Get Rich Quick With Your Own Novelty Twitter Account
Last week, my buddy Charlie skyped me a link to a pretty funny Twitter account, Loaded Santa. While the name is fairly self-explanatory, I’ll share Jolly Old St. Nick’s one-line bio to help you get a better idea of what this Twitter account is all about. And I quote, “I deliver 2 billion presents in one night to a bunch of shithead kids. I’m having a beer.”
Charming, no?
While crass, there’s an undeniable appeal to Loaded Santa. When I see his profanity-laced tirades against all things Christmas pop up in my Twitter feed, I can’t help but find myself chuckling. If Santa were real, it’s sort of funny to imagine him as an overstressed, overweight, and over his limit alcoholic. It’s the sort of thing that would make for a decent short web series, and maybe that’s the plan.
Earlier this month, Justin Halpern’s hilarious Twitter account, Shit My Dad Says, was optioned for a TV series on CBS. The account, which features actual quotations from Halpern’s elderly father, has been a big hit online, attracting over 840,000 followers in just a few short months. For those who are unfamiliar with SMDS, check out these sample Tweets.
“Son, no one gives a shit about all the things your cell phone does. You didn’t invent it, you just bought it. Anybody can do that.”
“The baby will talk when he talks, relax. It ain’t like he knows the cure for cancer and he just ain’t spitting it out.”
“A scar ain’t 13 god damned stitches. I’ll introduce you to men with REAL scars, then we’ll all laugh at your fucking 13 stitches together.”
Funny, right? Considering the profanity, it’s somewhat difficult to imagine what CBS could do with the concept without totally abandoning what makes it funny. Nevertheless, it’s pretty wild that just a few months ago this guy Justin was a 28-year-old living with his parents. Now, he’s the main creative force behind a potential 30-minute sitcom on a major television network. And it’s all because of social media.
With social media, getting your idea out in front of people has never been easier. No matter what it is – a novelty Twitter account, a web comic, a podcast, etc. – if you think it’s worth sharing, go for it. Just look at a phenomenon like LOLCats. If you were told the premise of that site 10 years ago, can you honestly say you would have predicted its success? It’s impossible to know what’s going to be the next thing, so why not lend your idea to the discussion. As trite and clichéd as it is to say, with the tools of the web at your disposal, the only thing stopping you from becoming a success online is you.