BY: JADE LEONARD
PHOTOGRAPHY BY: JamiesPureGoldenFocus
Who is Trez? A Funny, Fun, and Outgoing person with a good heart. Trez likes to make people laugh and give back! With Trez you're always doing something and there’s never a dull moment. Trez thinks BIG! People think he's trying to put on Augusta but he wants to go beyond the city and entertain people worldwide with his videos. Born in the Gen Z era, naturally he takes to social media. He feels like Facebook is local but Instagram, Youtube, and Tik Tok are GLOBAL. “If you are big on those 3 then anybody can see you”. 20 years old and stayed in the projects till about 12. He moved from hood to hood growing up, but despite the environment and struggle, his family never surrounded him around bad energy or crime.
In 2018, he first started posting videos on Facebook Live, making funny content, and turned 50k views into 250k views. Next, he hopped on Tik Tok and it all jumped off June last year, with this clip of him trying to whistle like 42 Dugg, which received over 1M Views. “I remember I told myself last March I'm going to be a bigger person than what I am now. This March I looked back and realized my content has completely changed, as far as quality-wise and content ideas."
Dozens of doors have opened up since then. Supporters walk up and take pics with him, major music labels, rappers, and comedians have reached out to work together. People send him promotional content, clothes, and products for collabs. One sponsorship is with The Coldest Water Bottle Co. “I kid you not this is the best water bottle you could ever get. I put something to drink in this water bottle at 5 o'clock, Jade I kid you not I woke up the next morning and it was still cold with some ice in it. This is the best water bottle you could ever EVER get. I put this against Yeti.”
The UpNext: You have over 4 M likes on TikTok, what do you think makes people come back?
Trez McCain: My outgoing, not caring personality. It took me a while to not care what people think. The past situations have shaped him into who I am now. I’m just living life and having fun.
The UN: What keeps you inspired?
TM: Seeing people laugh, seeing people message me, and interacting with my supporters really keep me going. Instagram, scrolling on Tik Tok, and coming up with ideas just like that. I’ll save it and do it the next day. Don't plan out the days; just see it and do it.
The UN: How long does it take to make a Tik Tok?
TM: When I first started it took me hours to make 1 Tik Tok; one took 3 days. At first, I didn't know how to work nothin’, I hated TikTok. Once I got the hang of it and started doing it, about an hour, 30 minutes. Just playing around. You just can't hesitate, you just gotta do it. It's nothing to be nervous about.
The UN: What did you learn about yourself during the pandemic?
TM: The pandemic gave me a whole lot of free time. I had too much free time. I put out a new video every single day. It gave me the time to do what I wanted to do. Last march I made a Tik Tok and was working for Apple, working from home. I had freedom, but still working, still under somebody. By December, I was planning on quitting Apple anyways. I wanted to work so I could still be good but now I'm at a point where I can do videos full time and do whatever I want full time because I put in work beforehand. Work hard now so you don't have to work hard later. I'm not at the point where I want to be, but I'm at a point I'd never thought I'd be. I never thought in 2021 I would be famous and not working anymore and just chillin. I never expected any of this.
The UN: What made you decide to leave Apple?
TM: The whole thing with life is that no one actually wants to be under somebody. Everybody wants to be their own boss. So with me waking up, working; I can't be working and trying to put videos at the same time. Even though it is a work balance type of thing, it got to a point wherein July, Tik Tok became my job, started paying me, partnerships and promotions, so I had 2 jobs. I had to look at which job would be a better outcome instead of just sitting at a computer all day taking calls. I just couldn’t do it.
The UN: How has being born prematurely affected you, if any?
TM: That really played a big role and is playing a role now. I was born 2 and ½ months early. My appearance plays a big part because people already remember my face. When you're younger, people talk about you, of course, kids don't know what's going on and just talk. Ain't gonna lie, it did bother me but as I got older, growing into myself, I was getting used to getting talked about. I started using my appearance and myself to build myself up. I think with Tik Tok, what got me up there was my different appearance and how I act.
How to NOT CARE about what people say.
“People are going to talk about you your whole life. Some more than others. I was one of those people who got talked about because of my appearance. Years of getting jived on. By high school, I didn't care anymore. Life still goes on. These people aren’t paying you, feeding you, they're doing nothing for you except talk about you. Half of the people who are talking about you don't have stuff going for themselves anyway.” -- Trez
The UN: How do you deal with the negative comments?
TM: I took a week and ½ break, posted a promo here and there, but as far as dealing with negativity, I'll put it like this, the more interactions, comments, and likes I get with that video, the more money I get. So I think of negativity as money $$$. I see a comment, they're talking about me, but that comment draws in laughs; the more laughs and likes I get on that video, I'm still getting more money for it. So with negativity, I'll pay attention to it but I just brush it off. 9 times out of 10 it's stuff I heard before so I just can't care anymore. It is what it is. People are gonna do what they do. At the end of the day, you’re still living, and do you.
The UN: Where do you see your brand expanding?
TM: I see myself giving back to the family of course and the people that have been there for me since day one, I got a couple of friends that have been there from start, giving back to them. Expanding myself into bigger things, TV, basically being bigger than what I am. More Youtube; change up the game on Tik Tok; all this takes consistency.
Me helping them in the future drives me to keep going. My mindset is to help these people out so let me keep going and doing me. And not saying I'm based around helping them, it's just they helped me from the start. I see myself with a group, like 4PF, with people I've known, where everybody is doing something, like an entourage but helping everyone out too.
The UN: Finally, what Tik Tok advice/tips do you have to share?
TM: Everyone that comes to me and asks, I say consistency and just be you. Don't change yourself up for anything, once you do that you gotta keep that same mentality. So just be you. Be yourself and be consistent with it is the key to everything. If it's something you love doing, keep doing it and be consistent with it. It may not pay off now but in the long run, it's gonna pay off. Sometimes things will pay off sooner to other people than you think. You have to know what you want to say and fit the vibe. If you are making a video and you are a mom fussing out your child, you gotta have that mom mentality in you.
Follow Trez on Tik Tok & Check out his Youtube Channel!
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