The Buttery Bros know what’s up.
Heber “Heebs” Cannon and Marston “Mars” Sawyers take to the gym, the trails, the competitions—anything that pushes their bodies to the limit—and they do it all with cameras in hand and smiles on their faces.
At the same time they are doing that, they uplift everyone around them. That’s what it’s all about, though. Their life goal is to show people through creative videos how much fun it can be to exercise, release those endorphins, build a community, and just feel good inside and out.
“We just want to spread ‘butter’ and spread joy,” Sawyers says. When they get an exceptional camera shot, they call it “buttery” and smooth.
“We want everyone to enjoy and have a good time,” explains Cannon. “It might be trying CrossFit or motivating people to do something else. We want people to know that fitness can be fun.”
But really, could anyone have as much fun as these two? Wiping out while wakeboarding or getting filthy muddy on a trail run—all while wearing silly hats and goofy grins?
How Buttery Bros Started
The two men met in 2010 when Sawyers was filming a CrossFit competition. Later, they worked at CrossFit headquarters in California in the media division developing creative video content. Both are passionate about creative filming and putting together high-quality, entertaining videos.
All told, they worked together on several feature-length documentaries (Fittest on Earth: The Story of the 2015 Reebok CrossFit Games; Fittest on Earth: A Decade of Fitness; The Redeemed and the Dominant: Fittest on Earth), plus a web series Road to the Games that chronicled competitors’ behind-the-scenes preparation and participation in the CrossFit Games.
Eventually, the creative department at CrossFit was dissolved, but they didn’t want to stop what they were doing. That’s when Sawyers and Cannon teamed up to start their own fitness lifestyle brand, Buttery Bros. In 2019, they started their YouTube channel and quickly gained 20,000 followers—with more than 180,000 followers to date.
“It just shows that people were thirsty for content,” Cannon explains.
They went about producing their own feature-length documentary along with a popular documentary web series about the sport of fitness. Their 2020 film became the #1 movie on the overall Apple TV/iTunes charts in the summer of 2021.
In the process of producing these independent films, they also turned the cameras on themselves. With antics like “Acid Bath in Mat Fraser’s Garage” (yes, THAT Mat Fraser who won the CrossFit games five years in a row), as well as episodes of all kinds of other fitness fanatics. In their YouTube show, viewers can watch Heebs and Mars run through mud in Hawaii, wakeboard in Tulsa, try out all sorts of fitness equipment, and much more. The crazier the better.
“We do a lot of various wild things,” Cannon says. “I was that kid in school who absolutely loved recess. The gym is recess for adults.”
The challenge has been keeping up with demand. To stay relevant on YouTube, it’s important to upload videos regularly. The Buttery Bros includes a small team that helps with editing, plus a graphics creator so they can get content out quicker. If what they are filming is time sensitive, they may wrap up recording on Thursday or Friday, send off to the editor, and do a final pass and upload on Monday. Ideally, they’d like to post two videos per week, but since their videos are 20 to 30 minutes a piece, sometimes doing one video a week takes all their time.
Spreading Positivity
Viewers have contacted the Buttery Bros and shared their stories of getting into shape and even losing lots of weight. Cannon and Sawyers expected that kind of feedback, and they are excited with every message of that kind that comes their way. What they didn’t expect, however, were messages from people who were watching for different reasons. Not just for fitness but for positivity.
“During the pandemic, people were living vicariously through us,” Cannon says. “We helped them stay upbeat.”
To spread the joy even more, the Buttery Bros try to give back as much as possible, in any way they can. In the past, they’ve promoted the 65 Roses CrossFit for Cystic Fibrosis Foundation at their local gym. And while they were glad to be of assistance, the experience left an impact on them, too.
“The CF community is a tight-knit community. They are a humbling example of all that they have suffered. Because of them, I want to give my best effort,” Sawyers says.
The Buttery Bros feel lucky that they can combine two things they love—fitness and filming—to help uplift and inspire others.
“We want to motivate other people to be happy and exercise,” says Cannon.
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