The Alberta Golfers Collective - Blaine Zimmer

Remember when YouTube was the place you visited to watch the latest viral videos? The Numa Numa dancing in his chair guy? Remember him?! That was 15 years ago and to this day it makes me giggle.

It’s safe to say, the platform has definitely changed since then and probably for the better of the viewers. It’s transformed into a community for people to share their gifts, story tell, provide an opinion and react to the ever changing and polarizing world that we are currently living in. You are tuning into content on a regular basis, daily, weekly, not looking for a cheap laugh or a sponsored celebrity advert you’ll find scrolling through your other social feeds. You’re searching and clicking on a video with every intention to watch, to be invested in someone’s life, to care. That’s why you’re subscribing.

Blaine Zimmer currently has just under 3,000 of those subscribers and he’s bringing viewers an array of content. Golf, the latest blockbuster trailer reactions with his son, shoe reviews and even chicken sandwich videos. In over 4 years of work, Blaine has built quite the portfolio and while I am obviously intrigued about the golf content he’s bringing to the table it’s impressive to see how far his interests go and how willingly he wants to share with his audience.

Blaine has achieved a balance between his creating, family life and work through golf. And it’s his incredibly grounded outlook on all of it that makes this Alberta Golfers Collective feature one of my favourites early in this series.

RO: Give the people a little bit of a background on how and why you got into videography, YouTube and anything else that you’re involved with.

BZ: So, growing up I was always that kid at the party with a camcorder. I would make video for my friends and show them at parties. In my early 20s I got my first DSLR (digital single lens reflex camera for those that aren’t hip to the scene with the camera lingo), and started shooting weddings and teaching myself videography. This allowed me to move onto corporate interviews and promotional videos.

After years of this and being comfortable with my skillset I started working for myself, launching my YouTube channel 4 years ago. I have since created 120+ videos and have loved every aspect of it and if I wasn’t a firefighter, I would be a fulltime YouTube creator. But I like the balance between the two.

RO: When you describe yourself as a creator, what does that mean exactly? To you anyway.

BZ: Creating is giving a viewer something to enjoy. I feel honored that I do have a small, but extremely loyal group of supporters. Getting that “I just watched your new video” text or someone sharing my work with someone else is extremely gratifying.

RO: In the world of Instagram reels, Tik Tok and all of these other platforms, why YouTube? Why is this a good space for you? For anyone for that matter?

BZ: Yeah, that's a tough one. I've always said YouTube is at a huge disadvantage when it comes to consumable content. With Tik Tok, snapchat and reels, videos are presented to you, you don't have to search, you don't have to click, it's just there, boom, boom, boom, in your face all the time. Whereas YouTube requires a handful of clicks in order for your specific content to be viewed. The advantage would be the ability to create better stories. Obviously, videos are longer and which allows more room for creativity. The creator community on YouTube is also very encouraging and enabling.

This reaction video with his son amassed 130,000 views on YouTube!

RO: Explain for the people who is Zim and who or what is the Rocket from your channel’s name ZimandtheRocket?

BZ: Zim and the Rocket! I am Zim and my son is the Rocket. I gave the nickname to him before he was born but I have to admit that he has outgrown it. He is a calm, sweet, and caring soul and has also taken an interest in media creation, and with my help, has his own YouTube channel.

RO: I didn’t have a cell phone until I was 16 let alone having the access to YouTube! Kids these days! What is like creating videos with your son and helping him with his own channel? What is an 8-year-old interested in creating?

BZ: It's one of the best parts of my life. I learned early on in my son's life that he wasn’t that into sports which contrasted to how I grew up. It took some adjustment and managing of expectations for sure. But we've got a great thing going and share a common bond of movies, actors, directors, release dates and all the hype that surrounds going to the movies. And that has helped us come together to create videos. It's fun getting in front of the camera, pressing record and creating something together with someone you love. 

RO: What are your goals with this platform? Short term, long term or just for fun?

BZ: Short term goals are always the same. Put myself first. To be healthy physically and mentally. Then my family and friends, their happiness, health and safety. After that, everything else is a bonus!

So, creating engaging content and being true to myself. I take pride in creating every aspect of my work - storyboarding, shooting, editing, creating. Every aspect of the creative process is only done by me and I think that shows in my work. I get sad when I see other video creators and “Youtubers” that don’t give enough credit to everyone else that helped them along the way. I do enjoy the sense of community amongst the YouTube creators, I just wish others got the credit they deserve behind the scenes. Be humble, be sincere and honest.

Long term - I want to work on a screenplay and create a short film. I currently have a mess of notes on my phone that maybe somewhat represent something cohesive. I still have a long way to go on that front.

Whenever we decide to play, with all that time together on the course, I’ll pitch Blaine a short film idea, a true underdog, comeback story with a golf twist. A story filled with heartbreak and immense drama about a left-handed golfer who overcomes his lifelong demons on the greens to finally make a down hill, right to left slider to shoot a respectable 79 at his home course. I have just the man for the starring role as well.

RO: How does golf tie into all of this for you?

BZ: Golf has evolved over time for me. From a competitive thirst to an avenue for exploration. But it’s also therapy for me. Given my line of work there is trauma and some life changing events that have happened. Aside from my family/friends and actual therapy, golf gets me out of my head and helps me relax - like an escape.

I feel the most comfortable on the golf course because it’s somewhere I can authentically be myself. From the outside I can be hard to read, tattooed golfing firefighter flying a drone, it doesn’t really fit on a business card. But I like that and the example that I can set for others. Mainly juniors. Golf should be fun, for all, bottom line.

RO: Scrolling through your channel I saw a very hot take that Innisfail is the best golf course in Alberta. We need some more thoughts on this!

BZ: I find the rating of courses is very biased based on my experience there, instead of the actual course itself. But I do love courses where you feel like you are in the middle of nowhere. Like it's just a course, no houses, no buildings, just pure raw golf. Secondly it's challenging but not impossible, if your driver and putter are working you can have a good time there. And lastly, like I stated in my video, fall colors at Innisfail, with some friends, a couple cameras and a drone, doesn't get much better.

RO: Can you be the one that explains this fascination with Nike shoes, Jordan’s and this sneakerhead mentality?

BZ: So I grew up in Bowness in NW Calgary.  Bowness would be classified as a rougher neighborhood, and I got exposed to sneaker culture there in elementary. It was a way to express yourself and get noticed. My parents worked hard, as a nurse and a firefighter, and when they had the opportunity, they were generous with allowing me to explore the sneaker game at a young age. They taught me how to work hard for your money and how it's healthy and rewarding to treat yourself. Self love.

As far as style goes, Bryan Greenberg who played Ben Epstien in How to Make it in America said "You can't go wrong with the classics." I stick to this. Ray-Ban wayfarers, Chuck Taylors, Air max 90s, Jordan1s, Air force 1s. Those timeless iconic silhouettes that have been around for 40 years and will be around for 40 more. I also like sneaker references in classic movies. The Air Mags from Back to the future, Nike Cortez from Forrest Gump, etc.

I am very excited to spend 4 hours (and hopefully more!) on a course with Blaine this season. Whether we are creating something fun and engaging for an audience or just getting to know each other a little more in between each shot we take. Based on some early scouting by watching his videos, it also looks like we should be able to have a closely contested match!

I bet Blaine didn’t thing this YouTube thing would ever backfire into providing game tape to potential opponents. Sounds like you’re going to have to stay tuned to the Zim and the Rocket YouTube channel for an Alberta comparable to The Match this summer.

As always, if you’re interested to learn more about Blaine or give him some support by following all of his endeavours, we have them linked below.

Follow Blaine here:

Instagram: @Zimandtherocket

YouTube: Zim and the Rocket - YouTube