Faith is the driving force for five guys who went viral for perfecting all kinds of crazy trick-shots.
The Dude Perfect group — Tyler Toney, Garrett Hilbert, Cory Cotton, Coby Cotton, and Cody Jones — were an accidental success. In fact, they never sought out to be a YouTube sensation, hosting a channel with more than 50 million subscribers, but here they are. And they give God all the glory for their success.
“Faith is really the underlying principle and theme behind everything Dude Perfect does,” Tyler said in the group’s recently released documentary, “Dude Perfect: Backstage Pass.”
It really was an inadvertent victory for the five men. In fact, after graduating from Texas A&M University, a few of the guys got “real” jobs, because recording themselves pulling off trick-shots — no matter how impressive they were — just didn’t seem like the right way for grown men to pay the bills.
They kept making videos on the side as they could, and their following continued to grow, and grow, and grow. When all the guys saw how successful their videos actually were, they decided — with the support of their wives — to go all in on the YouTube thing.
“The minute we all went all in, the thing just exploded,” Cody said.
“The Lord just took it to new levels,” Garrett added. “Deals just started flooding in. … It was like, ‘Boom, quit [your other job]. This is what you were called to do. Do it.’”
Now that they all live in the same area, the guys have devoted themselves to making viral content. While they don’t share the Gospel in every video they post, it’s not difficult to learn about their faith. In the “about” section of the Dude Perfect website, it says their “ultimate goal is to glorify Jesus Christ in everything that we do.”
They also focus on ensuring their content is uplifting and family-friendly.
“Making content that was family-friendly came initially from our faith in Jesus, and we felt like that was something we really, truly wanted to do,” said Cody.
The guys often visit hospitals to spend time with sick children, grant wishes through the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and even lead their own charity, the Dude Perfect Foundation.
Last year, the Dude Perfect team took the show on the road, visiting 20 cities around the country, where they performed 90-minute shows. They had planned a 2020 tour, but those dates have been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
And to think it all started because Tyler “was looking for some other Christian guys to really develop a friendship with.”
“I was about to live with a different group of guys,” Cody recalled, “and I thought, ‘You know what, if I’m going to take this Jesus thing seriously, I need to surround myself with guys that love the Lord, and can push me as iron sharpens iron, and mold me into the man that I know I can be.’”
“God had a way bigger plan for Dude Perfect than we could have ever imagined,” Garrett added.