How Jackson Peos Found His Strength In Anime
When I first met Jackson, I thought to myself:
This dude is fucking huge.
If he were to flick me, I'd probably fly to the moon and back.
But I had to be brave. The job had to be done. Thankfully, I have health and accident insurance. Hehehe.
My team and I were hired to produce a brand story film for Kunai Protein Bars, featuring Jackson Peos.
A brand story what?
You ask.
OKAY!
A brand story film is basically a video that tells the story behind a person or brand. Things like: What moves you? What is your brand about? What problems are you trying to solve?
Then we pair that story with footage of the person in action, something I like to call evidential footage.
In Jackson's case, he talks about his fitness journey, what motivates him and, most importantly, how much of his life has been influenced by anime.
YES. YOU HEARD ME RIGHT. ANIME CHARACTERS.
Jackson draws inspiration from his favourite characters: their stories, strengths, struggles and heroic adventures and uses them as motivation to push himself further and become the best version of himself he can possibly be.
I found this fascinating.
It's incredible how our favourite hobbies, routines, stories or even cartoon characters can shape the way we think and the person we eventually become.
At first, I thought Jackson was talking about the artists or creators behind these anime.
Nope.
He was talking about the characters and the stories behind them.
Strong warriors. Heroic missions. Characters who get knocked down, face ridiculous challenges and somehow keep going.
HOLY BALLS, BATMAN.
I guess becoming the best version of ourselves requires constant reminders and practice.
There are distractions everywhere. Social media, work, stress, our own mental battles and whatever else life decides to throw at us.
Sometimes, we need something to look towards or someone to remind us of what we're capable of.
Something that cuts through all the noise, gives us a little push and reminds us to keep going.
For Jackson, it happens to be anime.
And honestly, I think we can all find something similar in the things we love.
Take Patrick Star from SpongeBob SquarePants, for example.
He's dumb.
But he still shows up.
And every now and then, he comes up with something that makes us laugh.
Maybe the lesson is this: you might be dumb, you might be shaped like a star, but you still have to show up every day.
There will always be someone out there who finds your ideas funny, interesting or worth supporting.
Then there's Super Mario.
A tiny dude with a moustache almost bigger than his head, running around, stomping monsters and punching blocks all the way to the end just to save a princess who is probably ten times bigger than him.
Talk about beauty and the beast.
But Mario keeps going anyway.
Maybe that's the lesson.
Your moustache might weigh you down. The obstacles might seem ridiculous. The journey might take much longer than you expected.
But if you keep pushing through, the reward at the end might be something you never imagined.
Who knows?
It might even be ten times bigger than what you originally set out for.
So here's something you can try.
Think about your favourite character.
Maybe it's from an anime, a video game, a movie, a cartoon or even a book.
Think about what you admire about them.
Their courage? Their discipline? Their stupidity? Their ability to keep showing up?
Then ask yourself:
How can I bring a little bit of that into my own life?
Because sometimes, inspiration doesn't have to come from a motivational speaker, a business book or some successful entrepreneur on LinkedIn.
Sometimes, it comes from a fictional character beating the shit out of monsters while trying to save a princess.
And honestly, I think that's pretty cool.
Thanks for reading!
Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.