U.S.A. –-(Ammoland.com)-“Not only is this incredibly useful, it is incredibly fun,” exclaims Robert Arrington. “I feel like I’m shooting in The Matrix!”
Arrington, star of the Deer Meat for Dinner YouTube channel, had just hammered a steel target using his bolt-action hog-control rifle equipped with the latest FLIR ThermoSight Pro PTS233 thermal sight. Later that night, the video host would prove he not only knows how to eliminate the pesky porkers damaging his South Florida ranch, but also how to transform the hungry hogs into gourmet fare back at home. Such field-to-table pursuits have proven to be the successful formula behind Arrington’s popularity and over 400 highly successful videos.
A veteran of several outdoor television programs, Arrington has found his niche as part of the new breed of outdoor stars: an authentic, home-grown, homemade personality who leverages the power of YouTube to reach a vast audience. With over 170 million views and nearly 900,000 subscribers to his channel, Robert found a way to make a living doing what he loves without all the logistical and financial downsides of broadcast TV.
For Arrington, the ride in television was good, but the business realities were harsh.
“I actually went broke,” Arrington notes wryly. “Later, a good friend of mine called and he’s like, ‘Man, you should start a YouTube channel.’ I thought he was crazy, but as time went on, I started thinking, ‘Maybe a YouTube channel would keep my face out there and it’ll bring about another opportunity.’”
Once planted, the YouTube seed finally bloomed in his kitchen. “I was cooking dinner one night,” Arrington explains, “and kept saying to myself, ‘Well, what are you really passionate about?’ I looked at a cast iron skillet full of pan-fried deer meat and said out loud ‘Deer Meat for Dinner!’ It just rolled off my tongue!”
Borrowing $20 dollars from his girlfriend, Sarah (now his wife), Arrington bought the domain name DeerMeatForDinner.com.
“Sarah was like, ‘This is not really smart,’“ Arrington laughs. “I disagreed. We started the YouTube channel and a little Facebook page and just started trying to make a few videos.”
Things went along modestly until Arrington made an alligator skinning video that did well. He then made an alligator cooking video that quickly exploded across the Internet. “I started to taste a little bit of success from it,” Arrington admits modestly, “I could see the wheels turning.”
The wheels of fortune have turned, indeed. Arrington now works full-time on his video production, editing the footage himself, while working on his other major project, a Florida cattle ranch. Now, with growing Internet success and fame, Arrington has a new role: Pro Ambassador for FLIR Systems, Inc.
About FLIR Systems, Inc.
Founded in 1978 and headquartered in Wilsonville, Oregon, FLIR Systems is a world-leading maker of sensor systems that enhance perception and heighten awareness, helping to save lives, improve productivity, and protect the environment. Through its nearly 3,500 employees, FLIR’s vision is to be “The World’s Sixth Sense” by leveraging thermal imaging and adjacent technologies to provide innovative, intelligent solutions for security and surveillance, environmental and condition monitoring, outdoor recreation, machine vision, navigation, and advanced threat detection. For more information, please visit www.flir.com and follow @flir.