PEW PEW TACTICAL

2018-2022

CONCEPT

CONTENT

COPYWRITING

PRODUCTION

STRATEGY

accessibility in self-defense media

At Pew Pew Tactical, I led a shift in how digital-first audiences engage with self-defense and EDC content - developing a creative strategy that prioritized clarity, inclusivity, and platform-native storytelling.

As Social Media Director, I oversaw concepting, scripting, and full-stack video production, creating high-retention formats tailored to underserved viewers who often felt excluded from traditional defense media. Whether breaking down complex gear ecosystems or navigating cultural nuance, the goal was to lower the barrier to entry without dumbing things down.

Our content fused editorial polish with approachability - inviting a broader spectrum of viewers into the space, while still respecting its seriousness.

equity as a growth engine

I’m just a regular guy who grew up in Southern California with a normalized, responsible relationship to firearms - and as it turns out, that perspective resonated.

I leaned into what I wasn’t. I didn’t pretend to be high-speed or tactical. I stayed grounded in what I could speak to: the questions a beginner might be afraid to ask, the nuances behind gear choices, the honest experience of learning in public.

That approach created room for a broader, more inclusive audience - one that didn’t feel talked down to, excluded, or overwhelmed. By being transparent about my own knowledge gaps and thoughtful in how I explained each topic, I built real two-way trust. The result was a community that showed up, engaged, and kept coming back - not because I knew everything, but because I treated them like they could too.

For too long, firearms culture has been framed by narrow voices and exclusionary aesthetics. But ownership isn’t reserved for operators, vets, or people who fit a certain mold. The Second Amendment was never meant to be a private club - it’s a civil right, and civil rights are for everyone.

In a space saturated with legacy voices and gatekeeping, equitable access to self-defense knowledge wasn't just a design principle - it was a growth engine.

During my tenure as Director of Social Media at Pew Pew Tactical, I scaled our video presence from obscurity to industry dominance: growing YouTube from 1.5k to 300k+ subscribers, driving over 500k total new social followers across all platforms, and quadrupling lifetime CTR through iterative and incessant creative testing.

Our editorial site surpassed 1.2M monthly sessions, with over $2M in affiliate revenue driven through organic and social-first funnels. Across YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, I scripted and produced content that trended platform-wide, often eclipsing 1M views - all while maintaining a brand voice that welcomed first-time owners and seasoned users alike.

longform content

The bread and butter of my time with ppt - i focused on engaging, informative, and instructive content that routinely achieved

multi-million view breakout virality

An accessible and friendly foray into the history of the legendary M14 rifle before getting into the gnitty-gritty (and peculiar) performance of its contemporary civilian variant: The Springfield Armory M1A

Building out an Aero Precision Pistol Caliber Carbine and getting a little wild with the patina in the process - chased with a conceptual discussion of the practicality of 9mm AR platforms.

The complete history of of the MK-18 / CQBR program before exhaustive hands-on testing of DD’s current iteration through a variety of kinetic environments.

As Director of Social, I owned nearly the entire content production process - from early calendar planning and product coordination

to scriptwriting, performance, production, and community response, I took videos from concept to execution and beyond.

I owned the full content pipeline for longform video - from coordinating shoot logistics and developing narrative frameworks to scripting, voicing, and guiding edits. I built production calendars around embargoes and sample arrivals, collaborated on shot lists and course design, and led each project from concept to final cut.

The result? Repeated breakout performance across YouTube and social, with content that didn’t just land - it thrived. By staying engaged and genuine post-launch, I built community and trust in the comment sections that followed - leading to routine questions asking where I went years after parting ways with the company.

A fantastic example of my ability to tie historical context into contemporary content: a dive into the PP-19 Vityaz’s origin story before a thorough examination KUSA’s modern, civilian-accessible KP-9.

INVESTIGATIVE RUSSO-UKRAINIAN WAR

SHORTFORM CONTENT

a dive into the small arms of the conflict in the infancy of the conflict

View the Full Playlist

HIDDEN HYBRID HOLSTERS:

branding TOLD THROUGH MASTERY OF CRAFT

As Director of Social, I was often pulled into high-impact projects that blurred the line between content, creative direction, and performance marketing. One standout was our full-stack production for Hidden Hybrid Holsters: a B2B storytelling piece crafted specifically for paid social campaigns.

How do you turn a holster into a story? For Hidden Hybrid Holsters, it started with a unique premise: modern kydex retention up front, paired with traditional Amish leather in back - a hybrid of comfort and precision that quite literally molds to the user.

The final piece became the centerpiece of a successful PPC campaign that exceeded expectations - so much so that Hidden Hybrid had to scale up fulfillment and bring on additional staff to meet demand.

It’s one of my proudest examples of brand storytelling that actually moved product.

I concepted the entire arc of this B2B campaign from scratch, leaning into the tactile, tangible heritage that sets HHH apart. Working directly with the brand, I crafted a visual and narrative flow centered on why their gear matters - not just how it's built. That meant flying to Ohio, sequencing shots in a working Amish leather workshop, and highlighting century-old equipment still used by master craftsmen to this day.

I collaborated with our videographer to lock in every shot and storyboard moment, ensuring that even without voiceover, the visuals told a compelling and emotive tale. From there, I worked one-on-one with HHH’s founder to script and direct a 2-minute brand origin story that hit all the right emotional notes: comfort, trust, family, protection.