We caught up with the brilliant and insightful T. I. a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi T. I, thanks for joining us today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.
When it comes to mainstream sports analysts and talking heads, they typically have one goal in mind… to feed their own agenda. In a world over saturated with misguided machismo and inflated egos, the voice of the people is often lost in the noise. That’s where the Titans Idiot Nation comes into play. Molding itself as a brand of the people, the members of the Titans Idiot Nation know that they can count on us to provide honest takes on not only their favorite team, the Tennessee Titans, but also the sports industry as a whole. Weaving comedy, pop culture and sports into an online community that thrives and is supportive of one another no matter the team you root for is no easy feat but that’s exactly what we have accomplished here at the Titans Idiot Nation and I couldn’t be more proud of what we’re building.
T. I, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I’ve always been a major sports fan. Even when I was a kid, they’ve played an intricate part of my upbringing. Whether it was playing, watching, discussing, or debating, they always served as an outlet for me. But honestly what I always found intriguing about sports was the way that they could convince people across the world to put their differences aside and unify to rally around a common good, even if it was only for a few hours a week.
Sports fans are a unique type of individual, and often will flock to like minded groups, concepts or agendas, but as for the Titans Idiot Nation, and how it came to fruition, that’s another beautiful example of how sports always unite people. Let me preface this by saying I thoroughly enjoy comedy. The only thing I think I’ve ever loved more than sports was making people laugh. To me, there’s nothing more rewarding. So, when I saw an opportunity on social media to create an outlet for fans to have a little fun, by interweaving pop culture and sports in a comedic yet honest and informative fashion, I knew it was what I wanted to do.
Here at the Titans Idiot Nation, we specialize in delivering high-quality, informative sports content but with a comedic approach. We communicate and engage in a way that’s distinct, but offers a sense of inclusion and unity. At the Titans Idiot Nation, it isn’t all about me. It’s about providing an outlet for fans to let loose, have some fun and enjoy sports content from a different perspective than most of what’s readily available. I can honestly say that there aren’t too many people out there doing things the way I do and I naturally take pride in that. We value our member’s opinions just as much as the next and I feel that’s what sets us apart from others. I’m proud of the community we’re building and the comradery that exists amongst the members of the Titans Idiot Nation.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
When you put yourself out there, especially on social media, you already know it’s not going to be easy. It’s impossible to make everyone like you and most of them will hate you just because the fact that you chose to take a risk. That’s where you just have to keep your vision in focus and plug away. You’re not going to build a following overnight and if that’s your goal, you’re going to have a really bad time. I’ve been pushing hard for about 4 years straight and just now started to see some larger scale success. So in the beginning, don’t get discouraged. It’s an uphill climb but it’s all worth it in the end.
When I started with the Titans Idiot Nation, I had no idea what I was doing, who I was, and really what I even wanted to say, but I just knew that I had keep up the consistency or no one would take it seriously. As time progressed, my video editing skills improved, my material grew and my delivery became more fluent and natural. I found my sweet spot in balancing informative content along with the comedic approach fueled by memes and pop culture and began to build a following that I never envisioned. The page began to take shape as a community centered around not only our love for the Tennessee Titans, but for just sports in general, pop culture, comedy and more.
We now have sports fans of all kinds joining in the fun, even those of rival teams and I’m proud to say that the Facebook page recently crossed over a 7.5 million reach for the last 28 days which honestly blows my mind! My advice to anyone looking to take the leap and put yourself out there, just block out the noise and ignore the distractions. Be bold. Be brave. You just have to stay driven, focused, and humble no matter what folks in the comment section are saying.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
Again, I think it’s the consistency within the message and the brand, as well as my genuine interactions with the members of the Titans Idiot Nation. I’ve built a trusted community where people are real, honest, critical and supportive, without all the toxicity that typically consumes the comment section of most social media outlets. I tell our members all the time that we’re building something special here and it’s been fun to watch it grow from a bakers dozen to almost 12,000.
Depending on who you are and what you’re hoping to accomplish, success may be measured by different outcomes. For me the page has been more successful than I ever imagined possible and where we take it from here I’m excited to explore. In whatever you hope to achieve, my advice is always the same: be real, stay consistent, remain honest and true to yourself and your brand. No matter how slow or fast success arrives, you shouldn’t let it change who you want to be and the message you hope to convey.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://titansidiotnation.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/titansidiotnation
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TitansIdiot
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/titansidiot
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWLa-nzfkK0igE5T-_9L3Yw
- Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@titansidiotnation
Image Credits
Titans Idiot Nation