WHISTLER, BC, Canada. — A British Columbia mountain bike father with no competitive résumé has expanded what he calls a “family engagement business” by licensing his two young children to other mountain bike content creators, saying the move will prepare them for a professional future while providing a new revenue stream built almost entirely on their reluctance.
The father, who runs his 5 and 9-year-old children’s Instagram and TikTok accounts, @progromkids, confirmed this week that he is now charging what he calls “talent licensing fees” to riders seeking a boost in relatability and engagement. The children, already featured daily in high-risk riding videos they often resist filming, are being marketed as “Plug-And-Play Youth Stoke Assets” to creators who desire “collaborative growth.”
“They’ve got to stop being pussies if they want to go pro,” the father, Mike O. Verduit said while replaying crash footage he called “great for engagement.” “Nobody cares if you’re scared…or in kindergarten. The algorithm doesn’t care. This is how you build champions.”
“I wanted to stay home and build Legos,” the younger child said quietly between takes of a jump session. “Dad says Legos don’t got no handlebars.” The older child added that riding bikes was fun before it was work.
Verduit argued the pressure is justified because the children receive free bike frames and components through brand partnerships, despite arriving at the trailhead in a $120,000 lifted Ram TRX and discussing plans to use licensing revenue on a Razor UTV and suspension upgrades. He denied accusations that the project is about personal validation.
He also rejected criticism that he is reliving a failed athletic career through his children.
“I could’ve gone big,” he said. “I just didn’t have the support system. They do. That’s the difference.” He continued, saying, “I’m actually sacrificing so they can succeed. When they’re famous, they’ll thank me. You don’t raise winners by letting kids be kids.”
At press time, the children were being filmed repeating a drop they had already cleared twice after the father insisted the previous takes lacked “enough fear in their faces to convert.”
