Tony Statovci certain can discuss so much.
The Nashville-born, Georgia-raised content material creator has been making some extremely humorous skits on TikTok since not less than 2020. They’re all the time quick, not more than 40 seconds in size, however they left me dying. Whether or not he is joking about how North West be performing when Kim Kardashian is on stay, what Drake be doing when listening to Kendrick’s diss tracks, or how America and China have been beefing over a balloon that one time, Statovci’s movies are topical, punchy, and hilarious.
However though his movies are quick, his sentences are lengthy. What I believed was going to be a fast interview ended up being over an hour lengthy of him speaking anecdotes and cracking jokes—like one a few dinosaur named Thesaurus explaining the phrase “tomorrow” in The Land Earlier than Time—at a breakneck tempo. The interview was so lengthy that my information obtained corrupted, and I misplaced the transcripts. Twice. It is a good factor I stored a back-up or our chat.
And I am glad I did. As a result of although he is a yapper, he yaps from ardour. Born to a Yugoslavian refugee and dwelling on Part Eight for many of his life, Statovci has been utilizing the web to carve out a little bit piece of on-line fame and monetary stability for himself and his household—all along with his Southern attraction, popular culture and IRL comedy, and foolish movies. With 175K followers on Twitch, 855K subscribers on YouTube, 2.5 million followers on Instagram, and 4.8 million followers on TikTok, Statovci has come to consider that “the web is the way in which to do something that you simply wish to do” on this life.
Complicated caught up with Statovci to ask him why he believes that, in addition to speaking about a few of his skits, what he thinks is occurring with the TikTok ban-but-not-really factor that is taking place, and the way Percy Jackson saved his life.
(This interview has been edited and shortened for readability.)
Inform me a little bit bit about your self. Who’s Tony? How lengthy have you ever been creating content material?
Tony Statovci: My title’s not even Tony. My authorized title is an Albanian one, however Tony’s like an English nickname or model of it. My mother would not even name me my actual title anymore. She calls me Tony. [laughs]My mother was a single mother, a refugee from Yugoslavia, however now it is known as Kosovo.She was 18, fled from there, and landed in Nashville. She then had me in Nashville, like, instantly. So, I clutched the, uh, the citizenship for the fam.
However yeah, I made my first video about Zuko [from Avatar: The Last Airbender]. My second video was about Kakashi [from the Naruto series], and it blew up. It obtained like 300,000 views. And I used to be like, ‘Oh, sh*t, that is dope.’ I had a video hit 4 million views three or 4 months later, and I used to be like, ‘Okay, individuals f*cks with this.’ After which nothing for 2 years. It was cool, although, as a result of I by no means did it to be a content material creator. I simply did it as a result of it’s a enjoyable passion and I like making jokes. Finally, my account went from 50,000 followers in about two years to 1 million in a single yr. 1,000,000 is loopy! I used to be like, ‘All proper, perhaps I’ll maintain doing this.’
One in all my favourite skits of yours is the one about two parallel traces beefing. It’s so apparent but so true. How do you give you these skit concepts?
TS: It’s so bizarre. The perfect, most excellent approach I can clarify it is sort of a That’s So Raven imaginative and prescient. It seems in my foresight or one thing. Like, one latest skit I did was about Legalos from The Lord of the Rings and what archers be doing after they run out of arrows. I used to be watching The Lord of the Rings for the primary time lately. My lady loves it. I used to be extra tapped into Harry Potter. However anyway, I used to be watching that and Sport of Thrones, and there’s numerous archery in that, too. And so, my mind was like, ‘Are archers ever helpful after they run outta arrows?’ It is like a distinct individual lives in my mind and whispers humorous conditions and silly jokes to me. I simply say thanks, and I make the joke, which I pull from life, previous experiences, reveals and films, and issues like that.
I like that. So, you’re watching The Lord of the Rings. Do you have got a favourite character but? What about Sport of Thrones or Harry Potter?
TS: Not but on The Lord of the Rings. I’ve solely seen the primary film, like, simply this January. Sport of Thrones, although, I do know the reply. It may be tacky, nevertheless it’s my man, my boy: Ned Stark. He’s so chilly! My favourite Harry Potter character…I’m not gonna say Harry as a result of I really feel it’s best to by no means say the principle character. If not Harry, then Dumbledore. He’s additionally hella chilly! That magic he obtained? Extremely sturdy. Truthfully, I’m only a fan of Perseus “Percy” Jackson. Truly, Percy Jackson is likely one of the causes I’m alive.
I obtained actually into studying after I was younger. My mother was a refugee. My dad, when he was round…it was simply abusive. I’d escape in a e book, and it was all the time Percy Jackson. His books imply a lot to me. Like, we now have no cash for Christmas, my mother and pa are combating, however Percy’s combating God. So like, he is having it worse than me. That helped me so much.
That’s deep. Sounds such as you actually love storytelling. Speaking about your skits, do you have got a favourite one?
TS: I did one about an Nameless Nameless assembly. And for some cause, I do not know why, I like that joke a lot. [laughs] It’s simply, like, meaningless jokes. And I don’t imply that in a damaging, however they’re simply random and hilarious ideas I’ve that simply go viral. That’s the pocket of comedy I like. Ridiculous, situational stuff.
You’ve carried out some advertisements with Shaq and others. What has been your favourite second with a celeb?
TS: Oh, for certain Denzel Curry. My pal handed away at the start of 2023, and we cherished his track, Walkin.
Oh my God, I’m sorry to listen to that.
TS: Thanks. However I met Denzel one time in 2022. My boy cherished him, so I instructed him I used to be with Denzel, and I FaceTime him. He was hyped. Then he handed away. I texted Zel and instructed him how a lot my homie cherished that track. It was a great way to reminisce about my canine with an artist I like.
What did you consider the TikTok not-really-a-ban ban?
TS: To not be tremendous conspiracy theorist, however I genuinely do not assume it is a tremendous huge safety threat or something. I imply, brother, Zuckerberg is inside our lungs proper now. Like, he is aware of extra about me than me, you already know. And what’s scary is now that I make these movies, he might have seen one and been like, ‘Oh, that is hearth. Does he have an Instagram? All proper, wager, the place’s his coordinates?’[laughs]
However right here’s what I feel occurred. American lawmakers, the wealthy, have been like, ‘TikTok is that this huge media big. It is preserving individuals linked. However we do not personal it, and we wish to personal it. We wish to have it.’ If TikTok ever goes, although, it’s high-quality. I’m on every thing. TikTok was my begin, and it holds a particular place for me. It was the birthplace of what I used to be in a position to do, what I’m now, and who I might develop into. Nonetheless, it’ll suck if TikTok will get banned. It’s like a time capsule or a diary. It’ll additionally present content material creators it’s best to by no means have all of your ego in a single basket. TikTok’s obtained nice discoverability, however as somebody who makes content material on daily basis, I feel Instagram has the higher algorithm.
So, what’s changing TikTok for you if it ever will get banned?
TS: Nicely, I am already on every thing else: Instagram, YouTube—even Fb. I’m 24. I don’t know many individuals my age utilizing Fb, however I put up my content material on there to increase the viewers additional. And it weirdly works. All of it helps develop my TikTok, which helps me develop the followings of all my different accounts as properly.
Moreover, I do not become profitable off TikTok as a result of I do not make movies over a minute lengthy. Every part I do is out of the love of comedy. Folks ask me, ‘Why don’t you simply make longer movies?’ My skits have gotten me this far, they usually work so significantly better as shorter moments. So, I don’t wanna change my components simply to make a pair bucks.
That is smart. You’d fairly not sacrifice the craft for the money. What do you consider among the TikTok clones popping off proper now?
TS: I feel we’re seeing a, uh, half two of Vine. There have been so many Vine-like apps that attempted to copy what Vine was doing however simply could not do it. After which, Vine itself got here again and lots of people didn’t even know. It was known as one thing else—Byte, proper!— nevertheless it was from the co-creators of Vine. [Editor’s note: Originally called Clash, then Byte, and finally Huddles, the short-form video-sharing app was built as a successor to Vine by co-creator Dom Hofman, which was discontinued in May 2023.] Nobody cared. It is as a result of the factor that makes TikTok particular, or the factor that makes Instagram particular, or a film particular—that’s arduous to copy. I feel that’s why individuals don’t actually like remakes. It’s arduous redoing one thing that was already nice.
Although you don’t become profitable off TikTok, would a ban have an effect on your backside line in any respect?
TS: I do become profitable off of brand name offers, and due to my massive following on TikTok, I’d be hurting that approach, particularly since I do all this myself with no administration or illustration. However then I’ve obtained my Instagram, so I can simply flip and do model offers there. So, like, I’d lose a little bit bit of cash, nevertheless it wouldn’t be diabolical or something as a result of I’ve different accounts with sizable followings. Once more, although dropping TikTok would suck for individuals moving into content material creation, I consider the web is the way in which out.And by that, I imply it is the one approach I really assume you are going to put in work for one thing and get again tenfold what you place in.
Like the times of working a strong job and getting strong advantages and retiring and with the ability to stay off that with your loved ones—these days are over. Like, prefer it’s not the sixties and the seventies anymore. You possibly can’t work a manufacturing facility job and have your spouse keep residence and have two youngsters and two vehicles in a pleasant home anymore. You simply cannot try this. However the web is the way in which to do something that you simply wish to do. You don’t even must be making, like, 50,000, 100,000 a month. In the event you wanna pay your hire, save for a visit, afford training—I’ve a pal who streams on Twitch, and in his first month, he made nearly $700. It’s not some huge cash, nevertheless it’s $700 greater than he had earlier than. Add that up over a yr, and also you’re supplementing your revenue by simply being humorous and being you on-line.
I really feel like we’re to start with of the brand new age of, like, carving out your house on the web. It may very well be big, it may very well be small. It might repay your telephone invoice, it might feed your grandkids. Your neighborhood might be no matter you need or want it to be, however you by no means actually must scale it to make it on-line. I maintain pondering lots of people severely underestimate the ability of the web and the way it can break the chains of poverty. Coming from a refugee mother dwelling on Part Eight and meals stamps, I by no means thought I’d have the ability to meet these celebrities and do good issues for my mother all due to TIkTok, due to the web. I’ve to cease myself from sounding loopy telling folks that that is the way in which out. That is the way you get away the matrix. You get into the web. [laughs]
I even have a query for Complicated. That comic’s listing. The place was I at?
[laughs] You imply, The Funniest Folks on the Web Proper Now?
TS: Yeah, that one.
That one got here out earlier than I began right here. I bear in mind getting requested who I believed have been some humorous individuals on the web through the interviewing course of for this job, and I consider I mentioned your title.
TS: [laughs] Yeah. It is all good. I did not even know the listing. However some individuals despatched me the listing and have been like, ‘Yo, you bought robbed.’ I simply thought it was dope seeing all these completely different comedians on that listing. They’re all hilarious.