Teamwork. Progression. Insanity.
Finding comfort in ways never thought possible.
Story By: Kyle Callen
Photos: Provided by Brandon Bunch and Kyle Callen
Back in November of 2018, I was given the opportunity to write my first Campfire Chat for UTV Sports Magazine. Like a lot of people that have graced the pages of USM, I am not necessarily thrilled about talking about myself. However, it turns out I really enjoyed writing that article, along with the many others. It brought back so many great memories from my childhood, memories like playing with friends and spending time with my family. While writing it, I found myself traveling down the rabbit hole of memory lane; trying to recall all the amazing opportunities and experiences I have had in the short 33 years I’ve been on this planet. Looking back, I like to think I have always worked quite hard since my first job at a hobby store at the ripe age of 14 years old. In hindsight, I see that my “hard work” is, and always has been, more like “crazy fun”. Man oh man, the stories that I have! Not just stories, but some of the best memories lead up to working for UTV Sports Magazine this last year.
Many years ago a coach told me, “Get comfortable being uncomfortable.” Without knowing it, I took that instruction to heart a little more than anticipated. These days I seem to thrive in the chaos. I’ve always found a sense of calm in the most unsettling situations, analyzing problems without emotion affecting the outcome. I have always made bold moves and put myself in uncomfortable situations hoping it would pay off in the long run. A time investment you may say.
Fast forward to 2018, Keith Hook, Owner and Publisher of UTV Sports Magazine, took a chance on inviting me into the media game. Uncomfortable by definition for me. I had made my entry into the industry as a mechanic, a self-proclaimed mediocre one at best, but Keith saw something in me that I didn’t see myself. My first event with the new team was 2018 The Mint 400 and in my standard fashion, the first night was a lot of “crazy fun”…….I thought. Which undoubtedly left Keith to second guess his decision to bring me on, but as day one of tech and contingency commenced, I was at the booth bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. I am very comfortable in the race environment but found I was very uncomfortable in my new presence there; so I just did the best I could. I am by no means refined, nor a salesman, all while knowing nothing about media. Thankfully, I have some history here, and I knew a ton of people and knew how to get things done. As many of you know, tech and contingency can be a whirlwind of chaos, creating discomfort for most. To top it off, my new professional career had a steep learning curve was steep but I embraced it and in the end the event was a success for the magazine, as well as myself.
The lessons I have learned and the opportunities I have had in the past year with USM have been some of the best in my life! This career path has given me opportunities I never thought possible. A memorable adventure was taking part in an event that had been on my bucket list for 10+ years: Rally on the Rocks. I spent weeks making plans, prepping cars, and packing everything we would need for the week-long adventure. At request to host a social gathering, I decided to entertain the only way I know how: tacos. After all the hard work of planning and preparation, we were ready to hit the road. About 2 hours down the road, my heart sank. I recognized that I failed to grab all the ingredients to our taco party, including the 20lbs of very special carne asada! For those that know Keith, he always has something to say. To my surprise, he didn’t say a word when I told him the news over the radio. Silence is NOT golden. My navigator for the trip, Brandon Bunch, and I made the executive decision to make things right. At the next exit, I left Brandon and the enclosed trailer in tow unhitched at some random gas station in the middle of nowhere so that I could return back to Lake Havasu for key ingredients to our well promoted taco party. All the while Keith pressed on to the hotel as originally intended. Sleep is overrated right? In the end, it all worked out and my 5-hour detour went unnoticed by those that mattered most. Needless to say, my first Rally on the Rocks was an amazing trip and the tacos were delicious. Just another memory I can’t forget, as the guys won’t let me forget it.
Getting recent with fond moments, there is our recent trip down south to Shreveport, Louisiana. Not exactly a frequent flyer, I had to remember that not many people get the chance to fly across the nation with their friend to spend a week with Dustin Jones of S3 Powersports and call it work! I’m sure you are dying to know the trouble we all got into… even if I could tell you the stories that came out of that trip, you wouldn’t believe me. Not only was the trip an epic adventure with newly found friend, Brandon, but we got to know the human behind the persona and tell his story to the world.
It goes without saying that I have learned a lot in the last year, both professionally and personally, and if you know me, you know that I despise using the word “brother” in any other reference than a blood relative. However, the last year of my life has exposed me to what it is like to have two brothers by my side through thick and thin, without any blood relation. The relationship is real, one second we could be arguing, the next laughing about something random as if the argument never happened. Whether it’s seat time with the latest UTV, flying across the country for a story, or driving to Moab to go wheeling, it would all hold no value to me if I couldn’t do it with my two brothers by my side.
