Welcome to TopBuzz Creator Spotlight, where we’ll be profiling a handful of notable creators who are expanding their distribution prospects onto TopBuzz — a two-year-old content aggregation app owned by Chinese mobile giant Bytedance. Even in a crowded platform landscape, TopBuzz offers discovery and revenue prospects that these creators describe as irrefutably additive.
Twenty-year-old Ohio native Jaxon Trammell has built a formidable presence as a digital comedian, initially rising to fame on Facebook (136,000 followers) with clips in which he skewers viral videos, Donald Trump mishaps, and gob-stopping sports feats.
Despite the fact that he once had surpassed 1 million Facebook followers, Trammell says he ultimately had to relaunch his Facebook channel due to hacks and impostor accounts. Accordingly, Trammell — who is known to followers simply as Action Jaxon — has since sought to diversify his platform reach. The burgeoning online video star is currently most active on Instagram (308,000 followers), YouTube (171,000 subscribers), and the Bytedance-owned news aggregation platform TopBuzz.
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We spoke with Trammell about how he got his break in comedy, where he sees his career in five years, and how TopBuzz has served as a motivating resource on his creative journey. Check it out below:
Tubefilter: When was the first time you realized that you were funny?
Jaxon Trammell: I really wasn’t into comedy growing up, but I was always the class clown. I’ve always had a sarcastic mouth to the point that whatever I said just came off kind of funny, even when I was being serious. My first time realizing it was when my teachers at school started recognizing it — they called me the class clown, but tolerated it because I actually got my work done…most of the time.
TF: Was there a particular moment that marked a big break in your career?
JT: I got my break as an online comedy creator back in late 2016. I started making roast videos after seeing [early Vine comedian] DC Young Fly making them. He’s been a big inspiration for me. I had made one about him, and he actually shared it — which increased my fan base by a little. After that, my first big video went viral by about 3 million views on Facebook, and I jumped from 1,000 to 15,000 followers in just one day.
I create most of my videos by myself. So far, I haven’t really collaborated with anyone with a bigger following than me except for Samuel Grubbs, who was a very successful Viner back in 2016.
TF: On what platforms are you currently active, and where have you found the most success?
JT: I am currently most active on Instagram and YouTube. I’d say I’m most successful on Instagram, but my YouTube is doing well also. I lost two Facebook pages — both of which had almost 1 million followers — which is why I don’t really use Facebook that much anymore. (Apologies to my Facebook followers!)
TF: Where do you see yourself in five years?
JT: I see myself pursuing stand-up comedy and having sold-out shows. Right now, though, I’m taking the time to improve my craft, build my fan base, and continue doing what I love in order to get there. In the end, this is a marathon, not a race.
TF: How did you link up with TopBuzz, and what have been your impressions of working with the company thus far?
JT: I linked up with TopBuzz through [Creator Strategy & Partnerships Manager] Austin Null. He contacted me through email, we had a good chat about the benefits of the company, and here I am! Working with TopBuzz has been great so far.
The biggest benefit of distributing my content on TopBuzz has just been seeing my content succeed on another platform. I love putting out new work and seeing it take off. It gives me a great feeling about my career and motivates me to do more. I wasn’t so sure if the TopBuzz audience would like it at first, but consistency and effort got me to where I am today — so I’m very thankful.
This Creator Spotlight is brought to you by TopBuzz. TopBuzz is a distribution platform that uses powerful AI and algorithms to help creators and publishers discover new audiences for their content. If you’re interested in monetizing your content join TopBuzz for free. Take the AI-powered app for a spin and see how your customized feed improves with every touch. Download TopBuzz for iOS or Android.
