Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve likely seen Joe Phelan and Melissa Davis of Port City Pythons on Youtube, Facebook or Instagram. Their podcast From The Ground Up is (in my opinion) one of the most influential podcasts, outside of MPR, for inspiring more people to create shows of their own. This issue we asked Joe a few questions about the evolution of FTGU and Port City Pythons over the years.
HM: What has it been like watching Port City Pythons grow and become what it has today as a result of the podcast (From the Ground Up) and Youtube?
JP: I’m extremely grateful for all the support we have gotten and our growth. That being said, it is hard to “see the forest from the trees” as they say. I just focus on staying committed, motivated, and moving forward.
HM: I’m sure you’ve answered this question a lot but what made you want to start the podcast initially?
JP: I was a pretty early adopter to the podcast scene. I really love podcasts, which made it a no brainer. I had been listening to reptile and business podcasts for at least 6 years before I got up the courage to actually make my own. I started a podcast simply because I love podcasts.
HM: When and why did you decide to take breeding seriously?
JP: In 2013, I became privy to what was going on in ball pythons in particular. I had gone to shows growing up and kept my fair share of reptiles but never really thought about breeding as a profession. I saw that there was a viable industry and people were actually making money at this. In 2014, I dropped out of college and proceeded on a mission to make breeding my full-time gig. I started taking it very seriously but damn… breeding never goes exactly according to plan. That’s the beautiful thing about breeding. It’s a constant learning experience.
HM: Is PCP where you wanted it to be a few years ago?
JP: Not exactly. From a metrics perspective, my first year goal with YouTube was 10,000 subscribers. Here I am 3 years later and I am just about to hit that milestone. However, in every other way my expectations have been exceeded. It may not be as glamorous as I envisioned in my head, but the community and incredible animals we get to work with is beyond all expectations. The latter is why I do this. Forget the numbers.
HM: What’s your advice for anyone wanting to take that next step into breeding as a side business or wanting to also start from the ground up themselves?
JP: It is all focus and commitment. Find out what animals you like to work with and don’t get distracted. Too many people start with a species, get distracted, and sell off their 2-3 years of work. Keep a small collection of a few different species, raise them from babies, and find out what you like and dislike. Once you find a species you love, never look back. Chances are there will be other species in the same genus that you can branch out to as well.
HM: What’s the goal for Port City Pythons going into the next 5 or 10 years?
JP: Not many specific or tangible goals. I want every single project we work with to be the best. Right now, I believe we breed the best honey (caramel sunkissed) corn snakes in the world. I want to be able to say that about every animal that we breed. This may take 20 years but that’s what keeps us going. I also want to have the most diverse collection of Louisiana pine snakes (P. ruthveni). I would love to produce them in good numbers and gift them to educators. They are a great physical representation of why conservation is so important. Less than 4% of the longleaf pine forests in the U.S. remain. The small percent that has survived is heavily fragmented and in poor health.
