Meat Eater

[syoungs]

Bacause money talks. Im sure the add revenue was large from walmart.

 

[jmez]

He has a job. His job happens to be our hobby. Why would he not try to maximize his income? How many on here routinely pass up promotions or jobs that would pay them more? He doesn't either.

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[Runningwater]

I enjoy the show and agree that its gotten a lot more commercialization. While it was a little more fun and quaint before, it's certainly hard to begrudge someone making some hay after many years of hard work. I am curious though....who the hell is buying the "sausage box kit" on his website, consisting of 5 lbs of pork trim, 5 lbs of pork fat, and 2 packs of natural casing for $115? That is fascinating to me.

 

[Staninator]

If I had the opportunity to hunt with anyone, it would be Steve. He’ll push products but that’s essentially how he needs to keep making money. The spin-offs are alright but the show keeps on giving. Eventually it’ll just be revamped episodes of previous hunts because you can only have so much variety.

 

[rodney482]

Best outdoor show on TV

 

[Desk Jockey]

I am a big fan. “Found” him a few years back in the early days of the meateater show and have read and followed most of what he has done in video and print. I like the podcast and like most of the spin off shows. I want to hunt and have beer with Ole cal more than just about anyone on the earth and I am standing in line to be Danielle Prewett’s second husband cause she is cute as hell AND can cook up a storm. I like the fishing boat web series, the deer hunting back 40, the documentary, etc. I honestly appreciate the angle they take - such as here is a plot of land in Michigan and here is what we did to turn it into a really nice deer property. Here is a banged up POS boat and here is how we made it work in a variety of fishing situations with a little work. Even the core meateater hunts are usually on public land and done in ways that are theoretically more accessible to “regular“ people. I like that more than here is a half hour video of me hunting on my private whitetail palace stuffed with product placements or here is a video of me taking $100k sheep hunt in Unodtainistan that you will never be able to do also stuffed with product placement. I also like their message about conservation and hunting ethics And the fact that they tend to dive deeper than most and go beyond tactics and gear to talk about some really interesting issues impacting hunting.

I have bought some tshirts, first lite, vortex and Weston gear among others based on his usage, but I haven’t bought a lot of the the super high end stuff. Sure, some of the stuff seems pricey but I assume it is selling and it is easy enough for me to choose not buy.

Overall, I think he is one of the most thoughtful and articulate voices out there in hunting media. Yeah he shills some product, but that is how you make money. I think the way he does it is a notch above a lot of hunting shows in terms of integrity and presentation and most of what he shills is pretty good stuff that I might buy anyway. There are a lot of other hunting media figures that are much more brazen about product placement and promotion.

it seems to me, that he is now using the meateater brand as an incubator for hunting media and business concepts. he’s giving a platform to some really cool people and boosting them up by brand affiliation. They are just trying out different things and leaning into what works.

 

[VenaticOppidan]

I was late to the party on Rinella and the MeatEater brand, started watching the show about 4 years ago, starting listening the podcast about 2years ago.

I get irritated when I hear plug after plug, just like anybody else. That being said, that is his job. he is a good ambassador to the hunting world, and I've learned more in the last 2 years from listening the podcast then I've learned in the prior 12. He deep dives into different challenges facing hunting, as well as has on very interesting guests and experts to discuss various animals, hunting styles, biology, conservation challenges, recipes, all mixed together with a friendly open conversational feel, like you and your friends talking.

Between his books, the tv show, the podcast, the youtube channel, the documentary, etc... this dude is always grinding. Tremendous work ethic. I am jealous he gets to rake in money to do what I shovel out tons of money for.

We all get sick of over commercialization, but very few, if any, of us would turn down a cash cow like that so we didn't "sell out".

 

[whaack]

I like MeatEater snd their content. Steve is taking his vision snd turning it into a model he can use to feed his family while at the same time putting out great content. I don’t agree with everything the say or do but that’s life. Take the good with the bad. Support them where you can and give constructive criticism where needed.


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[Meridian90]

I enjoyed most of the 'bonus' content. The show and podcast have always been top notch. Sure there is a dud in there every once in a while, but what show doesn't have that?

I really enjoyed Das boat season 2 because it was in my neck of the woods. Not a huge Kenyon fan, because I think his actions run contrary to what QDM actually is about, despite his constant preaching about it, but as far as audience, it connects with section of hunting that is probably the largest in the country, so it really does expand the reach of the brand.

I really like Janis and Steve. Some of my favorite moments are when they make light of some of the absurdities of what people do when hunting.

I think my favorite more recent moment is during a season 1 episode of Back 40, Kenyon is pulling trail cams and he uses some scent block BS to make sure he doesn't "leave scent" in the woods, and Janis and Steve just bust out laughing. That shows me that they are still themselves even with some fame coming their way.

 

[bsnedeker]

Just skip the ads, easy to do. Every podcast player I've used has a skip 30 seconds button. They even put a helpful music track behind the ads so you know when to stop skipping.

I absolutely cannot stand Mark Kenyon or Ben O'Brian but I enjoy the rest of their content. It's all free so people complaining about them making money off ads and sponsorships seems really silly to me.

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[jmez]

People look at it completely wrong. Rinella isn't doing what we are doing. He's making a living. Of course he's going to approach it differently.

It is no different than pro sports figures. Guys can't figure out how someone could just leave after years with a team and go to the division rival. Brett Favre anyone? It's because he's not a Packers fan. He's making a living. He's going to go where he has the best opportunity. No difference than us and our jobs.

 

[progpnw]

I can’t blame the guy for getting paid to do what he loves. I’m not sure I’d do anything different if I was in his position.


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[roosiebull]

I’m a huge fan of Steve Rinella and the show Meat Eater. With that said, to me it seems Steve is selling out and caving into ads and spin off shows.

well... yeah... he literally sold out a couple years ago, now he is just playing the role he has to. that's just real life, he's just trying to make the best decisions he can at the time.... i don't blame him, and he still gets to express himself, which i think is what's important to him.

i can't think of anyone who is really successful that didn't end up selling out to some extent, he created a lot of worth in the public's eye and is cashing in.... can't blame him.

i still like Steve, he produces the most refreshing hunting content on TV imo, not only to watch, but to represent hunting to the masses.... he still does a great job at that, but you have to make compromises in life, he's making his and i don't think it's effecting his brand in the big picture.

i don't watch much hunting, but will scroll through his episodes on netflix if i'm home bored and watch the ones i want. i used to watch his stuff more.... really liked "the wild within" i think his first show was.... meat eater has gradually become more commercialized, but that's the nature of the beast and i don't fault him for it in the least..... none of us can without walking in his shoes. i think at least most of us would do what's best for our families if faced with a big financial situation..... he's making a great career for himself and tastefully representing hunters.

 

[Carpenterant]

I could see myself being represented, as a hunter, by a lot worse people then them

 

[tmwtrfwler]

Hard to knock a guy that is making a living getting free gear, guns, trips, etc. while getting paid to do so while doing something we all love to do.

Compare Steve to the other 'hunting' shows. Steve keeps very true to his roots which is the entirety of hunting. The lifestyle, ethics, hardships, rewards, and most importantly why we hunt. The other shows can't hold his jock. Deer shooting shows over bait, high fence, blah blah blah.

Now, analogous to Steve is Phil Robertson that started Duck Commander. He did the same thing Steve did by growing his brand to provide for his family. There is zero difference in what each has done. Both put hunting in the publics view in positive ways. One more comically and one to better explain what we do and why. Phil and his family, once they made it big, certainly couldn't produce the same media they did on their first 4-5 VHS tapes. Those were absolute classics. They had to do certain things for their investors which meant clean it up. Steve has to push a little more product...big deal.

Totally understandable. It's nothing different than all of us and our work. We have to do things professionally and/or act a hair more mature at work than with our buds. Just as an example check your text message chains to your friends vs. what you send to your coworkers......there you go. Have you sold out for work? Didn't think so.

We should all feel lucky to have a guy like Steve promoting the good in hunting.

 

[-bowfreak-]

I like his content. I can turn off his podcast when he has the random leftist on that I can't stomach. For whatever reason in the hunting community its taboo when someone grows their business. A small business owner who grows their business to the point of having multiples locations or multiple facets is seen as living the American Dream but a guy who does this in the hunting realm is a sellout.

 

[def90]

I'll keep watching and listening to him until he starts wearing flat brimmed baseball hats down over his tucked in ears.

It costs a lot of $$ to produce quality video content, he needs to pay for it somehow, can't fault him for that.

 

[JRPrev]

He's finally making coin doing what he loves. Hard to call him a sell out for it.

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[tgus59]

I don't understand how some people can like a guy, and want him to stay poor! If he starts a reality show like the guys from Duck Commander, I'll draw the line, but I would also probably watch it.

 

[YippingCoyote]

I love his book American Buffalo.

His show is not as good as it used to be (too much Rinella now a days, and not enough focus on hunting) but is still probably the best hunting show out there.