06/10/2026
The real reason I decided to make my livelihood RC cars.
One thing that has always fascinated me is how many people assume I work for the RC industry. Not in the literal sense, but almost as if there is some giant RC corporation out there that signs my paycheck and my job is to grow the hobby, promote products, help hobby shops, and make everyone successful.
The reality is much simpler than that.
I don't work for the RC industry. I work for myself.
I get asked, and sometimes told, to do things as if it is my duty or responsibility to help certain companies, tracks, hobby shops, products, or causes. As always, I won't call out specific examples, but there are companies that try to dictate what I review and how I review it. I am not saying I refuse to work with those companies, but the product has to be something I am genuinely excited about before I am willing to accept those kinds of conditions.
One of the biggest disagreements usually comes down to release timing. I say this with complete confidence: nobody knows my YouTube channels and my audience better than I do. There are specific days and times that perform better than others. There are certain products that fit certain seasons. There are topics that resonate with my audience and topics that don't. If I already know what gives the content the best chance of success, why would anyone want me to release it outside of that? It's better for everyone when I can do what I know works.
I see similar situations with hobby shops and track owners. To be clear, this is a very small percentage of people. I would say 90% of the shop and track owners I meet are incredibly respectful of my business and my time. In fact, many of those relationships end up becoming friendships, which is honestly one of the most rewarding parts of what I do. I've met some amazing people because of RC cars.
But there is always that small percentage that believes it is somehow my responsibility to visit their business, promote their track, or help increase their sales. It's almost as if they believe there is a super RC boss somewhere assigning me missions and expecting me to make sure every hobby business succeeds.
Sorry, but that's not how it works.
Almost every hobby shop tour and track visit I do comes directly out of my own pocket. Yes, I make some money from the content. But if you factor in travel expenses, hotel stays, food, time away from my family, editing, filming, and all the other costs involved, most of those trips are not financial home runs. I am usually very transparent about that.
For me, the equation is pretty simple. If I am already going to be in the area and time permits, no problem. If there is an event or experience that I genuinely want to be a part of, meaning I would have attended whether I was filming or not, then I'm all in. But at the end of the day, my time and resources are limited just like everyone else's. I have to be intentional about where I spend them, and sometimes that means saying no to opportunities that simply don't make sense for me. Anyone who knows me knows one of my guiding principles is fairness. If I wouldn't expect someone else to do it for me, I don't think it's fair for them to expect it from me.
The reason I am writing this is because I think people sometimes misunderstand why I do what I do. I don't create content because the industry pays me to grow the hobby. I don't do it because I feel obligated to help every business succeed. I don't do it because I think I'm some ambassador for RC.
I do it because I love RC cars.
It's really that simple.
Sometimes I look around my shop, my house, my warehouse, and all the RC cars I own and think maybe I'm a little crazy. Most rational people would probably say I already have enough RC cars for ten lifetimes. Yet somehow another cool release comes out and I immediately start figuring out where I'm going to put it.
Why?
Because RC cars make me happy.
If a company releases a car that I genuinely want, I'm interested. If a hobby shop or track specializes in a category of RC that excites me, I want to visit. If there is an event built around cars I enjoy, I want to be there. The common thread has never been the business side of the hobby.
It's always been the RC cars.
The funny thing is RC cars are rarely as fun by yourself as they are with a group of people. That's why communities naturally form around them. That's why tracks exist. That's why hobby shops become gathering places. That's why friendships are built.
The community is a byproduct of the passion.
The RC cars came first.
At least they did for me.
