By Bella Butler EBS Contributor
When Sam Brooks was a little boy, he knew one thing: He wanted to be either a pirate or a cowboy. As he grew up, he realized the pirate pursuit wasn’t very realistic, so he sought the latter.
Although he grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, Brooks’ family spent a good deal of time on the rugged Wyoming landscape, experiencing the Western lifestyle. Brooks enjoyed the double life he grew into, where he could toggle back and forth between prep school and lacrosse sticks and horses and mountains.
Eventually, he began to spend more time in the West. Intrigued by the idea of “climbing [the] hierarchy of positions in the cowboy world,” Brooks worked on a dude ranch, as a wrangler, for the U.S. Forest Service and as a pack guide in Jackson Hole.
Brooks graduated from the University of Delaware with a degree in organizational and community leadership and business administration and began to chase different types of jobs. After a brief stint pursuing careers in Phoenix and Los Angeles, Brooks knew something wasn’t right. “I knew in my heart I wanted to get back to the Rocky Mountains,” he said.
The renowned allure of wild Western landscape that brings so many to Big Sky led Brooks to Outlaw Partners, where he charmed his way into the position of media sales associate. “I think that I am very charismatic,” Brooks said, noting the trait he believes earned him his job. Brooks also thinks it is his people skills that especially qualify him for his role in the Outlaw Partners team.
Brooks serves as a public face for the company around town, and a big part of his job is fostering strong relationships with clients that go beyond work. Since his recent start at the company in September, Brooks said he finds himself having already built many connections with members of the community through his job.
In addition to his specific position, he thoroughly enjoys the Outlaw Partners environment. He said he loves the autonomy he is given and how inspired he feels. “The capacity for creativity at Outlaw is never ending,” Brooks said.
In addition to fishing the rivers and skiing the slopes, Brooks enjoys partaking in open gym basketball at the high school and looks forward to participating in sports on the ice rink in Town Center. He is also a new member of the Rotary Club of Big Sky.
Brooks is excited about Big Sky events like PBR and TEDxBigSky. He also looks forward to continuing the growth of his position and relationships at Outlaw and chasing his co-workers on skis this winter.
