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Hello Sébastien, can you introduce yourself to the readers of Fishing.news?
Sébastien Rousseau - My name is Sébastien Rousseau, I am soon 47 years old, I have a 13 years old daughter and I live near Nevers in the 58. I practice all the techniques of fishing with the blow, feeder, English, and carps with the blow. Since a few months, I start to practice the specimen hunting.
Can you tell us about your early days in fishing?
Sébastien Rousseau - I started fishing at a very young age with my grandfather, I quickly became passionate about it. I started competing in championships at the age of 15. My professional life made that I put on pause for a few years the fishing, but I quickly returned to my first passion.
When, how and why did you agree to be a Pro-Staff?
Sébastien Rousseau - When I was young and fishing competitively, I was sponsored by many brands. At that time, there were no networks or platforms to promote fishing. The only way to show off was through competition, and the results that went with it. A few years later, I started to write in the specialized press, especially on the magazine Déclic pêche. That's where the real partnerships started, I worked one year for an English brand and then I started a strong collaboration with Fun Fishing and Daiwa which are since 12 years my two main partners.
It wasn't the brands that spotted me, at the time, it was me who offered my services. The fact of writing in the specialized press made things go faster, because it's an interesting way to promote the products of a brand. Since then, everything has evolved since I now publish videos on my Youtube channel. I'm also part of the Info pêche magazine team and I've been part of the Deeper team for over two years.
What does being an ambassador mean to you?
Sébastien Rousseau - This means being exemplary at the water's edge, representing the brand at its best, sharing photos of the products and exchanging with its community. Test the products and above all have an objective view of the brand. Never get into controversies on social networks, it's absolutely useless!
What is your best memory, or anecdote, as a Pro-Staff to share with our readers?
Sébastien Rousseau - I don't really have a great memory, but what I do know is that I love doing what I do today in fishing. I love to showcase the products through my fishing and in the last few years my way of communicating has changed tremendously with the advent of YouTube videos. It's a lot of work, but I really enjoy sharing with my community.
How do you see the fishing industry in France?
Sébastien Rousseau - It's normal that there are Pro-Staff now to ensure the communication of brands. Networks have become a huge part of the business. And that's going to accelerate in the next few years. I honestly think that it will no longer be necessary to be a good fisherman, but rather a good communicator. Both are even better!
Having Pro-Staff on the waterfront and on the networks is an effective way to sell your products. It has become a must for today's market. All major brands now have a team manager to manage the networks and or a team of cameramen to go to the waterfront as often as possible to take pictures of the Pro-Staff.
Any advice for anglers who want to join a Pro-Staff team one day?
Sébastien Rousseau - Already the first thing, I think for a lot of people, is to pay close attention to spelling. Because you can't claim to be Pro-Staff when you make ten spelling mistakes per line on a Facebook or Instagram post.
Now, there are a lot of levers to get noticed, but an angler who takes great pictures and communicates in a smart way will inevitably be spotted by the brands. And finally, being a Pro-Staff should not be an objective, the most important thing is to get a kick out of the water.
