Welcome! The following are the results and insights I gained when Latitude 64’s Jonathan Fastborg graciously took the time to chat with me about his disc golf journey and his content creation process. I hope you find it both interesting and perhaps even educational…
Latitude 64’s Jonathan Fastborg – An Introduction
Sometimes, when I listen to interviews of people that have found commercial success, in any medium, I get frustrated.
They talk about their process, and how relatable people tell them they are, and how hard they worked, and on and on…
You know what they don’t talk about?
Luck.
Being at the right place at the right time, and benefiting from it. When I look at a lot of their situations, I see a lot of good fortune, and stars aligning, which is coupled with the hard work, etc, to get where they got.
And if they don’t acknowledge that luck, they lose my interest rapidly.
This can be music, business, and, yes, even disc golf.
Jonathan Fastborg, the face of Latitude 64’s incredibly successful YouTube “campaign,” might be an exception.
Did he benefit from starting the channel at the right time and capitalizing on the pandemic-fueled disc golf boom? Absolutely.
Was it helpful for him to have a major player in the disc golf community, like Latitude 64, backing him? 100%.
Does he acknowledge this good fortune as part of his story? He surely does.
But, personally, I’m of the mind that Jonathan Fastborg, was going to be successful in front of a camera even if he didn’t benefit from such fortuitous circumstances. His combination of drive, humor, irreverence, thoughtfulness, consistency, and more are just too much for me to believe that he wasn’t going to be successful in this YouTube medium.
Jonathan was gracious enough to hop on a Zoom call with me and tell me his story. He took me inside the mind of a YouTube content creator and gave me insight I had not considered or expected.
I found it intriguing, instructive, insightful and plenty more. I think you will as well.
Let’s begin with his story…
Jonathan Fastborg’s Disc Golf Beginnings
Nobody in the history of disc golf has watched Jonathan throw a disc and said “Wow! I wish I could throw like him.” If that’s why people tuned in, they might be better off watching YouTube channels of people heaving luggage into baggage compartments of airplanes(My feeble attempt at humor…apologies).
How then, is he one of disc golf’s most recognizable and popular figures able to captivate so many of us on a regular basis?
It turns out, like so many disc golf origin stories, there was a very real chance that Jonathan never landed in our sport.
“I studied radio and journalism in school, and did a little video creation on the side. When I was applying for jobs, I had mentioned in my C.V. (resume) that I did some work on YouTube and that was how I stood out.”
It just so happens that Latitude 64, in their hiring process, was looking for more of a YouTube presence and they called Jonathan in for an interview.
From here, Jonathan, with his infectious personality, gets the job, and here we are. The chances, in hindsight, were very slim that Jonathan and Latitude 64 would find each other, but here we are with yet another disc golf origin story that felt as though it was written in the stars.
The Light Goes Green with Latitude 64
Once he signed on the dotted line, he had to get in the lab and start producing content.
As far as he was concerned, having never played, he wasn’t trying to pretend to be anything he wasn’t (sort of like when good actors that are bad at sports star in sports movies).
He wanted his entire journey documented on his YouTube channel.
Later on in the interview when I asked him how much he played on his own he told me this.
“When I first started out, I wanted to make sure that every throw was caught on camera. That way people could see the progression unfold before them.”
So that’s what he did. He just started documenting his journey, one step at a time. A lot of his early stuff is very instructive to beginners.
Calculated or not, that’s a pretty smart move. Who better to attract than a beginner? Right away they learn a few things for their game and they also learn that they like this Jonathan guy’s brand of content.
Below, you can watch Jonathan’s very first video with Latitude 64. It’s one of his lesser known videos that only (by his standards) has garnered 8.5k views. From there, he was off to the races and neither he nor Latitude 64 have ever looked back.
Perhaps most, eye-opening, and incredibly instructive if you are thinking of entering into the video content medium, was Jonathan’s insight into the process of creating each video.
The Video Creation Process
When watching Latitude 64’s videos featuring Jonathan, you might be tempted to think “Oh, he’s just got that it factor. He just turns the camera on and let’s his star shine.”
The reality, on the other hand, and the part that stood out to me the most, might prove informative for others looking to enter the disc golf content creation scene, is the exact opposite. Jonathan, it turns out, puts in A LOT of work for each and every video.
“For a while there, I was almost obsessive about every video I put out, start to finish,” he tells me.
Here’s a look at Jonathan’s overarching steps for each video and how long it takes him.
Step 1: Generating Ideas
The video starts with an idea. (He does his best thinking on walks by the way.) And with each potential idea for a video, Jonathan labors over a few questions.
“I’m always trying to figure out how I can keep my viewers drawn in for the entire video. I always want there to be some sort of hook that keeps them watching until the end.”
-Jonathan Fastborg
In addition, he told me, he is always thinking about the person that might be watching his content for the first time. In essence, he wants the video to resonate with a person that doesn’t know his personality and to make that person comes back for more.
Finally, he never wants to look like he’s advertising. “Rather than asking of people, my hope is to give.”
After he has his idea and some vision on how he wants it to go, it’s time to prepare.
Step 2: Preparation and Shooting
Once the idea is in place, he has to get all the materials.
One hidden joy Jonathan has with his job is submitting his budget to Latitude 64’s accounting division.
“At first, they would always question me, about every item I was buying and why it was necessary. Eventually, over the years, I kind of broke them I guess? Now, they just run it through. Recently, for a video, I just put in for a bunch of animal costumes, and I didn’t hear a word… They’re the best.” He says the same about the entire Latitude 64 operation in fact…
So, once he has all his materials and his equipment set up, and he has a vision laid out for how it will go, it’s time for the actual filming.
From there, depending on weather, light, and whether or not his mouth is getting the words out the way he likes, the timing of the filming session can be quite variable, but usually a few hours at least.
And then there’s the editing.
Editing and Total Time
One little known fact is that Jonathan does all of his own editing.
This means he has to go through all his takes, find the best ones, figure out what he missed, add writing, sound effects, splice it together and so much more to make sure his vision for the video is realized.
All told, from start to finish, he tells me it takes him an entire week of work to create one video.
Like we said at the beginning, with his laid-back demeanor on camera and his intentional inclusion of some the less manicured content such as outtakes, swears and the like, you might have thought he just turned the camera on, threw a few discs, made a few pithy comments and called it a day.
The reality is that it is anything but…
He puts a ton of work into his craft.
Luck, Latitude, Talent and Work Ethic Unite!
Jonathan will be the first person to tell you that he had some good fortune on his side. He just so happened to shoot his first video early into the pandemic when disc golf was about to reach a new level.
He also signed on with one of the biggest disc manufacturing countries in the world. That right there, gives you a well-established platform.
But prior to his first video (below) not one of Latitude 64’s videos eclipsed 100K views (only one is close at 86K and most sit in the 5K -15K range). Jonathan has authored many over 750K and one that is quickly approaching one million.
That’s not all luck.
That’s drive. It’s creativity. It’s talent. It’s vision. It’s teamwork. It’s Humor. It’s Consistency. It’s plenty more as well…
Some things absolutely went his way, but Jonathan played an enormous role in his own success that is not to be overlooked.
And in his journeys, Jonathan uncovered another benefit to his job as well…
Love For and From the Disc Golf Community
Jonathan, by his own admission, when he first set foot into the disc golf world, did not know a lick about the game.
He also didn’t know about you.
I’ve said it before, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find a more positive, inclusive, and giving group of people than the disc golf community.
And let’s just say there is a lot of love going both ways when it comes to Jonathan and the DGC.
Read the comments of any video he’s posted and you’ll see a showering of effusive praise for his humor and his efforts. All well deserved.
But it goes both ways. Watch all the way to the end of many videos and you’ll see that sincere, heartfelt gratitude and love reciprocated back at the DGC.
The same can be said about his feelings for the people he works with at Latitude 64. Whether it’s the folks he creates videos with (many of which we know and enjoy quite a bit), or people behind the scenes, he’s very appreciative of all the people at Latitude 64.
The bottom line is that Jonathan’s genuine caring for disc golf and its members comes through in his videos. He truly wants to give and be helpful, as well as to entertain.
This connection he has formed is yet another reason, he’s found success at his job.
Wrapping Up Loose Ends
I’m very thankful to Jonathan for taking the time to chat with me. Not only was he giving with his time, but he was equally giving with his insight into his profession.
And similar to his videos, where he wants to give not take, when I asked him what he wanted to plug, he had no interest in any of that.
As he took me behind the curtain on the content creation process and let me better understand his thought process for video creation, he opened my eyes to all the work that is needed to do what he does. From fresh ideas, planning, gathering materials, preparing equipment, shooting, editing, and more, there is so much that goes into each video.
Combine all that work with his many natural talents, his innate drive and his genuine connection with the disc golf world and you can see how it’s all come together for him.
Put it all together and you can see why, despite an advantageous start, I would argue that he was going to make it in any endeavor he chose, as long as a camera was involved.
And as for luck? I think there’s enough luck for all parties don’t you?
Maybe the real word is gratitude?
We can all be grateful that Jonathan and disc golf found each other.
Everyone is better off for it.
Thank you all for reading! In the comments, please feel free to chime in with your thoughts or experiences with Jonathan. In addition,feel free to subscribe to my very infrequent newsletter. I give you my latest posts which include personalities, disc selection, new disc golf equipment, reviews and more.
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