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Behind Every Legend Is a Story Worth Telling

Meet the team behind the lens, the mic, and the mission of Tough Draw.

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Our Mission

We tell stories with purpose, grounded in grit and shaped by real experience. We honor the western lifestyle by focusing on the people living it, not just the image. Our voice is built on tradition and shaped by progress. We value honest connection over curated perfection and substance over surface. Whether we are behind the camera, behind the mic, or working alongside athletes, we represent this world with respect, purpose, and integrity.

About Tough Draw

Tough Draw is a multi-faceted company rooted in Western culture and driven by purpose. What began as a vision for a scripted project, inspired by the idea of a Friday Night Lights-style story about bull riding, has grown into something far bigger over the past 15 years.

Today, Tough Draw includes a production company, a growing portfolio of short films and a feature-length documentary, a podcast with over 60 episodes, and a sports agency representing top athletes in both PRCA and PBR. Everything we do is grounded in storytelling, built with grit, and focused on honoring the people behind the culture we love.

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What We’ve Done

From feature films and documentaries to branded content, athlete profiles, and live event coverage, we’ve created stories that honor the grit, heart, and heritage of the Western world. Our work includes collaborations with national brands, storytelling around elite rodeo athletes, and content that reaches audiences across screens, arenas, and communities.

Meet the Team

Led by Founder Brad Hughes, Tough Draw is built by a team that lives the Western lifestyle and tells its stories with purpose.

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Brad Hughes

Founder | Director of Brand & Vision

Bradley (Brad) Hughes founded Tough Draw with a simple but powerful belief: the Western way of life deserves to be told with authenticity, grit, and heart. With roots in film, rodeo, and storytelling, Brad has built Tough Draw into a multifaceted company that spans video production, athlete representation, live event strategy, and the Tough Draw Talks podcast. The vision for Tough Draw began in 2007, when Brad sat in a University of Texas screenwriting class and was asked to write the first act of a feature film. His mind went straight to his West Texas roots and his favorite sport—bull riding. That spark carried him to Los Angeles the next year, where he was accepted into the UTLA program and spent the summer interning for Ridley Scott at Scott Free Productions and Ron Howard at Imagine Entertainment. During that time, Brad had a small hand in projects like Body of Lies, Robin Hood, The Incredible Shrinking Man, and Friday Night Lights. Returning to Texas, Brad joined Lockheed Martin in 2010, where he shot and edited videos for the Missiles and Fire Control division and later helped produce commercials for the F-35 program with Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. In 2012, he walked away from the corporate world to build his own production company, setting the foundation for what Tough Draw would become. As a producer, writer, and director, Brad went on to create the feature-length documentary LANE Life | Legend | Legacy, celebrating one of rodeo’s most iconic figures. Today, he continues to lead Tough Draw with a rider-first, story-first mentality—whether shaping the Tough Draw Tour, building authentic brand partnerships, or developing new ways to elevate Western culture. Brad resides in Fort Worth, Texas with his wife and two sons, proud to raise his family in the same Western values that fuel his work.
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Kaycie Timm

Director of Marketing & Strategy

A lifelong cowgirl, Kaycie Timm has built her career around promoting the Western industry through storytelling and media. Since graduating from West Texas A&M University in 2018, she has honed her expertise in marketing, content creation, public relations, and branding while working with organizations such as the American Quarter Horse Association, the National Reining Horse Association, the Mustang Heritage Foundation, and EG Media. Kaycie has captured and shared stories from some of the Western world’s biggest stages, photographing world champion rodeo athletes, industry leaders, and events ranging from the National Finals Rodeo to fundraising galas and concerts. Today, she serves as founder of her own marketing agency, director of marketing strategy for Tough Draw Sports, and marketing consultant for the Western Sports Foundation. Passionate about elevating authentic stories through writing, photography, and film, Kaycie continues to help shape how Tough Draw connects the Western industry to the world.
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Lindsay Hughes

Business Operations Support

Lindsay Hughes has been a driving force behind Tough Draw since its earliest days, working across nearly every corner of the company to help keep ideas moving and stories alive. With roots in the veterinary field, where she began working at just 14 years old, Lindsay brings a natural mix of care, discipline, and adaptability to her work. Over the years, she has created branding, photography, and social media for Tough Draw, produced the Tough Draw Talks podcast, and played a key role in athlete relations and communications for Tough Draw Sports. She also served as the behind-the-scenes photographer during the making of the documentary LANE Life | Legend | Legacy, capturing moments that added depth to the story. Lindsay’s ability to wear many hats—creative, operational, and relational—has made her an essential part of the team. Whether supporting athletes, managing details, or helping the brand stay true to its vision, she continues to be a steady presence at the core of Tough Draw, all while balancing her most important role as a mother.
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Jordan Thiem

Creative Director

Jordan Thiem has been a critical part of the Tough Draw vision since the day he first stepped into a bull riding arena with the team. Originally from Austin, Texas, Tough Draw gave Jordan his first up-close look at Western culture—and he’s never looked back. His artistic eye and creative instincts have been instrumental in bringing Brad’s ideas and passion for storytelling to life, helping shape the look, feel, and direction of Tough Draw. A multi-skilled artist, Jordan’s work spans cinematography, composing, music production, film, and photography. He served as cinematographer on the feature-length documentary LANE Life | Legend | Legacy, and continues to push creative boundaries through every Tough Draw project. Beyond his role in film and storytelling, Jordan is also an entrepreneur, owning and operating 2Rivers Coffee in New Braunfels, Texas. His ability to merge artistry with authenticity has made him a cornerstone of Tough Draw’s creative identity.
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Mike McGarvey

Sports Partnerships

With over two decades of experience representing professional athletes, Michael McGarvey brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to Tough Draw Sports. A graduate of the University of Virginia with a degree in Economics, Mike began his career in Major League Baseball on the marketing side, facilitating endorsement deals before transitioning to representing NFL players in 2007, where he signed his first 1st round draft pick. Introduced to Brad Hughes through a mutual contact, Mike quickly found himself drawn to the sport of rodeo. Many late night calls spent learning about the sport, its athletes, and the Western way of life led to a genuine passion that now fuels his work with Tough Draw. Today, Mike plays a key role in athlete representation and development for Tough Draw Sports, helping to grow opportunities for competitors while aligning with Tough Draw’s mission to elevate the sport of rodeo and the stories behind it.
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Dallas Jackson

Event Operations

Dallas Jackson brings a diverse background that spans finance, music technology, aviation, and large-scale event production. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, his first connection to Western culture came through the country music scene before transitioning into rodeo and live events. Brad and Dallas first worked together as two of the original founders of The Hondo Rodeo, where Brad saw firsthand Dallas’ expertise in event strategy and business implementation. That collaboration sparked a lasting bond, and today Dallas plays an integral role in shaping the Tough Draw Tour, serving as Event Operations Manager. Dallas’ ability to bridge big-picture planning with on-the-ground execution has made him a key partner in developing events that stay true to Western heritage while reaching new audiences.
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Klyne Kidwill

Strategic Advisor

A Fort Worth native and proud TCU graduate, Klyne Kidwill brings entrepreneurial drive and a strong network within the Western industry to the Tough Draw team. He and Brad Hughes first met during the Fort Worth Stockyards closure while the 1883 project from Taylor Sheridan was filming, and the two have collaborated closely ever since. Over the past several years, Klyne has worked alongside Brad and the Tough Draw team on a range of projects, combining his strong ties in the Stockyards with his natural ability to connect with people. His energy, creativity, and understanding of the Western space make him a key asset in both sales and business strategy, helping Tough Draw continue to grow meaningful relationships and partnerships across the industry.
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Caleb Cowart

Executive Producer

Caleb Cowart is a third-generation partner on a cow-calf operation in Texas, where the values of hard work and stewardship have shaped his perspective from an early age. A graduate of Texas A&M University with a degree in Management and a minor in Law, Caleb brings a rare blend of agricultural roots and business acumen to Tough Draw. Brad and Caleb first crossed paths in 2010, when Brad was newly married and selling gym memberships to make ends meet while Caleb was serving as a general sales manager. The two quickly bonded over a shared passion for sports, laying the foundation for a friendship that would grow into a business partnership. Caleb was instrumental in raising the funds that brought Tough Draw’s feature-length documentary, LANE Life | Legend | Legacy, to life. His influence, instincts, and ambition continue to help position the company for growth while staying true to its mission of telling authentic Western stories. He currently resides in Texas with his wife and two children, proud to pass on the same Western values that guide his work.
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Ready to tell your story?

Whether you're an athlete, a brand, or a partner in the Western space, we’re here to help you bring your vision to life with grit, creativity, and purpose.

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