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We’re starting to tell stories in new ways here at Salt Water Sportsman. These adventures are collaborative storytelling projects shot in partnership with YouTube creators. We’re building a team of creators, a group of men and women who love our brand and whom we can send out on assignments to cover hot bites and fisheries.
Brook Crist (Brook Crist Outdoors) is a native south Floridian and an avid nature lover. Born into a family that lives for the outdoors, she’s been fishing, freediving and hunting her entire life. She’s passionate about inspiring others to get out in nature and enjoy everything that the wild has to offer.
Aaron Benzrihem (Abenz Fishing) is an avid angler based out of southeast Florida. He grew up snook fishing on Sanibel Island and now writes, shoots, and edits fishing stories and videos that document his efforts to catch the biggest inshore fish Florida has to offer.
Tony Faggioni (FishGum) is known as the “mad scientist” of fishing for inventing a fishing bait, FishGum, and creating a YouTube channel of the same name. Faggioni challenges anglers to try new things to become better anglers and draws on his experience growing up on the Panhandle of Florida.
Viktor Hluben (Landshark Outdoors) loves sharing his passion for catching, cleaning and cooking fish. He graduated from Florida Atlantic University and was accepted into medical school, but he chose to launch a fishing show on YouTube instead. A student of the ocean, he is an advocate for respecting the catch on the water, at the fillet table and most importantly in the kitchen.
Ryan Izquierdo (Ryan Iz Fishing) is an avid angler and content creator based out of Florida’s Southeast coast. Born and Raised in Miami, Florida. Ryan specializes in hunting for Florida’s exotic freshwater species from the urban canal banks of Miami, to the picturesque Florida Everglades. He is currently pursuing a career in the Fire Service and creating content in his free time. Join him on his recent travels in the Amazon Jungles of South America hunting for River Monsters.
Ryan Izquierdo (Ryan Iz Fishing) is an avid angler and content creator based out of Florida’s Southeast coast. Born and Raised in Miami, Florida. Ryan specializes in hunting for Florida’s exotic freshwater species from the urban canal banks of Miami, to the picturesque Florida Everglades. He is currently pursuing a career in the Fire Service and creating content in his free time. Join him on his recent travels in the Amazon Jungles of South America hunting for River Monsters.
Sean Lawless (The Lawless Tide) was born and raised in landlocked Tulsa, Oklahoma and started fishing in Florida in 2017. From catching pompano on the beach to blackfin tuna in his kayak and bonita off the jetties, Sean shows his viewers everything Florida’s fishery has to offer.
Ryan Morie (@ryanmorie) is a full-time content creator based out of southeast Florida. After graduating from the University of Florida, Ryan served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps. During his time on active duty he was able to document some outstanding fisheries near the bases on which he served. He now creates a wide variety of fishing content that documents both local and international adventures.
At 6 feet 9 inches tall, “Big” John McLean (Big John Shark Fishing) was the tallest goalie to ever play professional hockey. Forced to retire due to injuries in 2017, he founded a guide service, Big John Shark Fishing Adventures. He is very active in shark conservation and tagging sharks through NOAA’s Apex Predator Program.
Jack Moran (Yakin’ with Jack) grew up in Pensacola fishing a local catfish farm with his grandfather. His love for saltwater fishing began on the piers and bridges of Pensacola, but quickly launched into the Gulf of Mexico when he discovered the adrenaline rush of going for a sleigh ride in a kayak.
Brent Schirmer (See Ya Dude) is a content creator based in Tampa Bay, Florida. He graduated from the University of Connecticut in 2018, then moved back to the Tampa Bay Area and began filming his fishing and camping trips. Almost 5 years and over 300 videos on YouTube later, Brent focuses on high quality, educational videos for inshore and offshore saltwater fishing for fishermen of all skill-sets and experience.
Elias Vaisberg (EliasVFishing) started kayak fishing for striped bass in the northeast about 15 years ago. He spent years guiding and fishing in New York waters, launched a line of fishing lures, and now lives in Wilmington, North Carolina, where he shoots content from the surf and inshore waters.
Tyler Wald (Suns Out Fishing) is a full-time content creator born and raised in Miami, Florida. Tyler has known from the age of 5 that fishing is his undeniable passion. After spending his 20s working sales jobs he decided to take a leap of faith and pursue that passion in hopes of creating a fulfilling career. He now creates a diverse array of fishing content showcasing his adventures on the water both local and abroad!
Cody & Kellie Oden are travel and adventure YouTube creators who initially began their journey across America living in a tent for a year and a half. They have since decided to upgrade their living space with a slide-in truck camper. As they continue to travel the country, they now enjoy showcasing the beauty of nature through their YouTube channel, hoping to inspire others to get out and experience the outdoors.
Phil Hollandsworth is Executive Producer at Salt Water Sportsman. He moved to Pensacola, Florida after graduating college and began to explore saltwater fishing as a content creator. Phil created the SWS Adventures program and now manages the creator team while overseeing video production.
Shawn Bean is the head of Firecrown’s creative studio and editorial director of the Firecrown Fishing Group which includes Salt Water Sportsman and Sport Fishing. He is also the writer and director of Sport Fishing Television, the fishing-travel-adventure series on ESPN2 now in its 23rd year. He lives in Melbourne, Florida.
Sam Hudson is Executive Editor at Salt Water Sportsman. He has 15 years’ experience as a staff editor and marketing manager across various fishing brands. Florida born and raised, you can find him fishing the skinniest backwaters the state has to offer. Sam has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida and an MBA from UCF.
Jim Hendricks has 45 years of experience as a boat captain and a saltwater angler. He’s been our West Coast and electronics editor for the past 12 of these. Jim has fished across the US and in exotic destinations from Australia to Baja California.
