Behind the Lens: Kai’s Journey From Local Park Lakes to Filming Full-Time for Korda

For readers who don’t know you yet, who are you, and what do you do now?

I’m Kai, and I create content full-time for Korda. This involves creating long-format films for platforms like YouTube, as well as short-form content for social media. For me, this really is a dream position.

Before you ever picked up a camera, what did fishing look like in your life?

Growing up, fishing was always just a hobby, something I could only really do during the school holidays because of my commitments to football on weekends.

It got to a stage in my fishing where the odd session wasn’t enough. I was finding so much more joy in fishing than in football. I had made friends through fishing who didn’t have the same commitments, and it always felt like I was missing out.

As a result, I packed the football in so that I could go fishing more, spending practically any free time I had on local lakes, day tickets and club waters.

The main lake I fished was a park lake in Dartford, Kent. This is where I really got the bug, and at the time, I had no idea how significant this lake would be in the future.

What happened after school? Did you always plan to work in fishing?

When I left school, I defaulted into the pursuit of a trade, plumbing, as the reality of earning a living in the fishing trade didn’t seem possible.

Whilst I was learning how to become a plumber, a job was advertised at a local tackle shop, The Tackle Box. The job was to work Fridays and Saturdays in the goods-in department, and although this would take up fishing time, I needed money, and a tackle shop didn’t seem a bad place to earn it.

Thankfully, I got the job and started straight away. Looking back now, this was the best move I made.

Soon after starting, Covid struck, putting a stop to my college course but accelerating life at the shop.

The tackle trade boomed, and the shop needed more staff, opening up a full-time position for me. Life was great, I was getting a full-time wage and didn’t have to plumb to earn it.

Because of restrictions, all we could do was fish, and because I was earning money I couldn’t spend, I decided to bite the bullet and buy myself a camera and laptop.

When I was younger, I always dreamt of being a YouTuber, making football and gaming videos at a young age to try and do so. This was an opportunity to try again, but in the industry I love.

How did you first start making your fishing videos?

I began learning by filming my own sessions, spending hours on end behind the screen of my laptop, trying to edit them.

I began uploading them to YouTube, getting a few thousand views per video. Although the content wasn’t great, it did help me realise how much I love making videos, sparking a real drive to improve.

Around this time, the tackle shop noticed what was happening and floated the idea of starting the shop’s social media channels. All I had to do was prove how beneficial it would be, and they would invest in all new equipment for me.

I spent the next year or so doing just that, and they stuck to their word and purchased a load of brand-new equipment for me to use. In doing so, I was improving all the time, the content was getting better, and the shop was reaping the rewards.

What would you say were the biggest challenges when you were starting?

The biggest challenge was filming myself. I knew I loved making videos, but I had no one to film, so I had to start by filming myself, which was difficult.

I wasn’t interested in being in front of the camera, but to improve, I had no choice.

If I had to advise someone in a similar position, I’d say take your time, don’t feel like you have to be perfect the first time, and eventually you’ll become more comfortable.

If you watch Tom Dove’s early films when he was a teenager, he was a completely different person in front of the camera compared to how he is now. As cliché as it might sound, time and practice really do prevail.


Be honest, did it feel uncomfortable putting your first videos out there?

The first videos weren’t too popular with the local anglers, as they felt I was going to make the lakes busier. That was difficult, but at the same time I had lots of support and positivity from mates and people at the shop.

As long as the intentions are right and the creation of content comes from a place of genuine interest and passion, people will naturally encourage you.

Was there ever a point where you thought about stopping?

To be honest, I never really considered stopping.

I was really fortunate that the shop floated the opportunity for me to run their social media full-time. This meant my only goal was to improve, and I didn’t need views to do so. In that respect, I was very fortunate.

I’d say that if you find yourself struggling to keep going, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to take a break. Don’t force it.

You won’t always be motivated. Sometimes you might just want to go fishing for yourself, and that’s absolutely fine.

What I would suggest, however, is that you get into the habit of consuming content based on the work you’re trying to get into.

If I wasn’t filming or fishing, I was watching filmmaking content to learn and stay motivated.

For fishing filmmaking in particular, don’t just consume, but really try and break down what you’re watching and why something may have been filmed or edited the way it has.

This subconscious effort to understand what you are watching helps you make decisions when you’re out there doing it.

I personally get a lot of inspiration from other niches and probably make subliminal decisions based on content I’ve consumed.

Looking back now, how did those early projects lead to bigger opportunities?

After I had some early success, I felt confident enough to reach out to brands like Nash, and this led to opportunities to film with their anglers for a day.

This got me out with Alan Blair, Oli Davis and Hassan. That trip with Hassan was amazing, and probably the most pivotal, as he went on to introduce me to his friend Lewis Porter, (Korda Marketing Manager).

This relationship led to helping Korda on some shoots before they offered me a full-time role.

What’s been one of the biggest highlights so far?

I’d say the biggest highlight was filming and editing my first project for Korda, which was a film with Phil Foden and Neil Spooner.

It was a big deal for me as a football fan, and because it was the first project.

 

Now that you've got some solid experience, what advice would you give to the next young angler wanting to work in fishing media?

The main bit of advice would be to make sure you’re doing it for the right reason.

It has to be because you genuinely enjoy making videos and content, not just because you like fishing and want to work in the industry.

Working in fishing is a lot different to going fishing. You end up spending a lot of time away from home, editing late at night, and after hours. Basically, it’s not as glamorous as it might look at times.

But with that being said, if you actually love the process of making videos and content, you won’t mind the effort that comes with it, and you’ll actually be able to progress while enjoying it.

It’s really important to know that making videos in the fishing industry isn’t a 9–5. To do so successfully, you’ll end up living and breathing it.

That won’t be for everyone, but it’ll definitely be for the people who genuinely love making videos.