THE TOUGH DRAW ORIGIN STORY

This is the first blog entry I ever wrote, and the heart behind it has only grown deeper. Tough Draw—the story, the script, the vision that started almost sixteen years ago—has truly changed my life. It has led me to lifelong friendships, to my wife, to the work I love, and most importantly, to a closer walk with the Lord. Looking back, the journey has been nothing short of a testament to what God can build from a single spark of inspiration.

That spark started in 2008 at the University of Texas. I was a double major in Sports Management and Film, and even though I only finished the film degree, the pairing made perfect sense for who I’ve always been. Sports have been woven into my life from the beginning. Some of my favorite memories were sitting in the living room with my mom watching the NFR, daydreaming about being a bull rider, using the footrest as my bull and wearing my hat with all the confidence in the world. And when I was out at my Grandad’s ranch, that connection to the Western way of life—the land, the values, the pace—kept calling me back.

Around that same time, Friday Night Lights became a phenomenon. “Clear Eyes, Full Hearts…” you know the line. I would schedule my film classes and night labs around making sure I could watch new episodes, even if it meant sacrificing a few classes I probably needed. One of those semesters, I took an Intro to Screenwriting course. We had to write an episode of a TV show (no surprise which one I picked) and the first act of a feature film. When it came time to decide what story I wanted to tell, I knew I wanted it to be sports related. I knew I wanted something rooted in my own origins. And I knew I wanted to write something I would someday make.

I remember sitting for hours, trying to land on the right idea. Then one day, after a conversation with my Grandad and thinking about home—West Texas—everything clicked. I missed home. I missed the land. I missed the slow drives with buddies, the food, and the simplicity. I missed the authenticity of that world. That’s when I remembered the NFR and that old childhood dream of being a bull rider, and I realized I had my story.

The premise became a character-driven sports drama about bull riding. The characters were loosely based on people I knew—the main character reflecting parts of myself, and the best friend character pulling attributes from my closest friends. Once I found my footing, writing became easy. Our ten pages a week assignment often turned into twenty or thirty. My classmates, many of whom had never even heard of bull riding, embraced that world and the characters I’d created. Their excitement gave me the confidence that I was onto something.

Fast-forward to Venice Beach. I was in Los Angeles for the UTLA program, interning at Scott Free Productions. I loved the industry experience, but I was homesick—really homesick. One night I re-read the first thirty pages of the script, and suddenly I was back in the West Texas landscapes I’d written. Inspired, I took a notebook to the beach the next day, sat in the sun (and got one of the worst sunburns of my life), and hand-wrote over thirty-five more pages. That night, I typed everything into my laptop and kept going until early morning. In a single 24-hour stretch, I finished a 70-plus-page script.

And with that fresh script in hand, by gosh, I was ready to make a movie.

The next day I marched into Scott Free and handed it to an executive I still keep in touch with today. She read it and told me it was the perfect film for an aspiring director to go back home and make. And she was right. When the summer ended, while many in my program stayed in LA to pursue opportunities, I knew my place wasn’t in that fast-paced life. I wanted to build my path in Texas—the world that raised me.

When I got back, I threw myself into development. I took everything I learned in film school and applied it to what I was building. Along the way, I crossed paths with different people who contributed in different seasons, shaping small pieces of the journey, adding perspective, or simply helping me grow. Every one of those moments mattered, and every lesson folded back into the script.

As the years passed, the story evolved as my life evolved. I grew in my faith. I matured as a filmmaker. I deepened my connection to the Western world. And most importantly, I developed a passion for working with the athletes—real cowboys, real competitors, real people. The relationships I built with them over the years are some of the most meaningful friendships I have to date. They’ve sharpened my mission and cemented what Tough Draw stands for: honoring the athlete, the lifestyle, and the authenticity of this world.

Those relationships and the trust that came with them helped shape the next chapter.

From the original script, I formed TD Film, the entity created to bring the Tough Draw movie to life. That focus led to a relationship with Tuff Hedeman and the Frost family—a connection that ultimately opened the door to producing LANE: Life | Legend | Legacy. That documentary changed everything. It elevated the brand, expanded the mission, and proved how powerful Western storytelling could be when executed with heart, reverence, and authenticity.

Around that time, Tough Draw LLC was taking shape as its own identity: a video and storytelling company dedicated to the Western space. From major brand clients to rodeo athletes to organizations and events, Tough Draw became home for meaningful stories that needed to be told. Along the way, I was incredibly fortunate to have people come into my life who added depth and talent to the mission.

Few were more influential than Jordan Thiem, whose creativity and visual direction helped carve out the DNA of Tough Draw’s look. Jordan and I worked side-by-side at many key points in the brand’s origin—developing commercials, building Western storytelling pieces, and shaping visuals that helped define the brand.

And then there’s my wife, Lindsay, who has quietly, consistently, and wholeheartedly supported everything Tough Draw has grown into. From photography to social media to her full involvement in the Tough Draw Talks podcast to supporting the Lane documentary, she has poured herself into this brand in ways most will never see, but I will always be grateful for.

As the brand grew, so did the mission. Tough Draw Talks became a platform to share real conversations with real people in the Western world—now more than sixty-five episodes deep and still growing. Tough Draw Sports began because of relationships with athletes who believed in what we were doing and trusted us to represent them. That arm expanded as Mike McGarvey came on board, helping shape the agency and run with the momentum in a way that elevated everything we were building. And in the last year, Kaycie Timm has become integral in strengthening our marketing strategy and unifying all of the verticals. Her storytelling mind and communication background have become a key piece connecting the brand family together.

And now, all these years later, the heart of Tough Draw—the script, the athletes, the storytelling, the mission—has led to something even bigger: the Tough Draw Tour.

The Tour is the embodiment of everything Tough Draw has ever stood for.

It honors the sport.

It elevates the athletes as professional competitors.It builds fandom through authentic storytelling.

It unifies all the verticals—film, content, podcast, agency—to help grow the sport in a meaningful way.

It represents a full-circle moment: a journey that started with a script in a college classroom and has become a multi-vertical brand fueled by purpose, relationships, and a deep love for Western culture.

Fifteen and a half years later, it’s clearer than ever that none of this happened by accident. Every door that opened, every setback, every person who stepped into the story for a season…God had His hand on all of it. Tough Draw continues to be shaped by His timing, not mine.

I’m grateful for the uphill climbs, the long nights, and the small wins that built into bigger ones. I’m grateful for the people who believed before there was proof. I’m grateful for the athletes who became friends and for the friends who became family. And I’m grateful for the opportunity to tell stories that matter — stories rooted in authenticity, courage, faith, and the Western way of life.

Romans 12:12

12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.