Oklahoma Teens Make A Name For Themselves 'On the Water, In the Woods'

It was just a regular, run-of-the-mill trip for Steve Easom. He was to film a commercial at Lake Texoma for his television network, KSBI and believed it would be useful to have a couple of helping hands. So he decided to take his son, Cody Easom, and his son’s best friend, Cody Hughes, with him.

It turned out to be worth both his and the boys’ time.

After getting film of a boat for his commercial, Steve Easom videotaped Hughes and his son, who had taken bass boats with them, while they fished.

Hughes and Easom, now both 19 years old, showed the charisma and outdoors expertise that would eventually lead to their fame, and on the way back from the lake, the three discussed the possibility of starting a show featuring the two young outdoorsmen.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

“On the Water In the Woods with Cody and Cody� is a statewide, internationally syndicated program that features the two teens fishing and hunting. It airs on two Oklahoma stations, KSBI out of Oklahoma City and KWHB out of Tulsa, one Canadian station, Wild TV, and on the Internet at outdoorbroadcasting.com. It is also soon to be featured nationwide on the The Sportsman’s Channel.

Despite the national and international expansion of their show over its three year history, Hughes and Easom says if it were not for the Sooner State, they wouldn’t be as successful as they’ve been.

“Before we started doing television, we were the regular, everyday fishermen and hunters, and that was about it,� Easom says. “As we got into the show and opportunities came to us, we started learning about several different outdoor activities that can be done in Oklahoma. Not only did it open our eyes, but I think it showed the viewers of our program, ‘Hey, there is more to this state than just bass fishing and deer-hunting.’�

Easom says Oklahoma provides for a vast amount of outdoor activities that can be pleasing to even the staunchest of nature’s critics.

“There are ranches and things across the state that offer great outdoor experiences whether you’re into hunting and fishing or not,� he says. “Oklahoma has more shoreline than anyone in the nation. We’ve got more lakes and ponds and all this public land that is awesome hunting and open to everybody.�

Oklahoma, a once pioneer-driven state that was the site of various land runs in the 19th century, has given a start to many entrepreneurs throughout its history. The same stands true for Hughes and Easom, as it gave the two best friends a solid foundation from which to begin building their success, Hughes says.

“Oklahoma has helped us start what nobody else has started, and what I mean by that is we started our own television show when were sixteen years old,� Hughes says. “We take a lot of pride in the fact that we’re from here.�

He says many leave their roots behind when fame comes calling, but he and Easom pledged to never forget what their native state did for them.

“That’s how a lot of people work – they start out small and get the opportunity to go big, but they forget where they came from,� Hughes says. “It’s something Cody and I decided we’d never do. We began this in a place we care about, and more than likely it’s where we are going to end up.

“We’ll always remember Oklahoma is where we got our start, and we’ll always call Oklahoma home.�

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