Why They’re Interesting: Chances are you’ve probably seen some of the content Ross Smith and his Granny have created. Whether it was her chugging a beer before throwing out the first pitch at a Guardians game or Smith driving a go-kart with a middle finger mask on his face, the Northeast Ohio-based duo have taken social media by storm and have no plans of slowing down.
Do it for the Vine: The Youngstown pair’s first foray on the internet came several years and social media platforms ago, as Smith, who played football at the University of Dayton, filmed a video of himself with Granny while he was home on spring break and posted it on Vine. Then the view count kept rising and rising, and the rest is history. “It was just the luck of the draw,” Smith says. “My plan was to play a little football and go into business and Granny was just excited to enjoy her retirement, and then all of a sudden our lives changed.”
She’s the Bomb: The duo’s internet fame is just another life journey for Granny, who grew up without a phone in her house and worked at a bomb factory during World War II, in Ravenna. “I worked there with my dad and siblings and we were on the assembly line,” Granny says. “I truly enjoyed those days.”
You Name It, They’ve Done It: Part of the reason that Smith’s content has risen to the top of so many social media algorithms is because of its uniqueness. Videos showcase the two on various adventures, as Smith travels around the world for videos. The two have swum with tigers, and Smith has gone paragliding by himself. But the biggest thing that Smith and Granny enjoy is how much their content helps viewers build connections with their own grandparents. “Not everyone celebrates the later parts of life,” Smith says. “We get so many people who reach out and say that our videos encourage them to reach out to their family. It feels like Granny has become the world’s grandma.”
5,000+: The amount of videos Smith estimates the duo have created together. They post up to 70 clips a day on Snapchat alone. “Sometimes I go through my camera roll and find videos of stuff that I forgot we did.”
Granny and Ross Smith, photographed at Bartleby Restaurant.
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