ORLANDO, Fla. – Most of us love a good viral video. Some of those videos make us laugh, cry or simply leave us scratching our heads as to what we just witnessed.
Whether it’s on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook or anywhere else, these videos can rack up of millions of views and become viral sensations.
These are the videos shared over and over again, which is one of the ways they become so popular, so thank goodness to those dedicated souls who are always first to post the clips everyone will be talking about.
This week on Florida’s Fourth Estate, Ginger Gadsden and Matt Austin are speaking with two of Florida’s best known influencers when it comes to viral videos. Each one has their unique style and brand that their followers cannot get enough of, and they have managed to turned a hobby into big business.
First up is omgitswicks. If you have a love for everything Florida-based supermarket Publix has to offer, including Pub Subs or a good BoGo, then you are likely already familiar with omgitswicks’ TikTok videos. His real name is Josh, but more than a million TikTok followers know him by his social media name.
Omgitswicks usually begins his fast paced, side-splitting videos with his familiar, “What’s going on out here?”
It’s Florida, so there is always something going on.
With a flip phone in one hand and a Publix treat in the other, he often shares the unique Florida videos captured by others who happen to be in the right place at the right time, or else it would just be hearsay.
Josh said he has been doing sketch comedy since 2020, but his social media persona really took off after an argument with someone about alligators. That’s so Florida.
“I told them alligators could climb a fence and they told me that they can’t, so I wanted to create a way to show people the stuff that really happens in Florida,” he said.
Turns out, it’s just what people were looking for. While he has more than 1 million followers on TikTok, he also has hundreds of thousands who crave his unique content on other social media platforms.
He has his videos down to a science. It really takes a lot of work to perfect 20-30 second videos that grab viewers right out of the gate. Josh said his videos were much longer when he started, but then he realized short and funny content grabbed people’s attention.
Josh said he will continue to hone his craft and hopes to one day host a show featuring viral videos. In other words, he wants to give the people more of what they want.
You can listen to every episode of Florida’s Fourth Estate in the media player below:
“Second phase of life for mom” is how Brittany Nicole describes her life now as a huge social media influencer. She currently has more than 2 million followers on TikTok alone and said she never knew someone could make a good living creating content on social media.
At first, Brittany said she just didn’t get what TikTok was all about. She credits her then 17 year old niece for introducing her to the platform.
She caught on quickly, too. In 2020, she started posting stuff about Florida but she really gained steam when she started doing skits called “Toxic Mother-In-Law.”
Brittany said these skits are not about her mother in law but rather suggestions sent in to her by her followers who tell her they feel seen when she does these relatable sketches.
She said she is as surprised as anyone by how her brand of humor has taken off on social media, but she also knows she has to keep up with all the changes in that world.
“Right now I am so thankful and surprised that it has become a full time job, so I am enjoying it. I would like to ride the wave as long as I can because I know social media is ever changing,” she said.
She said she is already branching out and thinking about what her next phase will be.
While there are those who love her work, when asked if she reads the comments section, she has a sage piece of advice.
“Stay away from the comments. You really have to have a thick skin,” she said.
She said sometimes people just want to get a rise out of you and and are looking to be combative. And there are those people who are just getting started and might be fearful of someone else who is doing well. She said she does respond to the kind comments and the people who are genuinely giving constructive criticism.
To watch the entire episode with Josh and Brittany, click on the link below.
You can find Josh on TikTok at @omgitswick and Brittany Nicole at @mrsbritnicole.
Check out Florida’s Fourth Estate with Matt Austin and Ginger Gadsden wherever you enjoy listening to podcasts.