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Matt Dye shares Growing Deer TV
Field Producer and Wildlife Manager at GrowingDeer.TV, Matt Dye shares Growing Deer TV Project. Manager at Patriot Land and Wildlife Management Services, Inc. and MCB Quantico at Wildlife Technician.
We can discuss anything wildlife management, deer hunting, food plot strategy, etc. GrowingDeer covers a lot of topics throughout a year. I also travel and do private land consulting work. Turkey season just closed here, I’m a very big turkey Hunter, not sure if you cover that at all either. Matt Dye shares Growing Deer TV.
The rest of the story…Matt Dye shares Growing Deer TV
Well, it’s an interesting story. Oh gosh, I started out as an intern with GrowingDeer, gosh it was five years ago. I remember sitting at my computer, I was a freshman in college it was actually during exam week, and I was, of course, a fan of the show, loved it, and followed them on Facebook. And I saw that they had interns and man, you know what? I want that experience. I’d been in the classroom for a little bit and I’m a hands on learner so let me just see what I can do. So I sent Grant a message on their Facebook page at that time and just said, “Hey, listen, I’m a wildlife student really interested in getting an internship. Do you guys have anything available coming up in the months to come? I’d love to come out there.” Left my name, my number and email. And finished up exams and three days later I get a phone call that’s Grant Woods on the phone. By that time, I’m home and I remember it distinctly.
I’m out in the truck with my dad and I answer the phone, I’m all nervous and dad’s like, “What’s going on? Who is that?
I’m out in the truck with my dad and I answer the phone, I’m all nervous and dad’s like, “What’s going on? Who is that?” I’m trying to shoo him away trying to focus on the conversation it’s with Grant. And we talk and talk and talk, and just get to know each other, and he asks if I want to come out in August of that so it’s May at that point so come out in August and spend the fall with him and the crew and do an internship. And of course, I got off the phone and was all giddy talking to my dad called my school to see if we could get things switched around. It was a quick turnaround for me. I’d planned to go back to fall, I was actually on the golf team there in college and so had to talk with my coach, had to talk with my advisers, get everything switched around and made it happen. I showed up in Missouri mid-August and stayed with them as an intern through mid-December. Had an awesome time, of course, I had to leave, had to go back East, I’m originally from Virginia, and went back East, finished up my school.
Of course, stayed in touch with Grant and Adam Keith
Of course, stayed in touch with Grant and Adam Keith who’s on the show there as well and works with Grant and his first day as a full-time employee was my first day as an intern. So we had that connection. Both started there together and had a lot of firsts there, and between Adam and Grant we stayed in touch over the next four or five years and I graduated school, finished that up, went to work in Maryland for another wildlife company, worked there for a year and a half. And like I said, stayed in touch and they had an opening. Of course, I was itching to get back out to Missouri the Midwest and work again with Adam and Grant, had a great relationship with them. And when the offer came through I didn’t deny of course, and headed back west and here I am.
Bruce: Wow I’m sitting here just smiling because I’ve got a lot of listeners, our demographics go from teenagers all the way up to old guys like me, and if you had three or five “secrets” or takeaways from how you started your career and how you ended up with GrowingDeer TV could you just share those with our listeners?
One of the funny things is I had never been a big personal social media nut
Matt: Yeah, absolutely. One of the funny things is I had never been a big personal social media nut, now I find myself on social media all the time with the show. But I wouldn’t say I didn’t value it then, but I didn’t understand the true value of it and how it did connect people until I had that experience and basically one of the big takeaways is if you’re eager and you want to do something, go ahead and try it. What risk did I have by putting myself out there and leaving my name and email as a potential wildlife student intern for Grant Woods? I thought okay if he didn’t respond then oh well he didn’t respond. But he did and that speaks volumes.
You’ve just got to put yourself out there and try. Stay in contact with people.
You’ve just got to put yourself out there and try. Stay in contact with people. That’s another. Once you make the initial contact, you work hard you try and showcase your skills and your knowledge and your eagerness to learn. That’s another huge one we’ll probably touch on later on but you just want to stay in contact with them. Make a point to have a personal relationship with them and just talk about family, this and that and just stay up to date with them.
And another one is even for putting myself out there I’m still very blessed and a lot of prayers along the way have been answered to make things come full circle as an intern to a full-time employee and that whole connection. Those years of working to keep those relationships and then finally getting a job offer. There’s a lot of prayers and there’s a lot of answers so relying on God, that’s the biggest portion of it and just following his plans. So those are probably the three biggest tips I’ve got.
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