10 MARCH 2024 | INTHEVUE.COM “Starting out, we knew that we didn’t want to just have a regular 9-5 job,” Emily says. “From the beginning we never really desired that, so we’ve always said yes to opportunity, even if it felt scary or risky. Moving to South Korea without knowing Korean or anyone there is a big risk, but it was exciting, and it pushed our limits.” “While we were there, we decided to start making videos and posting them on YouTube for our friends and family at home.” After journeying from South Korea back to the U.S., taking more risks, living in an RV, and embracing their shared wandering spirit, the couple finally settled back in Paducah. You could say that this story really begins here, with Jason parlaying the couple’s hobby into a job producing videos for Ingram’s Water & Air. It was here that Jason honed the craft of storytelling through video. And, just like before, he knew he didn’t have to look far for a partner. “I used Emily a lot for writing and on-screen personality,” Jason says. “I say now that we really spent five years training through that so we could get here.” And that here…well, it’s maybe where this story really begins. After working together to craft a life for themselves that defied the norm, after looking risk squarely in the eye, and after spending years calibrating both the skill and the passion, the couple finally made a pact. In 2022, the year of TikTok, they were going all in. “I pestered Emily for about six months saying that we could make a comedy channel out of her ‘crunchy lifestyle,’” says Jason. “So, finally we did it - we committed to making a video every day for a year. By August of that year, we were doing it full time.” They were only eight videos into their year when their latest installment went viral. “It was so crazy,” Emily says. “It felt like a lot of hard work had finally paid off. At that point, we’d been creating content together for 15 years and then, suddenly, this one just landed.” “It felt very rewarding and also sorta like winning the lottery.” For Jason, this felt like, well, a beginning. “The first time it happened, it felt completely surreal and really exciting,” he says. “One day we had 10,000 followers, and by the end of the week we had 100,000, and by the end of the next week we had 250,000.” “Once we started hitting those big numbers, I thought this was going to turn into something we could do full time.” Now, the couple has dialed into a rhythm of balancing family life, their content creation business, and their storytelling, but according to Jason, they are also still chasing that next big opportunity. “We enjoy the process of storytelling and we love creating something that’s funny and engaging,” he says. “We don’t always hit the bullseye, but when we do, it’s a cool feeling because you know you are relating to a lot of people. It’s kind of addictive in a way.” Across all their social media platforms, the couple is now relating to more than “a lot of people”, with videos that are raking in millions of views. They have three million followers that have pushed them to two billion views total. Jason attributes that success largely to Emily. “I saw it years ago when I married her,” he says. “Emily is just such a likable person. She’s just genuine. Onscreen, she has a lovable personality and her fans can see that. They see her as a friend and as a person that they would like to spend the day with. In reality, she really is that person you want to be around all the time.” “I think that really shines through in the videos. From early on, she’s always been the best part of them.” “I’m always a supporting role,” he says. “She’s got the onscreen presence. She’s got the personality to make it shine. But, she doesn’t want to do all the business stuff. She enjoys telling the jokes, connecting with fans, the personal side of it. I enjoy the
