Meet Matt Brodie | Husband, Father, Content Creator and lover of Jeeps with Square Headlights.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Matt Brodie and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Matt, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I’ve always said, I am my parent’s child. I grew up on Hilton Head Island, SC after moving from Ohio when I was one. My mother worked at our local United Methodist Church as the director of administration and my dad had a production company and would make TV and Radio Commercials as well as write for newspapers and magazines. So I grew up with a dark room in my house, access to cameras and editing software and strong focus on faith. It was it no surprise to anyone when I graduated from the University of South Carolina with a degree in Media Art focusing on photography and video production and became the communication director for the South Carolina United Methodist Church. I worked in church communications for almost 20 year before fully branching off on my own with Brodie Media, a digital Marketing Agency. The foundations my parents laid down still hold strong and while I no longer work for the church, much of the work I do still holds to some of those same core fundamentals of my faith. Faith that’s explored and shared in my youtube videos as we travel the South East exploring creation.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m a storyteller. For most of my career that’s been through the lens of photography. I’ve had a camera in my hands since I was around eight years old and it’s one of the few things I can say, I don’t know how to live without. My career has taken may forms since then. From shooting weddings and events, or commercial work to documenting families trying to put their lives back together after a hurricane has literally taken everything they had from them. Over the years, I’ve moved more into video content. As my craft, audience and platforms have evolved, I’ve learned that it’s not the gear, it’s not even the quality of the photos, or the video. It’s the story. The story is always going to be the thing people connect with. The biggest lesson I’ve learned is it’s better to tell the story with an iPhone video or a GoPro than to miss the story because you didn’t have “the right camera”. That’s one of those things that I think makes me different. Yes, I have nice equipment, but I rarely try to be as “cinematic” as I could. Because in the kind of content I’m creating online now, the story is more important. It’s easy to focus on the shot and miss the story. I just want to share my experience with people in hopes to inspire them. I believe you do that by connecting with them on a personal level.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I live in Columbia, South Carolina, which is roughly the middle of the state. It’s the Capital city, but isn’t not what you would call a big or exciting city. That said, I’m a simply guy, so we might catch a Fireflies baseball game, or watch the Gamecocks at Williams Brice. We’re absolutely going to stop at Beezer’s for a sub and ice-cream cookie. One of the great things about Columbia, is that’s it’s only about two hours from the ocean or the mountains. So a day trip to Charleston or Hilton Head to hang out on the beach. Growing up on Hilton Head, we just don’t do beach trips to Myrtle Beach, it’s like routing for the away time. Or we could head up towards the mountains. Maybe do some exploring around Appalachian Mountains and do some camping, or head to Asheville, NC and see the Biltmore if we’re feeling bougie. Regardless, we’re most likely going to be spending some time outdoors, hanging out and laughing pretty hard.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I wouldn’t be where I am without my beautiful wife Jessica. She’s held me up, supported me and been my biggest cheerleader. But, I also couldn’t have done this with out the support of my friends, both ones I’ve known nearly my whole life and ones I’ve only met on social media. Their support, in person and online has helped to keep me going when I thought about giving up. And last but certainly not least, to my kids, (all four of them), without them my first Jeep build would have never happened and I wouldn’t be where I am without trying to make them think they have the coolest dad ever.

Website: www.themattbrodie.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themattbrodie/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMattBrodie/

Youtube: youtube.com/@simplymustgo

Image Credits
Photo of me filming cooking at camp: Mariano Ramirez