From Naval Officer to Hollywood: Making Time for the Passion You Can’t Ignore (ft. Rylan Tuohy, Viral Sensation, Writer, Director, Naval Academy Grad)

Most people wait until life slows down to pursue what they love. Rylan built a filmmaking career in the middle of one of the most demanding environments in the country.  Before content creation was a career, before “doing both” was a trend, he was a physics major at the Naval Academy, making viral videos in his dorm room, proving you didn’t have to choose between discipline and creativity. In this episode, Kellie interviews longtime friend Rylan Tuohy: writer, director, entrepreneur, former Naval Officer, and someone she has known for over 15 years. Kellie and Rylan attended the United States Naval Academy together in 2013 and 2014, during which Kellie watched him become one of the earliest examples of what it truly meant to “do both.” While balancing the demands of the Academy and studying applied physics, Rylan was also creating videos, producing the infamous Navy football and Army-Navy "Spirit Spots," and building viral YouTube content long before influencing or content creation were considered viable career paths. The two even worked together as Army-Navy game correspondents and collaborated on several of the videos that helped make Rylan one of the most recognizable creators in the military space at the time.In this conversation, Rylan opens up about balancing his creative passion with the structure and pressure of military life, why he chose the Naval Academy over film school, and how he learned to be incredibly intentional with his time. He talks about creating without overthinking, trusting his instincts, and making time for what he wanted to do — not just what he had to do. Kellie and Rylan also dive into the moment he realized storytelling and filmmaking were no longer just hobbies but his true calling. He shares what it was like to leave the Navy, bet on himself fully, and pursue production and Hollywood full-time, a decision that ultimately led him to found his own production company and direct projects tied to Top Gun: Maverick, Masters of the Air, The Terminal List, and more.This is a vulnerable and honest conversation about creativity, pressure, transition, discipline, identity, and learning to pursue a life that feels aligned rather than simply stable. Rylan is truly one of the pioneers of what “doing both” looks like, and Kellie is honored to finally share his story.Links to some of Rylan’s most iconic videos!Naptown Funk (8.7M views) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTt-XE0XYMMWe Give a Ship (517k views): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZY2J21Uti6gStar Wars at NAVY (406K views): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svU2317XiPwWhat Does the Zoomie Say? (276k Views): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtrkZgo00TU - the one where Kellie is featured!Helm Yeah (269k views): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlR2JM4U2QYConnect with Rylan:Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/RylanTuohyInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/rylantuohy/Enjoyed this episode? Visit kelliesbrocchi.com and follow Kellie ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠| ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠| ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ ! Loved the show ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@doboth.podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠? Leave a review and share what you learned—we love to hear from you! #DoBothDisclaimer: Views and opinions are personal and do not reflect that of the DOD/DOW.