Behind the Screen

Behind the Screen

From a teenager with passion and a dream, to a key figure in the content creation of a prevalent social media group, 20-year-old Jackson Haltom is working to build a successful career in the difficult realm of social media.

"As a kid, he used to tell me he was going to have his own YouTube channel, and that’s how he would make his living. I found it cute that he believed that, but I knew nothing about the possibilities,” Jackson Haltom’s mom, Lindy Hatridge, said. “Pursuing a career in social media was foreign to me, so my role as his mom was to support and trust his heart and know that God’s plan would lead to a successful future.”

Haltom grew up in Texarkana, Texas. He attended Texas High School, where he was involved in student life and played on the Tiger soccer team. Through the media outlets at the school and around Texarkana, he found his passion. “I first got into social media and content creation by taking a class in high school,” Haltom said. “[I originally started] taking photos in my junior year.”

Haltom worked on numerous projects for Texas High, including a documentary about the football team’s season, and multiple promotion videos across different school sports. Beginning his social media journey, Haltom uploaded these videos and mixtapes to social media sites like TikTok and Instagram, where they would gain thousands of views, building his following. “I started creating hype videos for our high school football team and I quickly fell in love with it,” Haltom said. “I continued to work on my craft throughout my senior year of high school, continuing to find success with my videos.”

After leaving Texas High, Haltom went on to Texas A&M University at College Station, where he would continue to hone his skills. “I went to A&M to pursue creative media. There, I made videos for the football, basketball, baseball, and track teams,” Haltom said. “That opened up so many opportunities for me, like working for the Olympics over the summer,” and an opportunity with Dude Perfect.

What began as a summer internship soon transformed into a full-time position as a social media manager for Dude Perfect. Dude Perfect is a globally recognized sports and entertainment brand, and their content has skyrocketed in popularity over the years. Founded by five college roommates—Tyler Toney, Coby Cotton, Cory Cotton, Garrett Hilbert, and Cody Jones—who turned their love of sports, competition, and creative challenges into one of the most successful YouTube empires in history. They are known for their seemingly impossible trick shots, stunts, and comedy sketches.

A social media manager aids in keeping content fresh. Haltom caught their eye as the perfect person to fill this role. “Jackson’s creativity really impressed me,” Dude Perfect co-founder, Coby Cotton, said. “Most people are satisfied with a simple or straightforward social edit, and Jackson’s body of work showed me he enjoyed pushing creative limits... to me, there’s no better indicator of what someone is capable of than previous work.”

Working with Dude Perfect as their social media manager opened Haltom up to learning opportunities, and it allowed him to pick up new skills at an early age. However, working with a platform as big as this required some adjustments. “My role is running all of Dude Perfect’s social media platforms,” Haltom said. “When I came here, I just edited videos. Now, I’ve had to learn so many more skills like directing, creating plans for videos, and running such large platforms. These guys have over 100 million followers and I had to learn quickly how to manage all of that.”

As social media is always changing, this role keeps Haltom on his toes. The unexpectedness of it all is something Haltom finds exciting. “On a day-to-day basis, I could be editing videos, filming my own social videos, or be on set while they film YouTube videos,” Haltom said. “Every day is completely different, which is why I love working here so much.”

The enormous transition into this big role has come with its own unique set of mental tests. “My biggest challenge was shifting from hype sports videos to creating ideas for funny social videos that will go viral online. I never cared to go viral before, but now that’s the main goal,” Haltom explained. “I got thrown into the fire as soon as I got here, and it doesn’t get easier. You just get used to it. Every day is different and fast-paced. So just having to switch my mindset and learn so many new things in such a short period of time wasn’t easy.”

However, there is a bright side to every challenge. “I’ve made a good transition here. So much so that the statistics of views and interactions are vastly different,”

Haltom said. “I just posted a video the other day that got over 160 million views and it’s very encouraging to see your videos have an impact like that. I’ve slowly gotten used to the crazy environment, and I love it.”

Haltom and the Dude Perfect teams work together to ensure their productions run seamlessly and their viewers get the highest quality videos. “We have a team that handles a lot of the business deals, and a lot of times they have requests for videos to be put on social media,” Haltom said. “The Dudes grant us full creative freedom, and they will even help come up with ideas occasionally.”

With the constant evolution of social media and technology, it is helpful having people who can tap into new ideas. “Jackson (along with team member Clay Medling) have really helped change the tone of our social presence. By tapping into popular trends, they’ve given our social media a much younger and more current vibe,” said Cotton. “‘The chill guy’ post on [November 25] exemplifies this for me. Nothing fancy, just creative and really struck a positive nerve with our fans.”

Haltom’s success in the media field has affected not only his viewer’s perspective of social media, but his family’s as well. “Through Jackson’s professional experiences in the digital world, my perspective on the ‘traditional way’ of getting a job, interviewing, and navigating life is NOT the traditional way anymore!” Hatridge said. “Jackson may not know this, but he’s raising me in this ‘new era.’ I have embraced the idea that I am among many that are watching our kids pave a new way of life in the digital age. The digital world makes things so much easier and opens up endless possibilities.”

Moving forward, Haltom is hoping to continue growing his skills and improving with Dude Perfect, and looks forward to whatever opportunities the future may hold. “Over the next few years, I would love to continue to learn and grow in this position, continue to grow closer to God, and hopefully win an Emmy in the near future, if possible,” Haltom said. “I don’t see myself leaving Dude Perfect anytime soon, but a goal of mine is to direct marketing campaigns for Nike or Adidas and eventually directing movies.”

Haltom hopes to leave people knowing they can do and create whatever they set their minds to, while emphasizing the fact that content creation can pave the way to a successful career. “I want to inspire people to create whatever they’re passionate about, to be able to share their vision in their own creative ways,” Haltom said. “I’ve been lucky enough to be able to give people advice on how to find success while pursuing a career in creative media.”

Haltom manages all of Dude Perfect’s social media platforms, ensuring their content reaches millions of fans worldwide.
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