Ben Friedman | How He Launched Barstool Outdoors | Tom Rowland Podcast Ep. 354

Ben Friedman, known as YoungPageviews, is the creator and host of Barstool Outdoors at Barstool Sports. A lifelong fishing enthusiast who grew up in St. Louis watching Saltwater Experience, Ben turned his passion into a career by pitching and launching Barstool's outdoor content vertical. In this conversation, he reveals how he went from floating around at different jobs in New York to building a team of 20 creators distributed across the country, why he focuses on saltwater fly fishing as his main passion, and the specific moment that validated everything he was building. If you've ever wondered how to turn an idea into a media vertical at a major company, this episode breaks down the actual pitch, the grind, and what's next.

From Saltwater Experience to Barstool Outdoors

Ben traces his entire career trajectory back to one show: Saltwater Experience. Growing up in St. Louis, he watched it religiously, and it planted the seed that if he ever got the chance to be involved in outdoor media, that would be his inspiration. Years later, after studying business at Mizzou and moving to New York, he was floating around at different jobs when he decided to take a shot. He wrote up a proposal and pitched Barstool Sports on creating an outdoor content vertical. The pitch was simple: Barstool had thousands of content creators but zero outlet for outdoor content. He positioned it as an opportunity to tap into a passionate audience that was underserved on their platform. What happened next changed everything. Hear how Barstool responded to the pitch and what Ben did immediately after they said yes.

Building a Team of 20 Across the Country

Within a little over a year, Ben scaled Barstool Outdoors from a solo pitch to a team of about 20 people distributed across the country. They've got creators in Florida, Texas, California, plus producers and editors working remotely and out of offices. Ben explains why that geographic diversity matters: it allows them to capture content from different regions and showcase different types of fishing and outdoor experiences. But scaling that fast comes with challenges. Ben is candid about the biggest obstacle he's faced: more content ideas than capacity to produce. He's constantly thinking about efficiency, hiring, and using technology to maintain quality while scaling. The team produces YouTube videos, podcasts, TikTok, Instagram, blogs, and original content across every platform. The full breakdown of how he's managing rapid growth and what's next starts at 00:03:41.

The Brent Ehrler Moment

When Tom asks Ben about the most interesting moment at Barstool Outdoors so far, Ben doesn't hesitate. Getting Brent Ehrler to do content with them was a validation moment he still thinks about. Brent is a legend in the fishing world with an incredible skill set and a huge following. When he agreed to collaborate with Barstool Outdoors, it confirmed that what Ben was building had credibility beyond just the Barstool audience. It showed him they were on the right track and that serious anglers respected the content they were creating. Ben also mentions working with creators like Fishing with Luiza, a female angler, and Scout and the City, who has a strong following. But the Brent Ehrler partnership stands out as the moment where Ben knew this thing was real. The full story about how that collaboration came together and what it meant for the brand starts at 00:12:22.

The 60-80 Hour Grind and the Startup Mentality

When Tom asks how many hours Ben is putting into Barstool Outdoors, Ben gives a number that anyone building something from scratch will recognize: 60-80 hours a week. He calls it a startup mentality. Even though Barstool Outdoors operates under the Barstool Sports umbrella, Ben treats it like a startup. He's grinding, he's on the water filming content, he's in the office checking analytics and planning the next shoots, and he's constantly meeting with his team. His typical day is a mix of being on the water, being in the office, and making sure the content they're creating is relevant and engaging. Ben also talks about maintaining passion in the face of that grind. His answer is simple: remember why you started. He started Barstool Outdoors because he wanted to create content about the outdoors and inspire people to get outside and experience it. As long as he's doing that every day, the passion stays. If you lose sight of that mission, it becomes just a job. Hear Ben's full advice for people thinking about starting their own business or building their own brand.

Final Thoughts from Tom

I really enjoyed this conversation with Ben. What stands out to me is how he took action instead of waiting for someone to give him permission. He wrote up a proposal, he pitched it, and when they said yes, he went all in. That's the mindset that builds something real.

Ben's also honest about the grind. He's putting in 60-80 hours a week, and he's doing it because he remembers why he started. That's the key to maintaining passion when you're building something from scratch. If you lose sight of the mission, it becomes just a job.

Whether you're into saltwater fly fishing, you're thinking about starting your own brand, or you're just curious about how outdoor media works, this episode is worth your time. Ben breaks down the pitch, the process, and what's next for Barstool Outdoors. Listen to the whole thing.