Call him MV-pup! Brodie the Goldendoodle entertains at Lakers recreation
Brodie the Goldendoodle, a social media star, was probably the most worthwhile pup, following his courtside look on the Los Angeles Lakers recreation.
The canine that gained a dance contest on the Lakers-Knicks recreation Monday evening in Los Angeles offered greater than a surreal second that went viral.
It was a branding alternative.
The Goldendoodle named Brodie sat courtside at Crypto.com Arena in an look designed to lift the canine’s profile and the worth of the already profitable pet influencer.
Brodie made about $1.5 million this 12 months from model partnerships with corporations like Celsius and Viacom and social media platform income, based on his proprietor, Cliff Brush Jr., who prefers to be generally known as Brodie’s dad. That’s greater than the NBA minimal wage of $1.1 million for the 2023-24 season, based on Statista.
“Whatever he wants, he gets,’’ Brush said of the 4-year-old service dog.
While Brodie is the breadwinner, Brush plays an vital role: He creates the content, often amusing videos, for the dog’s social media accounts that have attracted about 15 million followers.
The Lakers game was his latest trip to a professional sports event.
Brush and his dog, who live in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, have covered the bases, so to speak. At a Florida Marlins game last season, Brush threw out the first pitch and Brodie fetched it. They made their NBA debut at a Miami Heat game last season and are scheduled to make their first NHL appearance at a Florida Panthers game Saturday.
At the Lakers’ game, Brodie sat next to actors and married couple Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgewick. Images of the 80-pound dog sitting on Brush’s lap and under his seat spread across the Internet.
“We did a lot of things that went viral,’’ Brush said of previous appearances, “but this seems to be on that next level.’’
How did Brodie become a celebrity?
Life for Brush, 33, and Brodie came to a crossroads in 2021.
At the time, Brush was working as a budget analyst for the city of Boca Raton. He said his boss noticed he was spending more and more time creating content for Brodie’s social media platforms and less and less time on his full-time job.
“She brought me into her office and asked me if this is what I wanted to do,” Brush stated. “Sort of politely gave me an ultimatum. And I used to be not proud of the 9-for-5 life.’’
So, Brush stated, he stop his job, gave up a company profession that had paid him between $65,000 and $75,00 a 12 months and have become a full-time content material creator for Brodie.
“It was the perfect determination of my life,’’ he stated.
The variety of Brodie’s followers swelled as Brush rolled out video clips, together with these showing Brush and Brodie together jet skiing, bicycling, swimmingdriving in exotic vehicles, frolicking in the snow, fishing and mingling with sports figures.
“He’s my greatest pal, no query,” Brush stated.
But not everyone seems to be a fan. On Brodie’s Instagram account, ghutybuick wrote“Dude utilizing his canine to advertise himself & make money off him by means of social media. You want main assist little man.”
No matter. About a 12 months and a half in the past, Brush employed Brodie’s supervisor, AJ Nubla, who helped facilitate Brodie’s look on the Lakers recreation.
How does Brodie make money?
The Lakers recreation helped display how the business works for Brodie and Brush.
Bibigo, a South Korean meals firm that’s the Los Angeles Lakers’ jersey patch sponsor, offered the courtside tickets for Brush and Brodie’s supervisor.
In trade for the tickets, Bibigo will get a branded publish that includes Brodie and the corporate. The canine has executed related offers with corporations comparable to Subaru.
“We work along with the model to place collectively a video that blends what they’re asking for within the content material creator’s typical natural content material,’’ stated Nubla, Brodie’s supervisor.
The courtside tickets to the Lakers recreation offered greater than a chance to look at Lakers celebrity LeBron James and the opposite gamers. During the sport, Brush and Nubla videotaped the canine — together with when Brodie gained a dance battle towards people. (He danced with Brush’s help and stirred the gang right into a frenzy.)
Brush went stay on Instagram and later posted video clips on Brodie’s social media accounts, which Brush stated generated $400,000 in social media platform income final 12 months along with about $1.1 million in model partnerships.
Brodie additionally seems at charitable occasions, together with a recent one at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood, Florida.
Why is Brodie a service canine?
In his mid-20s, Brush stated, he was identified with lichen planus, an autoimmune illness that causes irritation leading to a rash that may have an effect on the pores and skin, based on the Cleveland Clinic.
Brush stated he had a extreme model.
“And we form of narrowed it right down to it being stress associated,’’ he stated.
Later, he stated, he purchased a Golden Retriever from a champion line, named her Luna and put her in service canine coaching. But she was not a really perfect candidate.
“She’s nothing like Brodie,’’ Brush stated. “She’s uncooperative, doesn’t prefer to movie content material.”
In 2020, Luna gave start to a litter that included Brodie.
“I delivered him,’’ Brush stated. “So I’ve identified him since Day One and I feel that’s helped with the particular bond we now have.’’
Brodie started working as a service animal in 2021. Since them, Brush stated, he has skilled no flareups from lichen planus.
Almost at all times they’re collectively, excluding Brush’s journeys to the health club and first dates. On Wednesday, they flew from Los Angeles to Toronto for a trip. They’ll be staying at a Hilton, one other certainly one of their model companions.
“So that is Brodie’s first worldwide stint,’’ Brush stated. “I’m curious to know what the love for him is out right here.’’
