brandon webb navy seal founder and ceo hurricane media overview
Brandon Webb is a former U.S. Navy SEAL sniper, New York Times bestselling author and the founder of Hurricane Group, a media and ecommerce company built around SOFREP, SOFREP Radio, the SpecOps Channel and Crate Club. In 2012 he also founded the Red Circle Foundation after his friend Glen Doherty was killed in Benghazi.
Updated October 20, 2026.
Webb's story is also a case study in brand and media building. He used books, steady commentary as a military subject matter expert and live speaking, booked through Macmillan Speakers, to build an audience that his media and subscription businesses could reach. His arc sits alongside other operator profiles in EPR's industry leaders directory.
What was Brandon Webb's Navy SEAL career?
Brandon Webb served in the U.S. Navy for more than a decade and became a SEAL sniper and sniper course manager. Born on June 12, 1974, he left home at 16, finished high school and joined the Navy, and his own biography dates his enlistment to March 1993.
According to his website, Webb was assigned to SEAL Team 3 from 1998 to 2002. In 2000 his platoon deployed to the Persian Gulf and was diverted to Aden, Yemen, to help after the attack on the USS Cole, and in 2001 he deployed to Afghanistan with SEAL Team 3. Wikipedia reports that he was invited to the SEAL Sniper Course in 2000 and later worked at the Naval Special Warfare Group One sniper cell and the Naval Special Warfare Center sniper program, where he was sniper course manager.
His service honors include a Presidential Unit Citation, presented by President George W. Bush, and a Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with the "V" device for valor in combat, according to his publisher biography. Webb left the Navy early to spend more time with his children and to focus on entrepreneurship, following the example of his parents, who both owned small businesses.
How did Brandon Webb build Hurricane Group?
Brandon Webb built Hurricane Group after a first startup failed, turning a military-culture news site into a media and ecommerce company. His website says his first startup failed in 2009, after which he created SOFREP Media and Crate Club.
Wikipedia lists Webb as founder and CEO of Hurricane Group, LLC, whose properties include the SOFREP military culture website, SOFREP Radio and the SpecOps Channel on YouTube. Crate Club is a subscription box of survival gear picked by former Navy SEALs and Special Operations Forces. Webb's own site calls SOFREP a military culture, defense and foreign policy news site read by millions each month, and says he runs it as CEO and editor-in-chief.
The commercial model pairs audience with products: media content draws readers and listeners who are interested in military and outdoor topics, and subscription clubs and ecommerce sell to them. A publisher description of his book Total Focus says Hurricane grew in five years to a staff of more than 50, an audience in the tens of millions and a valuation above $100 million. Treat those figures as the publisher's description, not an independent audit.
What books has Brandon Webb written?
Brandon Webb has written or co-written more than a half dozen nonfiction books, most with co-author John David Mann, plus a thriller series. The table lists the main titles from Wikipedia and publisher listings.
Year
Title
Notes
2012
The Red Circle: My Life in the Navy SEAL Sniper Corps and How I Trained America's Deadliest Marksmen
Memoir, published by St. Martin's Press
2013
Navy SEAL Sniper: An Intimate Look at the Sniper of the 21st Century
Written with Glen Doherty
2015
Among Heroes: A Navy SEAL's True Story of Friendship, Heroism, and the Ultimate Sacrifice
Written with John David Mann
2017
The Killing School: Inside the World's Deadliest Sniper Program
Written with John David Mann
2017
Total Focus: Make Better Decisions Under Pressure
Written with John David Mann, published by Penguin
2018
Mastering Fear: A Navy SEAL's Guide
Five-step guide written with John David Mann
Mastering Fear: A Navy SEAL's Guide
Webb's publisher biography also lists Benghazi: The Definitive Report and The ISIS Solution among his books. Wikipedia adds the Finn Thriller series, which includes Steel Fear, Cold Fear and Blind Fear, and says Webb sold the film and television rights to the entertainment studio Wiip in 2021. Authors weighing outside publicity support for a book launch can compare options in Best Book Publicity Firms.
How does Brandon Webb use media and speaking?
Brandon Webb is regularly featured in media as a military and business subject matter expert, according to his speaker biography, and he takes live engagements through Macmillan Speakers. The repeat appearances keep his books and Hurricane Group's brands in front of general audiences, which is the job that media training is built to support. Executives preparing for harder interviews can also read executive media training for hostile and crisis interviews.
The same speaker biography notes that he is personable and humorous in person, not the stereotypical screaming drill sergeant. He is also an active member of YPO, the peer network for chief executives.
What is the Red Circle Foundation?
The Red Circle Foundation is a nonprofit Brandon Webb founded in 2012 to support the families of fallen and wounded Special Forces veterans. Webb started it after losing his best friend, Navy SEAL and CIA contractor Glen Doherty, in Benghazi, Libya.
The foundation funds memorials, medical services and scholarships. It uses a 100 percent pass-through model, in which every donated dollar goes to the mission and business partners cover the foundation's overhead. How nonprofits like this one earn press attention and donor trust is covered in Nonprofit PR: The 2026 Guide to Strategy, Media and Donors.
Brandon Webb is a former U.S. Navy SEAL sniper, New York Times bestselling author and founder of Hurricane Group, the company behind SOFREP and Crate Club. He also founded the Red Circle Foundation.
What is Brandon Webb known for?
Webb is known for his Navy SEAL sniper career, his books including The Red Circle, Total Focus and Mastering Fear, and for building Hurricane Group into a military-focused media and ecommerce business.
What is Hurricane Group?
Hurricane Group is the media and ecommerce company Brandon Webb founded. Its properties include the SOFREP website and radio, the SpecOps Channel and subscription clubs such as Crate Club.
What is SOFREP?
SOFREP is a military culture, defense and foreign policy news site that Webb founded and, according to his website, runs as CEO and editor-in-chief.
Who did Brandon Webb write his books with?
Webb wrote Among Heroes, The Killing School, Total Focus and Mastering Fear with John David Mann, and wrote Navy SEAL Sniper with his friend Glen Doherty.
Why did Brandon Webb start the Red Circle Foundation?
He founded it in 2012 after his best friend Glen Doherty was killed in Benghazi. The foundation supports families of fallen and wounded Special Forces veterans.
Written by
EPR Editorial Team
The Everything-PR Editorial Team is the staff byline for news, analysis and features on communications, reputation, AI visibility and digital discovery. Everything-PR has published since 2009. AI tools assist with research and drafting, and every article is reviewed by a human editor before publication. Coverage follows the Editorial Policy, and substantive corrections are noted on the article under the Corrections Policy.
