We recently connected with Shannon Boggs and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Shannon thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
I started using social media and creating YouTube videos to be able to create memories and share my crazy adventures. But now it has grown into much more. Not only am I able to document memories for my friends and family, but I can share it with so many more people. I not only have the ability to share my adventures but to inspire others to get out and create their own memories. As my channel continues to grow, I hope to be able to add even more tools and informative knowledge so that others can learn how to enjoy the outdoors. Even though my channel may have numerous “Swamp Stalker Moments” like getting lost, getting stuck in trees, or even falling out of a boat or two, I try to use humor as a learning tool. My entire goal for my channel is to help educate and inspire others to get outdoors and also to teach the importance of conservation and passing down our outdoor family traditions. Although I never started this channel to be my main source of income and may never will be, I still hope that many people will find value in my channel and content so that one day I might be able to earn an income to help improve my channel to help so many more.
Shannon, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
As a kid I grew up in a small town. A town where there wasn’t a playground or park on every corner to meet up with your friends. A small town where the houses were spread apart, and most families were farmers or coal miners which meant there weren’t a lot of kids withing close distances to play with. Growing up in the rural hills of West Virginia, before the times of internet or cell phones, your only form of entertainment was to get outside and enjoy nature. I grew up with my Grandparents, parents, and brothers; that spent most of their free time in the woods or streams on a mountain. Just before starting middle school my family moved to Florida due to my father getting laid off from working in the coal mines and was looking for a better future for his family. I spent so much time as a youth in the mountains, that moving to the city was a hard adjustment. As I got older and was able to seek out more of what Florida had to offer, I then fell in love with its oceans, beaches and lakes. I spent every free minute fishing. In high school I learned about photography and that along with the love of the outdoors became my new obsession. If I didn’t have a fishing pole in my hand, then I would have had a camera. I enjoyed nature and wildlife photography and captured many prize-winning photos. After graduating high school and moving out on my own I had to spend most of my days working full time but devoted every free minute I had to fishing. The love of fishing was my escape for every hard time I had in my life. Through a divorce, family deaths, and other life struggles, being able to grab a pole and be able to forget about my worries and enjoy gods’ creations was my lifeline. It wasn’t until many years later that I met some of my closest friends that also enjoyed the outdoors as much as I did. I was able to see another side of Florida that I didn’t get to really appreciate since I left West Virginia. Hunting in the swamps of Florida was definitely a change from hunting in the mountains. I learned how to trek through the swamps to hunt deer, turkeys, hogs, and even alligators. The scariest thing I had to worry about in the mountains was an occasional bear or snake. Where in Florida, you had to not only worry about venomous snakes or insects the size of your hand, gators that wanted to hunt you, packs of feral hogs and worst yet the number of mosquitos that could carry you away or having to strip down to your underwear because you didn’t watch your step and landed in a huge nest of fire ants. It a good thing we didn’t wear a video camera in those days because god only knows what footage would be on the internet, although the shenanigans would have definitely pushed my channel to go viral by now. Can you seriously see a grown man dancing around in the woods in his underwear to get ants off his pants or two grown men being chased by a 200lb+ angry wild boar. Although I have a few pictures of some of these adventures I don’t have videos to look back at. But now having many of the people that taught me so much passing away, like my father, grandfather, and a very close friend named Roman, I began to use social media and create YouTube videos so that I could not only share my crazy adventures but also be able to create memories to look back on with my closest friends and family for years to come.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
One of the most rewarding parts of creating YouTube videos is the people I have met along the way that I now can call my close friends. I never would have thought I would meet so many people that have the same interest and goals that I have. Being able to have so many people support and inspire me to continue reaching my goals is what keeps me driven to keep doing what I am so passionate about. Creating content can be a learning experience and sometimes a struggle, but it makes it all worth it to know that there are people who enjoy my content. The outdoors is such a valuable resource and there are so many people that don’t ever got to experience it, I am proud if even one family can take something away from my channel and get inspired to create their own outdoor memories together.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
If I could give one piece of advice to someone who wanted to start making YouTube videos, it is that you don’t have to go out and buy a ton of equipment to get started. Not having the best and most expensive equipment shouldn’t keep you from starting your channel. You can use what you have but learn how to use it to the fullest in order to get the best results. Almost everyone has a cell phone with a camera in it and the quality of photos and videos that you can get with them is all you need to get started. When I started my channel five years ago, I only had my cell phone and one cheap action camera, which I still use to this day. Although I have continued to upgrade my phone over the years and have bought several more action cameras of the same brand, I still use the same basic equipment that I started with. I have learned that in order to get the content that I am looking for I need to use multiple action cameras at the same time to get different angles and also use as a backup in case one fails. I do however, recommend getting a good computer and editing program to be able to edit your videos. You can get by, by using a cheaper computer and editing program to get started; however once you start to use a more sophisticated editing program you will need a upgraded computer. Most importantly, just don’t give up and always try to be creative and continue to learn.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/swampstalkeroutdoors?igshid=MmIzYWVlNDQ5Yg==
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100077661221235&mibextid=b06tZ0
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@swampstalkeroutdoors
Image Credits
All photos taken by Shannon Boggs