Written By: Josh Webb
There comes a time in a person’s life when they realize what they are truly passionate about. It takes over their thoughts. It finds a way into their daily routine and eventually causes them to make a decision, either find a way to make it a career or simply enjoy it as a hobby when time allows. Unfortunately, many of us let the opportunities pass us by that could turn that passion into a life-long career. However, there is an extremely humble Tennessee native that took that leap of faith and had carved out his path in the outdoor industry.
Jake at a young age with his father
Jake Latendresse has spent an incredible amount of time in the outdoors. He was born into a family that loved to travel, and that sense of adventure always kept him searching for the next exciting thing the outdoors had to throw at him.
In 2001 Jake was granted with an opportunity that changed his life forever. “I was on the Kisky’s Whitetail Freak’s website and on their forums. I wrote a note that said I had a camera and the time to film some hunts if someone was willing to come do it with me.” A short time and a few responses later, Latendresse had found a person who could make the trip to his place along the Platte River, and the footage began to roll.
The hunt turned out to be even more successful than anticipated, and now Latendresse had his hands on the footage of a bow hunt that ended in the harvest of a massive buck at 23 yards. Jake was immediately asked by the hunter what he wanted to do with the footage, and his reply was one that had long been thought out. “I want to send it to Jay Gregory.”
Jake on the Platte River in Nebraska
Latendresse, being an avid viewer of hunting shows, had recently seen Gregory introduced on Impact Productions as one of the top bow hunters for trophy whitetails in the world and this accolade immediately drew the new videographer to him. “I wanted to hunt and learn from that guy,” states Latendresse.
So, after a few phone calls and a drive to the ATA show, Latendresse got to meet Gregory and a friendship was immediately sparked. It was then that Gregory informed him that he liked the footage he had sent and that it would be edited into the next year’s video.
At that moment Latendresse realized he was going to have a shot to make a career in outdoor videography. He also realized that he would get to spend days on end with a man he looked up to and continues to hold in high regard. “To this day I owe Jay a ton of gratitude and my loyalty because he got me started.”
Being a deer hunter and now a videographer, Latendresse’s career was gaining speed. And having spent a large part of his youth as a duck hunter he wanted to expand his career into filming quality waterfowl hunts.
True to form Jake was determined to seek out the people he had a lot of respect for in hopes of being able to showcase their world through his lens. “All I had on my resume was my filming job with Jay, but I called the shop at RNT and asked for Jim Ronquest.” And, as luck would have it, Latendresse got through to Ronquest and began to state his reason for calling and why he wanted to video their hunts. Jake told Ronquest, “I cut my teeth duck hunting. I have a camera and one year of experience but I’ve hunted all my life, and you guys are the ones I look up to.”
Grabbing on to every word Latendresse told him, Ronquest asked what he had in mind. Latendresse replied, “I will pay my way down there and film for two weeks on my dime. If none of it works out, you can throw it in the garbage, and we don’t ever have to talk again,” Not hesitating, Ronquest said come on and a date was set for Latendresse to go to Arkansas.
Jake in a timber hole filming for RNT
Those first two weeks of filming led to Jake being asked back later in the same season and a relationship spawned between the two and one that Latendresse is very proud to have. “We are real close. I bet I talk to Jimbo 5 or 6 times a week.”
Today you can find Jake’s work in all areas of outdoor television as well as most social media outlets. His team at Latendresse Media is made up of some of the most fascinating new people in the world of outdoor media. Jessica Delorenzo, Jake Patton and Johnny Feltovic round out the roster that gives Latendresse media the depth it needs to gain access to different niches of the industry.
And if you ever want to know where the best place to find Jake is when he isn’t filming, I would start in Fort Collins, Colorado. There is a special little place there called the Town Pump that Jake has owned since 2000. The small establishment is the longest standing bar in the town and still operates under the same business license it was granted in 1909. Through its time it has seen many people come and go and has even gained itself a special place in history as the first bar to serve New Belgium Fat Tire in the world.
Stop by The Town Pump, if you are ever in Fort Collins, Co
