Sam Eckholm doesn’t want to be called an influencer. The former Air Force public affairs officer prefers the term “storyteller,” and his YouTube series Access Granted is proving the label fits. Since launching in 2020, the program has amassed more than three million followers across social media and generated over 500 million views by taking audiences inside some of the world’s most sensitive and technologically advanced military installations.
Eckholm, an Air Force Academy graduate who served six years on active duty, now runs SE Media, a digital storytelling platform focused on aerospace and defense. His series has published more than three dozen episodes, each offering a rare, ground-level look at service members executing high-stakes missions. “This isn’t Hollywood, this isn’t a movie set. It’s real, and today, I’m taking you inside,” he says in one episode, sitting in a UH-1 Huey helicopter that is transporting a nuclear warhead.
His access, he explains, is built on trust. “All of our access is built on our trust and reputation,” Eckholm told The Hill. “When we got our shot to put our storytelling skills to the test, we did a good job with that … it made the units excited, and it made them proud. They had a product they could share with their friends and family that showed what they do on a day-to-day basis.”
That trust has opened doors to some of the military’s most guarded operations. In a recent episode, Eckholm and his San Francisco-based crew traveled to a remote frozen ice camp 50 miles off the coast of Alaska. There, they interviewed Navy officers, toured the sprawling facility, and spent 24 hours aboard a nuclear submarine. Crew members showed him their sleeping quarters, explained their research, and argued why maintaining a U.S. military presence in the Arctic is critical for national security. “This is really an endurance test for the United States Navy,” the submarine’s commander told Eckholm. “Nuclear power allows us to operate here, but the endurance allows us to stay here as long as we want and transverse from ocean to ocean.”
Eckholm says his goal is to educate Americans about the military while highlighting stories that mainstream outlets often overlook. He doesn’t target a specific audience. “The more I did this, I was like, my goal shouldn’t just be the niche people who might already be considering the military, the goal should be to reach people who might never have thought about a nuclear submarine but somehow it ended up on their feed,” he said.
His approach blends entertainment with information, but he insists the mission is serious. “Our job is to make these stories exciting and easy to understand but also to uphold all the regulations and security that the military requires,” he said. He also makes a point not to overshadow the service members. “My job is not to be the story, I don’t want to steal the spotlight.”
Eckholm recently partnered with The Hill and NewsNation—both owned by Nexstar Media Group—to present his Arctic Navy footage as a special correspondent. The segment aired this week, giving a broadcast audience a glimpse into the endurance and technology that underpin America’s polar strategy. “Most people, whether it’s politicians or just the general public, only see a product or a piece of equipment or an end result, versus everything it took to get there and support that,” he said. “The amount of time I’ve spent with these communities to learn why they serve, what matters to them, what gets them excited, the sacrifices they make. Those are the stories that don’t get told enough, and those are the ones we try to highlight.”
Eckholm’s rise reflects a broader shift in how military stories are consumed—directly from creators who have earned the confidence of the Pentagon. As he puts it, the key is simple: “All of our access is built on our trust and reputation.”
