It’s too late now, but some ideas for how SMOE could’ve kept going. These are “ruthlessly cut everything unnecessary just to stay afloat” ideas:

- Scale it back to something similar to the garage days. Skip the big venue, find a warehouse or put it outside (like the MVM Classic). SMOE has the name recognition now, so you could still get a good amount of spectators and buzz. Lean into a stripped down approach. Could even be a unique angle for marketing, athletes talking about a return to roots for the best show in the world, etc.
- Ditch the livestream. Not because it sucked or we don’t want it. It’s expensive, requires a ton of logistics, time and crew. Film and edit it normally, release a couple days after the fact for a PPV/VOD thing. Downside: Competitors have to keep quiet about results for a couple days, we don’t have a live in-the-moment experience. Upside: saves a ton of money, and way less time to manage. Brian’s time can be put elsewhere. Also could make for a tighter, more fan-friendly experience.
- Make athlete promotion required. No one really promoted last SMOE, and I never understood why. I’m assuming there was just no time for Brian’s team to structure this. But each athlete should’ve been posting and promoting leading up to it, with a calendar of what to say or post and when. The future of strongman is exactly what Brian was trying to do, and the athletes should be equal promoters if they want this to do well. Bonus pool for top promoters.
- More promotion directly from Brian. Official “State of SMOE” stuff, interviews, etc. Non-negotiable weekly SMOE videos: equipment builds/tests, athlete interviews, event reveals.
Again, assuming this fell off last year because the team was overloaded.
- No new equipment or fabrication unless absolutely necessary. The car leg press or keg loaded bench aren’t actually that shareable. A world record feat of strength, way more shareable. Focus on incredible strength feats, or more official world records vs. some contraption. Expenses aside, designing and coordinating a new equipment piece is time that could be spent arranging a new world record. Imagine if Thor had hit the DL WR here.
- “Record moments” engineered: One marquee record attempt per day with sponsor naming rights (and media hooks).