he lived out his life in Germany or no no he was he was killed in action killed in action but like but everyone like yeah nobody you know what I mean like nobody like there was no closure for the families or anything like they just thought that their great grandpa was just gone like just gone in the wind you know or wow I just yeah I just can't even fathom that yeah what a different time having a hearse just pull up in the arena and it's everyone just chanting yeah that's special yeah like I'll like it's just there's just some things you never forget like when Justin said you know what do you what do you say Ellensburg why don't you welcome him this here home it's just yeah that's pretty cool dang dude that was a good first segment of the American rodeo American hat company positive times that's good stuff dang it's been an American podcast today it's been a very patriotic episode yeah very patriotic at least for me I got my I got my chocolate American on yeah is it chocolate it is chocolate I have I have a chocolate and everybody thinks it's black yeah but it probably it might look black in this room it kind of like if I didn't now it's like dark chocolate yeah yeah yeah well I hadn't worn mine out yet only home so but I'm a straw hat guy around the house Carly lets me she won't wear let me wear my cleats inside she likes you in the American she likes me she won't let me wear my cleats inside anymore but she likes the American yeah well this is the part of the podcast you may not be ready for this no I'm ready this is the part of the podcast where it gets to become the Corey Keith podcast oh gosh and you get to ask a question you get to have a segment asking Michael or I and I a question man okay Michael we're gonna start with you yes start with you okay so you're from Mississippi right Alabama or Alabama sorry sorry not that part of Alabama though Dallas is from Mississippi though yeah yeah Dallas is from Mississippi but not the same as I'm from LA what was it Easton the other guy the other guy I'm from LA lower Alabama see okay different Alabama anyway different Alabama we're starting to pick up on that now okay so first question first question crimson tide oh all day every day we're tide yeah yeah so are you do you still lose sleep at night the year that Auburn gets you guys no he doesn't he's not even not he doesn't even know three players of the Crimson Tide I don't so here here's the bandwagon fan isn't he no I'm not a bandwagon I can't believe Nick Saban's still the coach there yeah no he's not he's not he's not the coach people cried I've done given up since Nick Saban left people yeah I'm not invested anymore but people have cried you're not invested anymore so you're not a fan no my granddad and ninety percent of my family are Auburn fans they all went to Auburn so when I when I was growing up you know I was like I'm a Bama fan now just to be opposite so he he's like the the black sheep is that that would be the right terminology okay yeah okay so now that that's my that's my random question for you but now I want to ask since you've been working for Tucker how long you've worked for him since June 19th of last year.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:47

June 19th so almost a year almost so what is the one thing in the last year that you've been surprised by about what just in general or Tucker yeah just about Tucker like one yeah um remember he's he writes your check he uh how he he gets things done yeah he's a go getter yeah it's pretty impressive yeah so what's one thing you've learned from that um time management watching him like he answers phones on the on on the fly horseback then we're doing a video then we're working and then back to phone calls and then he's oh I you know I can't do that right now I gotta you know use my lunch break to go answer emails and do the zoom call and you know see in about two hours and this that and the other and sure enough like it's hustling baby hustling that's right so does that does that inspire you yeah it fires me up yeah because like what what's your what's your long term goal in life uh this podcast until I want to see this thing grow yeah I'm investing in it I I uh I want to see this thing get big it's growing so like okay so okay so the say the podcast has grown it's it's it's I don't want to say it's maxed out because I don't think it's ever maxed out but it's at a point where you're like holy cow like I never thought we'd be here which you may be thinking that right now yeah partly yeah yeah so like you're it's it's grown it's crazy but now you're like but I want to try something else what would be next um honest answer no a lie no okay a lie no uh the merch then would be next okay get that going nice to a point where it's feeding itself and it's paying itself it can sustain everything for my own personal goals um learn more about everything soak it up like a sponge need to learn more about fixing that dodge up no joke I need to get this back window fixed things San Antone. If anybody's looking for a beat up worn out 2000 yeah San Anton did me dirty. My next project is fixing the back window and replacing a wire harness that got cut off in San Antonio and then selling it and getting off of me.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:24

But there you go yeah soak up everything I can like a sponge you know just learn as much as I can about every aspect of uh the business side of everything and management and everything that goes on at the ranch I think those are good goals yeah good goals okay you can you can stop sweating for just a moment now all right that was the hot seat you're hot you're in the hot seat okay Tucker I got one for you so when you when you first started all of this and I'm sure there's been someone ask you this before but did you ever dream that it would be this big like when you when your first video like have you ever looked back on your first video and you were like what were we thinking to now like you you should you should pull up a video like from the first video to the latest video just to see where things have gone.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:18

Oh man yeah really my first the first video that I would call my first video was one where uh it was kind of off of Dale he did the seed he did the super puncher video yeah and I did the seed stock super puncture video and I was making fun of my dad calling him the seed stock super puncture and so I just did little clips and I had a big old beard then I had a big old red beard and I was making fun of him it was like during COVID and I was just like we need something to laugh at. And uh so we have you seen that video yeah I've seen him so I was laughing at my dad but no I I only started it for fun really like I yeah I'd started it for fun I always thought it was neat that people could do that and I'd kind of I say tried I didn't try very hard because you don't really know how to try until you start yeah trying I remember doing that video and people were like you ought to do another one I was like oh no what have I done what what's what's the next one? How do I top that? Yeah how do I do better than that yeah so it then it stumbled into like we called it saddlehouse stories and we would just say what was happening at the ranch but it was like really long and now it's just so now that you know that learn the algorithm and how long I can keep people's attention and what works better like all of that uh was such a fun learning experience.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:46

From making it just 'cause I wanted to and it was fun to now let's make it to where I I want to and it's fun and it works.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:52

Yeah. No. Which is a super fun process. It's cool. I'm I'm trying to remember I I'm pretty sure When did I start? I'm trying to remember when I started following you. It was probably it was probably right at right around 2021, somewhere in there. Early. I think. Yeah. I was like, I was an early big fan. I was a big fan. Huge fan. Huge fan. But no, I think it's incredible what you're doing and just the people that you've impacted. And which leads me to my next question. What do you think like what do you think the biggest what do you think your biggest impact is right now? Like what do you, what's your response from people like when you talk to them out in the field, like when you go somewhere to speak, like what are they what are they wanting you to tell them?

SPEAKER_02 1:06:37

Most of the time, whenever I go speak somewhere, it's for like I tell the story of R.A. Brown Ranch, what we do.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:47

You know, keeping the family in the ranch, ranching the family, and how we uh like the next generation has to bring something back to the ranch. And there's a lot of family businesses in that spot right now of like how do we pass this down? Yeah. But our like our rule, my grandmother's rule has always been to if you're gonna do this, then you need to come back to the ranch, grow the ranch rather than come back and split it. And if we're able to bring it back and grow it, it helps us keep it keep it in the ranch, keep it in the family. So um I think that's always a good thing to share. To like they want me to share that, but then they want me to share how I'm do using social media as a business, how I'm using it as an advocacy tool, and basically to make the ag industry um not hate it. Yeah. Because about it. Yeah. So when I go in there, there's already a bunch of crossed arms.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:43

Well, it's funny you say that because there's there's always a bridge between people, I think, and I think it's all of our every all three of us, and anybody you've had on this podcast, I think it's our job to to build that bridge to create that gap because we're in a time right now of uh people are hungry for the truth and they're they're hungry for something authentic. And I think I think we all have a huge responsibility in making sure that the next generation can do this. And uh which leads me to this question. So as you look back on the last couple of years, is there anything you wish you could have done different to maybe make it better? Or maybe something you wish you could have done differently to change a direction?

SPEAKER_02 1:08:35

Uh I think the uh one of the the biggest thing I would change is that I would have started sooner.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:40

Is the biggest thing I would have changed. Like I just had this analysis paralysis of like, I want it to be perfect, I want the right phone, I want the right camera, I want the right and really it's just like yeah just get it started. And I actually started the podcast because I l I heard um Dale Brisbee's podcast and he had a guy on there with his grandfather. Yeah, and I was like, that was so cool. Like, I want to get that. And then I got to looking in and I was like, I can't I can't how much am I how often am I gonna do it? Am I gonna get the right equipment? And I missed that opportunity to to have them and like to for it to be good and for them to be on the podcast and have that as a memory. And so I've had that to be like, all right, now what other people do I want to capture? Like I'm not I'm not missing anymore. I'm not gonna miss anymore. So I'd I would start sooner. Oh I don't know. Um I kind of have to walk the line of being a TikTok cowboy and a cowboy because I'm always representing my family.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:41

And whether I like no matter what I post, it represents the family, even if it's just Tucker Brown, it represents the family. And so I have to be careful of that. And I think I've been able to grow about as fast as I could in a win-win situation.

SPEAKER_03 1:09:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:59

Like where the ranch wins too and I win.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:03

To be honest with you, I've I've never even thought about that in your situation until you just said that. Have you ever have you ever done anything to where like the everybody in your family's like, why did you do that?

SPEAKER_02 1:10:14

Like you're you're ruining our name, or some of the I remember there was a the first time I posted like a skit on the ranch page. They were they were like, hey, no, no, we're not doing that. We gotta be serious. Yeah, that was like 2021, and they're like, uh no, you can do that on your own page, uh, not on ours. I was like, okay. Yeah. And then it didn't take very long to where like, you can you can you can do it. You can put us out over here. Thankfully, my family see they do see the value in it, whether they like it or not, whether they like the influencing thing or not, um they do see the value in it.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:51

Yeah. What do you think the uh like I guess this would be a a question for maybe other people sitting at home thinking, man, we've had this family ranch and we're kind of in a spot right now, we're trying to figure out, you know, like whether to grow it or split it. And what what kind of advice would you give somebody that's on the fence on what to do? Yeah, on what to do, on how to handle it.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:14

Yep, how to handle it. I would get a uh I'd get a third party to come in and help you, and I would meet away from the ranch. Yes. Whether that's at like your local chilies or like at your favorite vacation spot or get a beach house, and you know, get get you an Airbnb at the beautiful Galveston Beach. And that way you have to stay inside. Um but wherever that is, um even if it's in the next town over, just at a place where you can stay to where it is away from your house. And whenever you do that, it it kind of removes the emotion, it helps remove, it doesn't completely, but it helps remove the emotion that you have between the communication of your family. Because with uh with family, we go ahead and go straight to the throat. Whenever Lanham does something I don't like, like we just go straight to the throat. With workers and like friends, we don't necessarily do that unless you're best friends or something. Um, but whenever you can take the emotion out of it and then show what actually works on the ranch with data and what could happen, that's when because you we both we all have the same goal most of the time, and that's to make the ranch work.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:23

And whenever you can start out with that, get the emotion out and use data, it's way easier than being at being at your grandparents' house where the emotion is high because you know, granddad's giving it away, or plan, you know, you're talking about him passing away, or grandmother passing away. Yeah, and then it's just like I'm holding on to every single bit. Yeah. Rather than seeing the vision of like, we all want the same thing. Yeah, how can I how can I help you do that? Yeah, is the the atmosphere you want to create for a successful conversation of estate planning.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:58

Yeah, I know I I know a lot of people that own even even not just ranching, but just like small business, family businesses, like that's a great way to uh to get in touch with everybody is to getting away from that operation, getting out of everyone's comfort zones. Um yeah, because the last thing you want to see is something get broken up and split up and it changes forever. Yeah, it it does me too. Uh that that was one part I struggled with about leaving Missouri, you know. So like the place that my parents own, my my parents actually bought it when I was in, I think I was in first, maybe kindergarten or first grade. The the original land that they bought, my that was my great-great, my great-great-great-grandma's place. Wow. So like the house was the house was, you know, crumbled and set in there, like the foundation. Well, the place next to it is where my great-grandma was born. So my dad has been able to buy it, and then he bought the place. Uh well, I guess I actually bought the place where my my dad's mom was born. So like we were able to put all that back together. Well, then I really struggled moving down here. Leaving that, yeah, leaving that. Because I'm like, Dad, what do I do? And my dad was so good, he's like, We'll find a way. Like, we'll we'll buy we'll buy that place back from you. And you know, like if you if you ever want to come back, like obviously life happens, like if something happens and we gotta sell it, like we may have to, which I understand that, but they were so good about that. But it's it's hard leaving. Yeah, I could see that.

SPEAKER_02 1:14:29

Like, could you could you imagine leaving this? Of like, I think I want to move to Missouri. It's like, do what? What do you mean? Like what?

SPEAKER_01 1:14:36

Like everything you know is here, you know what I mean? You just bought this, yeah, exactly. Exactly. Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 1:14:42

Uh no, those are those are good. That's good. That's a good question. You you got to talking about when you uh like first saw my stuff. I saw one of your re I don't know if it's a it's not necessarily a highlight, but I think it was April of 23. And I like I'd been I'd seen the Cowboy Channel, but I I don't watch it like my mom. You talked to her, she was like this, this, this. Like she knows the Cowboy Channel. Cowboy Channel fan. Like when you look through that camera, you're looking at her because she's watching. Um and but I had like I didn't know the cowboy channel like that. But I went to Justin McKee's um clinic. Yeah, went to his broadcasting clinic. And so he was like, All right, we're gonna put the put the ears in, producer's gonna talk to you, and y'all are gonna do this. And then he up pops you. And he's like, I've got this young guy that's gonna be uh this is what he does, and um, you know, he's like the up and coming guy here at the Cowboy Channel, and just we're gonna do a what what was it called? Rodeo tonight.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:41

Uh oh yeah, like uh where they're it was just a highlight of Denver. Oh my gosh, that's he used that.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:49

Yeah, he used your one of your one of your what was it? West Texas uh West Road um uh National Western. Yes, the National Western Rodeo, but what do you call that uh Western sports rode up?

SPEAKER_01 1:16:00

Western sports roundup.

SPEAKER_02 1:16:01

Western sports roundup.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:02

Western sports roundup, WSR.

SPEAKER_02 1:16:03

Yeah, yeah, and that's what so we had to like introduce like welcome to Western Sports Roundup. My name's Tucker Brown, we're gonna talk about bracket number four, whatever, of the National Western, Denver, Colorado. The last year they're gonna have it in the Coliseum, whatever. Whatever you're gonna say, yeah. Yeah, and he had us right, he gave us you know 15 minutes to like ride all of our stuff out, and then you know, you get in front of that camera producer in your ear and it's rolling, and you're talking about this calf roper, and the producer's talking about the bull ride this next, and uh everybody's just like losing it, yeah. Just losing it, which was really cool to get in that seat and be able to hear that. Uh and I want to do the that's actually where I met Anthony Lucia, too. Yeah, okay, yeah because he came in and visited with us. Yeah. So that that clinic was like one of those foot in the door to your industry of all y'all do. And I've just done ranch rodeos, like I haven't. I tried to get you to go to a rodeo this summer. I know, I know you did. Man, I was battling about that. I was like, I could, but I would have to give this up to do it. Where was that? Nebraska? Yeah, it was in Nebraska.

SPEAKER_01 1:17:16

Nebraska.

SPEAKER_02 1:17:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:17:17

I know I had I had him a job, man.

SPEAKER_02 1:17:19

He did. I had him a job blind down there. Yeah, it would have been. I don't know if I'm cowboy enough. I might be.

SPEAKER_03 1:17:26

I think you're I think you're playing a cowboy.

SPEAKER_02 1:17:29

Man, but it's a job. Like you even looking at podcasts, um, like there are some very successful people that I would love to have on this podcast, yeah, but they're not storytellers and they're not able to tell their own story. And so a podcast is like not their strength. Yeah. And I if I have to continue to like try to pull it, I'm not good enough yet to pull everything out, right? Um Well, it's it's hard.

SPEAKER_01 1:17:52

I mean, even you gotta talk to rodeo athletes who don't want to talk to you. Well, and that's the thing, like okay, so the PBR has done a really good job of developing athletes, athlete development.

SPEAKER_02 1:18:04

Uh as far as like media side stuff, yes, really.

SPEAKER_01 1:18:07

Yes, I would say, and and I'm not taking anything away from the PRCA because you gotta understand this too. The PRCA is 20 times bigger than the PBR as far as contestants go. Yeah, like numbers-wise, there's a lot more PRCA athletes than there are bull riding athletes in the PBR. Well, the PBR started training those guys 25 years ago. Like, hey, if you're gonna be on TV, we gotta have you to be able to do this, this, and this. Like, we need you to be able to talk about this stuff. Yeah, well, now you're seeing, you know, you're over 30 years now, I think, of the PBR, so you're seeing the fruits of that labor. Yeah. Well, we are in the stages right now where the PBR was, in my opinion, 25 years ago. Like, if you think about it. So these athletes, and some of them are very well groomed, like some of them are outstanding. Um, just off the top of your head. Honestly, just off the top of my head, um, like Riley Webb is really good. Uh, to me, Jess Pope is very good. Tim, Tim O'Connell's really good. You know, he he even got in on the broadcast, the national finals, uh, and that's just to name a few guys. Um, there's there's the Tilden Hooper's really good. Yeah. But what I've noticed is a lot of a lot of rough rough stock guys, in my opinion, are better than Time Demet guys. Nine times out of ten. And I don't know why that is. Now they're they're getting better every every year we that they get better as a whole. But like when I first started, there were some athletes we'd have on on Western Sports Roundup, and it's like, like you just said, like I can't answer the question for you. And I'm I'm gonna be honest, I'm not the greatest question asker. Like, I don't ask the best questions. I think that's maybe my biggest downfall being on TV is the the interviewing part, shockingly. But uh, but yeah, I think I think rodeo is in that stage right now, and I think you're gonna start seeing it more and more and more. And it's helped like with the high school finals the last couple of years. They've been doing interviews, and obviously, like social media when they're interviewing these kids, like you're kind of getting to see a little bit more personalities, so it's gonna get better. I hope so.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:17

Because people fall in love with the people, man. They do, they do, they don't fall in love with the PRCA, they might have used to, but they don't anymore. No, they're like they fall in love with Riley Webb, yeah. Fall in love with yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:20:30

Okay, so you think about like a kid like Rockersteiner, right? When Rocker, anytime Rocker's doing an interview with somebody, I'm all ears. Oh yeah. Because I'm gonna say what's he about to say. And like, and he says it so confidently, and and he you can just tell, like he's so passionate, and whatever he says, he loves it and he's gonna stand behind it. Yep. And like that's what people want to see. Yeah, it is. Like, that's authentic right there.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:56

Yeah, like it is getting harder for fans to enjoy the like all the the the game was great tonight. I loved our uh our defense, really put us in great positions. Um, you know, the I'm just really proud of our offensive line. You know, they drove the ball forward. I'm really proud of the whole team. It's like, so how was your how how about you? Well, you know, the team just played really good, like that. You don't get anything from that. As nice as that is to say, as not like I was trained to say those things. Yeah, like, oh, don't talk about you. You talk about the team.

SPEAKER_01 1:21:26

And I apologize if I've missed this. Have you guys ever done a video like that of working calves like the guys in the back gate? Like, how'd the team do today? Well, the guys back in the back, they were pretty good, but they did miss a couple of calves when the on the gate. So we did one. You did one. I've done one. I think it was you weren't here for it.

SPEAKER_00 1:21:40

No, but we should do one. Yeah, we need to redo it.

SPEAKER_02 1:21:43

It was like uh, yeah, I had a towel, like I was all dirty and I had a towel around my shoulders. Yeah, and then they're like, how's the guy? I was like, man, gather was tough today, didn't go exactly how I really wanted it to. You know, the rookies, uh, I needed them today. They made a mistake. Thankfully, they were able to step up. Cows didn't push like we wanted. You know, that was we need to do another one because that was fun.

SPEAKER_00 1:22:02

It reminds me when you're talking about how like the the guys when they say the team, this, that, and the other and stuff about them. Who's that guy that you kept showing me? That football player, he's like, Oh, you know what I'm talking about. He's like, Oh, I didn't give it a Jesus.

SPEAKER_02 1:22:17

Yeah, it's uh it's uh quote him real quick.

SPEAKER_00 1:22:20

What is one of his sayings?

SPEAKER_02 1:22:22

Oh, it's uh Jameis Winston. Okay, Jameis Winston's an NFL quarterback, and uh he is like the rockersteiner of the NFL, yeah, but but in a way for like right now, he didn't used to be, but it right now just a such a hard way, hardcore way for Jesus. Yeah, okay. It was his first, he got uh invited to the Browns, or invited, he got signed by the Browns. Yeah, yeah, but it was like after he had made a run. Flip phone. It was after he had made a run with a couple other teams. Okay, and somebody got hurt at the Browns and he got signed and went over there and it was snowing somewhere, and he was like, they're like, Jameis, you're back. You haven't played a game in this long, and now you're playing. And he's like, I just hey, I just praise the Lord I get to play quarterback in the NFL for the Browns today. Praise the Lord, I'm here. And he's like, What's the message you had for your team? And that's where it was my Bible verse of the flip phone have a silence round. And that's when he was talking about. He's like, uh, what is it? He's like, hey, uh in Proverbs, it talks about the horse is always prepared for battle, but victory belongs to the Lord. Hey, we're prepared for battle, but hey, the victory belongs to the Lord today. And so he is that way with every question you ask him. But he is like people love that whenever you inspired up.

SPEAKER_01 1:23:44

And have you seen the the I think he was a high school coach, maybe he was a college football coach in Montana. He was like the real, the realest guy. Like, well, to be honest, and I'm I'm gonna totally gonna butcher this, but he he was funny. Like, yeah, to be honest with you, like our defense sucked today, our outside linebacker missed like five tackles. I'm not sure what he's doing. He might not be in the lineup next week. And this is a real interview, yeah. Like it's and he goes off for two minutes about this defense, and I'm like, this is funny. Like, he would be a funny coach to play for. Yeah, like he you would want to play good just so he didn't say anything bad about the first game.

SPEAKER_02 1:24:23

Right. No, that's a that's such a great point. So I got to meet Tilden at the McKee Club. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. He came and talked to us about everything of uh from the bear riding bears. Yeah, and I remember that was the first time I knew that uh he was talking about how Crown Royal was one of his sponsors, or honest caller or something. And he was like, Yeah, I've got to do a lot of media training to like if I signing with them forced me to do media training. And I was like, Well, I've never thought about that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:24:52

Well, I know uh American uh American used to have a media training for their top uh for their top athletes. They would all gather in Fort Worth, they would actually meet in the Cowboy Channel studio and they would they would go over different ways and techniques to to do social media. Oh dang. To do the social media, to do the social media, like how like their expect of like what their expectations were, and not only like well these help us, but like if you do these traits, you might be able to take these into your other sponsorships and make them better and do different things.

SPEAKER_02 1:25:26

So isn't that crazy how it does blow my mind uh how social media becomes a tool for everything?

SPEAKER_01 1:25:33

Yeah, for rodeo athletes, yeah. Well, and it's so funny, like, and I'm I'm guilty, like, and I'm still learning, but like you'll see rodeo athletes post something and they think like giving their sponsors the plug is like tagging them at the end, yeah, yeah, instead of like you know, doing some kind of video of like why the product is good or like why why should I buy this product or why you should buy this product?

SPEAKER_02 1:25:56

Like, there's a huge But it's just the seven, eight seconds of tying one down with American hats tagged at the end, yeah, like a in the caption or something.

SPEAKER_00 1:26:05

Exactly. Yeah, like their caption have at at all ten of their sponsors.

SPEAKER_01 1:26:10

Well, and and like the big the biggest question you know sponsors always ask, like what's the ROI? I don't even know if some people know what ROI means.

SPEAKER_00 1:26:19

Return on investment.

SPEAKER_01 1:26:20

Well I mean you Is that what I'm saying? That's it? Really? Is it what I'm gonna get? I was about to get I was getting ready to tell you, like, why don't you get your flip phone out and Google it?

SPEAKER_00 1:26:34

But yeah, it's just a little loud for you guys. It is a little loud, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:26:40

But yeah, I think that's a it's it's important that we know that kind of stuff.

SPEAKER_02 1:26:45

Dang, that's cool. Uh any advice you'd give to guys who are wanting to become getting into the uh rodeo announcing world, rodeo world?

SPEAKER_01 1:26:56

That's a great question. I would I would tell them, this is and this is exactly what Justin told me. Because so you went to McCle McKee's clinic. Yep. I've been in his clinic since 2012. I've been in the different version of it, you know. But he always told me, he said, if there was a microphone laying somewhere and they need somebody to talk on it, be the guy that picks it up. And I thought that was the best advice anybody's ever given me because it didn't matter. Same thing, like if you're gonna be an auctioneer, you ought to be selling every pie auction in the county. Like if you want to be good, like go, you better find the little charity auctions and go master that craft. And I because I remember in high school, I would uh I would announce the starting lineups at basketball games. Oh, cool. And so then in college, like even when I started started announcing rodeos, uh, they wanted me to come announce some college games. Yeah. So I did. I went to the the NEO basketball games and I would do starting lineups, and then I did like some high school basketball tournaments, and like there's always something to learn in every industry. And now, like uh like even looking back, like I've done barrel races, you know, calf rope and jackpots, uh, I've even done the American Paint Horse World Show, like I've announced there. But like all those places have led me to where I am today. And you're always gonna learn something, but the the advice is anytime there's a microphone, anytime there's an opportunity, like don't pass it up. Just just go. Like, and especially if you're just getting started, you're you don't have your credibility yet to charge what you think you should get. So like I remember I remember announcing some youth rodeos for free.

SPEAKER_02 1:28:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:28:40

Like I because you just you had to. They're like, we've never paid anybody before. Like I I remember calling the youth rodeo associations in Missouri because I wanted to announce so bad. I'm like, can I come announce? And they're like, well, like we've never really paid anybody. Like a parent always does it. I'm like, that's fine. Like I want to come. Like I want to come. Like I just it's it's a youth rodeo. And at that point, like you're giving back to the kids and um you're getting some mic time. Because you can always tell if a guy's had mic time or not. Like you can, if you start listening, which most 90 95% of the guys that have PRCA card have had their mic, you know, mic time. They've had plenty of it. But uh you you start looking, you can tell a young guy, like if he's just a little green. Like you can always you can always pick him out. Um, but that mic time is so crucial. And it doesn't matter if it's at a rodeo or basketball game or announcing the the parade down Main Street. Yeah, whatever it is, get after it.

SPEAKER_02 1:29:34

Yeah, it seems like it's this, I don't know if this is gonna come off wrong or not, but um like that is the hardest, like saying yes to it's the hardest part because it feels like there's somebody trying to trying to get find someone to get behind the mic all the time. Whether it's like a Miss Throckmorton Pad. I mean, I now I get asked for everything. Yeah, like Miss Throckmorton Paget, football games, basketball games, the homecoming parade, the to auctioneer, the Calcutta at our um golf tournament, like all of those things that I'm thinking about mic time that I've done. Yeah, which was the hardest part was saying yes, because the easiest part is finding it was for me because nobody wanted to do it. Right?

SPEAKER_01 1:30:19

Well, and I never thought about that. Well, and there comes a point too, and I feel like I don't want to say I'm completely there because I I don't always say no, but you at some point you have to be able to say no to those opportunities because you just get overwhelmed or or it doesn't pay what it should, you know, like and and you have to kind of look to see what it is. Like if it's a if it's a charity um and something tragic just happened and there's a family in need, yeah. Like tell them you're tell them it's gonna cost this much, but I'm gonna, you know, you can write a check back for this much. Sure. Or what you know what I'm saying? Like hell, you gotta know the room or the know the cause. But like there's some places you just you shouldn't go um if it's not gonna pay what it should. But but on the flip side, there's also a young guy that needs that opportunity, like it fits what where the level he's at, or you know, it'd be a perfect opportunity for somebody else.

SPEAKER_02 1:31:16

Sure. Yeah, that's saying no is tough. Yeah, social media has done has taught me that. So hard. Especially when it's the people who kind of like got you started.

SPEAKER_01 1:31:24

Exactly. Exactly. Um yeah, I've not, I'm trying to think who um so call college rodeo has always been uh it's always been near and dear to me because that's where I got my start, right? So for a long time, like I remember a couple years ago, there was a couple of guys like, why are you still announcing college rodeos? And I'm like, why would I not go announce a college rodeo? If if I'm opened and the opportunity's there and uh and they wanna they want to take care of me, I'm gonna go. Yeah. I'm gonna I'm gonna go announce college rodeo. And now, thank thankfully, uh I I I do the college national finals now, so it's like all those years I spent, you know, 10 years announcing college rodeos all over the country, like I feel like it paid off. That's cool. Put your foot in the door for that one. Yeah, absolutely. Oh but dang. And and you know, the college coaches, they're they're all most of them I know and make friends with, and it's good. Your circle. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:32:29

I know I don't think I've ever gone to a college rodeo. Have you ever seen the Tarleton like Halloween college rodeo thing they do?

SPEAKER_00 1:32:36

That's pretty cool.

SPEAKER_02 1:32:37

I've I've heard that's really cool. I've seen videos, that's all I'd see the new one that they did.

SPEAKER_00 1:32:43

It wasn't a Halloween one, but dressed up and I was a samurai.

SPEAKER_02 1:32:48

Oh pretty sick. I do have you ever been to Cal Poly Rodeo?

SPEAKER_01 1:32:53

No, but that that looks so cool also like on the football field. Like I I've mentioned that to a couple other schools, and they're like, Oh, they'd kill us if we tried to get on the football field. Like, yeah, I can see probably so probably so, especially in this area.

SPEAKER_02 1:33:11

Well, what um we like to we like to end it by asking your f your best life advice or favorite Bible verse or chapter or both.

SPEAKER_01 1:33:22

Who favorite life advice? Um, okay. So that this one this one's hard because everyone, you know, everyone's in a different spot. But if you're like I'm five years into my well, I'll be five years into my marriage um in July. July 31st. I knew that. I didn't have to look at that up. That's pretty good. But if you get to the end of life and you've done everything, everything you want to do, you've announced every big rodeo, or you've ran this huge ranch and run this huge business, and you go home and it's empty. No wife, no kids there. Because it, you know, your marriage is in shambles, then you you haven't got it right. And it's hard for me to say this, but I think keeping God first in everything you do and making sure that your marriage at home is where it needs to be. Because if your marriage at home is where it should be, then everything else you do in life is gonna be exactly where it needs to be. Keeping and keeping God in the front of everything and serving him first, loving your wife next, then your children, and then your family, and then your everything else you do. If you keep it in that order, I think, I think your life will be really, really good. Great advice. Yeah. I I think I think keeping your keeping your marriage intact is the most important thing a guy can do. And the you know, keep keeping keeping the family together, you know, because like in James, I've been reading, you know, talking about just being humble, and it talks about two humble people can get along. And you think about that, everything you're talking about with keeping the the family together and the ranch together, a humble family can stay together. Yeah, I guess. And a humble and a humble family can only be humble if you're serving the creator and asking him to keep you humble. True. Because then you can see things from different angles and different perspectives, so you can find a way to get along. Yeah. So I think that would be my advice. That's good stuff. That's good stuff. And are you still playing guitar at church from time to time? Yeah, so uh yeah, we go to First Baptist Church in Haiko. Um actually, some crazy, some crazy things have happened in the last couple of months. I've actually written five songs. Yeah. Uh I wrote I wrote five songs in four days. Wow. Kind of crazy. I mean, this it was a spiritual thing. Like Holy Spirit man was moving. Um, we we haven't done anything with them yet. I've made some phone calls to try to see like what I should do with them. I'm gonna uh obviously get them copyrighted, but maybe thinking of doing an album at some point, but it's gonna cost it's gonna cost a lot of money. So we're gonna need some sponsors if anybody out there.

SPEAKER_02 1:36:18

So if anybody's out there looking.

SPEAKER_01 1:36:20

Yeah, exactly. Uh 30,000 to do an album, by the way. Oh yeah. Just a few? Just a few, and that's about 10 songs. Gosh. And that's that's professionally done in Nashville from a really good source. Yeah. So So like the Morgan Wallen one that was 30 songs. That one's probably a hundred and something. Maybe half a million. It might have been half a million, like you know, depending on yeah, like depending on who's doing it and what's going on. But that's a that's an industry I don't know anything about. I've always loved music, I've always loved playing the guitar. Um, I've always been able to sing, but just never pursued any of that. So but you never know. You never know.

SPEAKER_02 1:37:06

Um you said you're studying James? Yeah, I've been studying James. Any uh, and it can be in James or wherever. But um, yeah, uh any verses that are sticking with you right now?

SPEAKER_01 1:37:18

So Psalms 37 4. Um it talks about, you know, God gives you the desires of your heart. And we were just talking about this on the last podcast. Yeah, yeah. Well, so another long story short, I know you're trying to wrap this thing up. No, no, no, you're good. Psalms what? Psalms 37 4. Uh-huh. And it says, Delight in the Lord, and God will give you the desires of your heart.

SPEAKER_00 1:37:44

Yep. And uh you had a full topic on that.

SPEAKER_01 1:37:47

Dude, okay, so in all seriousness, Jess and I just started a podcast. It's called More Than a Cowboy. Yeah. And that that verse has always been my go-to verse because I'm like, if I delight in who God is, if I delight in his goodness and his faithfulness, then that is gonna cultivate the desires that need to be in my heart. Because everyone always says, like, just follow your heart, man, it'll be okay. Well, no, your heart will lead you down a road you never thought you wanted to be on.

SPEAKER_03 1:38:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:38:17

So, like, the first part of that verse is delight in the Lord. So if you just delight in him and who he is, I have to believe that he's gonna cultivate what my heart desires.

SPEAKER_00 1:38:30

Yeah, once you once you chase Christ and devote your life to him, your your desires of your heart change from from worldly and fleshly desires to more of spiritual desires and stuff to heal your soul.

SPEAKER_01 1:38:46

Yeah, because it goes back to Matthew chapter six, you know, and how we should pray, you know, our our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, you know, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as as it is in heaven. It's not God my will be done, it's God your will be done, which it starts in delighting in who God is. And but the the title more than a cowboy came from like I love being a cowboy, but I'm called to be more than a cowboy. Like I'm not just a cowboy, but I'm a follower of Jesus. And like I want to share the gospel with people everywhere I go. Like I may not always be I'm not gonna be standing on a corner holding a Bible preaching the gospel, but like I just want to be in a room and people be like, Man, there's something different about that guy. Like, that's my prayer. But our logo is the more than a cowboy, but then it says 37-4. Okay, and so that's where that comes from. It's Psalms 37-4. That's cool. And I and I hope that that's a cool conversation starter because people I I have to think when I was looking at that logo, like, man, people are gonna ask, like, what's 374? So then you can tell. Let me tell you how I guess. So, but yeah, it's kind of it's kind of the root of everything. Have you ever watched the um House of David?

SPEAKER_02 1:40:02

I have not. You sure? I need to go watch that because I'm watching it right now and it is awesome. Yeah, it's on Amazon Prime, the House of David. Oh, it it is on Prime. Yeah, it's on Prime. Oh, okay, perfect. It's on Prime, check it out because we're we're now in the second season, but it's really cool. Okay. Studying the life of David has been been doing that for like a month now, maybe two, and it is awesome. It's crazy.

SPEAKER_01 1:40:25

His life is crazy. Yeah, yeah, it was. Like, I just want to be David for a day. I know. Like for one day, that's it.

SPEAKER_02 1:40:34

Have that much the confidence he had in. I mean, I guess it's the faith. Faith in Christ. Yeah, he's like, of course. Like, why would you not go fight the giant? Yeah. Yeah, yeah. And then I but the bad part is is like in that show, I feel like, as like an older brother, like I think very logically, and his older brother does. He's like, No, it's a giant. Like, why would you why would you do that? And it's not that he didn't have faith in God, but in Jesus, but he's just a very logical thinker. Yeah. And I was like, oh no. And is that me? Oh no.

SPEAKER_01 1:41:07

Is that me? Did I miss did I miss him? Did I miss him? You're looking up. Where is he? Where is he? Where's my sling?

SPEAKER_02 1:41:15

Oh gosh. That's awesome, though. It's really, it's really cool. Dude, thanks for being on the pod. Anything else before you before you go? Podcast. You already have an episode out.

SPEAKER_01 1:41:24

We have four episodes. Four episodes. Yeah, and they're and they're super short. I mean, we wanted them to be about 15 to 20 minutes long. It's more of a teaching session. Uh, it's Jess and I's ministry. Like, we're we're gonna eventually branch out and have some people on, you know, and have them share their testimonies, like some real authentic testimony of uh what God's done in their life. And so not your typical you know, setback and casual interview, like that's that's our plan, but more or less just just teaching people about who God is. Cool. And kind of the cowboy version of it.

SPEAKER_02 1:41:57

So what is uh we need to get him in touch with uh Tucker Tcause he's um doing the same deal. Yeah, similar vision, yeah, and whether it's working together or yeah, having ideas.

SPEAKER_01 1:42:11

Well well, and and I I don't think it's by accident that you know God God truly called us down here to Texas. Like He He literally mapped it out. I I wish I should have brought my prayer journal. I could have just read read you stuff that he was telling me and and how it worked out of how we bought our place, but like I think I'm down here for a specific purpose and we're still figuring out I it's not the Cowboy Channel, like the Cowboy Channel's great, like I love working there, but that's not why we moved down. Like it's really not. Like there's there's something bigger going on down here, ma'am. Cool, and you guys are a part of it too.

SPEAKER_00 1:42:43

Oh, yeah, I believe that.

SPEAKER_02 1:42:44

Yeah, Dallas, let's go Dallas. He always says he's like, Hey, something's brewing in Throckmorton. Yeah, I know that's what he said.

SPEAKER_01 1:42:50

I was just like sitting there thinking, like, man, like these guys are thinking the same thing I am. Like, there's something going on here.

SPEAKER_00 1:42:56

Let me read one before we go. Yeah, go for it. Matthew 16, 24. Then Jesus said to his disciples, Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. So deny your fleshly desires, man. Follow Christ each and every single day.

SPEAKER_02 1:43:15

Get rid of caffeine.

SPEAKER_00 1:43:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:43:18

Mike and I have been holding each other accountable on things. Yep. Accountability partner.

SPEAKER_00 1:43:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:43:24

It's been good.

SPEAKER_00 1:43:24

Two energy drinks a day for me. And uh less carbs for all Tucker Brown over here. Less carbs for me.

SPEAKER_01 1:43:32

What was the I heard somebody ask a question the other day. Would you would you give up was it what was it? It may have been your guys' podcast, a clip. Yeah, probably uh eat, not eat beef for a week or not drink coffee for a year or something. Yeah, you guys are my question. That was your question to um Matt. Bella. Yeah. How would you answer that? Gosh, how would I answer that? Okay, so I'll give beef ranchers out there. Don't get mad at me because I love beef. But he loves his coffee. But I love coffee, and I do live on beef and coffee and H E B tortillas. So those are the three things that survive on. You have to have like those three things you have to have in life. You can make it one week without beef.

SPEAKER_00 1:44:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:44:22

One week, because then after it's over, it's head back to medium rare ribbons maybe.

SPEAKER_02 1:44:30

That's hilarious. You pulled that out of the hat. Yeah. Holy cow. Thanks for having me. Wow, that was really loud. Thanks for being on the pod, dude. Quick keys. Everything else, cowboy channel. That's just a piece of it. How you said it. Cowboy channel. That's quite keys, everybody. Check them out. The podcast is called More Than a Cowboy. Maybe an album coming out too. Anyway, I usually listen to the register grade podcast, and again, that's where it really helps. And uh do you think it's somebody that needs to be on the podcast? We're looking for the good stuff after. So I have to have to do that. Anyone got that?