November 7, 2019
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Bob Schrupp — a 1985 graduate of Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences — and his partner Brad Heineck have a catalog of 1,700 videos, attract 1,500 new subscribers a day, and get as many as 150,000 views a day.
Several of Schrupp’s videos have more than 1 million views.
Schrupp completed MCSHS's Physical Therapy program in 1985 and worked as a physical therapist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester for three years before starting a practice in Winona, Minnesota. That practice, Therapy Network Inc., provides physical, occupational, and speech therapy.
Schrupp describes himself as an introvert and not tech-savvy. Heineck — his partner in practice and on YouTube — is even less tech-savvy.
How did two physical therapists from southern Minnesota become YouTube celebrities?
“We got in early and had a bit of luck,” says Schrupp. “When we started in 2011, there weren’t as many people producing videos for YouTube. Our timing was great — it was almost like a land grab. It would be harder to get started today.
“Consistently creating good YouTube content is harder than people think, as is speaking in front of a camera. Early on, it boggled our minds when even 20 people would watch and comment on a video we made.”
Initially the duo had no technical help. They pointed the camera at themselves and edited the resulting videos, learning one step at a time.
Today they have a part-time employee who operates the camera and edits the videos. Schrupp’s grown children help with the Instagram (OfficialBobandBrad) and Facebook (Bob and Brad) presence. A YouTube consultant calls Schrupp with suggestions every couple of weeks.
Schrupp credits Mayo Clinic with his professional success. “I owe everything to Mayo Clinic,” he says.
“I’m the fourth of 11 children, with parents who only went through eighth grade in school. We were very poor. After high school, I worked construction for a year. A friend of mine urged me to go to college with him, and he ended up not going. But I did. I concurrently completed a bachelor’s degree at Mankato State University and degree in physical therapy from MCSHS. It was a proud moment in my family when I was accepted at MCSHS. No one had gone to college before me. As a result of my showing that college was possible, all of my seven younger siblings went to college.
“Getting into a Mayo Clinic school boosted my self-confidence, and my education and experience at Mayo have served me well in life. Because of my clinical rotations at Mayo Clinic and three years working there, I was well qualified for practice. I owe a debt of gratitude to Mayo Clinic.”
This article was originally published in Mayo Clinic's Connections Magazine, Fall 2019 issue.