There have been trick shot viral videos made for years, but the Legendary Shots bring the trick shots to Auburn.
The group is made up of Auburn students Ryan Johnson, sophomore in business; and Carson Stalnaker, senior in marketing; and University of Alabama students John Massey, Chase Martin, Christian Lill and Bryan Anderson.
Founded in 2006, the team travels across the country to make viral videos.
"Basically, it's just homemade videos, more specifically, trick shots," Stalnaker said. "We started playing HORSE in the driveway in middle school, and then we decided to get the camera out and start filming. Then got better cameras, decent sized arms and we just got better at everything to be where we are now."
The group met at church in the Birmingham area and has been gaining thousands of followers and views since their beginning.
"We get our biggest push from Instagram, those are our biggest fans," Johnson said. "We tell them there is a video coming out and they wait for it."
Johnson joined the team in 2010 after Stalnaker asked for his help producing a video.
"I make the videos pretty for online," Johnson said. "I'm what drives the production value really, and I really started honing in on that and from there it really became an investment for [Legendary Shots]."
The team has made videos in various locations, from California to Destin and here at Auburn with Auburn basketball head coach Bruce Pearl.
The group worked with Pearl in the Auburn Arena to make a trick shot video, and they said they loved the experience of working alongside Auburn's head basketball coach.
"You might think (his personality) is a camera persona, but it's totally real," Stalnaker said. "He was that genuine and excited the whole time we were shooting."
The group recently created one of Stalnaker's favorite videos, Golf Trick Shots with the Bryan Bros. at Farmlinks Golf Club in Sylacauga.
"You have to hit a basketball with a golf club, and luckily we had some professional golfers in the video," Stalnaker said. "If you don't hit the ball dead on the club head, it will break."
Johnson said the club provided many amenities for them.
"We met up with them and had this beautiful closed golf course to ourselves, luxury cabins and free dinners and lunches all for ourselves," Johnson said.
The group enjoys the time they get to spend together and the video-making process.
"I love, afterwards, making the video perfect," Stalnaker said. "Most of the time we don't think we have that great of footage, and when we put it together it's a lot better than it seemed while we were filming."
Ty Randolph, sophomore in undeclared math and science, helps the group with production, picking up missed shots and filming. Randolph said he appreciates the opportunities that the group has presented him.
'The best part [of working with the group] is definitely the opportunities it gives," Randolph said. "Visiting amazing venues with an all-access pass as well as meeting popular public figures who work with us in the videos is awesome."
Johnson said working in Legendary Shots has helped him grow and learn exactly what he wants to do with his career.
"It's taught me a lot about patience and perfectionism and making sure that every little thing is exactly how you want it, so you can push out content that you are really proud of," Johnson said.
Stalnaker said he encourages other Auburn students to go after what they love, even if they start small.
"It doesn't matter where you came from," Stalnaker said. "We live in Alabama and we are well known across the world for our videos. You don't have to be from LA, if we keep making videos from where we are from, the world is going to notice."
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