Brodie Smith isn’t worried about what “everybody else is doing.” He’s not the sort to focus-group his life until all the edges are smoothed out. He’s a maker, a doer, a man who tries things and learns on the fly. In a world that seems to always push for homogenization, those qualities are nothing short of radical.
In high school, Smith discovered that he liked Frisbee, maybe even had some talent for it. He joined an ultimate Frisbee team and played after school a few days a week. When he moved on to the University of Florida, the interest blossomed and he was able to connect with other people as excited about the sport as he was. College is perfect for that sort of thing.
And that’s where the story ends… For most people. Plenty of kids discover new passions in high school, find a like-minded community in college, then enter the “real world” only to see those passions fade.
But that’s not Brodie Smith’s story. His story is unique and odd and perfect for the modern era. In 2012, he started making videos — Frisbee trick shots, incredible catches — the sorts of things that people would watch on their phones while thinking “I should get out more.” The videos found an audience and before long, there was a revenue stream. Smith no longer had to worry about getting a day job.
These days, the creative star collaborates on videos with fellow YouTube heroes, has his own line of Frisbee products, and appears as a contestant on the 28th season of The Amazing Race.
“Everything that’s happened has been because of Frisbee,” he explains. “Now I’m doing things I’m not necessarily throwing aFrisbee..but my love for this game set all the wheels in motion.”
But just because he playsFrisbee for a living doesn’t mean Smith lives a complete life of leisure. Some days, he’ll spend hours trying to capture a single shot on film, or practice alone in a park until his arm aches. Having a dream job doesn’t mean you never have to work.
“You have to go all in with this sort of thing,” he says. “It’s been a a slow build, with peaks in between. Like when I post a vine with a Taylor Swift song and Taylor Swift retweets it to her millions of fans. That stuff gets a lot of attention.”
With some of the trick shots Smith pulls off, it’s easy to see why Swift would be impressed. Like this one:
Or this:
But ultimately, it’s not the shots that are the most impressive thing about Brodie Smith — it’s his whole fearless approach to life, in a world that so often seems fear-inducing. This perspective is a far cry from the fever-pitch panic that strikes so many people in their mid-20s.
“It’s simple really,” he says. “If you can wake up every day and be happy about your work, your life will be happier.”
This happiness is evident in how Smith carries himself. He truly loves his sport, and when you throw the Frisbee with him you can see that he gets childlike joy from it. Smith believes that enthusiasm is the secret to his success.
“The people I’ve met, other social influencers and YouTube stars, didn’t start posting to get famous. They started posting because they were passionate about something and they wanted to share it with other people.”
In the end, it’s that spirit that made Smith successful, not just his skill with a Frisbee. As amazing as that skill is:
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(vVia GIPHY)
…his greatest gift is a willingness to be bold, take risks, and chase his dreams — no matter what other people think.
“If you’re doing something you love,” he concludes, “you’ll do anything you can to make it work. People look at me and they might say ‘that guy should get a real job’ but I can pay my bills, people like what I do, and best of all, I’m happy.”
And that just may be Brodie Smith’s toughest trick yet.
