It’s almost time for the second edition of TikTok For You Fest!
Logie Awards winner Tony Armstrong will host the event, with a wide range of music artists, content creators and stand-up comedians joining him tonight.
More than 500 of the finest TikTok creators from across Australia will gather for the festival – if you’re a budding creator yourself, or simply just love watching endless amounts of TikTok clips, the For You Fest is the place for you.
All the action will be streamed live on the official TikTok Australia account, and 10Peach will also show all the performances a little later.
To celebrate For You Fest, we caught up with four of Australia’s finest creators and For You Fest nominees:
Jimmy Jan (@jimmyjan) -a young medical student who has endeared himself to millions thanks to his honest videos about his disability
The Brother Boys (@the_brotherboys) -two brothers-in-law from Mildura who have captured affections for their lovely and funny relationship
Luke And Sassy Scott (@lukeandsassyscott) – a pair of mischievous siblings who have risen to the pinnacle of Aussie TikTok
Will Gibb (@will_yum_gibb) – a comedian who’s been making millions laugh with his comedy skits about dating, family and everything in between.
You can read our chat with all four below! TikTok For You Fest 2022 will be live on @tiktok_australia on Thursday, December 15th from 7pm AEDT, and on 10Peach from 8:30pm AEDT. You can find out more information about the festival here.
Jimmy Jan
Congrats on almost making it to 700,000 followers. When you started on TikTok did you ever expect to gain so many followers?
I don’t think many people expect to gain huge success on TikTok, but I knew I had an interesting story and perspective to share, and I knew it had the potential to resonate with a large audience.
At the same time, I didn’t expect to keep growing on the platform, especially so quickly. I posted my first TikTok in January because I had a funny idea for a video, and then I had more ideas, shared my story, the momentum continued, and here we are!
Do people ever reach out privately and say that you’ve inspired them through your TikTok videos?
I receive messages from followers all the time, from able-bodied people, and others living with a disability. It’s so rewarding to hear from people that my story and attitude have helped or encouraged them in their lives and through tough periods they experience.
My approach to life is to focus on the good stuff that happens, and not get too caught up in the bad, so that’s the vibe of my content, and I’m stoked that people have been connecting with that, and that it has had a positive impact in their lives.
It’s also really cool to get messages from other people living with a disability, and being thanked for providing a bit of representation and education through my content.
Do you get recognised on the street now thanks to TikTok?
I certainly do, which is still so crazy to me. I often forget the reach that TikTok has, and the fact that my videos can be watched by literally anyone. It’s pretty cool to meet people all over the place, who know me purely because of TikTok.
@jimmyjan #stitch with @Jimmy Jan i am so over the moon to just be nominated. link in mah Bîø if you wanna vote ❤️ #ForYouFest #TikTokForGood #ForGood #yeehar #cantwalklol
♬ Walking On Sunshine (25th Anniversary) [2010 Remaster] – Katrina and the Waves
Are you looking forward to TikTok For You Fest?
I am so excited for the TikTok For You Fest, especially being nominated for the TikTok For Good Award. Knowing that my videos have made a positive impact through TikTok is so awesome and being nominated for an award on top of that is just extra special.
And what does the future hold?
I’ve got two more years left of my medical studies until I graduate. I’ve decided to take a quick break from medicine for a year of adventure and travels, and new opportunities. Looking into podcasting, broadcasting, and of course continuing my TikTok.
My passions are varied and wide-ranging, so I want to ensure I remain open-minded and available for anything and everything that comes my way. I consider myself an open book when it comes to life and all it brings, so more than anything, I am motivated to work even harder to turn even more dreams into reality.
@jimmyjan dory said it best: “just keep swimming”#ParalysedMermaid #sci #wheelchair
The Brother Boys
How nice is it to be able to represent Indigenous people and people with Down Syndrome on such a huge platform?
It means so much to us that we can break down stigma and change people’s perspectives, in a positive way.
How nice is it to be able to represent Indigenous people and people with Down Syndrome on such a huge platform?
It would have been interesting to look back to see how far our connection has come since the early days. Also for people to see him grow from such a cool young kid to a well respected and funny young man.
You’re so close to the one million followers mark! Do you have anything planned to celebrate reaching the milestone?
We’re thinking of throwing the biggest party Mildura has ever seen!!!!!
@the_brotherboys Happy International Day of People with Disability from @BillShortenMP – Minister or NDIS and the brotherboys #disability #ndis #billshorten #support
Do you get recognised on the street now thanks to TikTok?
It’s unbelievable how many people recognise us. Every time we leave the house together we’re getting photos with people. We have now mastered our poses. People even approach brotherboy at work!
Are you looking forward to TikTok For You Fest?
Hell yeah, this is a crazy experience. Looking forward to meeting everyone. It still blows our mind that we have made it to this level and will be attending as finalists!
Can you tell us some other TikTok creators you’re loving right now?
Gotta be our brothers Luke and Sassy Scott. They’re such a laugh. Luke and Sassy Scott, for the win.
And what does the future hold?
The future holds a lot for us. The possibilities are endless with this lad. There’s not many things he can’t do. We have some very exciting things in the works for next year.
@the_brotherboys brotherboy ready for more uncle duties 💙🤙🏾🤙🏼
Will Gibb
Did you ever expect to make it this big on TikTok?
When I started I think it’d be a bit wishful to assume I could make a living doing this and have so many amazing people watch my stuff. But once things started to pick up that ceiling I set myself grew and grew. I reckon that’s the most important thing to getting big in anything – keep setting bigger goals and don’t ever feel like you’ve ‘made it.’
How does it compare being a comedian on TikTok to, say, a stand-up comic?
One is extremely rewarding and difficult and the other is a TikTok comedian. Lol no jokes aside I think it’s HUGELY different. Stand-up comedy has the immediate response rate to a joke, and you can feel the energy in the room shift each second, it’s truly an amazing thing to experience.
TikTok comedy is a slave to the almighty algorthim which determines who watches what. A nice comment and views is so great and it does scratch that itch, but nothing beats being on stage.
How long does it usually take to write a TikTok skit?
I don’t actually write anything down. All of it is off the cuff. I’ll think of the idea, which is the hardest part, then it’s just thinking it up as I’m filming.
I might take one take to scope it out, then another two or three to nail it. I find writing stuff down makes it feel too stiff, the videos are all about catching real life moments and they best come at unexpected times. But anyway I’m rambling…let’s say anywhere between 3-30 minutes for a video.
@will_yum_gibb
Who were your comedy idols growing up?
Steen Raskopoulos taught me everything I know about performing and comedy. When I was 12 he put me in the 17-18 year old classes for improv and that helped me grow as a performer so much. Every video or performance I do is heavily inspired by what he does and how he does it. He would be my only comedy ‘idol.’
In terms of other comedians I love I would always watch Key and Peele or Kath and Kim, Aunty Donna and Tim Robinson.
Any other funny TikTok creators we should know about?
Theo Shakes. He is the man.
Do you get recognised on the street now thanks to TikTok?
It’s so weird. I started making videos and grew that following during lockdown so I didn’t feel the ramifications of that growth and then BAM, lockdown lifted and I was like ‘oh what? These are real people that watch my stuff, not just user319723046823.’
It used to happen every now and again but now I’d say it’s more common than not. I really love having genuine and sweet interactions with people that watch my videos, it’s super cool. They’re the reason I can do what I do for a living and it feels nice to give that back by having a chat or taking a photo.
How does it feel to be nominated for Creator of the Year?
Terrible.
Are you looking forward to taking your comedy on a live tour? Being heckled might be funner than reading through stupid comments from trolls…
I love performing live, it’s the reason I get out of bed. Still pinching myself that people want to come out and watch me and that for me is something I’ll always be grateful for. Cannot wait to be heckled by a mum that’s had one too many.
@will_yum_gibb I always left sleepovers early. Insta: _willgibb_ #fyp #foryou
Luke And Sassy Scott
Over two million followers is a staggering amount. Do you get recognised on the street now thanks to TikTok?
Luke: Yes. I honestly forget Scott and I do this sometimes. Unless people come up to me telling me they follow me on TikTok, I’m always trying to figure out how I know them.
Scott: People now drive past my house and scream ‘I LOVE YOU SASSY.’ It’s taking being recognised to a completely different level to what I had ever expected. One night I was tired and couldn’t be fucked with the world, but I was hanging for some fish n’ chips.
I said to my husband, I doubt anyone will recognise me at the fish n’ chip shop on a Tuesday night. When I got out the front, there were two middle aged men sitting in the store and I thought to myself, ‘I’m safe.’ As soon as I walked in, one man said ‘OH SHIT, you’re the guy off TikTok, me and my wife watch you every night.’
Whose video ideas get rejected the most?
Luke: Scott’s, he is so lame. Have you seen his personal TikTok account? I’m embarrassed.
Scott: Mine. Luke is so protective over the account, I don’t even have access. By the time I find a video trend for us to do, Luke says it was trending over two months ago. It’s hard being 36 on TikTok.
@lukeandsassyscott Scott wasn’t expecting that 😂 #competition #funny #sassy #brother #prank #candy #lollies #Fyp
Important question: who’s the funniest brother?
Luke: Scott is known to talk a lot more. I find 20% of what he says is funny. Whereas I like to think I speak less but everything I say is much funnier.
Scott: The one and only good trait about Luke, is that he makes me laugh. A lot. He takes the piss out of me and it gets me giggling. I also make myself laugh all the time and I’ve never really worried if I’m funny or not, because what I do works for me.
I was in the ocean the other day recalling a funny moment that had just happened, and was legit pissing myself laughing. All alone. Luke would never say I’m funny, let alone the funniest.
Do you see yourself making TikToks together for a long while? No plans to go solo?!
Luke: Solo? Again, have you seen his personal account? The main account was my solo career, however we agreed to make it a joint account.
S- We’ve been doing this shit our whole life, so yeah, I can see this continuing with or without social media.
Are you looking forward to TikTok For You Fest?
Luke: Not just yet, we haven’t organised an outfit to wear yet. We are rookies.
Scott: I can’t wait. I was born for the stage.
How does it feel to be nominated for Creator of the Year?
Luke: To be honest, I didn’t see it coming. You are always oblivious to how you are perceived in the online world. To be recognised as one of the Creators of the Year is an amazing achievement.
Scott: UNREAL! I can’t believe that in less than 12 months, we have been nominated for the biggest award for any TikToker. It’s been very humbling. Rarely are we humans validated as people and creators on the worlds stage!
Can you tell us some other TikTok creators you’re loving right now?
Luke: I honestly can watch anyone on a live. I spend all my time watching people talking on lives. I get invested in them, then I feel I should start commenting – then they can’t believe @LukeandSassyScott are in their Live. It’s so funny to see people’s reactions. I also am a massive fan of Daz Black.
Scott: TikTok is a grass roots platform. Tiktokers see through the bullshit and I love that. I admire people that stick to their lane and put content up that highlights who they are. Special shout out to Luke Cook, Amelia From Sydney, Killer Sundy and Ben and Zara.
And what does the future hold?
Luke: Everyone is asking us for merch, more pranks on Scott and a podcast. We have merch and more pranks coming. Scott is pushing hard for a podcast. I am a full-time radiographer so I am sure a lot more shit work.
Scott: A one all-time ultimate prank, where I will make Ashton Kutcher think I’ve gone too far!
@lukeandsassyscott Watch my brother go from 0 to 100 🚽 @scottoscotto #sassy #brother #funny #fyp #prank
