Most people dream about becoming famous. Some imagine themselves walking down a red carpet, accepting an award while dramatic music plays in the background. I apparently took the scenic route.
My first major taste of internet fame involved 60 seconds, a YouTube show, and other people’s phones. And somehow, I became a meme.
In 2024, I appeared on Joseph Darys’ YouTube show Making Couples Switch Phones for 60 Seconds. I thought I was simply going to be part of an entertaining video.
I certainly didn’t expect to wake up and discover that the internet had decided I was its latest character.
Suddenly, clips of me were circulating, people were talking, and my social media accounts started attracting attention.
One minute I was an aspiring actor trying to get my career moving. The next, I was being introduced to the internet as a meme.
Hollywood wasn’t returning my calls, so I got discovered by YouTube instead.
When 60 seconds changed everything: Going viral is one of the strangest experiences imaginable. You can spend years working on yourself, attending auditions, learning your craft, and trying to convince people that you belong in entertainment.
Then one completely unexpected moment happens and thousands of people suddenly know who you are.
Viral fame doesn’t come with an instruction manual.
Nobody hands you a booklet saying: ’Congratulations! You’re famous on the internet. Here is what you do next.’
So I had to figure it out. I could have simply enjoyed the attention and waited for it to disappear.
Instead, I decided to use it. I put more effort into social media, creating content, and developing myself as an entertainer and micro-influencer. The viral moment gave me attention; I wanted the work afterwards to give me a career.
There was an actor hiding behind the meme: One thing I have always been serious about is acting. I completed a Diploma in Acting at Oakfields College in 2024 because I wanted proper training. My ambition has always been to work in film, television, and entertainment.
Of course, becoming an actor sounds glamorous until you actually do it.
Then you discover that acting involves auditions, rejection, waiting, callbacks, and sitting at home wondering why you haven’t received an email. There have been times when I walked into an audition thinking, ‘This could be the one,’ only to receive the professional equivalent of ‘Thank you for your interest’. Those four words have broken more actors’ hearts than Shakespeare ever did.
Rejection is part of the industry. I’ve had opportunities that didn’t work out and projects that changed direction. But every disappointment has taught me not to quit.
The Advantage of Being Unforgettable: One thing I do have is personality. Whether people love me, laugh with me, or wonder what is going on in my head, I have never been good at being forgettable. In entertainment, that is an advantage.
Thousands of people can deliver a line or stand in front of a camera. But making somebody stop scrolling and think, ’Who is this guy?’ is valuable.
The challenge now is turning that curiosity into longevity. I don’t want to be remembered as the guy from one viral clip. I want it to become the footnote in a much bigger story.
From social media to a real business: Since going viral, social media has become part of my professional career.
I’m interested in working with brands that want advertising that doesn’t feel like someone reading a script.
People want to be entertained, and that’s where my acting and comedy background makes a difference.
I’ve also become officially available on Cameo for personalised video messages. People can pay me to appear on their phone and talk to them. My younger self would probably ask: ‘So… when do we get the Hollywood mansion?’ I’m still waiting for that part.
I want to be good: Attention can disappear tomorrow; a career is something you build. I want to become a successful South African actor while continuing to grow my online audience. Maybe one day I’ll sit in a cinema watching myself on the big screen thinking, ‘It all started because I switched phones for 60 seconds’. You never know which moment will change your life.
Sometimes it’s an audition, sometimes it’s getting the role you’ve always wanted, and sometimes … it’s 60 seconds on YouTube.
