My Dad Became A TikTok Star Overnight (storytime)

Hi, this is me right here when I was a little kid. And that guy to my right, that's my dad, my guardian, my protector, our family leader, who also goes by Ernie Finn on TikTok. He has always made it a goal of his to be there for his family, and ever since he married my mother over 25 years ago, he has shown up to everything, every single time. He has never missed any of my sport activities, never missed a band concert, and definitely didn't miss a birthday. And now, fast forward 15 years later, we are closer than ever before, and we found something we both enjoy doing together, and that's creating videos to make people smile. I'm Mia, and welcome to my story time. Today, I'm going to tell you a story, but this one is about how a social media app completely transformed the bond that I have with my father in the most positive way possible. So let's take a trip down memory lane for those that have been following me on this journey. When I first started TikTok, I started making those, you know, typical, relatable, TikTok style videos with a little text above it. That's what I always do, and they never catch me. At this point, my dad had only been in one video of mine, which completely flopped, and I ended up putting that video in private. Bam! Quarantine rolls around, and I leave my apartment in downtown LA to come stay with my parents, who just live about 25 minutes away. And on one casual quarantine night, this video is made. Since we can't go to the movie theater right now, my dad decided to bring the movie theater to us. This video started it all, and I've never felt more proud of my content until these last few months. How do you think TikTok changed our bond? Because I don't think it's been the same. You know, because we do TikTok, the things we do together causes us to laugh more, as opposed to if we were just, you know, playing Uno or, you know, it would be a little different. Like we spend more time together than how we used to. Period. So during quarantine, my dad started making stovetop popcorn, which is literally the best thing ever. And I also love going to the movies. So since we're in this pandemic, you know, everything is shut down. So this one night when my dad was making popcorn, I was like, you know what, dad? We should do something with this concept. Like you make popcorn every single night. So we talked a little bit about it, and we settled on this idea of recreating a movie theater experience with the whole popcorn, candy, drink, tickets. The whole experience had to be done if we were going to do this. Once everything was filmed and edited, I uploaded the next day, and I could not believe the response that we got. How'd it feel when you first went viral? Like an emotion. Like if you were to label it. It was exhilarating. This video had over 5 million views in just like three hours and over a million likes. I was shook. And of course my dad knew it was viral, but he didn't necessarily pick up on the fact that these are real people watching, liking, and commenting on the video. And now the video has about 30 views, 75,000 comments, and 8 million likes. The whole comment section was filled with stuff like this guy is adorable. He's the best dad ever. I would literally die for this guy. I was like, oh my god, my heart right now. I had absolutely no idea I was going to receive this much love. Of course I love my dad so much, but just to see other people love him literally just as much as I do. I mean, I love him more. Made me feel so happy. I remember when you pulled out the vest, you were like, what did you say? You're like, oh, is this good? Cause we didn't know if it looked right. And then we show mom and she was like, yeah, like that's so good. I was like, I don't know. But then looking back at it now, I'm just like, oh wait, that's such a good outfit. Like it's so good. Like you can just wear it out. After we made that video, we decided to make it into a little series. And then for some videos, I started recreating places for him, such as a spa, a golf course, and even a bowling alley. You know, more people fill the comment section that was like, protect this man at all costs. We also did a parody to teach me how to Dougie and we called it teach me how to pizza. That was an experience to say the least. I wouldn't say I'm a bad rapper. That song just didn't do me justice. Like if I'm being honest, but if you were to put me on the Justin Bieber rap and the Nicki Minaj super bass rap, I got you. I influenced him a little bit when I say like, he do be vibing or the food do be good. You know, stuff like that. I pick up the lingo because I'm talking to you and then I like to hear you laugh. So when I say stuff like that, you laugh. So it makes me happy. Oh, what do you think mom thinks of our videos? She's a surprise a lot of times, but I think she supports them. Do you think I know she supports them? Like why wouldn't she support it? Exactly. It's not like you're asking her to be in the videos. Yeah. Like it's not like she doesn't want to be on the videos anyway. I also want to take the time to tell you guys about an audio book that my dad and I have been listening to. And it's truly been inspiring to us. If you don't know what Audible is, Audible is a site where you can listen to thousands of audio books on just about any topic you want. Scary stuff, sad stuff, happy stuff, inspirational stuff. Audible has it all. And I know how much you guys love hearing my stories. I just want to let you guys know that Audible has so many similar stories to the ones I tell and also so many different kinds of stories as well. And recently my dad and I have been listening to some fun stories on Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters by Meg Maker. In the audio book, Dr. Maker talks about how a man could become a strong father and create an everlasting bond with his daughter. It's such a good listen for those that are trying to build a better relationship with their dad or vice versa, a parent trying to understand their child a little bit better. I highly recommend y'all take a listen because it is truly inspiring. And here's some fun news. Every month each Audible member will get one free audio book and also an access to a monthly selection of audio book originals. So if y'all want to sign up, go to audible.com slash Mia Finney or text Mia Finney to 500-500. And you can start listening today. Okay, so let's hear the first word that comes to mind. Okay, Charlie D'Amelio. Famous. Sister. James Charles. Addison Rae. Huh? Addison. I need a bad bleep. Addison Rae. Addison Rae. Addison Rae. Little shorty. She got the baddest. So when my dad and I made our first video together, we didn't know how many people were going to be inspired by it. And you know, there's something so special about a father-daughter bond that only a father and daughter can truly understand. And through making these videos with my dad, I truly realized that. I'm so, so incredibly blessed to have two parents that I can count on for absolutely anything. And sometimes I get comments saying, why are you still hanging with your parents? Aren't you over 18? Like blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, like all that stuff. I'm like, yeah, I am over 18. What are you going to do about it? My parents gave me everything growing up and I am not about to ditch them just because I turn a certain age. You are never too old to hang out with your parents. Period. What is the key to not only having a good parent-child relationship, but being friends with each other? So I feel like parents are always in their own little world and then kids are always in their own little world and like the world's never really made a common ground. We found like TikTok to do together, even though we have like other like interests, we start learning like other things like about each other and like start talking about other things. The signature key is to listen and respect. The way my dad became this character in my TikTok was truly unplanned. I always like to say I unlocked some part of his personality because he was never fond of the idea of putting himself out on the internet. I remember when I used to make videos when I was younger and he would be like, you put your last name out there? You use your real name for your YouTube channel? And I'm like 13 year old me. I was like, yeah, like why wouldn't you? But he realized the same thing I did. One, I love making videos with my family and two, I love inspiring people to love life and explore their creativity. He started to involve himself in something he knew nothing about, but he knew that I was passionate about. And so he took interest in what I loved. Addison Rae. Addison Rae, little shorty. I don't remember all this stuff. And just by experience, I think it's super duper important for parents and kids to learn about each other's lives and passions because it really helps to strengthen the bond. Through making videos with my dad, I've got to know him on a level that I've never known him before, which includes stuff that doesn't even have to do with TikTok. And earlier I mentioned that I've never loved my videos more until now. And I think it's just because I love my dad. What motivates you to keep making videos with me? It's, it's, uh, something to look forward to. It's like, oh, what, what crazy ideas may have cooked up this time? Yeah. I'll be quiet all morning, all afternoon, 4pm, 4pm rolls around. I'm like, Hey, we have to film it in an hour. And this is it. And this is how it turned out. And it comes with something. Yep. Yes, it does. I need a bad bleep. Uh, Addison Rae, known as Shorty the baddest, and she got her way. And again, thank you guys for all the support that you continue to show to my dad and I. And until next time, the end.