2 days ago
Chicago's Boom2Funny talks inspiration behind comedy, teaching kids on content creation
Chicago native Johnta Richmond, also known online as Boom2Funny, has over one million social media followers and is a TikTok sensation.
The West Side turned South Sider credits his real-life experience for the success of his videos.
"It kinda came from a real-life ex who's always popping up everywhere I go after we broke up, and then she knew everything about me, she knew my whole family, she knew everything, so I'm like I'm going to put in my kinda portrayal," he said.
He said he didn't think that the postings would explode the way it has.
"The very first time I did it, I did not, but the numbers went up. I got a million in one day, and I was like 'oh, okay,' and then I did one at a graduation with a boy who never met me before, he didn't know what was going on, walked up and di the video, and that video did 14 million," he said.
Richmond is not just making content but also teaching kids how to make content safely through a program called Social Impact.
"It's here to teach the kids how to use the internet in a safe way. We have so many kids posting with each other and getting into it, fights and killing, so I decided to come in and teach them content creation," he said.
He sees the art of teaching content creation as a benefit to young people in the city, as "the internet is the new TV."
"Chicago is so creative," he said. I teach from first grade all the way to 12th grade, so I get so many personalities."
As for his videos, being accurate is key.
"If you get a chance, check out any of the videos. I try to make it as accurate as possible, relative. Everybody has some kind of boom in them," he said.
His videos can be found on YouTube and TikTok.
