Expanding, Not Changing: Why Dirty Mo Media Is Going Western
- Dirty Mo Media
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
Mike Davis, President & Executive Producer, Dirty Mo Media
As our newest show, This Cowboy Life with Jerome and Tiffany Davis, officially settles into its regular format this week, I want to take a moment to explain why Dirty Mo Media is expanding into Western Sports and Ag. The key word here is expanding. We’re not changing. We know our racing roots, and we’re not digging them up. Dirty Mo Media is still a Dale Earnhardt Jr. company, and what do Earnhardts do? Earnhardts race.
But there are additional truths we shouldn’t ignore. First, Dale Jr. has always transcended NASCAR, especially in places that share similar values and ways of life. Second, while racing is our foundation, you’ve never heard us claim to be a racing-exclusive platform. At our core, we’re storytellers drawn to authentic people, and as superficial sludge grows around us, I am emboldened to champion the real. Third, I have entertained Western sports and ag for five years, or ever since a former JR Motorsports crew chief pressed me daily about it.
Since we’re on the topic of honesty, here’s another truth: there is a lot of commonality between western sports and racing. Richard Petty wears a cowboy hat. Richard Childress owns a Professional Bull Riders (PBR) franchise called the Carolina Cowboys. Austin Dillon is his general manager. Wrangler is the official jeans brand for both the PRCA and PBR, and once upon a time it might’ve sponsored a particular racecar driver with the brilliant marketing campaign, “One Tough Customer.” Ring any bells?
For all these reasons and more, I was eager to attend my first PBR main event earlier this year. While sitting in the grandstands the people around me felt strikingly familiar. I noticed as many Bass Pro caps as cowboy hats. I saw everything from t-shirts and tanks to buttons and collars. I heard actual manners – yes ma’ams, no sirs, and thank you kindlys. I saw grounded people who felt a whole lot like the audience we’ve always known. It occurred to me that deep-rooted traditions of cattle, agriculture, and working the land come from the same place as the love of the automobile. Both are integral parts of the American soul.
That was the moment Dirty Mo Rodeo was born.
It also doesn’t hurt that we found the right people to build with. Jerome and Tiffany Davis had my attention from the moment I learned about them. Their journey is extraordinary. You don’t need to religiously consume racing or rodeo to appreciate a good ol’ story of commitment, hardship, perseverance, and unconditional love. As the legendary J.B. Mauney so aptly puts it, “Jerome Davis is your favorite bull rider’s favorite bull rider.” Tiffany was the girlfriend who – when Jerome got paralyzed – everyone assumed she’d leave. She left alright – to a Gatlinburg wedding chapel with Jerome. She didn’t care that he could no longer walk or ride bulls. Turns out cowboying isn’t what you do, it’s who you are.
We were so smitten by the Davises’ story that, upon the launch of This Cowboy Life, we did something a bit unconventional. Before asking our audience to commit to a weekly show, we felt they needed to know exactly who Jerome and Tiffany Davis are. So, we created a three-part docuseries that tells their journey in full. It was released two weeks ago, and you can watch it on YouTube or listen on DirtyMoMedia.com and all podcasting platforms. You’ll quickly understand why we felt so strongly about making Jerome and Tiffany the foundation of Dirty Mo Rodeo.
Western sports won't be the last new ground Dirty Mo Media explores. We'll keep going wherever authentic stories, compelling people, and real culture intersect. Richard Petty's cowboy hat wasn't a costume. Jerome and Tiffany's love story wasn't a pitch. Racing will always be our foundation, but Dirty Mo was never built to stay in one lane. We were built to grow, evolve, and keep betting on what's real. And we're just getting started.
-- Dirty Mo --
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