#33: Secrets to Making Viral Videos

Our guest is the very funny and debonair content creator and comedian Reza Jackson. If you follow him on TikTok or Instagram, you’ve been blessed with his fashion tips, hilarious videos, dance moves, recipes and sculpted chest peeking out of his dress shirts. We discuss his rise to social media stardom and what’s next for him!

Reza's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reza_jax?igsh=ZWI2YzEzYmMxYg== 

Reza's TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rezajackson?_t=8jt7NLsRNB0&_r=1

Stay up to date with Tell Us Something We Don’t Know on Instagram https://instagram.com/tuswdk?igshid=MWI4MTIyMDE=

Video version of podcast is on YouTube https://youtube.com/@tuswdk?si=IeAU75Jkk52MluxL

You can contact us at info@tellussomethingwedontknow.com

Please rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts - thank you! 

Transcript

 
By the way, I was telling some friends that  were interviewing you and they're like, have him do his accent the whole time. 

Oh my God. No.  

I know. It sounds exhausting. I said, yeah.  Exactly.  

Austin Butler situation. 

Oh yeah. You have to get coached to not talk like that. 

  Our guest, our guest today is the very funny and debonair content creator and comedian Reza Jackson. If you follow him on TikTok or Instagram, you've been blessed with his fashion tips, hilarious videos. Dance moves, recipes, and sculpted chest peeking out of his dress shirts.

We're going to discuss his rise to social media stardom and what's next for him. Welcome Reza. 

Hello Reza. How did you like that intro?  

That was, that was, that was a good one. The text one was definitely my, my 

favorite part. I knew he'd like that one, Gabrielle. 

Yes, that was, that was Orly's line. 

Everybody, you're welcome.

Exactly. I pushed for that one, Reza. I pushed for that one. 

The question is like, shaved or not shaved? Like, you know, I've been trying to answer that. I think it's an 

in between, but I think you walk a fine line in between, right? You don't want it too, like, clean, right? It's like you're not 12.  

The problem is my shave, my trimmer, every time I go to like trim it to get that in between look and make a mistake and make a bald spot, I'm like, oh shit, okay.

You need to take tips from my husband. Her husband's white. He doesn't understand. My husband will help you out with 

that. What does he do? What does CFH do?  

The same. The trimmer thing. 

The trimmer thing. Okay. Yeah. All 

right. She's a professional trimmer.  

We hire somebody 

to come here.  The problem is that serious. 

Okay, wait. So real quick, you're Reza Jackson. So Jackson, that's not Persian. Talk to us about that. Where did that come from?  

So this is like a secret. I don't know. I'm just joking. My real last name isn't, isn't Jackson. Surprise. But I was coined this nickname. It was literally, I remember this when I was 17, and Facebook had launched,  and I wanted a name for Facebook, and I've always been obsessed with Michael Jackson, and I have a tattoo of Michael Jackson, and you've seen all my 

gosh, that's huge.

Yeah. Yeah. Wow. Yeah.  

Haha, geez.  

And so it was just, yeah, I stuck with it, and now I'm Reza Jackson, and it confuses Persians. 

Well, but, but your Michael Jackson obsession was from when you were younger, right? Because you actually know how to dance like him.

That's not something you learn as an adult.  And you don't get a tattoo of Michael Jackson just because of your Facebook name.  So this obsession is deep. He legit knows how to dance like Michael 

Jackson.  Yeah, it goes back to like when I was five in Iran and like are my rich uncle would have like the VHS tapes of like the music videos.

We all sit around. I remember they don't care about us like one that came out around that time, like 1995. So I started dancing like him since then. And then when we moved to Canada,  I started, like, actually taking it seriously and at some point I was, like, getting flown to cities to do MJ performances, like, in full outfit.

My dad,  my dad built, like  have you seen the way you make me feel performance where he's behind a screen and you can only see his shadow and then it breaks? Yeah, yeah. So he built something like that manually. He built, like, these clamps that I could put my feet in and do, like, the 

lean. Wow. Oh my gosh.

Wow. Wow. Wow. I love that, that your dad cultivated that in youth. My dad would have been like, 

At one point we had like uh, French immersion classes, swimming classes, Taekwondo. I was also like an artist. So I did like charcoal, watercolor, oil painting, dancing, like busy, busy ass schedule for a 12 year old. How 

many kids are you?  Just me. 

That's 

probably why. Well, yeah, I have an only child also, and I think he's, we're just like, well, we have all this time. 

Yeah, yeah.  What do you think? Yeah. 

Okay, so you in the intro, I, I, I purposely didn't include that you're Persian, because I feel it's not just appealing to the Persian population. I think you appeal to many. So I want to highlight that, but you are Persian, a hundred percent, and you were born in Iran? 

Right, Tehran. Wow. So do you remember living there? 

So I left at seven and I do remember like tidbits of living there for sure.  But I also went back and visited every like other year until I was like  22, 23. And then I haven't gone since then. So I have a lot of memories and, you know, recent memories  with Iran 

and then you went to Canada.  And then, so. Where do you live now?  

So I'll tell you the whole story. When I was seven, I moved to Vancouver, Canada. I was there for maybe like 15 years. Moved to Toronto for eight.  And then I moved to L. A. just over two years ago. Oh, wow. 

You're a newbie to L. A.  What do you think so far? 

Yeah, we're both in L. A.  I love L. A. I mean, the weather is unbeatable.  

I was gonna say, you came from Canada to hear the winters alone, just. 



So, okay, let's, let's go into  your origin story of how this whole thing started.  Yeah. 

So this is like dating back early when I first moved to Toronto.

I always would take pictures of like my outfits on my iPhone. And then I remember meeting a content creator at the pool. At this pool of like this building and he's like, Hey man, like you should try like getting a DSLR camera. Look, I got all this like paid collabs with XYZ brands. My MacBook is sponsored, et cetera.

And so that's what sparked that. And I got a DSLR camera. I remember when I had my first I had 5, 000 followers and I got like this first free wooden watch. It was like a little milestone for me. Yeah. And so from that point, there's still no video yet. So this is all like aesthetic, like kind of like model esque type content.

The content got better and like, I guess in a span of like, you know, three or so years, I got up to 25, 000 followers on Instagram. There's still no TikTok. And COVID hit.  And then when COVID hit, and I would always have videos like in my stories, but I never created like video content, which is definitely like, where my passion is, right?

Like where my personality shines through. And so because of COVID,  I tested, you know, a bunch of different videos on TikTok. Some of, most of which didn't really perform until  I did one video on like the different types of Persian dancing  that, you know, took off. And then I was like, boom, there it is. I got to start making, kind of connect back to my roots.

And that's kind of what started the journey. And in the past three, four years, you know, that's what helped me grow from that 25K to, you know, 340K on Instagram. 

So it's interesting that you said we've, we've interviewed a handful of content creators and kind of heard their journeys. And one thing that's common is COVID, right? And then the other thing is finding your niche. And so when you were doing other videos before it hit, were they just not targeted towards being Persian?

And then you decided to focus on being Persian and that's where your audience 

grew.  More or less. Yeah, like I'd say before that one dancing video, I didn't have any clear indicators as far as like what is something that's going to continually resonate. And then once I did the Persian, I did a part two, I did a part three, and I kept performing.

So I was like, okay, and I realized like throughout the process, it was very  organic because I'm just really drawing from My own actual life. I'm looking at my mom and dad and they're like, oh my god, they do this shit. Yeah Just I think I was sort of like a stars aligned as far as like what's gonna resonate and what's gonna be Authentic and what can I do?

continuously It's interesting 

that like, you know, I know we think like, Oh, it's only the Persians that just relate to this, but I get so many like people sharing like non Persians sharing videos of, you know, like Persian dancing or, you know, whatever, because I think that it's just fun. 

The difference here between like other, like more traditional Persian influencers is that I.

Yes, I'm 100 percent blood Persian, but I grew up in Canada and America, right? So like, culturally, I'm mixed and that's why I think it appeals to not just Persians because  I'm relaying my experience as a second generation immigrant, not just a Persian. So those themes are the same with someone whose parents moved from Russia, anywhere, right?

That's a, that's another country.  They're all very similar. We just have our own. Specific nuances, 

that's true. That's a good point. Yeah.  



So wait, the, the people that you collaborate with your mom is one of them, right?

Yeah.  . 

So she's a good one. She's 

amazing. Yeah. So does she  was she hesitant at first and then you had to kind of convince her to be on board or? What was that like? Was she like, yes, bring me 

on.  So it's funny. My dad wasn't hesitant at all. He encourages it, but like he kind of isn't so good in front of the camera and like taking directions and like say this, say that, or react like this. 

He gives it his all. My mom, on the other hand, like,  isn't annoyed by it. She's like, Ugh, Reza, I just want to relax. I don't have makeup on. I'm not looking at my parents. Why are you showing poma? And you're like, ah. She has a whole lot of baby names in her Instagram story. But when she goes on She like nails it.

First round. She's a performer. She's  excellent. So that's sort of the balance. 

She seems like a natural for sure.  

She's a natural.  We are Persian, of course we blah blah blah.  Series, like my mom would nail it on the first one. My dad would be like, 10 takes. Say this 

word. 

And then after the footage is done, she's like, are we down short?

Oh, 

okay. I was going to say, I thought maybe after she'd be like, Oh, let's do more. Have a start. Yeah. So my mom, she, she's a little, she's got like  close to 30, 000 followers on Tik Tok and it's my Persian mom. She's amazing. Yeah. And so you have to check her out. Maybe you guys could do a collab. She is hilarious 



my Persian mom is her account name? Mm  hmm. TikTok. Oh, I see it.    



And she looks so young. She is young. Her 

mom is super young.  She got married at 15. And she parties more than any of us parties. I mean, it's ridiculous.  

I love that movie. She's good. I love her dancing.

Right?  

SO.  When you're putting together your content   like talk us through your your process?  

The process on all these things, even like the niche,  is, is a, is a changing thing for a variety of factors. And I'll explain that. So, like,  previously, I would do three videos a day. So, like, after work, five to six, I'd, like, scroll through a TikTok, like, get inspiration, get ideas.

I'd bang out, like, three videos, post them and I would sort of bank on the volume.  Now, I'm doing one a day. Trying to do like ideas  throughout the week, like come up with ideas, film them on the weekend, and then edit them on the weekdays when I post it. So I have one per day, you know, five to six days per week.

They're definitely higher quality. Right. So that's the process now. And then in terms of the niche,  I, this is a very like active thing with, you know, January 1st, my thing is like to move more into the millennial bucket.  Which will have Persian moments. My mom will be there. I'm not hiding the fact that I'm Persian, but it's going to be less like Persian only videos because I think one I've capped on the number of followers, but there's only so much more.

Yeah. Versions that you can have. And two, I'm, I am a millennial and there's so many, so many stories to be told there. And then three, from a brand perspective of like what, who brands like to partner with  Persian demographic isn't really a market that they're like,  but millennial boom. That's like people that are making money.

They're having kids. Like it's an addressable market. 

Yeah. Oh, 

wow.  What's your main, what would you say is like the main way of monetizing? 

For me, brand deals, and there's like, because the creator economy fund, that kind of sucks, like you're barely making any money.  Instagram had like a Reels program, which actually was working very well, like it was a good, like, compliment to the income.

They stopped that program. But like, it depends on who the creator is. If they're YouTube, if they're YouTubers, then  the income is predominantly going to come from, like, ad revenue, and it's so much more sustainable than, like, depending on brand deals. But on the flip side  So much more work. Think about like how long it takes to make a 40 second video times that by 20 to make a 10 minute video.

Yeah.  

And so just so you know, my background so I'm in, unscripted television, been doing it forever. For like. TLC and for Netflix,  but I'm also working with content creators like yourself that have like  5 million plus on Instagram and TikTok, but that are trying and most of their money comes from brand deals, but they're looking to monetize into the YouTube space, like you're saying.

And so kind of building that platform out for them. And I definitely, I don't think. You're alone in the, when you're saying on the other side of things, it is really through brand deals is how  content creators make their most, most of their money. And it's very lucrative, you know, for sure. But I think it is again, like you said, in terms of like figuring out, like it's a business, like, you know, you're having fun and you're putting these videos out and people are just scrolling, but there is like a strategy behind it too.

Right. With not only when something goes viral, but like what, talk to us about like. Hashtags and, you know, figuring out like your, like a strategy behind it of, of when to post, how to post, what to post like that,  the, the specifics.  

It's funny, like, it's like, you think you have the answer and you think that all these specifics matter and then you get proved otherwise.

And so that's, I, I'll go back to the. Nothing is a constant and everything is a change. So it's  a game of like continual trial and error. I used to think that posting at 7 p. m. every single day was optimized. Then one day by accident, I posted at 12 p. m. and it blew up. And I was like, oh, wait a minute. So like, I think that there's all these like theories and like.

Number of six hashtags is like the maximum you should put to not like over give them too much information where they don't know where to show your content, but also make your hashtags more specific versus broad, because if it's going to  10 billion, then it's not going to get the traction that you need.

I think there's merit behind all those like hacks or  tricks to like beating the algorithm. Yeah.  But really at the end of the day, at the end of the day, really the only thing that actually matters  is the quality of your content and if it hits. So like if I was a creator starting out,  I would just focus on that one thing because the other things are just like distracting in my opinion.

Just focus on making content that's going to crush. Now when we look at content. There are certain rules that you can or guidelines like the first three seconds, you want to engage someone because that's usually how long it takes for them to decide to stay to watch or scroll. Yeah, I would use that framework like, am I drawing people in with these three seconds is the theme of what I'm talking about relevant, which is why I like. 

Things that have like really funky, like my Persian mom and passports. Like, if that's relatable to people, they're going to lean in. And if the  video stays as good throughout, then they're going to continue watching. 

But your content is super diverse. I mean, you have the Persian thing. You have the millennial thing.

You have your, your fashion influencer, too.  I mean, that's what I'm trying to get. I think that one is like, yeah.  And yeah. So, I mean, I feel like you have so many avenues. What 

I'm trying to nail is like,  how do I bring comedy into like fashion and how does it all roll back up to like being millennial?  So like the inter, intersection.

So I don't know if you've seen the videos of like the Zara ones. Yes, 

we were talking about that one. 

Yeah.  So that's like a perfect example of like comedy, yet like, hey, these are pretty good poses. Like that's a pretty sick outfit. Like, how could we do that? Because fashion content, I think is boring. And I think people don't really care unless you're like  the guy for fashion, you know, the best way to like actually blow up is like relatability and comedy because people  

want to laugh, you know?

Well, I think you do a good combo of it. And I think for inspiration for your next video, you should do a video of doing returns at Zara. Because I don't know if you guys have this experience. I mean, wait, what do you mean?  I mean, every time I go to Zara to like to returns, it's like It's as if like they've sewn the clothes themselves and they're so offended you're returning it.

It's just  

Why are you returning all your clothes to Zara 

though? Because nothing fits me, Gabriela. Okay, I don't have a modeless body like you two. Okay, so you guys obviously don't relate to this.  

Well, maybe it's because Persians like buy clothes, wear them, and then try to return them. So they have a bad taste.

I don't. 

If something fit me and look good on me, I wouldn't return it. I'm very desperate. I don't do that.  But yeah, our Persian moms definitely like doing that. I think, like, the world has changed their return policy because of us.  I swear to God, 

I'm not kidding. That's why we love, we love Costco. There's no rules.

There's no rules. You've used it for five years. He's crazy. It's cycling. Oh 



I just, I I love Did were you guys doing these Michael Jackson bits in Iran as well?  

Yeah. No. And closed doors. Behind closed doors. Yeah. I was like, I was like five. You know? Yeah. They put a Michael Jackson song like, Reza, go dance. But like. Yeah. Honestly, it's, even as a 34 year old, it's nothing has changed.

Michael Jackson comes on and you're like, Reza, I'll 

be out in a minute. Same thing. Same thing. Same thing. Same thing. I remember in Iran, Michael Jackson, Madonna and George Michael, for some reason, they were really big.  It was just a 

thing. I don't know. Yeah. 

All right. All right. Reza, are you ready for some rapid fires?  

Yes. So just to understand, rapid fire, you're going to ask me, do I give you a one word answer? Like, whatever 

you want, no rules like Costco, baby. Here we go. Okay.  Reza, what hair products do you use for your curly hair? Asking for a friend?  I'm on Bumble 

Curly Cream. 

Okay.  My hair is super curly. That's why I ask. 

You do the keratin, right? Me? 

Don't you do keratin? No, I do the blow hair, blow dryer. No, I don't do the keratin. Oh, 

your hair is naturally No, me? I'm like, well, you told me about keratin like 10 years ago, I remember. And 

then like, I did it 10 years ago and I didn't 

do it again.

And you're like, okay. Have you ever done keratin treatments, Reza? I 

used to, I used to do it a lot when I would straighten my hair. So the curl, curl, like letting my own curls is like a  last six years 

kind of thing. No, I like it. I like it. Yeah. I like that you're rocking it. And your, and your beard. But why 

isn't your beard curly? 

Is that a thing? It is. It is? Oh. If you go a little longer, it's gonna Okay.  

How long have you had How long have you had a beard for?  10 years.  Are you ever gonna I bet you if you shave that thing off, you'll get a lot of views.  I don't know. No, no, no. I don't mean, I don't mean, 

I don't mean like people want to see what he looks like.

People want to 

see what you look like and then like in two days you grow it back because you're Persian. 

Yeah, you're Persian. Exactly. Yeah, yeah, exactly. 

Exactly. Squeeze it out. Okay. What movie do you watch when you're depressed?

I would say show Schitt's Creek. 

Okay, that's a good one.  

It's a good one. Are you, are you more of a TV versus movie person? 

I like both, but like TV is like what I would watch like before going to bed versus movie would be like Friday night.  

Yeah. It's comforting,  especially when it's something, you know, yeah.  If you 

could repeat, if you could repeat any time in your life, when would it be?  Yeah, I don't 

want to get any flaws from that, so now,  the present.

Living your best life now.  

But, but like taking that hat off, I think  some of the memories that I'm fond of is actually like back  before any  like early college years. Yeah. When you were like old enough to drink and like have fun, meet girls, flirt and whatever, but like you didn't have the stress about like making a living and like the pressure of like being successful.

Yeah, 100 percent. Like 

going to sleep without any Money problems, not money problems, but you know what I mean, like, 

yeah, adults. 

Yeah, exactly. Yeah, adulting.  Where did you go to school?  

University, I went to UBC. In Vancouver.  

Awesome.  Okay when you get a phone call from someone instead of a text, do you immediately panic, drop the phone and run, or do you, are you fine with phone calls? 

Well, I'll be honest with you. I don't even get phone calls because everybody's on, do not disturb mode. Yeah.  So you're a texter.  Yeah. I'm just like, I, I, I, I, like, I'm already so distracted as it is, like I'm doing multiple things at once. Like having the energy of a phone call is, and like, I'm in all these meetings all day.

So like, I don't want to get a notification that just throws me off. 

Celebrity couple goals. Is there a celebrity couple out there that you're like, that's, that's what I want.  

Recently, I've been really fond of  Victoria Beckham and David Beckham. Me too. Yeah. A documentary. documentary. Yeah.

Ryan Reynolds and his, like, their little banter. Yeah. 

Yes! Yeah, yeah.  My relationship is closer to that one where we're just trolling each other constantly. I love that. I relate to that one a lot more. That's so sexy. Super.  So romantic. 

Cruises. Yay or nay?  Cruises.  

You know, like going on a ship. Because I don't know why I thought about that because  some people really love it and I think it's the worst thing in the world.

It sounds horrible to me. I mean, I've done it, so I know it's horrible, but being stranded on a ship for days?  

Depends on what kind of cruise though, like if it's like people from Ibiza doing like a three day cruise around like the other, you know, Spain or whatever, yeah. If it's a cruise going to like Alaska with family, blah, blah, 

blah.

Jump off the ship. 

I mean, actually, I would love it because I love spending time with family, but I'm just saying they're both different types of vacations. Yachts. Yachts. Yachts. 

Different story. Yes.  

All right, Reza. And finally, tell us something we don't know.  



I'm just trying to think of a, Oh, fun fact. You might already know this. As I learned to navigate LA, there's more Armenians in LA than there are Armenians in Armenia.  

Ah, I did not know 

that. I did not know that either. 

I'm on, I'm on an LA. 

Speaking of Armenians, have you gone to Rafi's Kebab yet in Glendale?  

I went there before I moved to LA. 

Oh, I see. Okay. Great 

spot. Such a great spot. And then where can people find you, Reza?  

Instagram, it's at R E Z A underscore J A X. And then TikTok is at Reza Jackson, so R E Z A Jackson. 

Amazing. Do you want LinkedIn?  Yeah, give it to 

me. It's Reza Mousavi, and that's my real last name. 

Ah, there we go. We got it at the end. We got it. It's real.  

That's something that you did not know.  There we go. There you 

go. I love how all of us do this. This is not the entire 

The hand gestures are adequate.  Well, 

thank you so much. Yeah. Thank you. 

That was fun. 

So good meeting you. Yes. You 

too. Thank you for 

having me. No, thank you. Take care.  Bye. Bye.