Interviewer and Adam Black sitting next to each other laughing (Toygar Ayla and Kat Nickola)

“The Army was always something I wanted to do but found reasons not to do just yet...” Until one day, he did.

Drummer Adam Black looked around and saw a lot of burned-out musicians in their 40s. He decided to change up his life and join the U.S. Army in his mid-20s after a series of “little breaks (of success)” and short tours with fellow musicians. He knew he didn’t want to be “one of those guys” still waiting for their big break.

Almost two decades later, not only is Black a Master Sergeant in the Army, but he has also built a huge digital brand: Drill Sgt. Fitness. With one million TikTok followers and large followings on Instagram and Facebook, Black has really made a name for himself in the digital space.

When asked about his online success, it all related to the connections that Black’s videos and skits made with fellow service members and the entire military community. He claims that he “jumped” on social media with his skits back in 2018/2019 when the demand for social entertainment really hit.

“People found it funny and before you knew it, the following started growing.... It was never a plan to be an ‘influencer.” It was just making relatable skits that most military members, regardless of branch or MOS, kind of go through....”Whether it makes you laugh, cry or even cringe, it is just something to kind of tie us all together. ”

Black completes his videos during his downtime, jotting down ideas as they come to him. With so much experience he can now film and edit a skit pretty quickly, but it wasn’t always like that. “It used to take a long time; it used to take me hours,” he reiterated. Now putting a video together takes him about 15-30 minutes.

Even as a civilian, I found myself connecting and laughing along to his videos. One of the topics he covered that is near and dear to my heart was mental health.

“I have been in the military for 17 years, and there has, for the most part, always been a stigma about seeking mental health advice or assistance. So, when I make videos that touch on mental health or behavioral health, I kind of hit it from a bunch of different avenues or approaches.”

When dealing with such a serious topic as mental health, Black approaches the videos through the perspective of something that someone may be going through, as well as through the lens of community and “you’re not the only one who wants to reach out [for help or assistance] but is afraid to.”

Adam Black sitting next to interviewer talking about his life and experiences. (Toygar Ayla and Kat Nickola)

These kind of videos and Black’s approaches to them help remove the stigma from mental and behavioral health issues. People have reached out to Black on social media expressing gratitude and appreciation for these videos.

With 17 years of military service under his belt, I asked Black about what advice he would give to those thinking about joining the service. His answer was simple: “Come in with a plan.”

“I didn’t really come in with a plan other than I just wanted to join,” he continues. “And, once I found myself in....Then I started [with] now what? Before you know it, you’re in your mid-to-late twenties, and I didn’t have a plan.”

We didn’t just talk about military service and social media branding with Black; we also talked tattoos. Make sure to check out our upcoming 2026 “Armed Forces: Tattoo” magazine for an in-depth discussion on horror films, family and getting inked.

TikTok: tiktok.com/@drillsgtfitness

Facebook: facebook.com/people/Drillsgtfitness

Instagram: instagram.com/drillsergeantfitness