Transcript
Oops! Our video transcriptions might have a few quirks since they’re hot off the press. Rest assured, the good stuff is all there, even if the occasional typo slips through. Thanks for understanding.
Kwame
Hello, everybody. Welcome to today's episode of Beyond Influence. I am Kwame. I am here with my co-host Scott, and we are joined by one of the, you know, largest, I could say, up-and-coming internet sensations. But in all honesty, he's already at the top and still somehow growing very excited to have this conversation today. Welcome to Beyond Influence, Nick Coser.
Nick
I'm so excited to be here. Guys. Scott. Kwame, it is an honor. Kwame, this is the first time that I've seen you. Not in the middle of Times Square with the thousand people around us. It's nice to get some one-on -one time with you.
Kwame
All right. Isn't it? It's funny. So. Well, I'll tell you. I'll tell the world about how Nick and I met. I was walking down Times Square with one of our coworkers. One of our employees, Shawn Tall, and I like it. I see Nick in the corner of my eye, and I'm, like, processed for a second.
I'm like, there's no way.
Nick
I know. Who is that? I'm like, I know who that is.
Kwame
And so I'm like, I'm like, how do you know who that is? You know? So I walk over and I'm like, yo, hey, man, I'm a big fan. Like, and, you know, one of the coolest things about being someone who has a platform and seeing someone who has a platform is when you are both linked like that, that moment where you're like, oh my gosh, I know you two.
And that. Yeah, that had to be one of the coolest moments. Man, I love meeting you and I'm glad to actually get some more face time with you today.
Nick
Nick. Yeah. Same. No, I had the whole process going through my mind, and yeah, I can see the exact moment when the gleam in our eyes met. We're like, oh, whoa. Cause, dude, my wife and I watched, I mean, every millisecond. Your season of love is blind. Kwame and Chelsea, we're huge fans.
We're big fans of both of you in our household. And,
Kwame
Oh, that's.
Nick
Awesome. I just, you know, that's beauty in New York, and you're wearing the hat. Like, you just never know who you're going to run into at any moment. And, I'm glad that day, in that moment, it was you. Because we're here now doing this, and I'm so excited. So thank you so much for having me.
Scott
It's funny, we were all out there that week, and we were actually recording an in-person pod with another guest that day, and then Kwame and I met up, and he's like, dude, you'll never guess who I met. It's dancing weather, man. And I was like, I was like, oh, I've seen all of his. I was like, I feel like if you're anything like me, you find something and you're like, okay, now I need to see the next 100 posts, and you just go, dude.
There were definitely multiple times I went deep, and I was. And you know, it's funny, Klum and I were talking about your ability to collaborate and jump on trends. We'll dive into it. But it's just amazing to see all the different things. I'm like, it's like a rolling index of TikTok trends, like in your feed. And like I just look at the collab list, and I'm like discovering new people.
I think it's the magic of TikTok and Instagram. It's just this like, you know, fun collabs, not taking yourself too seriously. And I guess we can take it all the way back. And you know, you've been in the game for a while now. Did you ever think any of this was going to come, like take us back to the beginning, and like, what inspired this whole journey?
Nick
Well, I've kind of had a weird little journey because I'm a little bit older. Or I don't like to say old. I like to say I'm from a certain vintage. Now that makes it sound less abrasive for me, I guess. But I started in TV all the way back in 2005, so it's been 20 years, and I've had little, little brushes with local celebrities, if you want to call.
That needs the little cities that I've worked in. But the first time that I went viral actually happened before the word viral, I think, even existed, when I was known as the rapping weatherman. At my first real TV job, I used to. I worked for a morning show, and I used to get on the air and I'd rap the weather forecast, and back then I'd put those on YouTube, and that took off.
And so for a little window of time there, that was kind of my identity, that was my moniker. And everything has a shelf life, you know. So that kind of ran its course, and then, you know, so that was between the years of 2008, maybe 2012. So then, you cut to 2018 and I've jumped a few cities doing the news and weather, and I'm in Charlotte, North Carolina, and our bosses sit us down and they say, hey, we need you to post more fun lifestyle type stuff on social media.
And we go, cool, that sounds awesome. And they were like, yeah, yeah, you got to do it 12 times a day, though. And we were like, “Oh, wow.”
That's a lot. So, eventually, we kind of leaned into it, and that's how this whole thing got going. So I wish I could tell you that this was all part of my master plan. It's not. I will say this, though. I was very intentional, and I've always kind of been very intentional about using the internet and social media as a tool, as kind of a megaphone, almost like a resume.
And so while I don't want to sit here and be the guy that says, yeah, I saw this coming. I've always been intentional, but intentional about leveraging the internet and social media to my benefit. And so I guess I don't know if I could tell you, in all honesty, that I can see this coming, but I hoped that it would come.
And I am still humbled and honored and grateful every day that I'm where I'm at today.
Kwame
That is dope, man. And, you know, honestly, we all are as well. I think when you look at people who have a presence on the internet, you know, I think sometimes personalities vary across, you know what I'm saying? Like, I know people who are very cheery, very kind, very humble on the internet, yet very different in person.
And I think when you meet people who are genuine all the way through, it definitely feels different, man. And so if I were to say, you know, I think you might not have expected it, but you deserve it, that's definitely the quote that I would put in this situation. So you're awesome, dude, man. You know, very happy for you and obviously all your success.
You know, now you live in New York, the Big Apple, and I have the hat on for a reason. Yes. Yeah. You know, so I got this hat when my wife and I climbed the edge. Have you ever heard of that building? I'm sure you have.
Dude, I'm looking at it right now, I'm in love. I almost did that, but I legally got involved. Fox News.
Kwame
Oh, yeah. Okay.
Nick
I'm excited to hear about it later. Yeah.
Kwame
Yeah. For sure. So, I mean, it's definitely a crazy experience. And, when we got up, we, you know, we got to have a little souvenir on the way down. And so the person who kind of invited us to do this whole Netflix social shoot got me this really dope Yankees hat. Has a little Hudson Yards on the side.
So a little, little memento for that moment for that day. And I think, like, we honestly might have met not too long before, after that. And so this is all kind of in that same space, but you're in New York, and now, you know, you think about your journey here. How has this part of your journey really accelerated your growth?
Because now you're just like, you're in Times Square. You're meeting these people. You're collaborating all the time. How does it feel to really transition to New York?
Nick
Well, New York is unlike any city in the world. I mean, we all know that for many reasons, food, cultural history. I mean, that's all, it's all here. It all kind of started here in terms of social media. It's cool. Just kind of the way that I met you in Times Square. There are always so many people coming and going.
So on any given Monday or Tuesday after the weekend when I open up my Instagram DMs, I mean, I can't just just yesterday I had not one but two K-pop groups, big ones DM me and and they said, hey, we're going to be in New York in April and May. Are you around? And I'm like, yeah, you know, and New York is not just the center of America or the world.
It's the center of the universe, especially Times Square. And so just being in a city where it's a destination and big names and big, big, talented people are always coming and going. It's opened up a lot because I don't have to travel to them every time anymore. A lot of times, they'll be here, and it's very comfortable for us both to collaborate because they're around.
I live here, and there's some synergy in that way. Whereas when I lived in Charlotte, you know, every once in a while somebody would come through, but more often than not, I'd have to fly to LA or I'd have to fly to Miami. And so I would definitely say that has been the biggest thing that's helped me improve.
My imprint on society is just the proximity of all of the very talented people that come to this city. And, you know, obviously, feeding off the energy is pretty easy to do here as well, especially in Times Square, especially when I dance with some of the guys that I meet up with all the time.
I mean, within seconds. They're so good and they're so dynamic, and they do the breakdancing and they can bounce on their hands in a handstand. People will circle up immediately. There are tourists taking pictures. And so a combination of just, you know, just the amount of talent in the city that comes here on vacation and just the natural baked-in energy that New York brings.
Those two things have really helped out a lot. Yeah.
Scott
It's funny. We, you know, we talk about people like you who are, you know, genuine people. It's funny, I remember having conversations and you're, you know, you're a big fan of hip hop, and it was funny because I remember being in middle school, high school. And it was like, what are we going to be like?
All these like hip hop fans, R&B fans, like 40- 50 year olds? Because I just think it's so weird to think about a world where, like, the older generation is like hip hop fans, because at the time we're like, oh, we're the cool, you know, edgy guys. And it's funny because I think about another creator, Harry Mac. And I don't know if you've done anything with him.
But he has a very similar story. He started doing freestyle rapping and then just pursued the passion and the love. Engage social media all about the audience having fun, like genuinely good human beings. That is a collab. I think the world needs, just like you and Harry Mac, to do some freestyle. But yeah, I just, I.
Nick
I'm looking him up right now. I know who you're talking about. This. That's a good call. That's good. Yeah. Like, oh, I didn't come up with that myself.
Scott
Yeah. But it's like he has such a deep love and respect for hip hop. He's still in the game, but doing it 20 years, like a lot of the same parallels have just, you know, didn't go in it for the money and the fame. Just pure love. And then like wanting to build community, wanting to get out there, not necessarily anticipating it was going to be all that it is.
But no, I love that. And I think so much of social media today has this vibe of like, oh, you're just in it for the fame. And I think, you know, people who start a little bit earlier, there wasn't necessarily that fame to be had, and it was just like, let me put stuff out and see people like it and start engaging.
Nick
Yeah, I will say that might come up. A lot of people, when I see them on the street, say, Hey, you're that guy from TikTok. And I say, yeah, nice to meet you. And it's and it's great. But to be honest with you, my big come-up was it was on Instagram before I even knew about TikTok.
This was back in the video that really hit me. It was a slide like this challenge, and I posted it. I'll never forget the date. It was April 3rd, 2019, and I posted it at a time when Instagram Reels wasn't a thing, and the world really didn't know what TikTok was at the time. I think at that point, teenagers knew what TikTok was, and that was it.
And I think that's why Old Town Road by Lil NAS X had blown up, because I think it started on TikTok. We just didn't realize it. And yeah, I was putting stuff out there just for the heck of it. And I was dancing before I knew that dancing online was a thing or would become a thing on TikTok.
I truly like what you said, and I'm glad that you picked up on it. I'm not clout chasing or using another culture for my own personal gain. I'm a dude. I'm now a middle-aged dude. A white dude works in corporate America from the suburbs who just loves hip hop, man. It's just in there.
It's in my DNA. I've never. I've never not been in love with it. I started out listening to Biggie and Tupac and all of them, and I've tried to keep up with it throughout the years. I'm not as well-versed anymore as I used to be, but, you know, when I hear something good, I try to.
I try to enjoy it and appreciate it. And yeah, I've always just kind of, like I said, have really loved, I'm a creator at heart, you know? So had the internet, had this internet been around 20 years right after I graduated college, boom. I would have been a creator right out of the gate. But I took a little detour.
20, you know, 15, 20-year detour. I had a career out of it now. Now I'm doing both. So I guess it's the best of both worlds.
Kwame
That's awesome, man. You love it when it all works out. You know, and like you said, you've gotten a plethora of messages and opportunities to connect with and collaborate with some really big names due to where you are. I just saw it. Thanks for what, Johnny? Two phones.
You know, like you, you are a staple of New York now, and so much so that K-pop groups are hitting you up. Which, by the way, K-pop groups are hearing that is actually mad. It's wild because K-pop groups are not like bands you like in Korea. They are like gods and goddesses. You know, they have like 300 million followers now.
So, you know, yeah, it's next level. So when you think about all of that, having that exposure to people like this, where do you think or who do you think has been one person that you've just seen a message from, or gotten to meet or connected with that was like, whoa, this is huge for me.
Nick
That's a good question. When I was first coming up in that time period that I mentioned in 2019, LeBron and D-Wade liked one of my posts, and that blew me away because I'm a I'm, I was born in Cleveland, and so LeBron is my guy. But I think the thing that blew me away the most in person was, and I'm gonna 100% date myself here, but I am 41, and my senior year of high school was the year that Nelly's Country Grammar album came out.
And listen, I didn't play anything but that album for an entire 12 months straight. I mean, that was the soundtrack to the senior year of my, the senior year of my high school career. And I think, like, everybody's senior year is always kind of magical or at least memorable, for better or for worse. And so I was able to meet Nelly backstage at a concert when he came to Charlotte, where I lived at the time.
And not only was he cool to me, but he recognized me. Like I see Nelly over there and I go, oh my God. And in my mind I'm like, how do I gotta go over there and meet him? How can I do this and be smooth about it? But he came up to me and he's like, hey, you're that guy that's killing it, you know, blah, blah, blah.
And I was just stunned. And for me, that was the moment when the internet and social media became tangible. You know, it all kind of seemed like fairy dust. You know, I saw the numbers, but they didn't really mesh up until that point. And then I go, wow, the power of the internet and social media is real and it is here to stay.
And that really was an awesome moment. But it was also a huge paradigm shift and perception change for me going forward. And yeah, man, I'll never forget that moment. I'm sorry he's forgotten about me since then, but at least in that moment, he knew who I was. So I'm gonna take that one to the grave.
Kwame
That's awesome.
Scott
It's so funny on nostalgia and, like, that whole era, because I was. I remember, like, our eighth grade, the last day of school, we all thought we were so cool. We're like, cleaning out our lockers, throwing papers on the floor, singing like DMX, stop, drop like bangs in lockers, run through the school. And I was like, in hindsight, we're just like a bunch of random suburban, like 13-year-old kids shouting, shouting, DMX!
But yeah, it is funny. Like, I do think that is one cool thing about social media, about music. It kind of transcends culture, it brings folks together, exposes them. It's funny, like there was this song, Big Dogs or whatever, that came out recently, and it's Honeyman kind and he's like out of India, but he grew up in Houston, and it was put out by Def Jam India.
And then it's got crazy radio play in the US. And then he's like, the whole video is filmed in India. And I was like, it's so cool that this kid from India lives in the US gets impacted by like, you know, these Houston rap scene and then launches his whole career, brings hip hop to India and then back to the States and just yeah, it's it's definitely global and has a huge impact.
It's funny. So I was going to comment on one of your posts because call me and I was talking about it, and I do want to, like we try to, you know, help creators and educate a bit. One thing I think you do really, really well is jump on top of trends and, you know, kind of always keep yourself in the mix of things.
I just have to say, going back through the feed and your posts right after the Super Bowl coming out and Kendrick Lamar flares, I was like, that is the and you were on it like the moment that happened. But yeah. How do you know what inspires those kinds of moments, or like, how are you picking up on all these trends other than just, you know, the scroll?
Nick
You know, it's funny. I don't know if you guys know who Jordan the Stallion is. Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Not not to namerop. I swear, I don't mean to namerop, but I was just talking to him at a conference in Pittsburgh, and he said the same thing, and that was the first time that I had heard that.
And now you're bringing it up to me right here. And it's interesting because for me, it's something I don't know. I mean, I guess I guess when you immerse yourself in it, it's easy to see. All right. Or maybe I just have an eye for it. I don't know, it's funny to hear you guys now say this for the second time in a week.
I've heard it. But I guess I. I guess I've always kind of had a good eye for what is popular, what could become mainstream, and what is mainstream. And, in this day and age, it's hard. We're all kind of living in a fractured reality because we're not all seeing the same stuff. We used to all consume entertainment and culture through one kind of medium, and that was TV.
Well, now it's so fractured. You follow who you like, you see what you like. The algorithm only shows you more of what you like. And so it is difficult to kind of sift through everything. But I certainly, I guess, have an eye for at least what is cool. Probably more so within like music, and probably urban and pop music.
So I don't know, it's weird. I, you know, maybe it's a talent of mine. It's. I'm humbled to hear you say that, though. It's kind of cool. And I'm a little bit speechless because I don't know what to say other than, you know, probably the real answer is I spend too much time on TikTok.
There you go. That's probably why I can pick up on the trend, so we'll just go with that.
Scott
It's funny. Reminds me of this Rick Rubin quote, where he's like, I can play an instrument. Yeah, but what I bring is taste. And it's like the funniest thing, but it is true. There are certain people who I was just watching all this content too, but was it Benny Blanco? He's like the producer behind Maroon 5 and all these guys.
And he has this ability to determine what people will love and what people will be entertained by. It's a gift. And it's like there is an aspect, like some people are academic about it, and some people, it's just, I can tell you what people are going to like. And it's funny, you mentioned Jordan. We were at a roundtable and got to connect with him and hear his perspective, and I was commenting to someone the other day about the depth that that guy thinks about his content.
Yeah. And he's like, I won't take a brand deal unless I meet with him in person, get to know what they're trying to accomplish, go through like a whole story arc, and you just think this guy's in his bathroom making funny videos. But the depth to which he's like, really thinking about what his audience wants to hear and what would work, and how he can showcase that piece of content.
Yeah, it's so much more than just this kind of internet phenomenon.
Nick
Things, you know? And I think that's very important to put out there because it is so easy. I mean, you guys know this better than anybody, but it's so easy to look at a creator or a feed and think, man, it must be. I hear this a lot, man. It must be nice to post and make X amount of dollars just for one post.
And it's like, well, a lot goes into that one post and the 20 or 30 that came before it. And yeah, Jordan is, you can just tell like you can just see the wheels spinning when you talk to him. He seems like a very deep thinker. And. Yeah, he's, you know, that's his talent, that's his gift.
And I'm glad that he's able to share it with the world, and we're able to see it.
Kwame
Yeah. You know, I think there are a couple of things that come to mind within that entire dialogue. The first thing is the trend aspect of it and being able to focus, being able to see what's going to happen next, you know, intuitively, and being able to connect to it. Right. There's also the aspect of how much you're making per post or what you're following.
Looks like when people say, you know, look at you, when they say, oh, you have X amount of followers. I mean, fortunately for me, I was given a lot of followers, and I'm very blessed with that. But Scott and I talked about this yesterday. I looked at my follower metrics the other day. Right. And I gained over the last month, I gained about 5000 followers, but I also lost about 2000 followers.
Right. And so every month, what people don't realize is that every day you're losing followers just to cycle, right? In order to make sure you are retaining followers, because you see followers who gain a number, a large following, and then you see that number slowly dwindle, and you see their engagement slowly dwindle. Yeah, and that's because essentially they detach from it, or they walk away from it, or they don't put in enough energy to sustain it.
Yeah. But it is really, really difficult to sustain on social media because it used to be that if you posted one thing a week, you're fine, engagements. Okay. Nowadays, if you don't post every other day, at least most people are posting every day. Yeah, you're going to start losing engagement. And so that's a big component of it. I think there's a lot that goes into sustaining a social media.
Yeah. A personality. Yeah. An account and following. And so I do think that there's more respect that has to go into it now when it comes to that same vein, but, you know, kind of spinning in a different direction, right. Maintaining your following, making sure that you are keeping them engaged, and you are always being able to connect to trends.
You're someone who's always wired and always on. And I think that at times it can be difficult for a lot of creators. Right. Because sometimes, you see, I mean, most times, you see that creation or content creation as your job. Yeah. And so it's like, am I ever able to detach from it? Yeah. Or do I always focus on it?
And for you being someone who's always able to immediately see that trend and hop on and be able to create, it seems like you're kind of always on. Yeah, right. How do you balance out the mental space? Yeah. Between. Yeah.
Nick
It's crazy that you're asking me this because recently I've had a good time. I mentioned that my video popped on Instagram in April of 2019. We're coming up on that date. It's March 27th as we record this in 2025. So, coming up on about five years of doing this, I don't necessarily know that I have a good answer for you because burnout is real.
I am one of those guys from the Midwest, where you kind of you've got this mentality of where you work and that's that. And I'm trying to get better at disconnecting things and finding a little more balance. I will say this, I will say this. You mentioned that sometimes accounts go like this and then they'll go like that, and sometimes they'll go like that for lack of content or not evolving, or 100 different things can happen.
But sometimes people just get tired, you know, and they, they, I now understand why I got a little glimpse of what it's like to be a big famous Hollywood actor that is in every movie every summer for five, ten years, and then you never see him again. And it's because and it's because they just did it, you know, and now they can sit back and be proud of what they did and maybe go on in a different direction and evolve.
And so yeah, I'm, I'm a little bit, I'm a little bit figuring out my next move. Like I said, I was the rapping weatherman. Now I did the dancing thing. I also mentioned that everybody's got a shelf life. So, you know, I think it's very important to always evolve, too. And before I did the dancing stuff, I had done a bunch of other things.
But you're right, by me, I mean, yes. In order to stay relevant, man, you have to hop on that hamster wheel. And that's why short form. This is some advice that I would give to creators. Watching short forms is tough. I mean, it's great. You can hop on trends, you get numbers and gratification pretty quickly. Brand deals come that way.
But Kwame and Scott here kind of have it figured out where podcasting, long form content, the creator, and monetization funds are the types, long form YouTube videos. Those are the types of things where you get a big ROI on your time and energy. So you know you'll put this out. You guys will probably clip you, do a few clips of this, clip this over to short form, and, hopefully, this podcast will make you money for years to come and sustain you, and that way.
So you're not always having to put out stuff for the next brand deal or this or that. And, I think that's a, that's a major key, you know, because I think, I think a lot of people think once you become viral, you're rich and you're set, you're good. And that's not necessarily the case. That's kind of when the work starts.
And so, yeah, you know, burnout, burnout is real. And it's certainly something that you have to watch out for. And being smart and intentional about your time and energy is very important.
Scott
It's interesting talking about kind of, the half life of content and, and kind of like if you think about it in investment terms, it is it's funny because when, when KMI and I started the podcast for like, hey, we gotta just go put out like the first 50 episodes and you're going to figure out your voice and your audience and you and you know, you're going to get the right guests on and thing moments are going to happen that are great and inspiring and moments are going to happen.
You're like, what are we doing here? And, you know, it's interesting because in the same way that TikTok can, TikTok can be like, you know, whatever, like the bitcoin and, you know, podcasting is like, whatever, like a TV or I don't know what the right investment thing is. It's like, you know, a government treasury bond. And it's just like, you know, the more you put in, it's just compounding interest over time kind of scenario.
And, I think being able to balance, and I really like the way that Garyvee approaches content. He's like, I create this long form, I chop it up, I create these short moments. I have some intentionally short-form content, but it's I, you know, this concept of just being able to have longer-duration assets and then these like shorter hits and punchy content to get people hooked into your world.
And I will say, like the longer form stuff, I am the deep, most deeply invested, I think, in the long form. And I establish the deepest relationships because spending an hour with someone is a long time. And I think about some of the creators on YouTube. I will watch the entire MKBHD video. I watched so much of Casey Neistat in the early days.
I felt like I knew the dude, you know, and I will spend hours with these individuals, you know, their personality, their family, what they're interested in. And it's so interesting that you talk about that. I'll be curious to see what you were talking about. Speaking of networks, yeah, there's a big looming topic coming up, and it's eerily close to your anniversary of exploding as a content creator.
But April 5th is kind of like this TikTok. We noticed you made a post. It was like the guys slipping on ice, and you were queuing everyone, hey, hop over to my Instagram. You also have a dynamic in your following where you have a very, very large following on TikTok and a little bit less on Instagram. I'm curious, was that an intentional response to like, hey, I'm gonna diversify myself?
Or is it just me reading into the kind of random post?
Nick
No, no, it's actually part of a brand deal I have with Meta.
Scott
This is the team I'm looking for. Yeah, okay.
Nick
But it's related because meta, hit me up about doing this brand deal or deal. I guess right around the time when we thought of TikTok. Well, when TikTok was banned for, what, all of 37 seconds. So,
Scott
That was a very long 37 seconds for a guy who loves social media.
Nick
Well, I will say this, all social media platforms and all social media, the amount of followers that you have aren't created equal, right? So it's a little bit easier to blow up on TikTok than it is on Instagram. So I say this humbly, but I was actually hoping and maybe expecting, if TikTok were to get banned for good, to have a little bit of a boom in maybe brand deal opportunities over on Instagram, because, if TikTok's gone, that dilutes out a whole lot of influencers.
And I still have a, you know, I've got 2.5 million on Instagram, that's pretty good. I mean, I've got nine on TikTok, but like I said, a lot of the movers and shakers and a lot of the money makers are investing on Instagram way more than TikTok. So, we'll see what happens. I mean, we'll see what happens.
But yeah, overall, I encourage everybody to post across all platforms. And in this day and age, they're all kind of homogenized. They're all the same. Right? They're all just trying to be TikTok, you know? So, reels, shorts. By the way, you can make a lot of money on Facebook Reels these days, which I think a lot of people have written off.
But hey, that meta money is good. They got that sucker. Berg has got some deep pockets over there, and they've been around for a while, so they know what they're doing. But yeah, I wasn't too worried. I was a little bit more optimistic than pessimistic. And I will say, though, if TikTok goes away, man, I will miss it.
Or if it changes more or even more, I will miss it because there's just something about that pandemic TikTok that I think we all just love and still kind of yearn for. In 2020, 2021, TikTok just hit a different man.
Kwame
You know, you've got a wealth of knowledge about these things. You know, I think it's really funny when you look at people who are successful on social media, sometimes it just seems like they're people who create content, but there's a whole different level to it. In order to really succeed, there are levels that you have to understand.
You know, you have to understand who your audience is, how you interact with them, and how to really get the most out of it. You have to understand, repurposing your content, what levels or what types of that content are really going to pop on which networks? So you've got a good understanding of this stuff, and it makes sense that you would, you know, start relaying that content or some of that information, maybe in a college course.
Right. So yeah, you know, a ton of slowly going my way there. So, the closer code, you know, you came up with this really, really, kind of awesome summation of what social media strategy is for you. I'd love for you to just kind of break that down for us with the closer code.
Nick
Yeah, Mississippi State University. That's where I got my meteorology degree from. They reached out to me and they said, Hey, would you want to teach a class on social media? And initially, I wasn't too thrilled about the idea because I don't have a whole lot of bandwidth in my life to take on anymore. But they said they would help me and they would do a lot of the legwork creating the modules.
They just wanted to talk with me and, you know, take what I thought was important and make it into a whole class, a whole course. And so over the course of the series of maybe 5 to 10 Zoom calls, we dialed it all in. And I don't want to give away too much here, but I will say I'll give a little nugget about the first couple of modules, because it's all about finding your niche or niche, depending on how fancy you are and and and figuring out who your audience is.
Like you just mentioned, plumbing, and I think the best thing about that, I can say that I try to hammer home in the first couple of modules of my course is consistency, and I'm not saying anything that you won't hear anywhere else. So that's why I'm very, I'd love to talk about this freely right now is because, man, I'll tell you what people who consume social media content, they're cheaters.
They will be out there. And if you're not in front of their face, they're watching other creators and they're and they're seeing plenty of stuff. So, like you said, you've got to get out there every day, if not every other day. And that sort of inadvertently happened to me through my first, or through my job in Charlotte, North Carolina, when my boss forced us to post 12 times a day.
Initially, we were all so annoyed and so mad about that, but that's kind of how and why I ended up going viral. And I'll remember that was the post that really blew up. That day in April 2019 was the last post of the day, and I just put it out on the internet because I wanted to be done posting for the day.
And lo and behold, that was the one. And so no idea is too dumb. No idea. It takes too much time or effort. No. And then conversely, even if it seems too easy, you just never know. That could be it. That could be the video. And so yeah, you got to get your reps in, man. Like you just said, you're filming 50 of these bad boys.
You're going to put them out there and then kind of recalibrate, and that's, that's what it's all about. And honestly, I think a lot of people that I talked to, here's another little nugget, that I'll just throw out there. A lot of people that I talked to said, God, I'd love to be in the social media game making money, but I don't know what I would post.
I'm just not that interesting. And I'm like, that is the best time to post because there's no expectations, there's no pressure. You can do whatever and it can flop and it can be okay, you can play around, you can talk about pizza, you can talk about raising a dog. You can talk about how to fly a plane.
And if it all flops, who cares? Because there's no pressure. Once you start getting that momentum going, then there's a little bit of pressure right then your fans are expecting or at least hoping you maintain a certain standard or go above that standard every time. And that's when it can get, you know, a little bit. That's when burnout can sometimes occur, and that's when it gets a little tricky.
And so yeah, I would just say those, those two things to people that are interested in dipping their toe into the creator waters. Be consistent, and trust me, you have something to say that nobody else will say in your own way. So just do it, man. Do it pressure-free, stress-free. Put it out there, and will judge whether or not you're boring or not.
Kwame
You know, I'm just going to add to that. It's really funny. There's a social media page out there of a guy who literally just lives his regular life. Like, he literally just makes clips of him doing what I say. I'm sorry, whoever you are out in the world, I forgot his handler's name. It is probably the most boring content I've ever seen.
However, I think he now has close to 2 million followers.
Nick
There you go.
Kwame
It's just like his content literally. He wakes up, he brushes his teeth, he makes his lunch, he goes to work, and he sits in front of his computer. He talks about how many reports he did for that day when he goes, like what he ate for lunch. Like, that's basically it. And I think his page is called, like, ordinary Guy or something like that.
You know what I'm saying?
And so it really is the truth. Sometimes people just want to follow along with someone else's life.
Nick
Yeah, yeah.
Kwame
Even if it's the exact same life as theirs, then they're like, oh, hey, it's just like, mind if it's not like there's a like, okay, it's different for mine. I want to know, but there's something that's going to interest people as long as you keep putting the content out. Yeah. And you keep making it something that people you know want to digest, or actually even if they don't care to digest it, whatever, make it for yourself.
Yeah. And you never know. Like you said, you made that last post not knowing what was going to happen. And boom, right now, my most successful post on TikTok. I'm really trying to work on my TikTok game. It's not the best. Yeah, I'm trying to get up there. But, you know, my two most successful posts, my first one that ever went viral, was me going to Trader Joe's and saying that I found a soap that was like an all in what was like a body wash, a hair wash, and you could also scrub the floor with it.
And I remember once in the next post that I made after that, somebody commented, Hey, it's the Trader Joe's guy.
That's so funny because someone commented on it like, This is Kwame from Love Is Blind, you know what I'm saying? But like, that's how crazy virality can work. You can go into a completely different network of people who have never seen you before. Yeah. And now they know you because of that content. And then my next most popular, which actually now is my most watched, is a video that I made about expensive eggs and my wife asking for something.
It was like the next time my wife asked for something expensive. And then I was like, I presented her, you know, partner eggs.
Nick
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Kwame
And yeah, it's got like, I think close to 1.5 million views on TikTok now, and I've only got 30,000 followers or so on TikTok. So that's like pretty high leverage in terms of how that actually worked out. But really, most of the content that you're putting out, you can just put it out and see what happens. You could put out the best quality content, and it would not be great.
Yeah. And you can just put out content because I don't know, you felt like it, and it absolutely flew.
Nick
Yeah. And you know that's the beauty of it. That's the yin and the yang of life. I feel like as long as you're putting something out there, the reward comes back. Whether it's the video you worked all day on or the video that took two minutes, what does it matter? It all comes out in the wash if and when something pops.
And yeah, I, me that's and it's and it's funny how quickly people move on or forget who you are or what you've done, where you're at in your life, it's unbelievable. So let that be a lesson to never let the internet define who you are, because they move on, you know? And in a year, you could be totally forgotten.
And so you have to find that inner peace within you and know that, yeah, the internet does define who you are, you define who you are, and so on and so forth. But yeah, that's hilarious, man. Trader Joe's guy.
Scott
So I have a question for you. We ask everyone who comes on. But, you know, you've had a lot of success for sure. A lot of brands, meta dial some of these other brands. Yeah, yeah. If there's one brand that you haven't worked with yet that you like, if they came knocking, this is the brand that I would want to show up in my inbox.
What would that brand be?
Nick
Oh, probably later. No.
Scott
We got lots of brand deals there. Well, I mean, I guess I've worked with so much fortune. Fortune 500 companies have been very lucky. Apple. I went to an Apple event. Man, that thing was a Polish gem. So I'm sure their brand deals are pretty, pretty nice. And maybe Nike, you know, the big ones. But I'm not. I'm not too picky, and I still celebrate every brand deal.
Nick
Man, I know I've heard some influencers or creators kind of complain about having to do this or that for a brand deal. I'm still in shock that anybody even wants to work with me. So I'm happy about all of it. I've only had to turn one down, and that was for an alcohol company because I am sober.
I've been sober for eight years. So yeah. So, that's kind of how I'd answer that question.
Kwame
Wow. That's awesome. Yeah. I've got I've got a cool, you know, we'll ask another creator question, but I've got a cool little follow up because I think, you know, one thing we love to highlight on this is, you know, people who have platforms definitely have, have causes that they're, you know, excited about or advocate for.
I didn't know that you were sober for eight years. That's really cool. Congrats. Amazing job. Thank you. You know, are they are there any other, causes throughout society that you feel like you're really passionate about, or is this something that you would say, hey, if I could leverage my platform to help as many people as I could or touch as many souls I could, this is what I would use it for.
Nick
Yeah. Dementia. I feel like that's the most inhumane disease anybody could ever come down with. I've had to go to my grandparents because of it. And it's horrible. But yes, sobriety for sure. I think I don't talk about it a lot, but I love to talk about it. And I made a few posts about it here and there over the years, certainly on my sober Versary, which is September 17th.
Every year, I post about it, and I kind of look forward to it. My birthday is a few weeks after my sober version. It's October 7th, and I kind of look forward to my sober-versary more than my actual birthday, because I feel like that's the day that I was born again. Or that that's that's the day where I was really kind of, I don't know.
And a new part of me, a new person, was born that day, and I had to work for it a little bit, and I earned it, rather than just kind of showing up and being like, I'm here now. And to be honest with you, I can't tell you how many people have pulled me aside.
And I've been like, I gotta, I gotta talk to you about maybe getting sober because you know this, and that's going on in my life. And I gotta tell you, if you're thinking about it or if it's ever crossed your mind, I implore you to consider it seriously, because it's the best thing I've ever done. I feel like it's a cheat code and life, and I would not have gone viral had it not been for getting sober.
I was able to finally gain momentum and stack good quality, productive days on top of each other. And that ultimately led to the little slice of success that I've had in my little corner of the internet. And so and in this day and age, a lot of people are sober, curious, and there's a big movement for mocktails, and there's a lot of cool water companies out there, like Liquid Death.
So I feel like, you know, now more than ever, I think it's a little more socially acceptable to be sober or at least explore. Surprise. So, yeah. And if anybody watching or listening has any questions or wants any advice or wants to send something my way, DM me on Instagram. I check all that stuff, and I'm always, I always try to prioritize people who are curious about sobriety.
Scott
I love that, and I think I love that you share that too, because there are people out there, like you said, without people talking about it, posting about it, you know, they're not going to have that conversation. They're not going to explore a choice for themselves that's going to improve their lives. And I'm going to connect you with a couple of people that we actually had on the podcast, and they had a very personal sobriety story that led to them becoming the head of Smashed, which is this big drink brand.
And it used to be mixology, and it's really, really great. Alcohol free cocktails. Yeah. But they just went crazy viral. But you guys are doing a collab, and like, I don't know if you've heard of them, but they, they smash cans like you and Nicole would just crush on the content side.
Nick
Yeah. I'd love it. That'd be amazing. Hell yeah. Let's do it.
Scott
But, yeah, there are just so many, so many cool stories out there that should be told. It's funny because I, you know, I get a lot of fitness content and otherwise, and I was going through some posts and there's a guy who goes around to ask fit people like, What do you do to stay healthy?
And it was funny because one of the core thematic points that's almost in every content or every comment is, it's amazing what percentage of people who are in amazing shape don't drink alcohol and really take care of themselves. And so whether it's for your health, your fitness, your family, addiction, there's a whole variety of reasons to make, you know, certain choices in life.
But, it is one thing I feel like society is swaying towards sobriety. And like, especially with the Gen Z push, and I don't think it's hurting us in any way. And it's yeah, you know, there are so many ways to be positive and have a good time that don't require you to not remember what's happening or make choices you're not proud of or put people in danger.
So I love that you're, you know, you're out there, supporting the cause.
Nick
I think I want to say the word alcohol. The origin of that word means demon or something, like you're inviting demons into your body, and Lord knows, you know, some of the things that I've said sound like they, when I was drinking. Sounds like it sounded like it would have come from a demon. So, I don't know.
And just any bad choice I've ever made was when I was under the influence. So I'm glad to just eliminate that and be on the straight and narrow. But it seems like we're winding down. Is it okay if I can ask you a question here because I'm very.
Scott
Oh, my God, the tables have turned. Let's go.
Kwame
Let's go.
Nick
So I'm a guy that is familiar with TV, and I don't necessarily create reality shows or anything, but I know how editing works and what it's like to maybe not necessarily be in control of your own image. What about love is but, and I think a lot of this probably came out in the reunion, but I'm just curious now that I have you to myself.
Like, what was the one thing about being on Love Is Blind that that was that caught you by surprise, most positive and negative?
Kwame
Yeah, that's a good question. Like, this has been Nick's long con to ask me this question. Ever since.
I mean, not yeah, right. But,
So it's funny that you bring up the editing aspect of it. Interestingly enough, on the negative side, I think that's an easy one to talk about. I think, you know, you can only be able to put out content that you give them. Right. But one thing that you have to keep in mind, I think any time it comes to, you know, a show that has a lot of ratings behind it, especially something that is, so heavily viewed and watched like Love Is Blind, something that really, really requires a lot of attention means a lot of emotion.
All of those things, just about any story that's being told, will be heightened by the effects behind it. I noticed this a lot. It was really funny. Like I'd be having the most basic conversation with Chelsea, and anytime that it was on me, there'd be ominous music and a slow pause, you know? And then you're like, wait a second, wait a second.
Right?
Like, I didn't say anything bad there, you know what I'm saying? But I've realized a lot within the editing that any story that is being told can be very, very heavily hyphen, heightened. And kind of preference based on whatever story needs to be told. Right. And ultimately, within our story, as if every couple had difficulties, we all saw each other go through difficulties.
Yeah, an intense amount. I mean, this is one of the craziest experiments you'll ever go through. But in that process, I realized that when I saw us on TV, Chelsea and I's difficulties were heavily focused on because we had kind of a cliffhanger kind of situation, and I was more unsure than most because not because I was unsure of Chelsea, but because it was such a drastic change of life.
Right? Like for me, if you ask me where I live right now, if I had any choice, I'd say New York. All right. If you ask Chelsea right now where she lives, if she had a choice, she'd probably say, I don't know, a prairie house somewhere, right? We're very, very different people. And so when you take just the fact that people are having very, very serious, intimate conversations that have differing points of view.
Yeah. Any single time that you hear a different point of view from another person who you can reinforce their uncertainty and kind of create more of the, an ambiguous and ambiguous storyline and something that is intense, which will make people keep viewing and keep wondering. You're going to focus on that? Yeah. So with me, I loved my producer.
He was an amazing guy. We had a great relationship. But because of that, a lot of times he, you know, would talk to me and say, hey, maybe, maybe you should talk about this, right? Even though it's something that Chelsea and I talked about a million times before. But now, it seems like I'm talking about the same thing over and over and over and over, right?
It's really funny. People would like, DM me and be like, Why do you keep bringing that thing up? Like, why are you such a mama's boy? Why did you bring up your mom? And it was like in every scene I was asked to talk about how my mom was, you know, like, going. Yeah, right. And so I think there are certain points like that on the negative side.
On the positive side, I will say, like, the whole experience of Love Is Blind is probably one of the most amazing things ever. Every time that I talk to somebody who's been through Love is Blind, the experience of love is blind is like nothing else, man. You know, we have this incredibly small microcosm of people, this group that can relate to each other in a way that literally nobody else can.
And you can go on a lot of different experiences, and a lot of different reality shows, like can go on The Bachelor.
And like I feel like you can watch The Bachelor from the outside in and kind of understand. Right. You know you can watch Temptation Island from the outside, you know, but Love is Blind is just, it's like nothing else in the experience is just so special and so specific and so heightened. Yeah. To make you feel that Chelsea and I were just looking at each other the other day.
We were like, we say this more often than not. We're like, we can't believe we did this.
Nick
Yeah. I mean, listen, in this day and age, I was talking about how pop culture is fragmented right now. Everybody that I know watches Love is Blind. I mean that is truly a show where you're going to get eyeballs. Stars are kind of. Yeah. And I couldn't imagine what going through that was like. And I gotta tell you man, I, I was I've always a big fan.
I've always been Team Kwami and Chelsea for sure. I can just imagine, though, what it would be like even if I have something like this. I'll go home tonight and talk to my wife, and she'll probably say, Hey, take out the trash and I'll, you know, I'll be like, but tomorrow you gotta do that.
Suddenly, we're about to come to blows. So that's crazy. But I gotta say, the thing that I love that you did in your season was that you told me to forget who you were talking to. Maybe it was Chelsea, but you told her your real name and. Oh, yeah, that was. I have so much respect for you for that man.
I'm a big proponent of equality. And I was just, man-to-man. That was a cool thing that you did. And, yeah, I've always just kind of wanted to tell you that,
Kwame
Dude, I appreciate that, man. Big time. Yeah, man. Yeah.
Nick
And I knew you were a good guy. Based on that moment right there. You're transparent, you're being authentic. And, I really loved it. So I'm just honored I got a chance to meet you and talk to you both. And, thank you again for this opportunity. And, yo, if you ever do move to New York, let's hang out a little bit without a screen in front of us, man.
Scott
Who knew that solving bipartisan politics? All it took was love is blind or uniting America, I'm telling you.
Nick
Right. Oh, man. You know.
Kwame
A lot of cool conversations here. Nick, we appreciate you opening up. I know that, you know, you talked about some things that were really serious to you, and we talked about some things that were fun as well, you know, kind of getting to the point where we call this a day. I just want to kind of open the floor up to you.
To, to, you know, give us any last bits of, of word that you would, you know, want to tell us. I think there are two questions that I typically ask. I guess I'll ask those, and then you can segue to whatever. Okay. But two quick two questions. One, we'll start with what's your favorite movie?
Nick
Well, it's Wolf of Wall Street and it's yeah. If you're a red-blooded American male, I feel like that. That should be your favorite. I also, for whatever weird reason, I've always loved the movies Troy, Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Orlando Bloom. I don't know why. It's visually stunning. There's a lot of beautiful scenery and cinematography in it, and anytime I need motivation, I just look at how cut up Brad Pitt is in that movie I got.
I got work to do. So yeah, I say those two movies.
Kwame
Awesome. And then your favorite quote.
Nick
Oh yeah, this is a good one. This is a bar. Are you ready?
Kwame
Okay. Yes!
Nick
I hate this quote because sometimes it scares me on my own, my own words. But what is it? Action. Wait. No. Motivation doesn't breed action. Action breeds motivation. So if you're sitting on the couch and you're waiting for motivation to come, it's probably not going to work that way. But if you get to work, that will eventually build up the momentum that you need to have that motivation to keep going.
A lot of times I'll be laying there not wanting to do anything and that damn quote pops into my head and I'll go, man, I gotta get up and get after it. So, yeah, that quote is great. It's also a doozy. So do with it what you may, but that's that's the one I'm riding with.
Scott
I love that so much. I think it's so true in life. It was funny. We had a meeting with our leadership team here, and we talked about, like, doing things that scare you and making commitments, and that concept, that action inspires motivation. And it's like we came away with the line of like, sign up for the race.
You know, it's like, go sign up for the thing that scares you. Take the positive first action, and then you'll be motivated to wake up every day and train to do things that are scary. And the same with social media. It's like, put yourself out there, set a goal post every day. You know a lot of those same things we talked about.
You don't find success unless you take action. And I think the same with social media. The more that you post, the more you engage. You find those moments of inspiration, those moments of motivation that keep you going, that launch you in that new direction. So we're really excited for you all the success you've had. I can't wait for Nick Paradigm 3.0.
It's going to be a doozy. Yeah, we'd love to connect with you all. We will be out in May for Social Media Week in New York, and connect up and do something that'll be amazing. But, yeah, just a huge fan, and thanks for coming on the podcast.
Nick
Thank you guys. So easy to talk to. I appreciate all the thoughtful questions. You clearly did your research, and I appreciate it now. And I acknowledge all the work and time this took on your end. So thank you both, man. You're both a couple of goats.
Kwame
We appreciate it. Well, look at that. We've got a wrap and a call on today's episode, but it was fantastic. Thank you for being here. Thank you, Scott, for sharing the wisdom. As always. We appreciate everybody who tuned in today. I hope you all have a great rest of your day. We'll see you later.
Bye-bye.