Matt Drury of Drury Outdoors on Their Strong Relationship with Mossy Oak
Editor’s Note: Mark Drury started working for Mossy Oak when in college. Then when he and his brother, Terry, started their video-production company, Drury Outdoors that now produces four TV shows and releases three new DVDs every year, their lives became hectic, and their schedules unbelievable. At the same time, Terry Drury’s son, Matt, was attending college. Like all young people, he was trying to decide what he wanted to be when he grew up. He knew he was born with a talent for art and was very creative. Once he took a course in college on video production, he knew what his dream job would be. Matt is a TV producer, but according to Mark and Terry Drury, he’s “The Boss” of Drury Outdoors. So, this week we interviewed “The Boss” to get an inside look at the Drurys’ outdoor lifestyle.
Based on the stories I’ve heard, Uncle Mark came to my dad in about 1988, when Uncle Mark was a rep for Mossy Oak and on the national turkey-calling circuit at that same time. He told my dad, “I’m seeing a few turkey videos in sporting-good stores and other places where Mossy Oak is sold. I’ve looked at some of them, and I know we can make and sell better videos than some of the ones I’m seeing.” So, they formed a partnership to buy their first video camera - a Panasonic AG 450.
Remember that Mark still was in college, and he didn’t have any money. My dad had his own construction business. Mark asked my dad to partner with him in his video business. They bought that first camera and then filmed and hunted together for about 2 years to produce their first video, “King of the Spring.” So, when Drury Outdoors first started, the company had two employees, Uncle Mark and Dad. Our family always has had strong family ties, and that’s how the partnership and Drury Outdoors began.
Mossy Oak has been one of Drury Outdoors strongest supporters through the years and has been involved in almost everything Drury Outdoors ever has done. Without Mossy Oak, we couldn’t have gotten a start with Drury Outdoors or had the ability to start our first TV show. Throughout the growth and development of Drury Outdoors, Mossy Oak always has been a strong beacon of light for our company as Mossy Oak has opened doors for us and introduced us to the right people. In the hunting business, one of the main keys to success is surrounding yourself with the right people, and Mossy Oak has helped us find those people. We can never thank Mossy Oak enough for everything the company and the people in that company have done for us and continue to do for us. Most recently, they’ve helped us partner with Ram Trucks, which was a huge step for us. I really don’t know where Drury Outdoors would be without Mossy Oak.
Today, Uncle Mark and my dad still video much like they did in the beginning. We also have 50 hunters/video producers working with us now, consisting of two individuals on each team. These team members either are friends of friends or are outdoorsmen we’ve met at consumer shows. They are all die-hard Drury Outdoors and Mossy Oak team members. Most of these guys have been watching the videos we’ve been producing every year, and all have huge collections of Drury Outdoors videos. Most of our videos/field producers were wearing Mossy Oak and videoing in Mossy Oak before we ever met them. Drury Outdoors Pro Staff is also on the pro staff of Mossy Oak, PSE and many of the other companies with which we partner. We make sure our team members understand that they’re not just representing Drury Outdoors, but that they are representatives and team members of these other outdoor companies. If you consider that our industry is really only about 30-years old, most of the companies we partner with have been a part of the growth and development of the outdoor industry, from the beginning. In 2014, Drury Outdoors will celebrate its 25th birthday. So, everyone working with Drury Outdoors being the kind of people our partners need them to be is very important to us.
To learn more about Drury Outdoors, you can visit www.druryoutdoors.com, https://www.facebook.com/OfficialDruryOutdoors or https://twitter.com/DruryOutdoors. Drury Outdoors is very active on all of these sites, and you can send emails, ask questions and get answers through the website. I read and answer every email I can. Also Uncle Mark, my dad, Taylor, my cousin and Uncle Mark’s daughter, and I try to answer all the questions that we get. We love to interact with the viewers who watch our TV shows and our videos.
Matt Drury on How to Become a Drury Outdoors’ Professional Hunter and Videographer
