How did the Venom Life brand come about?
Chris (Woodcock) and I started together with Get Hooked snake hooks in 2014, we started vending expos and conferences in 2015, and grew it from one hook type to an unlimited amount of customized tools for working with these animals. We started (very jokingly at first) making mugs and cups with VenomLife on the in like 2016 and selling them from our Get Hooked booths at reptile expos. But then we noticed in 2018 that there were all these other brands popping up with the “Something” Life branding all over the place. We started to look at it a little more seriously then and started considering it as a possible “real” brand. We also were noticing that at most of the expos it was kind of the same thing everywhere you went, black T-shirts with white logos or something along those lines, and everyone was kind of dressed the same. And too, the only shirts I had with anything remotely venom related were from conferences and there weren’t any real good “every day” apparel options out there for the industry, and this was even more true for venomous specific reptile enthusiasts. So we decided to do something about it!
What was the motivation for starting the brand?
We wanted people in and across our industry from hobbyists and breeders, to professionals, Doctors, and Researchers, all to have a good everyday option to show who they are, their love and admiration for these animals. People could now express themselves with their clothing and since Chris and I have always been on the side of “venoms also do good for people and that kind of education is what we want to promote, that not all snakes are bad” we now have the platform to spread that message. And then it transformed even more when we partnered with the Asclepius Snakebite Foundation (ASF) which I will elaborate on soon. Not only were we able to stimulate conversation about venomous animals (snakes) but we could educate more people about how venoms are used in medicines and create the actual antivenoms themselves to contribute and help both people and animals survive simultaneously.
Were you involved with venomous species before starting the brand?
I, like all other herpetologists, started my infatuation with reptiles and primarily snakes at the age of 6. I had always not only wanted to work with snakes specifically, but venomous ones. There was just something about the dangerous ones that drew me to them over all other animals. So I started volunteering in 2010 at the Denver Zoo just to be around them. I very quickly was brought in as an assistant keeper and intern into the venomous snake area, feeding, watering, and cage cleaning for the non-venomous ones in this area and doing exhibit design for the venomous ones. It was my drive and passion that allowed me to have this opportunity and before I had even considered a Degree or College of any kind.
I worked on some research projects at this time for the zoo and was pit tagging and tubing venomous because of my knowledge and a trust that was built quickly. During my 4 years at Fort Hays State University in Hays KS (2013-2016) I again did research every year and was on herpetology grants finding, identifying, marking and measuring various reptiles on the projects but always seeking and working with the venomous snakes as much as possible, and being the only one with real experience by this point I was kind of the “go-to”.In 2012 my buddy Curtis Schmidt and the Sternberg Museum of Natural History (where I also worked all 4 years I was in school) had launched a new exhibit featuring all 24 species of U.S. rattlesnakes which I was proud to be a part of and cared for the animals, did education of venomous for various groups and tours, and was able to handle the animals for honing my skills with the hooks pretty much any time I wanted so that was huge for me. And I still to this day go around the US and help them acquire animals for the exhibit, which is rare because the animals rarely perish. Through an old business partnership, P.A.R.C. and Get Hooked we were able to do the “Venomous Snake Safety and Training Techniques” training video for the US Department of Defense (DoD) and worked with venomous snakes around the US to do this. During this time my business partner Chris “Woody” Woodcock was working at Reptile Discovery Center and Medtoxin labs with Carl Barden getting his hours for his Florida venomous license. And this was all before we even considered creating the brand!
Would you say that starting an apparel brand in this industry is harder than breeding animals and that side of the hobby?
First let me be clear that I am not a breeder, and used to keep but not sell, so it is hard to say because I hear some horror stories and that is one of the reasons why haha. Also I travel so much even outside of expos that I would have to hire a crew just to care for the animals. So I don’t know if it is harder, I mean it is expensive up front to start an apparel company, especially when you launch more than 6 lines of mens and womens’ apparel all in the first year and add hats, beanies, lanyards, and everything else into the mix. I know people invest a lot of money into certain animals or gene types, but they don’t have to get 10 of every size imaginable in multiple colors just to test it and see if it is even something the people would like. Alternatively, I don’t have to feed, water, or clean up after my inventory and if it sits in the sun all day in the back seat it doesn’t die so I think that each side for sure has its pros and cons for sure.
How does Venom Life help support the Asclepius Snakebite Foundation?
Right as we were preparing to launch the brand I had the pleasure of meeting Jordan Benjamin, Founder and Director of the Asclepius Snakebite Foundation (ASF). For those of you who are unfamiliar with the foundation “We are an international team of clinicians and scientists on a mission to reverse the cycle of tragic snakebite outcomes through a combination of innovative research, clinical medicine, and education-based public health initiatives.” Jordan and I realized that through combined efforts we could reach and help even more people, and so we did exactly that. I was brought onto the foundation as Public Relations/Herpetologist and we give 10% to the ASF, so as VenomLife and ASF brands are both supported and promoted, more and more lives can be positively affected, and more lives and limbs can potentially be saved. So now VenomLife as a brand is kind of a “second face”, another avenue of bringing awareness to this neglected tropical disease we call snake bite ( deemed so by the World Health Organization in 2017) and help people worldwide through our efforts and sales.
How did the VLG and Get Hooked partnership come about?
Since Chris and I both already co-owned Get Hooked when we started VenomLife together, we decided it didn’t really make sense to have 2 business licenses, 2 shopify stores, 2 brands to promote, so we just had VenomLife buy get hooked and have VLG offer all the Get Hooked snake hooks as a brand that we still own and manufacture. We were able to cut the amount of work in half as far as managing online presence etc, and drive more traffic to one website which made so much more sense to us. We kept the Get Hooked branding because it is already a well known and well respected brand and product and that is important to us. We want people to know when they get something from GH or VLG that it will be quality, that we care about the customer and fostering positive relationships with them, and that we stand behind our products all while being able to support a great cause through both brands.
What are the future plans for VLG moving forward?
Now that Venom Life is officially one year old as of February 2020, our plans are to really lock down what styles and apparel people want and focus more on those products. We are also looking to bring in more wholesale/retail locations around the U.S. for both our Hooks and clothing. We want to be able to sponsor even more expos and conferences than we do now and keep growing our support for the reptile hobbyists and academics alike.
One of the big things we would like to do is offer new products every year and continue to offer things exclusively, things that can only be found through us, not because we are greedy in any way, but we really like to stand out and be able to be the go-to place for certain things because when we sell something it is because it’s what we wear or use, not just something that people may or may not want. We are going to start offering even more in 2020 from prints and photos from our art division which is launching soon to animal photo t-shirt lines and even a couple types of proprietary hook designs that we have personally worked on the research and development of and will be patented. So needless to say, the more support we get, the more sales we receive through the website, the faster we can grow and the more we can help people look and feel good while expressing themselves in our clothing, the more people we can help work safely with animals when they use our hooks, and most importantly the more people we can help in rural parts of the world with our partnership and involvement in the ASF and save life and limb from snakebite…the worst neglected tropical disease you’ve never heard of.
