Today we’d like to introduce you to Jerry Yang.
Hi Jerry, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, you could tell our readers some of your backstory.
Hi! I’m Jerry, a whitewater kayaking YouTuber based out of the Southeast US! I know that location is vague, but I live nomadically out of my car. I started whitewater kayaking about 3 years ago (Oct 2020). It began as just a hobby I would do every few weeks with a couple of friends, but soon, I fell in love with it and found myself going to the river multiple times a week. I bought a GoPro to record my kayaking trips and then posted those videos to YouTube to document my progress and thoughts. Just like any beginner, I sucked at the start.
Whitewater kayaking is a hard sport! I also had no experience editing or producing videos, so the channel Jer Kayaks was just a “for fun” thing. That said, I poured my heart and soul into those videos and tried to capture the human emotions and feelings that went into learning a difficult and scary new hobby! That’s when I started getting heartfelt messages from other beginners in whitewater kayaking. Until then, most whitewater content has been about pros running crazy waterfalls or near-impossible rapids. I was the first to go deep into the clumsy and awkward learning process and talk about triumphs, failures, fear, and excitement. And so I went all in. I dropped out of college (for the 4th time) and committed to filming and creating videos about the learning process. I found myself in this incredible position to connect with and inspire others to pursue their goals and passions, get out of their comfort zone, and embrace not just the good but also the bad. And I mean this not just in a whitewater context but also in a life context. Fast forward a couple of years, and I’ve put together a team focused on bringing out the humanity in kayaking. Known as Jer Kayaks and the Portage Posse, we are a group of 7 individuals working together to create art that reminds us, as humans, that we are all capable of much more than we might have thought.
Would it have been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not been a smooth road at all. There is a lot of work in just the logistics. For example, I was filming anything while on the river is difficult. Cameras and water don’t mix, especially in an environment as dynamic as whitewater. Gear gets broken or lost constantly, and things usually go differently than planned. Not to mention that I was completely new when I started – to whitewater, editing, YouTube – all of it. Mentally, it’s been challenging as well. Being vulnerable and genuine within this modern content and social media world is complex. Everyone wants to look fantastic online, but that’s not how real life is. Not at all. There’s also the algorithm to contend with. The recommendation is always to post consistently and often, churning out as much sensationalist content as possible – but I found that drains my soul. There’s a little side rant here, but I don’t like the word’s content. Content for the sake of content is just filler. It doesn’t connect with anyone. It has no meaning. And this is something that took me quite some time to learn. I much prefer the word art instead. The rest of the Portage Posse team and I work really hard to create something – art – that matters.
Let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I, and the rest of the Portage Posse team, specialize in creating art through video within the whitewater kayaking world. We are a group of (relative) amateurs who aim to bring forward and showcase the human element in whitewater. I don’t know how familiar you are with the whitewater world. But the focus is usually on what new fancy boat just came out or what crazy rapid someone ran. And while all that is amazing to see, the actual kayaker is often forgotten. Jer Kayaks and the Portage Posse is known for bringing the truth in whitewater. The vulnerability, the raw human emotions – what it’s like to put heart, body, and soul into the sport – and to be rewarded with the incredible joy and stoke or to be crushed by the bitter disappointment of failure. And I was then learning how to move on from that. There’s also the fear. People sometimes like to act macho and pretend that rapids don’t scare them, but that’s not true, at least not for me. I can clearly remember times when my legs shook, and I’m unsure if it was from the fear or the mile hike to the river. The channel is built on opening up and sharing what that fear feels like and being vulnerable. And that is what I am most proud of. When I started in late 2020, highlight reels dominated the whitewater content world, and that was it. Since then, and since the start of Jer Kayaks, I’ve noticed a massive shift within the culture to be more open to discussing fear, emotions, and failure. Kayakers are dropping the macho act and embracing more of the humanity underneath. I’ve played a role in that – and truthfully, there’s no way to know – but I’d like to believe that I did.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs, or other resources you think our readers should check?
I don’t listen to any podcasts, so there’s nothing there. But a book that has been highly influential on me is Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer. For those who don’t know, Into the Wild is the biographical story of Chris McCandless, who gave up a potential future of success to travel and experience what it means to be alive. It ends tragically, unfortunately, as he dies in the end in the Alaskan Wilderness. But aside, it has taught me to go after experiences and get outside my comfort zone. Money, while necessary, comes and goes. More can always be earned, but experiences and time can never be regained.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jer_kayaks/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JerKayaks
Image Credits
Ira Fowler, Ashley Previtte, Clara Kempter, Anthony Davis, Brown Steven Atwood, Jerry Yang
