Tyler breaks down how he's built impossible cycling routes into compelling long-form content, exploring the craft of storytelling, the power of unscripted adventure, and why he regrets (but can't change) the 'Vegan Cyclist' brand name. You'll also hear how a chance meeting with Jeremiah Bishop in Vermont sparked the whole impossible route project that's now taken off globally.
Key Takeaways
- Separate yourself as editor from yourself as a character—remove personal ego from the editing room and look for emotional truth and great story moments, even if they make you look bad
- Don't force a story. With unscripted adventures, lean into whatever actually happened and hunt for the emotion in it, rather than trying to manipulate events to fit a predetermined narrative
- Content length should serve the story, not vice versa. A 90-minute film is fine if the pacing and emotional arc justify it—32% of viewers watched a 1hr 47min Death Valley episode entirely
- The vegan brand is a double-edged sword: it drives 80% of discovery traffic, but it can limit growth and doesn't represent your full identity. Launching sub-brands (Impossible Route, clothing) lets you build beyond the original name
- Say yes to opportunities even when you're unprepared. Tyler had knee issues, no gravel experience, and got a bike 12 hours before the first impossible route—but that yes changed everything
Expert Quotes
"People will not remember what you say or what you do they'll remember how you made them feel"
"I don't go into content creation with a time limit... if it's a good story you it's gonna take however long it's going to take to tell that story"
"You don't know what opportunities in your life are going to fork your life and so I sort of have this just base principle of just like let's just say yes to everything and see what happens"