In early August, the world was introduced to Tariq, an avid corn lover whose sheer joy over the summer vegetable could melt even the most skeptical of hearts. Their Interview at Recess Therapya web series that interviews kids in New York City, quickly went viral, and in what seemed like a matter of seconds, “Corn Kid” (as his fans nicknamed him) was everywhere.
The Gregory brothers, known for turning viral videos like “Double Rainbow” into songs, reworked the interview into a catchy (and phenomenally popular) tune, splitting the royalties with Tariq’s family. That video has received nearly 60 million views on TikTok to date, and the song is streaming on spotify. At the same time, Tariq has become incredibly popular on Cameo, receiving hundreds of custom video requests from fans and corporations.
@schmoyoho
intro song for any meal/snack with corn???? – from an iconic interview on @doingthings
♬ Corn but it becomes a song and unites the world – schmoyoho
“It’s about catching lightning in a bottle and allowing creators to engage with their fans through one-on-one connections, and also monetizing that,” says Arthur Leopold, president of Cameo. “In these tumultuous times [Tariq] he was someone who could bring a feeling of joy to the world. Our team identified that and immediately contacted Recess Therapy to try and get in touch with his parents.”
Tariq and his mother, Jessica (who withheld her last name for privacy reasons), liked the idea and started making videos for $30 each. However, the demand quickly became overwhelming. And before long, Tariq was back in school, so prices rose to temper demand.
Today, a Corn kid cameo it will set you back $220. (Prices fluctuate. That rate is $30 lower than the starting price of $250 on Wednesday.)
Business videos start at $1,000, and Tariq has done several of those, too. His Chipotle ad went viral, generating nearly 24 million views on TikTok and becoming the brand’s highest-performing TikTok and Instagram post of all time.
Shoemaker Mache Runner recruited him to introduce their $300 Maize shoes. .
And announced a new flavor of RxBar protein bars.
@rxbar
Pumpkin Spice RXBAR is back! Sorry, Team Corn fans… To help break the news and soften the blow, we’re teaming up with Corn Kid to help herald the return of your favorite not-so-basic fall-flavored protein bar. We promise…it still has JUICE! ???? Shop that link in bio and have a corn-tastic day! ???????????? essumcornrcorncornsonggrcorntokhahasthejuicepumpkinsspicesteeperpicelifepumpkinspiceeverythingmpkinspiceseason
♬ Luxury Fashion (no voices) – TimTaj
If he jump from viral hit to influencer he seems fast, that’s a credit to the Cameo talent acquisition team. A group of approximately 30 people in the company has the task of find the next big thing before you’ve reached that level of stardom.
For the last five years, the Cameo group has been searching and recruiting creators and people who have strong and passionate databases. TikTok influencers alone have 80 pages of listings in the company’s talent library of 50,000 personalities. But the Corn Kid might be the team’s greatest achievement to date.
Around 85% of his Cameos have been shared with others. And she has been, last week, in the top three people on the platform in terms of pageviews and bookings.
“We have an internal saying about how we should think about how we can capture virality,” says Leopold. “Many people have moments of fame from 15 minutes to 15 days. With social media, that period of time can get longer, and 15 seconds can often turn into a full year. Think of the kid zip-lining a few years ago: 10 or 15 years ago, that would be something you saw on the evening news, and everyone would laugh and that would be it. Now . . . [the yodeling kid is] major festivals.”
It doesn’t hurt that “celebrities” are no longer confined to television, movies, music or sports. Audiences and platforms are much more specific, which has ironically expanded the opportunities.
“The definition of fame has changed dramatically in the last five to seven years with the rise of these platforms and reality shows,” says Leopold. “Leonardo DiCaprio is not as famous for a large percentage of talent as the Corn Kid is. . . because he is not that consistent in front of people.”
Source: www.fastcompany.com