Treat TikTok Like TV
Featuring an interview with Adam Faze, producer and studio chief of FazeWorld.
In my newsletter send about the social media ins and outs of 2024, there was one bullet that people really latched onto: treat TikTok like TV.
I’ll admit it’s a little cryptic sounding but the idea is simple—treat your social video channels like you would a TV show by creating replicable formats, introducing characters that your audience becomes invested in, and building a clear point of view that is agnostic to whatever may be trending that day.
I think TikTok accounts like Shinola, Lox Club, Nuggs (when they first launched), Planet Money, and The Washington Post have all done a good job at this. I know and love their “characters”. I go back and watch their videos as if I missed “episodes”.
It clearly works. So why aren’t more brands thinking this way?
For today’s newsletter I am chatting with Adam Faze. He’s the producer and studio chief of FazeWorld and is also the person behind some of my favorite TikTok TV shows like Keep the Meter Running, Buying Time, and Einstein Elementary. He produced those three shows last fall for $18,268 and garnered more than 150 million views across TikTok and Instagram. I’ll repeat: 150 million views for $18,268. Those are numbers brands dream of. He understands how people consume media and what companies need to do to catch up.
In the interview we talk about why brands are the new television networks, the qualities he looks for when “casting” someone for a show, what social-first even means anymore, and more.
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Rachel Karten: First can you tell me a little bit about FazeWorld and your work in social media?
Adam Faze: FazeWorld is a modern day television studio—we make TV for the screen you’re actually watching (TikTok, Instagram, YouTube). We just closed a small seed round of fundraising to get us a studio space and a starting original content fund to get our slate out into the world.
I came to this space after almost a decade of working in traditional Hollywood—only to realize my own viewing habits had changed and movies and “TV” were the most irrelevant they had ever been. I produced a slate of three vertically shot, premium unscripted shows last fall (Keep the Meter Running, Buying Time, and Einstein Elementary) and they blew up more than even my wildest expectations. It was immediately clear to me where the future was heading.
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RK: How would you describe your social media philosophy?
AF: 1. If I hadn’t made this, would I watch it? 2. Keep it simple, stupid. I see so many brands overdoing videos—too much editing, too high of budgets, too much going on—when in reality, if you pulled all the layers back and focused on the message, it’d have a higher change of resonating with someone.
RK: With your show Clockwork Dynasty, you basically take a programmatic, TV-like approach to TikTok. Why do you think this works? Should brands be thinking this way?
AF: Any time I talk to someone younger than me, I ask them what they’re watching. And overwhelmingly, they’re only on TikTok/Instagram/YouTube. They’re using them like television. So in a world where these platforms are the new TV, there are incredible evergreen formats out there to create for a new generation of viewers.
I’m a huge fan of Pawn Stars—and Clockwork Dynasty is our attempt at creating something just as special for the watch world. I think every brand is realizing in 2024 they need to turn into a media brand—in my mind, brands are the new television networks. So if you’re a brand, what shows make sense for you to have on your network?
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RK: When I think about my favorite brands on TikTok, it's not the ones that are using every trending sound to exist. It's the ones that deeply invest in a character or plot—like Nuggs did or Planet Money does. You've been referred to as "TikTok’s preeminent unofficial talent scout and agent", so I'm curious what you think makes someone stand out on TikTok. Especially curious to hear this from the perspective of a brand looking to bring someone on to be a "character" in their TikTok "cast".
AF: Originality and character. One of the reasons we’re building FazeWorld in New York vs. LA is the access to such a wide range of CHARACTERS that you couldn’t possibly find in LA. Finding people who have a genuine connection to the format they’re in front of.
John Buckley and Tyler Mikorski are the preeminent watch dealers in New York (and New Jersey...), of course they’re the stars of Clockwork Dynasty.
Ameya Okamoto is one of the most talented nail artists in the world, so of course we’re bringing a nail salon talk show to life with her.
Kareem Rahma’s dad was a taxi driver before he passed, and Kareem’s carrying that with him anytime he hops in a cab for Keep The Meter Running.
RK: From a production perspective, how do you make something "social-first" these days? Is it the concept? Camera? Editing style? Captioning? I see so many brands post glossy videos with convoluted concepts and it's so frustrating. Curious if you have any non-negotiables.
AF: SO MANY CONVOLUTED CONCEPTS AND OVER-PRODUCING. It makes me so upset because as someone who used to produce commercials I know exactly how much these videos are costing and they go NOWHERE.
Originality is everything. Why are you doing a man on the street video when that’s what EVERYONE ELSE is doing? Try something no one has ever done! If it’s good, the audience will reward you, I guarantee it.
RK: Zooming out, how would you describe the current state of brand TikTok? Are there any accounts you're into and think are doing a good job?
AF: I think we’re still in the earliest days of it. I think pretty soon you’re going to see the largest brands build in-house studios to treat TikTok as a completely different beast than existing social teams.
Look at what Red Bull has built over the last decade plus with Red Bull TV. If I’m Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, I’m coming to FazeWorld to build a slate of shows that in the 2000s would’ve aired on MTV.
RK: What advice would you give a brand what's either just starting on TikTok or wanting to really revamp their strategy?
AF: Think outside the box. Don’t listen to what any agency is telling you—stand out from the crowd by throwing something completely new at the wall.
We made our slate of shows last year for $18K (and that included a trip to London) and got 150M views and 800K followers in two months. Brands spending $5M on ads aren’t getting anywhere near that traction—money isn’t the problem.
RK: Are you excited about the future of social media?
AF: Couldn’t be more excited. What’s crazy to me is just how early this all still is. We’re about to witness a golden age of entertainment once more because the world is going to be competing for attention on these apps which means we’re all going to be constantly challenged to be better.
Quick reminder that there are some really great new postings on the Link in Bio Job Board. We’ve got jobs at Oatly, Change.org, Gap, Shopbop, Prison Policy Initiative, Kinda Secret, The Webby Awards, Digital Council, The Infatuation, and more.
Alsoooo, if you are a brand looking to hire within social marketing, this job board is for you too! You can post your job listings here.
Finally! If your company has an education stipend that you haven’t spent this year, might I suggest an annual Link in Bio subscription? Here’s a handy template for you to use when asking.
Okay! See you all next week!
This is absolutely fascinating. I'm not a social media manager or brand marketer by any means. However, I am a kids author who considers it part of my job to build my own platform as much as possible. As a writer, treating social video as a creative exercise as much as storytelling is one of the first things I've heard about TikTok that's enabling me to wrap my brain around what I might really want to do there.
This is such a great observation! I find that this concept ties back to one of your previous posts about what happens when social media managers become the main character.
People are drawn to the personalities and give more of a reason to dive into previous videos on the channel. Good stuff - thanks for sharing!