It's Good To Be

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1110 Ladder_Outdoors 9/16/2010 2:48 PM Page 46

Tiffany

It’s Good To Be

BY CRAIG DOUGHERTY

L

ooking at hunting celebrity Tiffany Lakosky’s rapid rise to stardom through the lens of a longtime industry insider, it’s not hard to be more than a little bit curious and maybe even a bit cynical. Young, super attractive, blond and bubbly, how could this hunting TV phenom have climbed to the top of the hunting celebrity heap in a few short years? Ted Nugent had his guitar, a microphone, a rock star persona and Fred Bear for a friend and mentor. Chuck Adams, Bob Foulkrod, and Jim Shockey hunted hard, killed lots of animals and have been around for years. The Drurys have been in the industry for years, know the ins and outs of the business and have been creating great videos and TV for a good part of their careers. Hell, even Michael Waddell carried a camera for Realtree for a couple of seasons before he discovered it’s more fun to be in front of the camera than behind it. The bottom line is it usually takes years of hunting experience, tons of exposure, and list of credentials a mile long to even get noticed in this industry. Becoming an industry “rock star” is even tougher. But make no mistake; Tiffany Lakosky is an industry rock star. She shows up on all the blogs, people wait two hours in line for her autograph, and she has an impressive list of sponsors. On a recent Outdoors Magazine reader survey she showed up big; way big! Big enough for us to put her on our cover and do an hour interview with her. Our readers wanted to know what makes Tiffany tick and we wanted to know more about her rapid rise to stardom. Was she just a pretty face and a creature of the camera or had she paid her dues? Unlike many hunting celebrities who killed tons of game before ever hunting on camera, Tiffany readily admits to never having hunted off camera. Her co-host and husband Lee introduced her to hunting about 10 years ago and they have been filming their hunts ever since. “The camera is our memory book. We love to hunt together and we love to capture our hunts together on camera. If we don’t hunt with a film crew we film each other. Doesn’t everybody? This is how we store our memories (the good, the bad, and the ugly) and share our hunts with others. This is what we do, who we are,” she said. No apology offered and for that matter none expected. “So how do you go from filming your hunts to being an industry “rock star”? According to Tiffany, it all started with Lee’s passion for hunting (and filming) big bucks. Like so many other hunting notables, Lee had a passion for big whitetails and knew where to find them. Soon after they were married, they picked up stakes in Minnesota and settled in the big buck country of Iowa to pursue monster whitetails. It is unclear whether their hunting passion led them to the promised land of whitetails or it was all part of a master plan but they landed in Iowa nonetheless and before long the couple had some monster whitetails to their credit and some pretty good footage, to boot. Nothing gets the attention of industry types more than good footage of great whitetails and a handsome couple in front of the camera. Before long Lee and Tiffany were sharing some of their great hunting spots with some “A” list TV producers and industry types including Michael Waddell and the folks at Realtree. Nothing spawns friendships like good hunts shared and before long

46 Women In The Outdoors brought to you by Smith & Wesson, smith-wesson.com and Thompson Center, tcarms.com

1110 Ladder_Outdoors 9/16/2010 2:48 PM Page 47

they were “discovered.” They showed up in Realtree’s Monster Whitetails video series and before they knew it they were “out there” on the show and seminar circuit with a few hundred (maybe thousand) “wanna be” hunting experts and celebrities. But as the man on the TV says “but wait, there’s more.” And the “more” is Tiffany! She spent an hour helping Outdoors Magazine understand just what makes Tiffany — well, Tiffany. Suffice it to say, that once you have had the opportunity to spend some time talking to her as we did, you understand it is good to be Tiffany.

Tiffany: Sure we have fans and appearances and all that, but it is part of the job and I love what I do. I pose for thousands of pictures a year and sign hundreds of thousands of autographs. It’s how I make my living but I really enjoy the people we meet at shows and stuff.

Outdoors: To what do you owe your popularity?

Outdoors: Do you wear make-up to meet your public, work on your look, your clothes?

Tiffany: I absolutely love hunting deer and I love doing it on camera. It is such a blast, and I really have a good time doing it. I think that is what comes across on camera and people like that.

Tiffany: I do. I always try to look nice when I am in public with my fans. I think they expect me to look good and I want to look good for them. Sure I wear make-up when I do appearances and on camera. You don’t have to give up looking good just because you are a hunter. I like that side of me. You have to be who you are or you will stop having fun. It has to be fun or it won’t work.

Outdoors: What do you dislike most about hunting on camera? Tiffany: Wow, let me think. (After a long pause) You know, I can’t think of anything I don’t like. It is such a blast. I really have a great time when I am doing it. Outdoors: You don’t mind getting up extra early to get ready to film? Having to hunt with a posse, or not having any private moments in the woods? Tiffany: You know, it has always been this way. I have never known any other kind of hunting other than hunting on camera. I get to hunt with Lee alone quite a bit, but we still film each other when we do hunt alone. It’s just what we do. I love every minute of it. I like having fun. Outdoors: How about the celebrity side? Do you love that as well? Tiffany: Well, I really don’t consider myself a celebrity. I think Lee and I are both pretty well grounded, ordinary people who just happen to be making a living hunting. Outdoors: Okay, you may think you are just regular folks, and your friends may agree but your public considers you to be a celebrity. How about it?

Outdoors: Do you work on your public image? Tiffany: Well, I guess I do.

Outdoors: Speaking of good looks, you refer to your public persona as “upbeat,” “fun,” “happy,” and “high energy” but in the chat rooms and blogs you are “hot,” “smoking,” and “sexy.” Are you OK with that? Tiffany: I’m fine with that. I don’t apologize for my looks and I like that they see me as being attractive. It’s all part of who I am. I’m comfortable looking good and being a “girly-girl.” Outdoors: So why has your show become so popular? Tiffany: I think because we have so much fun on it. We love doing the show and I love hunting with Lee and I think people feel it. People can relate to us. We are a couple who love hunting deer and we are passionate about it. W e also enjoy being with each other and it shows. This is something people can relate to. They see themselves in the show. Outdoors: See themselves or wishful thinking? Not everyone has a beautiful wife with a great personality who loves nothing more than yucking it up with her husband on a deer hunt? Continued on page 49

47 Women In The Outdoors brought to you by Smith & Wesson, smith-wesson.com and Thompson Center, tcarms.com

1110 Ladder_Outdoors 9/16/2010 2:48 PM Page 49

49 Women In The Outdoors brought to you by Smith & Wesson, smith-wesson.com and Thompson Center, tcarms.com