Together, actor Robby Novak and writer Brad Montague are taking over the Internetand inspiring their legions of followers along the waywith their personal creed 'to make the world more awesome,” which they detail in their new book, Kid President's Guide to Being Awesome (HarperCollins). We go behind the scenes with the dynamic duo to see what it took for them to get this far.
You're from a small town in Tennessee, but now millions of people around the world recognize your face. What does that feel like?
Robby: It feels like YouTube has some power, man! Brad and I are still getting used to being recognized on the street.
Other than because you're awesome, why should people buy your book? In other words, what's it all about exactly?
Robby: The first thing you need to know is that it's the best book ever. The second thing you need to you know is that it's a checklist of 100 ways you can give the world a reason to dance. There are ideas from Brad and me, from real kids with real projects, and from friends like Michelle Obama, Andrew W.K., Olivia Wilde, and Martin Luther King III. And plus, you can make amazing stuff with your family. Brad and I just hang out and dream up crazy ideas for stuff and then he finds a way to make them real.
What does the process of creating each episode look like?
Brad: We started making Kid President videos just by playing around. We've always made things together like songs and silly little home movies and our process have pretty much stayed the same. I start a conversation with Robby about a topic and then build out a script from that by pulling out some of the best stuff he's said. When we film, it's then a whole lot of playing around even more.
We're just constantly trying to top each other by making the other person laugh. Most of the behind-the-scenes clips wouldn't make sense to anyone else because it's just us laughing. I then edit together the best of what we filmed and attempt to have it make sense. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, but it's never boring.
How much of the content is generated by you, Brad, versus Robby?
Brad: What you see in the finished videos is the result of a conversation between a kid and grown-up about an important topic. It's very important to me that our videos point people toward things that matter. We've done videos for kids in need, mothers, teachers, and, recently, a special video about the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and a letter to the future. I always create an outline that has key things we definitely want to include that will get our message across. When we film, I have Robby say those key lines and then ask him questions about his thoughts on the topic. This results in some of the funny, authentic moments where Robby is giggling or expanding on what was originally in the script.
How did you guys get picked up by SoulPancake?
Brad: We began posting our Kid President videos online around the same time SoulPancake launched their YouTube presence. They had some incredible content, but much of it was fairly heavy so they were looking for something fun and joyful. Someone sent them one of our clips and they immediately reached out. It was really cool, because I've been making things my entire life and then suddenly there were people reaching out wanting to help us reach a larger audience. It was an awesome email to get. We had a few different people reach out at that same time, but none of them had the heart SoulPancake does. I immediately clicked with the team there, because they are a remarkable group of people who just want to make work that matters.
And how did the book deal come to be?
Brad: A young girl went to school where her teacher showed a Kid President video. She went home and told her mom, 'You have to watch this.” The mom watched the video and immediately emailed us. This mom happened to be one of the main people who makes things happen at HarperCollins publishing. How cool is that? Here we were making videos about how kids can change the world and who is it that gets us a book deal? A kid. I love that. We had been dreaming up a Kid President book for a long time and the chance to create something kids and grown-ups could enjoy together was very exciting to our entire family.
How have your lives changed since becoming famous?
Brad: We're still doing all the same things we've always done, except now more people are watching. It's an honor to get to make the sorts of things we do, but it's an even greater honor that we get to make them together as a family. No matter how big things have gotten, we've worked really hard to keep family at the center of everything.
What's the single coolest thing that has happened to you as a result of being Kid President?
Robby: Seeing all the people who are inspired to make the world around them more awesome. Brad and I love hearing about people who are starting art projects, giving back to their community, or just being super awesome and making life more fun. It's so cool.
Your roster of collaborations is so impressive! Is there anyone you two are dying to work with?
Brad: Oh man! There are so many. Let's see ... Robby says Hugh Jackman. He's a big Wolverine fan right now.
Our list would also include: Pharrell, Pixar, The Muppets (we just got to work with Sesame Street and that was a dream come true, but now we've got to meet Kermit). We've had a blast with all the people we've been able to team up with, but there's still so many people out there doing incredible stuff. I'm blown away by all that's happening in Nashville and have a mile-long list of people here we'd like to dream up and team up with. Creativity plus compassion could change everything. There's so much more to make happen!
