One of TikTok's most popular content creators, Danielle MacDonald, asks supercar drivers what they do for a living on FOX News Digital and talks about going 'from zero to 100' on social media. Talk about fame.
TikTok's Daniel Mac (short for McDonald) wasn't aiming for social media fame when he posted his first video more than three years ago.
“I never thought I'd end up living in L.A. In fact, I didn't really like L.A.. I didn't think it was a good place to live,” McDonald told Fox News Digital. “TikTok was completely haphazard. I never had Hollywood dreams or social media dreams. It was completely by chance that I posted one video. It just floated away and I just kept doing it.”
The 26-year-old went from making $50,000 a year working in the financial industry to “Upper Zone,” which he hopes will resonate with an audience of more than 14 million followers, who now have more than 14 million followers thanks to advertising revenue and brand deals. He says he now has a six-figure income. He has more than 334.8 million likes on TikTok as well.
McDonald is primarily known for his series where he approaches exotic and luxury cars and asks the drivers what they do for a living. When people recognize him, reactions range from confusion and defensiveness to outright friendliness.
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“My first post got about 50 million views, and I thought that was the craziest thing ever. I hadn't seen my face in about a year,” MacDonald said. “So my friends and family didn't even know it was me. They just said, 'Oh, this guy sounds like you. So why does his name sound like you?' 'Get 100 off a video and it could change your life.'
Daniel McDonald became famous for asking people on the street, “What do you do for a living?” (Fox News)
He is also an avid car enthusiast, and has worked with celebrities such as Helen Mirren, Joe Biden (for an EV test drive), Jake and Logan Paul, Kevin O'Leary, Barbara Corcoran, Mark Wahlberg, and Ford CEO Jim. He approached the driver's seat of people and celebrities. Farley, Shaquille O'Neal, etc. However, MacDonald's inaugural article was a little different.
“The post that really made my account a success, and this is my first ever video, is of a man in a white Lamborghini, me and my friends chasing him, and then he turns to me at a stoplight… And when I finally caught up with this guy, he just turned to me and said, “I sell drugs for a living.” And I couldn't tell if he was joking or not. And he didn't let us know because he just drove away,” the TikToker said.
His “baseline” criteria in determining featured cars include a minimum price tag of $100,000. McDonald recalled that his love of automobiles was rekindled from his childhood “obsession” with Hot Wheels.
“I loved cars, but I was very interested in how people became successful,” he said. “Most people are really friendly, but about 1-2% of people might get mad at me or yell at me…I tried it on a $30,000, $40,000 car, and everyone… I’m scared and confused as to why I would roll over to them.”
Prior to this, Mr McDonald had a “steady job” in the financial industry before he began to realize the risks and rewards of being his own boss.
“I quit a stable job in finance, which was scary at the time. And if you're young, it's not worth the risk of potentially owning your own business to start.” I don't think there are any,'' MacDonald said. “I can't say it's that easy to quit your job at age 40 if you have kids, but people still quit their jobs. But if you're in your early 20s and you don't know what you want to do with your job? If you say, “I think in life I probably won't be able to do what I set out to do in the end, and I definitely want to take a risk and try my hand at entrepreneurship.'' ”
One video can go from zero to 100 and it can change your life…I think I got a million followers in 5 days with my first video, outdoors. This was unprecedented and very crazy for me…it can happen to anyone.
The risk reportedly paid off, as he says posting on TikTok has become his main source of income.
“It's kind of shocking how much money you can make in this field… Most of my income comes from advertising, but about half of it comes from brand deals with major car manufacturers,” McDonald said. . “The moment I got my first check in the mail, I knew it was a different world.”
The Texas-to-California influencer's biggest advice to the younger generation is not to “work hard,” but to think broadly to go viral.
“TikTok and other platforms specifically reward share buttons, such as likes and comments, more than anything else, such as copying links. Because it attracts unpleasant people. [the] on the platform [the] It's a much more valuable platform than anything else. So we try to create as wide a range of content as possible to appeal to a wide audience,” he explained.
“So you have to think about everything from the caption to the footage itself. 'Can I share this video? Can I share this with my friends?'” McDonald said. He added: “The first thing is to make sure the public can relate to it.”
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Now, McDonald wants to use his success to branch out into other business endeavors, such as a podcast and an annual car rally. At the same time, he is the proud owner of two of his cars that he has always admired: a Porsche GT4 and an Audi RS Q8.
“I still sit on Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles for about four or five hours and just listen to the cars go by,” he said. “While I was sleeping, I heard the sound of a nice car engine and it gave me energy.''
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