When Mac Johnson graduated from Ben Lippen in 2020, he headed to The Citadel to play Division I football before transferring to Charleston Southern to continue his athletic career. One of his proudest memories from that season was competing on the field against powerhouse programs like NC State, Florida State, and Clemson.

Mac always knew he wanted a strong, financially sustainable career, and he set his sights on landing a solid sales job. Today, he’s doing exactly that, working for the Miami Marlins, selling box suites and season passes. But alongside his professional career, he has built something equally ambitious(and dangerous!), a rapidly growing fishing and outdoor content brand that has generated more than 70 million views across platforms in just the past six months.

His passion for fishing began long before social media. At just 15 years old, Mac landed a 9–10 foot lemon shark, a moment that fueled the desire to pursue more formidable catches. Over time, he began targeting larger and more demanding species, developing custom rigs, hand-welding hooks, and investing in heavy-duty equipment to handle some of the ocean’s most daunting predators. His largest catch to date has been a 13-foot, approximately 1,300-pound great white shark.

While the scale of these encounters captures attention, Mac is careful to emphasize that his shark fishing is strictly catch-and-release. Every shark and large species is handled carefully, prioritizing the animal's health and the sustainability of the ecosystem.

He realized his content had real momentum when one video reached 7 million views across multiple platforms, and the next performed just as well. That consistency showed him there was a genuine audience invested in the intensity, scale, and authenticity of what he was doing.

The risks are real. Mac has witnessed a friend receive more than 80 stitches from a shark bite and seen another lose a finger. Skill, preparation, and respect for the environment are essential. Yet one of his most meaningful experiences wasn’t about size at all. During a 3:00 a.m. beach camping trip, he encountered a rare sawfish, a species with only an estimated 300 to 1,000 remaining in the wild, entangled in abandoned fishing lines. Mac and his team carefully removed the debris and returned it safely to the water, leaving it in better condition than they found it. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see an animal few ever encounter and to make a tangible difference in its survival.

Looking ahead, Mac plans to collaborate with larger creators, travel internationally to target new species, and reinvest in producing even higher-quality content, all while continuing to grow his charter operations and excel in his professional role with the Miami Marlins. One species still on his list is the mako shark, a deep-water challenge he hopes to pursue when migration patterns create the right opportunity.

Mac credits Ben Lippen with helping him think strategically about passion and profession. He's always loved animals and science, but he also understood the importance of building a sustainable career.

Stay tuned for more exciting developments with Mac Johnson; there’s plenty more on the horizon!