Silent comedy POV creator. I don't talk in my videos. Around 11 million followers across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, and often 320 million views a month.
It came about by accident, if I'm honest. I never expected to pull faces for a living. I was posting comedy every day with no real agenda, just trying to share some humour and be creative. I make something that entertains me and share it with the world. Before you know it I've amassed a large global audience and generate a whole content arc. Now there are bundles of POV reaction creators.
Nothing has changed. That's still what I do. I build a character, put myself into the scene, and tell the whole story with my face. You're wincing at something, and the video cuts to me wincing at the same time. So we get this little relatable moment, you and me. That's why it works.
The silence wasn't a plan. I didn't consciously think about it. People were getting something out of the facial expressions and out of the silence, and the videos were going out to a bigger, more global audience because there was nothing to translate. I didn't know I had a very expressive face. But here we are.
Seven years ago I had a six-figure job in business intelligence. I quit to do this instead, and I've posted every single day since. Eleven million followers now across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, mostly American, with strong numbers in the UK, Canada and Australia, and around 320 million views a month.
I come from a business background, so I'm client facing. I've dealt with expectations, timescales and budget restraints, and I still do. I shoot everything myself, so turnaround is quick and the budget goes on the idea instead of the crew.
Now I'm building the next part out in the open. Trying to generate joy in the world and share the art of the possible. Brand work, speaking, sharing my learnings with the next generation of creators and enjoying life being Comfortably Uncomfortable.
BBC, EE, Domino's, Waitrose, Candy Crush, WWE 2K, Adobe, MTV, Sony Pictures, Universal Pictures, Scottish Citylink, Polydor, ITV, PRYZM, Moodbears.
Niall MacMillan is the author of Be a Shark.
Twelve questions on how Niall works with brands, from format and turnaround to exclusivity, are answered on the media kit.
Brand campaigns [email protected]. Speaking and events [email protected]. Everything else [email protected].