Armed with just a camcorder, cell phone or webcam, anyone can become a star on the internet. Global News takes a look at amateur videos that went viral, and created unlikely internet sensations.
1. Star Wars Kid
The most popular viral video of all time was made by a Canadian teenager with a golf ball retriever.
Ghyslain Raza, then 15 years old, made a video of himself awkwardly swinging the object to imitate a Star Wars lightsabre, and left the tape in his high school TV studio in Trois-Rivieres, Que. on November 4, 2002.
The next spring, two other students discovered the tape and made a copy, with the intention of passing the video around to other students as a prank. It circulated via email, before a third student created a website and posted the video on the evening of April 14, 2003.
After one month, the video had been downloaded 1.1 million times. By October 2004, a website specifically devoted to displaying the clip had been viewed 76 million times.
The clip hit YouTube under the name “˜Star Wars Kid,’ and exploded into the most popular video ever to appear on the site. It has been viewed more than 900 million times. The site also boasts parodies and imitations of the infamous clip.
Raza was humiliated, having never intended for the video to be made public. He reportedly dropped out of school and was put into psychiatric care. His family sued the parents of the students responsible for the video’s circulation and settled out of court.
2. Numa Numa
Almost as popular as “˜Star Wars Kid’ was the viral video phenomenon “˜Numa Numa,’ a clip made by Gary Brolsma from Saddle Brook, New Jersey, in 2004.
The clip shows Brolsma sitting at his computer, lip synching and dancing enthusiastically to Romanian pop song “Dragostea Din Tei,” without ever leaving his chair.
A website called newgrounds.com posted a link to the video and its popularity exploded. Along with posts of the clip on sites such as YouTube, the video has been viewed more than 700 million times.
Unlike Raza, Brolsma embraced his sudden popularity, doing phone interviews and appearing on Good Morning America. He even made second and third videos of himself dancing, and released a full-length solo electronic CD, “Weird Tempo.”
3. Leave Britney Alone!
Chris Crocker, a 19-year old resident of Tennessee had a bone to pick with the media over their treatment of pop star Britney Spears, so he filmed himself on a hysterical rant on the subject for over two minutes in 2007.
The effeminate Crocker (an alias) rubs eyeliner off his tear-streaked cheeks while pleading with the audience to “Leave Britney alone!“
The video became a sensation, logging over eight million views in just one week. It also made Crocker an internet celebrity – he has his own YouTube channel, which sits among the top-viewed channels on the site.
Crocker’s MySpace page displays the video, along with his other homemade video blogs on a variety of topics such as gay rights and parenting.
His clips attracted the attention of reality-show production company 44 Blue Productions. Crocker signed a deal with the company to star in his own show revolving around his life as a gay 21-year-old living in Tennessee with his grandmother.
4. Kolla2001
David “Elsewhere” Bernal caused an internet sensation when an amateur video of his appearance at a talent show in 2001 hit the internet.
The video entitled “˜Kolla2001’ displayed Bernal’s illusionary dance moves at the Korean-American talent show “˜Kollaboration’ in Los Angeles, and has been viewed over 200 million times.
The dancer from Santa Ana, California, has since appeared on shows such as Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel, and Steve Harvey, and a Volkswagen commercial with Gene Kelly’s head superimposed on his body.
He has also appeared in commercials for 7-Eleven, Heineken and Pepsi.
5. Where The Hell Is Matt?
Matt Harding, a video game designer from Connecticut, decided to quit his job in 2003 and use his savings to travel through Asia. The 32-year-old was in Hanoi when a friend suggested he film Harding dancing a jig.
Harding posted the clip on a website he created to keep his friends and family informed of his travels.
Various websites and blogs posted links to his video, which attracted the attention of Stride Gum, who sponsored him on two more trips.
He travelled to more than 80 countries in the aftermath of the video to produce a follow-up segment showing local people dancing along with him.
This video, entitled “Where the hell is Matt?“ has logged over 22 million views on YouTube.
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