We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Douglas Smith a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Douglas, thanks for joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
Any time in life that you take a risk, many thoughts would rush to my head, such as, “ what will people say about me?”, “ what if I fail?” But on the flip-side of the coin, I also ask myself, “ what if I’m really good at this?”, “ what benefits will happen if this works out?”
I started my YouTube podcast in March 2020 during the global pandemic and after many years of people telling me that I have a radio voice, I decided to take the risk of starting a podcast, and to put my art out there and share it with the world.
Three years later, I’m currently approaching 1 million total views and hit the benchmark of having over 2000 subscribers and a Fanbase that is predominantly in the USA, Canada, Mexico, the UK and through out the world. Me sharing my vulnerability and platform with the world. I also put this on my résumé and this is helped me to lend positions with companies that I can only dream of. And while I still podcasts and it it is only getting better and bigger from here.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
While, many people know my YouTube channel as “the touchdown with Doug Smith”, many may not realize that I am an ex-college football player, and had previously gave up on my dreams almost 15 years ago. And with living with those regrets and doubts, it has propelled me to still be a part of the game that I love initially I did have another podcast on YouTube called “war and peace 210” but truly found my calling in March 2020 when I decided to start “the touchdown with Doug Smith” on YouTube. One of my favorite things about the show is that January through April it’s one of the best places on the Internet to get exclusive, pre-draft interviews from some of the best players in college football and also hidden draft gyms from small schools that come with major talent. I’ve noticed that platforms like ESPN in NFL net work do a very good job of covering the big stars, but forget to sign a light towards athletes from HBCUs and other smaller colleges throughout America.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
Many of my friends want me to keep recording until I get a job at ESPN, or some other major net work, and while that would be amazing, I am very content on where I’m at. Therefore, my main mission is to continue to have. Clean, honest, and wholesome journalism, well entertaining football fans around the globe.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
A few times I’ve had Nfl Agents reach out to me and thank me for the interview that I hosted with their client/NFL draft prospect in which I was told that the NFL teams watch the interview that I hosted with their player. One time I even received a direct message on Twitter for me Nfl scout thanking me for the work that I do, and which he was able to report information back to NFL teams that he uncovered. The service that I provide these NFL draft prospects is something that brings great joy to my life and I absolutely love to see peoples dreams come true. 
Contact Info:
- Website: https://youtube.com/@TheTouchdownWithDougSmith
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/thetouchdownwithdougsmith?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/
- Linkedin: https://instagram.com/thetouchdownwithdougsmith?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
- Twitter: @TouchdownDoug
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@TheTouchdownWithDougSmith
Image Credits
Credit: Michael Williams and Adrian Campbell. Las Vegas, raiders, wide receiver, Tre Tucker, and New York Giants running back, Eric Gray.