+ backyARd Conway
THE WILD LIFE Want to learn about fishing? Have an urge to learn more about wildlife? Do you love snake videos on YouTube? There’s a local couple who might be just right for you. Cole and Jay Harken started uploading videos of their wildlife adventures to their personal social media accounts for fun a few years ago. They never would have dreamed they would now have nearly 200,000 followers on YouTube and be working as full-time wildlife content creators, but here they are. The video that hit things off was no different than the rest, but for some reason, this one went viral. It was a video of Jay handling a Nerodia rhombifer, more commonly known as a diamondback water snake. “She had posted hundreds of this type of videos before, but this one took off and got millions and millions of views,” Cole said. The newfound attention came at a time when Cole and Jay had finished college — him with a degree in wildlife management and hers in environmental studies — but were unsure what they wanted to do next. “I knew from an early age I wanted a different career path,” Cole said. “When I worked normal jobs or retail jobs in school, I wasn’t happy. I was always trying to get back outside and follow my dreams.”
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Jay’s video popularity came as a lot of other YouTubers were finding success posting fishing and wildlife videos, so Cole and Jay decided to give it a shot. “We made a YouTube channel and started posting,” Cole said. “We didn’t expect anything from it, but we got traction and got to where our channel was monetized.” The duo’s first upload netted nearly 10,000 views and by their fifth video, they’d reached more than 870,000 views. Some of their more popular uploads — including fishing for bullfrogs and snake encounters — have eclipsed a million views. The couple’s most popular upload to-date is a 13-minute video where they gave one of the butterflies they’d raised a new wing. “We want to entertain folks and get them excited about going outside and learning about wildlife,” Cole said. When the YouTube venture started, Cole made a deal that he’d quit his part-time retail
job if they reached 100,000 followers. The couple now have nearly 200,000 subscribers and average tens of thousands of views on their uploads, which sees the couple exploring the Natural State and its beauty. A search of their channel will show a bevy of fishing outings, peppered with snake catching, cooking and storage tips, and family outings with their son, Cypress. The couple tries to upload three to five videos each week of their outings. “It takes a lot to make a living on YouTube,” Cole said. “But it’s nice to work for ourselves, do what we enjoy and work at our own pace.” While they may not be using their education in the traditional sense, Cole and Jay are using their love of the outdoors to inspire and encourage others to get out and enjoy the beauty around them. “Being outside boosts your physical and mental health,” Cole said. “You have time to focus on yourself and what’s around you.”
“We want to entertain folks and get them excited about going outside and learning about wildlife.” - Cole Harken
