More than just a bizarre moment that went viral was delivered by the dog that won a dance competition during Monday night’s Lakers-Knicks game in Los Angeles.

It was a chance for branding.

Brodie, a Goldendoodle, made an appearance courtside at Crypto.com Arena with the intention of increasing both the dog’s notoriety and the value of the already profitable pet influencer.

Cliff Brush Jr., who goes as “Brodie’s dad,” is Brodie’s proprietor. He claims that Brodie gained over $1.5 million this year via social media platform revenue and brand relationships with businesses including Celsius and Viacom. Based on Statista, that amount exceeds the NBA minimum wage of $1.1 million for the 2023–24 season.

Regarding the 4-year-old assistance dog, Brush remarked, “Whatever he wants, he gets.”

Even while Brodie is the primary provider, Brush is just as important since he makes the entertaining movies that are posted on the dog’s social media pages, which have amassed a following of over 15 million.

His most recent visit to a professional sports event was the Lakers game.

Living in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Brush and his dog have, as they say, covered all the bases. Brush threw out the first pitch at a Florida Marlins game last season, and Brodie went to get it. They attended a Miami Heat game last season to make their NBA debut, and on Saturday they will attend a Florida Panthers game to make their NHL debut.

Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgewick, actors, were seated next to Brodie at the Lakers game. Pictures of the eighty-pound dog curled up under Brush’s seat and on his lap went viral online.

Regarding other appearances, Brush remarked, “We did a lot of things that went viral, but this seems to be on that next level.”

How did Brodie get up on the big screen?

In 2021, Brush, 33, and Brodie’s lives reached a turning point.

Brush was employed by the city of Boca Raton as a budget analyst at the time. According to him, his supervisor became aware that he was devoting less and less time to his full-time work and increasing amounts of time to producing content for Brodie’s social media channels.

Brush stated, “She asked me if this is what I wanted to do, and she brought me into her office.” Kind of like gave me a deadline. Additionally, I did not enjoy living a 9 to 5 job.

In order to become a full-time content creator for Brodie, Brush claimed to have abandoned his job and given up a corporate profession that had paid him between $65,000 and $75,000 annually.

“It was the wisest choice I’ve ever made,” he declared.

As Brush released videos of himself and Brodie together jet skiing, riding, swimming, driving fancy cars, having fun in the snow, fishing, and interacting with sports celebrities, the number of Brodie’s fans grew.

“Without a doubt, he is my best friend,” Brush remarked.

Not everyone, though, is a fan. Ghutybuick posted on Brodie’s Instagram page, saying, “Dude uses his dog to market himself & make money off him through social media.” You need a lot of assistance, tiny fellow.

Not that it matters. The person who made Brodie’s attendance at the Lakers game possible was AJ Nubla, the manager that Brush hired about a year and a half ago.

How is money made by Brodie?
The Lakers game served as an example of how Brodie and Brush’s business is run.

The Los Angeles Lakers’ jersey patch sponsor, Bibigo, a South Korean food company, gave Brush and Brodie’s manager courtside tickets.

Bibigo will receive a branded post featuring Brodie and the company in return for the tickets. The dog has negotiated similar terms with businesses including Subaru.

According to Nubla, Brodie’s manager, “we collaborate with the brand to create a video that incorporates what they’re requesting in the content creator’s standard organic content.”

Attending the Lakers game with courtside seats offered more than just a chance to see players like superstar LeBron James. Brush and Nubla recorded the dog during the game, including the moment when Brodie defeated humans in a dance competition. (He led the audience in a frenzy of dancing with Brush’s help.)

Going live on Instagram and then sharing video segments on Brodie’s social media accounts, Brush claimed that last year his profiles brought in $400,000 from social media platform revenue in addition to roughly $1.1 million from sponsor deals.

Additionally, Brodie makes appearances at altruistic gatherings. Most recently, he did so at the Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood, Florida.

Why is a service dog like Brodie?
According to the Cleveland Clinic, Brush was diagnosed with lichen planus, an inflammatory illness that causes inflammation and can cause a rash on the skin, in his mid-20s.

Brush claimed to have a bad case.

“And we were able to narrow it down to being related to stress,” he said.

Afterwards, he claimed, he trained Luna, a Golden Retriever from a champion line, as a support dog. However, she wasn’t the best choice.

“She’s not at all like Brodie,” Brush remarked. “She’s uncooperative, doesn’t like to film content.”

Brodie was a member of Luna’s litter born in 2020.

“I gave birth to him,” stated Brush. Since I’ve known him since Day One, I believe it has contributed to our unique closeness.

In 2021, Brodie started serving as a service animal. Brush reported that he has not had any lichen planus flare-ups since then.

Except for when Brush goes to the gym and goes on their first dates, they are almost always together. They took a vacation flight on Wednesday from Los Angeles to Toronto. Another of its brand partners, Hilton, is where they will be lodging.

Thus, Brush remarked, “this is Brodie’s first overseas assignment.” “I want to know what the level of love is out here for him.”