The mastermind behind the Timothée Chalamet lookalike contest
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Welcomed to power user last weekend. Thousands of people in new york showed up to a Timothy Charles look like contest. The event was chaotic.

The crowd had to move locations. At least one timid was arrested. And to top IT all off, the real timethe sholom showed up. IT was all anybody could talk about online.

And today i'm talking to the guy behind IT all anthy poo is a creative genius, as he has one point eight millions subscribers on youtube. And he's known for stance, like eating an entire jug of cheese balls in the midst of union square as the cheese 宝贝。 and.

And eat those balls. I did one of the time with absolutely no experience.

He informed ted a cold, hosted a dating show, faked an alien invasion and more high. Anthony welcomed to power. User, hi, you're the mass around behind this hole to motheh le may look like contests. How did you all come together?

yes. So i'm like pretty confident in my ability to get people to care about a thing at this point. Like for the longest time, people thought you need a platform to like reach people.

But the way I see IT is people almost like IT when something is platform less like authentic. So we're really confident in our ability to like hang up one hundred posters and they make IT go viral even though there's like nobody attached to IT. I mean, eventually this formula isn't going to work and that's how culture works as people are already figuring that out, right?

Like i'm already seen a bunch of other look like competitions pop up, but like if you just have a good idea, people will show up. And we were actually joking about how I looked like timethis elon y, so the original idea was to rigg IT and let me win. And then as like over ten thousand people expressed interest, we're like always probably, have you just been run legit?

So what was IT like? I'm so sad mistake because i'm based in ally, but at what pointed Timothy may show up, did you know that he was gonna be there?

We would have put like a thousand dollars on him not showing up because like we just couldn't think of a worst security risk for synthesia. And it's a shame because he wanted to meet up with us. We were just sent to a clip of him being like, who organized this? Like, I wanted meet him. And unfortunately, we were busy running the event.

But so do you. We get to meet?

No, I did. He showed up actually somewhat towards the beginning. But at that point, we were ushering everybody to a second part because I was either that or get the tail.

But we had planned on me fully getting detained. But we're like we had already location scouted in other place. And we're like if we get detained there, that's when will run the detained contingency plan. But in the meantime, we just usher everybody over. But yes, adding our pats like we walked right by each other, probably as he was arriving in, we were assuring everybody over.

What do you mean when you said you have a contingency plan for getting detained?

We had made a much of sign saying hash like free gilbert. So because we were like, we're like i'm definitely getting put in hank off, we're like fully prepared for IT. So I made like a hundred different pieces of paper that all say hashtag for gilbert, that we are going to draw the crowd and was locking.

I kind of, was that what happened? Because I realized now that would have been really funny. So I saw .

the arrested Timothy salomy. I just spoke out, by the way, have you been in? Touched you post bail.

Yes, he didn't get a fully arrested, which is good. Yeah, i'll pay for as long as it's not. I don't got like honor grand. Honestly, if it's like a thousand books, I would put IT forward a couple thousand box maybe but i'll do like a fun rather forum.

So how did you come up with the event? Was IT just like people told you that you looked like him mithi ale in your do that? What was the genesis of this one?

Yeah, I don't know exactly what I mean. Well, just sit in this room. I have a producer name page who's also my romance well, just like right stuff on this White board until we have a funny idea, are like north stars, like what something people will tell her grandkids about like all I went to a Timothy salome local competition. And yeah, that's usually our pulse for IT but like I have this flying guy and we paid him like a thousand book maybe three months ago to hang up like one thousand two hundred liers.

Who's this mysterious flying guy that how do you find him? What's this deal?

It's funny. I was friendly walking in the city one day, and he was a fire with like, literally like ten words saying, I will hang up your fires and then his email.

yeah.

And then he charges me a dollar fire. He prints IT and puts IT up. And I gave him, like locations and all that stuff to two .

that may take a dollar fifteen.

And you charged me for each one. So do the math.

I feel like you've done a few of these things. I totally forgot, almost because I was a few months ago. But you were also the cheese ball, man. You're going to eat like a thousand cheese balls or something .

in in union square yeah I A three thousand calories worth of cheese's balls. I think it's about a thousand cheese balls and IT was horrible.

But and you really kind of trust as a cheese ball for you.

Yeah, I called myself cheese. All men. I've had this like, this is a bit of attention, but i've had an obsession with this like real life superhero movement that's happening and like seattle and there's going finish Jones and it's like he actually fights crime.

And my thought process was like, i'm obsessed with him, so I want to make something that people are obsessed with here. And that was like the genesis of, like, a superhero. And then I was like, well, how do I get people to care about a thing? And I was like performance art and that's when she's about man came definition.

Why the flare strategy? Because I feel like it's such an old school way of doing events. What do you think IT is about the flyers that makes the events kind of pop off?

I think that we are now in the downturn of the fire. I think now that everyone knows fires are funny, it's going to become a thing where people .

are not peak fire or peak flier.

This is peak fire. So many people are asked to me like, or are you going to do another look like competition? Like, no, like the same way i'm not going to use in other flying. It's like, not interesting anymore. Like I just got ta keep one step ahead of what the culture is feeling.

You also did IT on partial, right?

Yeah, I would like use party ful initially because I wanted to know how many people would come to the she's ball vent and then I asked to work with them and they said no. And so then I was like, pretty much done. And then my producer had used IT for the timidity thing, and they've reach back out being like, wait, no, no, no. Like, do want to work together. What I got the CEO tweet about you .

like this could only happen with partial or something.

Yeah, a bit regretful. I should have asked them for more like, I love the team. They're great, but they definitely benefit more than we received.

I guess I feel like you put so much effort into these tents. How much work does a take like how long is usually take to pull something like that together?

Yeah I think the most difficult part is production and like setting IT all up, especially because like it's a lean team. Like really it's me in my friend page. I've hired full time for the time being. And then like some, it's it's friends like sitting next to me is my remate and band mate Roberto, and sitting over there is my camera and old college remate Henry.

There is, where is you guys go to college?

We all went to records. So yeah, put records on the entertainment map, hopefully. But yes, it's tough, especially because like they are just like my best friends and I love them, but they're not like in the entertainment biz. So they haven't been as long. So sometimes it's like a learning curve, like page is talking to the jets right now and like i've just giving a for control over IT, but obviously like it's a new territory for everybody.

So yeah, I didn't realize this, but I think it's said somewhere in mind that you worked for mr. beast.

Yes, yes. So I was with a beast for five months.

When was that last year?

Yeah between may and like end of september being about to over right .

down there living in north CarOlina.

A, I was yes in bh. Q, and I think I just like, first I was making less money than I was doing my own channel. And then the other thing was like, even though I was like good at IT, like I made you was in charge of making the shorts for, like those five months, I was like, this isn't fulfill like, I feel like even, you know, we can get one hundred million views on a short and I was like, this is doing nothing.

Like these are just mindless views, which is fine and IT works. But you know, I want to like, be part of the culture and like, inspire people and do cool things. And I didn't think I was funding that there.

So yeah, what do you think of all of the drama that's gone down recently with everything I .

was reached out to buy tons of reporters?

I'm sure I denied .

on speaking on IT back then, but I think it's kind of blown over for the most part. now. Yeah, it's fine. I mean, my issue was like the second eye, like speak on my experiences. It's like a detriment to not only mr.

Bees who I don't care about you me like that like we're not like buddies but like a lot of really like good people work at the company and it's like they could lose their job type thing yeah i'm always like but that's fine. I mean, that happens. It's a company of like over hundred people. So and what .

were you doing before that? Because they think at one point you are in a content house too, right?

I was. Yes, that's how I had first common contacts or familiar with .

you because you did yeah so I think that was the house that nobody asked for a in vega, tell me more about something like your origin story. And when you started creating paro videos on the internet.

it's been a long time when I was a fifteen and I started to sketch comedy show on instagram with my friends and we gained like three hundred k on instagram and like a month. And this is like our fifteen. Our parents are like, you can be on the end of from there, like just snob.

I think you posted a video every month, correct? But you're gonna stop posting or you're going to spend two years posting and then stop. And I know when you're the top of youtube, you have kind of account down to almost when you start posting. Why are you sort of like counting down to that moment.

like giving myself a deadlines the only way and to hold myself accountable? And also like, I think ends are good. And so our beginnings and every end is a new beginning.

I'm already bored of youtube. I have been for a long time like just mainly I fully prefer or form. I think it's more creative.

I think it's more fulfilling. I think more people care about IT in general, really. Yeah, youtube is the weird in between right now.

Like, yeah, i'd rather make a full movie or make a short for video. Like youtube people don't watch youtube for created. They watch like body can like true crime and like predator catching videos s like no no shade, but like full shade.

Like I think commentary channels are the death of creativity. I think comment it's where things go to die. It's like that's when the cycle stops.

What's your beat for them? Why do you think so?

I watched them. I mean, like, yeah, my beef is purely creative where it's like i'm fighting a uhl battle like this two of the show making I got a five hundred old ticket that's fine but like IT costs me like minimum four thousand dollars.

Like did you make any money on IT other than the partial brand deal?

no. And like the youtube video might not even make that back in address. And people will probably react to IT or have reacted to IT and will make more money because to make a thirty minute video melting the whole thing. So i'm playing a harder battle than they are, and that's what they people prefer to watch that yeah so and i've know like I don't hate them, but like I do think it's unfair that we Operate on the same like level ics.

But it's like idea that's always the case with original content that people are going to rip IT.

Yeah my hope is that and it's worked for me so far like most people have internet career for like a year and i've been unfortunate to be doing this for like eight now yeah or longer than I guess almost a decade. But you know some people make the news and other people report on IT. My thing is like i'd rather just work a corporate job before I start doing the commentary itself .

so you're very anti commentary yeah get I hear you are saying and that would be really frustrating. Do you like um special I mean, do you have a picture on anything like that? Do you pay well anything or do like I don't know subscriptions .

and anyway yeah unfortunately no I my thing is like I just dislike making people pay for a thing that should be free yeah so I ve ve ve been scrappy with how I make my money. Like my thing is like I took a Better help brand deal which like I receive flag for even though like you, I only took IT because I had, like my producer do a bunch of research. I'm like this is worth IT like i'm not trying to get that much flag and she's like they seemed like they acted up and it's like, know people make a big fuss about it's like do like it's either this or I like don't pay rent and can't do the videos but you I mean, moving forward I my mom makes a jewelery so i'm launching starting next video support my mom dcom, which is like SHE literally just makes like silly bracelet ts and I wear, I wore them into my thing.

I love that I heart .

winners SHE cells on tt. But I was like, I made a website I called support my mom dot com Henry, help me make IT and i'm just start selling her braces lids and hopefully that covers like at least some what of what a sponsor would be each video. And then yeah, maybe it'll help them. I keep doing IT, then hopefully maybe I become a the Gillian airin don't have to keep doing this rat race.

Would you mean when you say you'd like making people pay for something that should be free? Like what do you think should be free?

I think if you are making like incredibly in depth art and creative things, I think you know you have the movies you have the right to chart with as an hour a half long experience.

But if i'm making a short internet video, i'm like not against idea of somebody else having a patron, but i've just every time i've thought about in our habin for a while I was like doesn't feel right, like i'd rather people just I want to give them something right, like an item or like an experience. I don't want to just pay me because you think i'm cool. Like I like I wanted to feel if you name my money, I want to give you something in return. And I feel like content. I already to .

give you that for free. So yeah, what did you study in school? Marketing.

unfortunately. okay. Oh.

you're really like a real marketing had yeah .

it's think as marketing has such a negative connotation. But like the way I see is like how do you get people to care about something?

Will be back with more empty poe after the break. This episode is brought to you by A W S. With the power of A W S, generate, A I, teams can get relevant fast answers to pressing questions, and use data to drive real results, powerful business, and generate real impact with the most experienced cloud.

IT feels like a lot of your content.

There's something like the vision of IT, especially the Timothy of my thing like IT was so i'm on a group chat with a bunch of other I like internet culture reporters and like everyone was like, who's going? Is everyone covering IT? Like I feel like I was this talked about event in a way that I think is kind of rare now like some of your stuff feels kind of early internet where IT was like flash mob or like, remember the viral facebook event type day?

Yes, yeah, yeah, yes.

Are you inspired by the any of that content? Or like how do you sort of think about the way your content fits into like the evolution of youtube? That's exactly .

what we're inspired by rugge's me. But like i've I kind like positioned everybody to think about that too, where it's like first, I think anonymity is like a big part of IT. I don't like people don't want to be advertised to only reason that to be shall my thing went viral because my name wasn't attach to IT.

Like same thing this woman like i'm a firm believer that like people don't want to be advertised to. If I could have IT my way, I wouldn't let people know IT is me. But the reality is like that's how I build the business and keep doing IT.

But yeah, I think people like want stories to other grand kids are like have these like how some fun events because like mostly everything is commercialized. It's like how do we get a profit? Ryan, meet up, which is like a that all like ryan, I actually met the founder of IT.

No, he came, he came to, I did a really small, then I hug a one poster for watch me finish this one thousand piece puzzle is just like a small bit and going to get like twenty five million views. But one of ten people they came who's like get, by the way, like I do just think called the ryme. I was like, way i'd love stuff like that. Like, I think that's like what I hate the internet right now, like you ve got me all up.

I mean, isn't part of what makes the internet so miserable right now. The move to short form content and like just still like lack of attention span on everything.

I don't think so. I think that's part of IT. Maybe I don't even mind that as much as I mind, just like everyone's attention being put towards negative things, not even like I think politics is fine, right?

Like I think that's fine. But I think there's like the drama cycle is so frustrating and it's tough because IT works. I can I get stuck and watching IT.

I've been pretty of working now. But again, now watching these preter catch videos, s are like it's like, like, like it's the least productive way to spend IT. You're Better off domes growing than you are watching predit catcher .

content realised. Yes, I mean, I know, but it's like I also just feel the platform I O system is really bad. I mean, that sound like you find a lot of time on youtube. Definitely I do too. But I know you also like twitter, which is I think definitely gotten weirder in terms of like they also there's just a long more of video on twitter these days too. And instagram is so sanitize like I feel like there's not that like fun that we had when I was like vine era or I I guess I was also like the premonitory zed a right IT wasn't all about making money and like growing your brand yeah.

And I do think that part of the reason why I ve been able to stick around is because, like, i'm doing the thing that doesn't make that much money.

Where do you see this guy in a year sort of working towards this deadline? But like what are your long term goals?

Yeah, I think just be a part of culture, preferably like in a cool hall some way, right? Like i'm happy that this is kind of like the mark that we're leaving is like fun. Like you know, we could be much bigger, I think, but I like the place right right now and long term, like we have a lot of projects that we think can turn into much, much, much bigger things.

So I just keep doing things. I mean, the main thing right now is like how do we build a business? Because yeah obviously like that's hard.

So I just would you bring brands the videos or would that just totally destroy IT?

Yeah we have a couple ideas for stuff in and around that I think in the short term will take a really good sponsors like call shirts. We worked with them for like she's ball man like that was cool like I known them and like I actually just drop my management because I realized I secure my bigger brand deal ders by like talking right? Yes, and i'd prefer that.

But yet spotters and then like selling bracelets and then i'm CoOperating on a thin margin realistically. Like I don't care if this in a job in five years, like my thing, like if I died tomorrow, i'd be cool. Like I did my thing.

Like, you know, I like i've made some cool art inspired people well, like a cheese bombing in event I had a face off from my upcoming fight right after the timidity shell, my thing and you was like small, but in advertiser, that monitoring maybe like four hundred people, five hundred people. And afterwards, like, you know, all the N Y U. Kids are just like, I was so expired by you and your friends. I go a like that's all we care about. I think at the end of the day.

how much of I guess, like you're success in all of this you think is tied to also being in new york where like these types of things I feel like can happen. There's always some kind of shape going on in new york, you know I mean, and there's like a density to IT that I don't know if you ve ever lived in a like I think would be .

hard to replicate yeah how to say I live in li right right before and right after the tiktok house and IT is horrible but I think new york city is awesome. And I think a lot of youtube S I can't like then came here recently. It's why i've been doing stuff of, yeah, good friend of mine love him. I'm convincing more and more creators to come here because it's like also less toxic like just it's a lot more artistic like L I felt very transactional like, hey, we're shooting a video so here it's like, hi, i'm doing something fun. I want you to be a part of IT.

Which school? Yeah I feel like new york is always been a place for fun. Creative like internet stuff is ironic because I think especially the stuff that was that promote tizer era of the internet, that yourself is very reminiscent. Gh was always very new york centric.

I feel like that's why all the prolific, like artists, artists come from new york. Like ella has a lot of entertainment, famous people, maybe musicians, but new york has always been like all of the people who are doing like really cool, are in changing things.

Who are you really inspired by on the internet these days?

I say comedy wise, people like almost friday, right? Like people who are like putting themselves out there and doing the hard thing. I've been getting called dumb banki, which is so funny to me.

I like that like I think that's a fair title like dumka yeah and IT is kind of like how we Operate to it's like anonymous pop ups. And then I am a big fan of like old youtube as well. Oh, my youtube r of all time is a guy in atrio.

He makes like marketing content guy just like the way he talks about like business in the world and like he reacted cheebo man like without knowing IT was me and it's funny because I was like, exact I wanted he's like, this is a kind doing IT for the love of the game like, I still love, even know it's content. Such a beautiful, spontaneous moment. I love IT.

He just put a little joy in the world. People had a good day. He doesn't marketing mondays. We goes through all the marketing things in the university. At the heart of what i'm doing is kind of marketing like how do you get people to care about the thing? So I think that's where I take some of the inspiration from.

I mean, it's so much of IT as marketing. It's kind of like genie's marketing in the type of marketing that I think brands would usually kill for. But I think part of what the appeal is like you're saying it's not that was sponsored.

whatever. Right, right.

Well, anything. Thank you so much for joining me today.

This is fun. Thank you. Is a pleasure. Keep doing the good work, your great journalist and a good reporter and a cool twitter account.

Thank you. That's the show you can watch full episodes of paris on my youtube channel at tailor rands car user is produced by travis larch c and joni Carter. Our video editor is sam assets.

Our executive producer is zc mac power user is part of the vox media podcast network. If you like our show, give us a rating and review on apple podcast, spotify, or wherever you listen. You can find out for my weekly news, utter user mag at user mag dot COO will be back next week with a brand new episode of power user. This episode is brought to you by A W S. A W S, generate A I gives you the tools to power your business forward with the security and speed of the worlds most experienced cloud.