Success After Scituate: Henry Lockwood’s Story

Viva la Stool. Barstool Sports has seen massive success in the years following its founding  in 2003. Conceived by Dave Portnoy, Barstool is a sports entertainment website, which has attracted a widespread following through social media. Its merchandise has become ubiquitous in high schools and colleges across the country.

It’s relatively common knowledge that Barstool founder Dave “El Presidente” Portnoy grew up in nearby Swampscott, MA. But Scituate has an even deeper connection to the multifaceted sports entertainment giant: Henry Lockwood, a radio producer for Barstool, graduated from Scituate High School in 2010.

“Henry was never a lover of academics,” said Rose Lockwood, Henry’s mother. With that said, he was still creative and persistent in his interests, which included filmmaking. Lockwood also showed an interest in sports from an early age, which combined with his creativity, paved the way for his future career.

“I never really cared about actual school work,” concurred Lockwood. “If given the chance to go back to high school,” Lockwood said, “I definitely would have cared more about where I wanted to go to college and probably tried harder in school in order to get there.”

Despite his relative lack of interest in traditional school subjects, Lockwood recalls his time at Scituate High School fondly. Math teacher and baseball coach Craig Parkins was one reason for this appreciation, as he developed a great relationship with Lockwood. “Parkins for sure,” said Lockwood when asked about his favorite teacher. Lockwood’s freshman year coincided with Parkins’ first year in Scituate, and he also coached Lockwood’s freshman baseball team. A great motivator, Parkins’ laid back attitude allowed him to become close with his players, while still inspiring them to play to their best ability.

Lockwood also appreciated being in Ryan Beattie’s English classes for three years. Lockwood acknowledged that despite the fact that he “basically tormented [Mr. Beattie] for three years straight,” he also enjoyed being in his classes.

Beattie recalled how Lockwood became a leader and spokesperson for his class. “Henry was witty and made his peers laugh throughout a typical class period. He worked well when collaborating with his peers,” said Beattie. Lockwood was at his best as a student “when he was able to use his creativity to demonstrate his understanding of content we were learning or skills we were developing.” When asked about any memories he has about Lockwood, Beattie responded that he has too many to count. In general, Lockwood had a knack for making the class “roar” with laughter. His uniqueness has earned him a place among the students Beattie will never forget, and he added, “I have a file folder full of his creative writing (and discipline reports) to prove it!”

Beattie said he still follows Lockwood’s work, and is “thrilled Henry has found an outlet that allows him to get paid to use his passion for sports and his ability to make others laugh on a daily basis.”

After graduating in 2010, Lockwood spent some time with the Scituate DPW before reaching out to Barstool in the summer of 2013. He began looking to Barstool for opportunities after not being able to return to the DPW because he forgot to turn in his reapplication form. The mistake turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

A follower of Barstool for years, Lockwood learned of founder Dave Portnoy’s 2013 campaign for mayor of Boston. “I had just completed a one year film program at the Center For Digital Imaging Arts in Waltham and had access to all of the school’s video and audio equipment, so I offered to help Dave film and edit his videos for free,” said Lockwood. He then worked as an unpaid intern for four months and received a full-time job offer in October 2013.

Today, Lockwood is the producer of the Barstool Sports podcast “Pardon My Take,” which is currently the top ranked sports podcast in the country.

Always aware of her son’s true potential, Rose Lockwood couldn’t be more pleased. “We are very proud of the opportunities he created for himself,” she said, noting how he had faith in himself to take chances.

Rose also credits Henry’s dedication during his time at the one year program in Waltham, describing how it taught him the skills he needed. “He saw the value and did the work to complete it, and created his own path,” she said.

In reaching out to Barstool that day in 2013, Henry not only bet on himself, but he also took a chance on the company as well. It has always had a committed core group of followers, but Barstool was much less well-known in 2013. Since he joined, it has ballooned to the sports giant that it is today, with five times more employees than it had when Lockwood applied, and an office that takes up an entire floor in New York City.

When asked about advice for SHS students who may be dreaming of working for Barstool one day, Lockwood replied, “Be creative and be able to offer something different Barstool doesn’t already have.” He added, “Being funny helps, too.”