Yet again, I’m having trouble just getting going on this important, difficult post. So, I’m just going to default to how I framed it in last year’s piece:
“I sit down at the end of each year, and I try to peel back the curtain on SoBros Network and share some insight as to what our year looked like from behind the desk of the EIC. It’s all based in the context of the fact that we started SoBros Network from nothing…no previous following…nothing…all of it, our brand, our following, was built from the ground up, out of dirt. We’ve been able to turn this from a hobby into a promising business capable of sustaining itself and keeping the lights on without draining my personal checking account. Yes, we’ve worked hard…but it wouldn’t mean anything without the people who have helped to support us in getting this crazy overambitious idea off of the ground. That’s you guys – and yes, I’m still trying to think of a better name than “SoBros Nation.” Without the special little community that was born out of SoBros Network, I don’t know that I’m sitting here writing one of these posts for the NINTH time. So, I figure it’s the least I can do to at least give you guys a glimpse into what your time investment on SoBros Network has yielded, and what it’s meant for us.”
*whew* Okay, so there was a lot that happened in 2022 to get to. And, there is most definitely a lot to unpack when it comes to what it means for 2023. I think it’s important for me to start with my frame of mind, and where I’m at mentally right now. My way of thinking about SoBros Network changed in 2021, when I started to see a dynamic shift in my personal life. I started to realize that this thing had been built up, by me, and by plenty of others, to a point where it took care of itself. Maybe I’d never make a million dollars, but to get to a point where we’re afforded the opportunities we are and make a little bit more money than we spend every month is a healthy enough spot to be in for me to take a bit of a step back.
So, over the course of the last year, I’ve mellowed out quite a bit on drive. Those nights spent writing articles, running analytics, and coming up with marketing plans until 2AM are coming a lot further and fewer between (I know go to bed before midnight most nights!). I also take time to enjoy cooking dinner every night. Fuck me, right?! Nonetheless, this context is important when I tell you that in years past, I might’ve been frustrated with how 2022 went for SoBros Network.
Content production was down, these social media algorithms remain a pain in my ass, Google has been fucking with their stuff all year, my screen-printing equipment broke. You name it! If it could’ve gone wrong in the back half of 2022, it felt like it damn near did. Throw in the pressure of balancing that with a booked up personal calendar, and eight hours a day clocking into the day job, and your boy has pretty well had his ass kicked down the stretch this year.
But, that frame of mind I was talking about has kept me sane. Knowing the issues we face, and knowing how to solve them….being excited about the future. That’s where I’m at. But, I’m going to take this opportunity to prop my feet up a little bit and hit the ground running in 2023. 2021 was our best year ever, and it was going to be difficult to surpass that no matter what, but I felt like this was a good moment to pause, regain perspective, and clear my head a bit.
Enough of my nitpicking – the rest of the team is probably going to read this and call me a worrywart anyway, so I don’t want to take up too much of your afternoon contemplating the future of digital media here. Let’s get down to brass tacks. What we did produce in 2022 – at the time of this writing, we’ve written 766 articles this year, posted 88 times to our Patreon, and we’ve recorded 251 podcasts/videos. That’s a total content output of 1,105 items, and I’m stoked to see us smash that 1K mark for the fifth year in a row. We are now sitting at over 7K career articles on SoBros Network, with over 500 Patreon posts, and 887 podcasts/videos (though I know that mark isn’t accurate because it doesn’t include any stats from before we overhauled our entire podcast network in 2018 (long story)). It would only be fitting to hit 10K career content releases in Year 10 of SoBros Network, but I’m getting ahead of myself.
At the time of this writing, we’ve garnered around 7M social media and search engine impressions in 2022 (that’s down from ’21, but I promise I’m going to stop pointing this type of thing out…). We averaged 36K total hits per month, and got our career numbers up to 400K uniques coming to SoBros Network dot com and 1.8M total hits. That’s insane. Completely insane to me. As for our hallmark goals for the year, we did pretty damn good. We hit our production goals, statistical goals, and our financial goals. We got back out into the world with a sales event at Hutton & Smith down in Chattanooga back in the spring, and while I would’ve liked to have done more, it felt great just to get back out there behind a table and slingin’ merch to people. We brought on a few new advertising clients – that was sick. And, maybe most important of all, after YEARS of discussing us packing up our microphones and disappearing into the woods to record podcasts for a few days, we finally did it. We made the SoBros Network Content Retreat a reality. The internet can never take that away from me. It may have been the most special weekend in the company’s history.
We revamped our Patreon in 2022, focusing less on behind-the-scenes access and stories, and focusing more on delivering more of the SoBros Network content you love. Not only did we keep The Patreon Files Podcast going, but we moved Sports Punch to Patreon-exclusive, and launched The Movie Review Rewind Podcast, The SoBros Sitdown, Wrestling With The Past, and the SoBros Collectors Room!
I covered another Super Bowl virtually as credentialed media, which is still fucking wild to me. I’m convinced no one at the NFL actually looked at the site. But, that’s something that I’m incredibly proud of that probably no one just glancing over the site would realize. We’re actually legit, people! I might not act like it all the time, but we’re out here! Steven McCash and I went down to Mobile to cover the Senior Bowl in February. McCash also got in to cover the Chattanooga Film Festival, OUTLOUD Festival, Fantastic Fest, and a couple of other shows and events that he couldn’t even make it to. The man was everywhere! Our resident film critic, Brandon Vick, was credentialed for the Full Frame Documentary Festival, the Atlanta Film Festival, and the Nashville Film Festival. Brittany Fernandez was back covering the Chattanooga Film Festival. And, we even added a fifth credentialed media member this year in Ryan Yearwood, who made trips down to Birmingham and Daytona to cover races. It might seem a little cringe to tout this, and that’s fine. You can roll your eyes, but we worked pretty damn hard for a long damn time to make this something viable. And, that’s exactly what it is now.
Who would’ve thought? Our tiny little corner of the internet that we started carving out in 2013 would eventually gain enough respect to be allowed to chronicle major events. I feel seen. I feel empowered. And, I’m damn sure proud of this team for wearing that press badge with honor.
There’s too much to say about this team from a personal standpoint. I’m not going to speak for what anyone else has going on, but I will say that this year brought with it a number of changes that had us all practicing our balancing act. Yet, no matter how crazy the schedule got, we always made time for one another. We always seemed to find our way back to SoBros Network. I love this team. It’s never been stronger, and it’s because of the supportive and uplifting dynamic that these people have for one another that we can all go hunker down in a cabin for four days without killing each other. They’re all great creators, but they’re even better friends. Who knows what I’d be doing without them? All of the hard work would be worth nothing if I didn’t have them to share it with.
Between our friends at Book’em Nashville, Room In The Inn, The JOY Clinic, and Steven Whitehouse and Friends, we were able to pool together $1,288 worth of donations for charity (with another round of donations to go that just haven’t happened yet at the time of this writing). I always hate sharing this type of stuff publicly. I do believe there are a ton of companies that do this sort of thing for good PR and the heart of that isn’t the same as people who genuinely want to help improve communities. That’s why I roll my eyes when I see a corporation tweeting about their charitable donations. But, I think it’s a testament to our spirit, and the giving nature of this team. We don’t make a fuck ton of money to play with, but we still take the responsibility that comes with what small platform we have seriously, and we want to use it to be a positive force in the world. To date, we’ve raised $4,595 for various area charities.
I want to start wrapping this shit up because it’s gone on way too long already. I usually use this moment to rehash the core values of our company that I set forth years ago.
- Be humble
- Create Fearlessly
- GSD (get shit done)
- Uplift others
Everything I do for SoBros Network, I do it with these values at heart. I have been jaded by 10 years of being chronically online, and I’m a worn down sumbitch because of it. But, this is the shit that keeps me going with the hope that one day our audience growth issues will be resolved, we’ll grow, we’ll make money. Or shit, maybe some investor that sees the value in what we do and the potential we have will throw enough money at us that we can quit our day jobs and take this ship to the moon. Nonetheless, these are my guiding principles, and they’re all mantras that this team upholds to the nth degree.
I want to say a quick “thank you” to our sponsors for 2022 – 440 Sports, Trouble Spirits, MySauceLab, and Kelso Hot Sauce. You guys helped us to produce some really cool shit this summer, and your support isn’t lost on me. Thanks for taking a chance with a small mom-and-pop media company from Nashville. I want to thank our friends that collaborated with us this year – Sean Atkins, RighteousJesse (obligatory Danger Zone Video plug (sidebar: so fucking proud of you and Brittany for getting that store open this year)), Heather Holloway McCash, Zach Lyons (and for the Lizzo tix, king shit), Pat Artus, RHog, and of course, “Producer Billy.”
And, of course, it’s you guys. It always comes down to you guys – the folks reading SoBros Network, listening to our podcasts, watching our videos, chatting with us on social media. This community is the reason for it all. I swear I don’t mean this to be depressing, but it might come across as depressing…life is hard. Sometimes, it sucks. I always set out to create something that was true to me, and would be something that would offer you all a break from your day and a place where everyone belonged. Does it seem silly to set out to accomplish that with a website that writes about hooker ghosts haunting people in Texas??? Sure! But, that’s not the point – the point is that I hope we’ve been able to entertain you, because you’ve given me a chance to chase my dream, and I never want to let you all down. From the bottom of my heart, thank you all for making this another fun year of running SoBros Network.
As for what 2023 holds, well…I don’t quite feel at liberty to talk about it just yet. Stay tuned. We’re going to close things down for our annual holiday, and you’ll get your first blog post at 9AM on Monday, 1/2/23. Now, we’re going to enjoy #GinFriday. We’re going to enjoy our team holiday party. And, we’re going to fucking rest. Why? Shit, I’ve been working at least 70 hours a week for going on 10 years now! I’d like to think I’ve earned a little time off. Happy holidays!
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.
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