More and more young people are playing pool and that is good for the future of the game. Most gravitate to the normal pool games but one young man gravitated to both regular pool and artistic pool. (trickshots) Meet 14 year old Jaden Dupree. Jaden got into both regular pool and trickshots and used social media to share that love. His fame on social media grew and opened the door for some good opportunities. Aside from doing trickshot videos, Jaden also records training videos for people. All this attention has drawn the attention of sponsors as well. Jaden is sponsored by Meucci Cues, icue training ball and the Super Clear Bridge.
What got you into pool and then what got you into trick shots?
My boredom got me into pool. My family bought a pool table randomly 2 years ago. None of us had ever played and I just began to play daily. I saw a Venom Trickshots video and that got me into Trickshots. I started posting videos of my own on Instagram and have gained my followers over time.
How often do you practice?
I practice every day for about 4-5 hours on school nights and about 6-7 hours on weekends/holidays.
You have a large following on social media. How did that come about? How many followers/subscriptions on each platform do you have?
I have no idea how the followers came about. It was a major surprise to me. I have over 30,000 followers on Instagram, 16,000 on Facebook, and 21,000 on YouTube.
How often do you post videos?
I try to post videos on YouTube every day, but sometimes that isn’t possible. I try to never miss two days in a row.
You started doing pool instructional videos on YouTube. Have you experienced any pushback since you are so young?
I have experienced a lot of pushback for being young and trying to teach. I try to be a student of the game and learn from everybody, and teach others what I learn. If you don’t like my videos, then you don’t have to watch them. I love getting the daily messages that from people that have improved from watching my videos.
What is your favorite pool game to play?
My favorite games are 9 Ball and 10 Ball, but 14.1 is a close second.
What is your favorite trick shot?
My favorite trick shot has to be the satellite Masse.
Who are some of your pool heros?
Some of my pool heroes are Shane Van Boening, Jayson Shaw, and Mike Dechaine.
Because of your following on social media, you had a video featured during the super bowl correct?
Yes. I won a competition for one of my trickshot videos which gave me Super Bowl Tickets, Flights, Hotel rooms, and a video played in the super bowl.
What are some of your short term goals and a couple long term goals/bucket list items?
Some of my short term goals are to compete in the Texas 10 Ball Open in February and to gain another 1000 subscribers before the new year. The biggest goal I have is to surpass 100,000 subscribers and receive the silver play button award from Google. I already have a spot on my wall for it.
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Sponsored by Jacoby Custom Cues and Lone Wolf Pool Network
Author: Brian Pauley
Editor: Shaylyn Troop