 If you are any kind of fan of viral content, particularly on historically black colleges and universities, you have probably crossed paths with the roommates of Virginia State University in recent weeks and months. We are privileged and honored to have these brothers with us today and also joining us, the newest member of their cohort, Virginia State University president, Dr. McCulloch Abdullah here to share with us the story behind the viral content that went worldwide of basketball variety. So first gentleman, I appreciate your time today. You guys, the roommates as you guys are known, you're broadcasting live from when it looks like an apartment or a dorm room. There are no holes in the wall, there is no folding chair. But can you talk about the most recent video that got picked up by TMZ, ESPN, all kinds of outlets involving the president and showing his basketball skill out on the yard and in the gym. The rules are involved. How do you guys come up with this stuff, man? And how do you have such a pulse where you kind of have perfected the art of knowing what people will really enjoy and really wanna see across a wide range of attention and a wide range of background? As you know, we started this in 2019. We started off as an accident and people love seeing what people do in college. People always love seeing the goofiness that's going on in college and stuff. It brings the fun out of the seriousness people think college is about. And I feel like that's why people are so intrigued into it because they see how much fun you get. Make out of college, you can make something out of nothing. And so many people probably have problems with their roommates or so many people are not as close to their roommates. So to see that we have that chemistry with our roommates, I think that's what really brings people into our videos and that's what really intrigues them and they wanna see more of it. So I started off as that and then just to put the creativity into it and put other people into it like the Wu-Wu's and Virginia State students and all types of stuff. I think that really caught a lot of people's attention and definitely put the present into it. It is just like, you don't see people doing that. So we just always wanna step out the box what we wanna do and how we wanna make our videos. You said it started as an accident. Has it always been a scripted thing? Was it always just something just kind of off the cuff that you realize, oh, we put that together well, let's see if we can duplicate that success or how is it infrastructure wise? How's it been for you guys to do it? Yeah, that's how it really goes. The first video, it was an accident. He just came in the video, took the shine and then usually it's always like that. Even before we even started recording it is he's always doing stuff like that. So we just think of stuff, and we just have it. We tell it, we just, I see it and then I'm like, okay, let's do that again, but let's record it. So it's natural to us, you know, it's just we always goofing around, dance battle with all types of stuff, people always flipping and stuff. So it's just like, this is what we really do. That's why it's so natural. You guys have had, what is it? I think we were discussing, it's been about 15 videos that have had at least a million views, there are some companies that can't do that. There are some brands that can't do that. What do you think? Do you think that it's the HBCU culture? Do you think that it's because the Virginia State campus is behind you? I would love to hear from all three of you. What do you think kind of powers the notion like how it gets out there? Like what community elements really push it so other people are watching it? That's a good question. Yeah, go ahead folks. Okay, but that's a great question. I would like to attribute it to being like a part of a cultural thing. It's definitely with the HBCU community and just people that go to HBCU, we just have a different type of flavor, I would say, at HBCU and then it's just real relatable. For someone to go to HBCU, you get a roommate, sometimes you're from different environments, sometimes you're from the same environment, you have a lot in common, sometimes you don't. So when we're being natural, anybody on campus that knows us knows that's like, anything you see on a video, that's really how we act. So it's like, what is natural and people can really feel it? It definitely enhances and the HBCU swag just adds on to it. Yeah, like what he said is relatable. So it's, so many people can look at one of our videos and them having a dance battle and then they'll tag their friends saying, oh, remember when we did this in college? Oh, remember when we did this? So many people are tagging their friends and stuff because it's so relatable. It's what we do. We're just recording it and we're just having fun. It was just so funny. So I think it's part of people relating to it and other HBCUs and stuff and that the fact that we're going to HBCU, you don't see many people doing that. So it's just like, wow, it's the HBCU doing this really. So I feel like that's what keeps people intrigued into it. Jared, if you don't mind me picking this up for them, right? I think part of what's also happening is at our schools and HBCUs and Virginia State where you went and Howard, where I went, the kind of relationships that you've developed and lifelong friendships are really just incredible and the kind of interactions that you have and the dorms interactions that you have on campus. I mean, they've always been incredible. That's why you make your lifelong friends. That's why you come back for homecoming. And what they've been able to do is to kind of capture that energy in real time while it's happening on campus. I think that's the real magic and I'm not even sure because they haven't graduated yet, right? So I don't know if they really understand the significance of the relationships that they have, but the idea that they're able to really show people what it's like when you go away from home and you live on campus together and the kind of relationships you develop with your friends that become like brothers to you, right? And so those relationships are really translating. They're fun and games, including their relationships and their brotherhood that's being translated onto Camper. It's interesting that you bring that up and how did you as an executive at the institution look at some of these videos and some of them aren't safe for work, bro. So let's, we make that clear. You got to be an adult for some of them, which is fine because this is a college, we're talking about young adults. But how did you as an executive get connected to say, you know what, these are some talented guys. Let's see if we can put more of the university's brand behind what they're doing in the form of a president or other executives being involved. Well, I think that I've always been really acting on social media. I think it's a great way to learn about what's happening on campus and with the students. And so I watch a lot. I think the students would be surprised at how much I see and don't comment on. And I think the first time I saw students go viral, again, as a 2018 student of the year that you gave the award to, Brianna Bundett Kelly, Briance, who did the Beyonce dance and went viral from Virginia State. We remember Virginia State stuff. So that started putting me into the, started watching what our students do and how they express themselves. And it was probably a little over a year ago when I first saw these young men. I think I saw the first one, the accidental one. I think it was the one when Orlando kind of hit the floor. And it was, you know, I think he thought they destroyed the dorm when he did that. And everybody was kind of laughing about it. And then I saw a couple of the other ones. But I think the one that really got me was the one they had on ESPN when they did the slam dunk contest in the room. And they put a hole in my wall that they got fined for. And they paid the fine and they fixed it. So I want to put that out there first, right? It was still humorous. You know, it's what I got, what I got out of it was I just thought that they were having so much fun. And they just, I mean, college is fun. And I wanted them to have fun. I think that was the first video I officially commented on that I saw. That y'all go pay for this wall. Is that what, was that your cover? Exactly, that was the cover. But that was, that was my biggest tweet of the year. You know, it's interesting because it takes a lot of slack to do that because I know when I did stupid things when I was in Morgan, we used to box in our study lounge in our dorm. And people got hurt, people got knocked out. We could have been thrown out, we could have been thrown out of school for that. Somebody could have been thrown out of school putting a hole in the wall in the dorm, but you didn't do that. So what, talk about the, I don't know if mentoring is the right word, but the understanding of what the brothers were trying to do. And then even to the point of being self-deprecating and saying, I'm gonna be in one of these videos or being open to being in one of them. Well, no, I thought the thing with the wall was, look, I mean, they're still students. They still had to be responsible. If breaking a wall was gonna throw you out of school, I'd throw them out of school, but that wasn't defined. They got fine, they paid to fine. They did their community service for that. But that didn't take away, I thought, from the magic really of the video. And that's what I wanted to, I reached out to them and we connected. I think this was probably last year around this time and really started talking about it very early on what we might be able to do together. But then COVID happened and everything just kind of changed. But I was just excited. I thought that their work was just so clever. And it really, so not just the relationships, but the talent. I mean, there's real talent amongst these three individuals. And, you know, for Orlando and Devon, we call them brothers by their names, right? And I'm just, you know, I'm proud that they're at Virginia State. I'm proud that they've grown into who they're going to be at Virginia State. And I'm also proud about where they're gonna go. I mean, they're not talking about this shit, but I know that Orlando wants to be a teacher and Devon wants to be a counselor. I mean, these are young men who are going to be the next generation of leaders, leading the next generation of young men. And so I'm proud of who they are and who they've become. And I'm proud that they represent Virginia State. You see it on their shirts, you know? Let's talk about the market value for this because it would be difficult to even pay for millions of views that where people can see Virginia State's logo, they can see the woo-woos, they can see the students and their dynamic of, you know, how close they are, what a community is, that's stuff you can't pay for. Has that been the reaction of like the faculty, the alumni, the board? Have they looked at that as like, yo, we're on to something with a marketing mechanism here? I think so. I think everybody kind of sees there's something here. I'm not sure anyone, I mean, look, I knew something would happen. I thought we would go VSU virus, right? I thought anybody in Virginia State would see it. I'm not so sure. I thought what was really, knew what was really going to happen with it. And so in some ways, I'm still trying to wrap my mind around, you know, what does that, what does it mean? And how do you, how do you grow from it? And how do you use it? I mean, we've never been here before. So we, we're still trying to work those things out. But I'll tell you this much, I have every single meeting I've been in for the past four weeks with any person. The first thing we talked about is that video. Well, and it's part of a growing catalog of, of exposure for the institution. So you mentioned the sister, Brionce, Deshauna Barber, Winsmiss USA. You've had different videos that the media arts department on campus has done that have gotten a lot of attention. Is it, I don't think it's intentional. I don't think it's the, it's the, it's the culture of the university, but there's something about it, two national teachers of the year in the last couple of years, you've had like success really exposing the institution for academic and social opportunities. Like what do you think it is about Virginia State graduates, students, where they're just doing dynamic things early on in their careers or early on as professionals that get so much attention from so many people. Look, if I told you I knew the whole answer to that, I'd be a certainly a genius. I think the real thing is, is that there's some really great people who are associated with VSU. We talked about Rodney Robinson and the young man Alejandro, who just won the 2021 teacher of the year. When you talk about these two young men who have been doing great work as teachers, Deshauna Barber, captain in the, in the Army is also doing incredible work. You know, we're just proud to have a lungs that care enough about Virginia State that when something happens that they brand themselves with VXU. I think it's the same with these young men. I mean, they're having a great time and enjoying their college life. And at the same time, they think enough of their institution to put Virginia State University on their chest. And so we are just happy that those who are having accomplishments, doing great things out in the world, that they feel good enough about Virginia State University that they want us to, they want to carry us along for the ride. And so we're, and we're excited to go along with it. And of course we embrace it as an institution. We really embrace social media and we want to celebrate folks who we're gonna chance to celebrate. So it's a great thing for VXU. The brothers in the roommates, is there any pressure for you when you have so much success doing this over and over again? Do you ever feel the pressure to say, crap man, we were on sports in the top 10 this time. Like we got to get number one. Like, do you ever had this dialogue about like how do you maintain or even surpass what you've done? Not exactly. One thing we all agree on is, we like to make people smile and laugh. That's the best medicine in the world. When COVID hit last year, it really brought like everyone down, not just nationally, but globally. And for us to communicate the way we do and link up and do what we usually do in the videos, people, that lifts their spirits up just a little bit. And when we hear that, when they reply back to us and get to us and contact us and tell them like, you know, we made our day. You know, that makes us feel good. That shows that we're doing something correct. You know what I'm saying? It's just a blessing, truly a blessing. Do you, do you feel like there's any dissonance between how you guys sound and present now and in your daily lives in class, you know, in the calf, on the yard and you guys are so thoughtful and so professional. And yet you Orlando, I think big boy, you take the beating more than anybody else. Like you physically take a beating in some of these things. People get knocked out in the back of these videos sometimes. I mean, like, is there a dissonance between how you guys are in your regular lives and the art that you put in through these videos and people like, yo, I thought you were crazy, but you're not that way when I see you. Yeah, I definitely think there's a distance. People that see our videos probably think we act a certain way, but we're actually really just cool people, you know, we're actually like a family, you know, it's, it ain't, there's some people probably come up with stories like, man, you're going to have to get me or something like that, but that's not really the case. I think it's a big distance. I mean, once you get to meet a certain person. I would ask all four of you guys just to wind up. And I really appreciate the time because it's such a special thing that y'all have going on. Not just for Virginia Sabre, for all HBCU's, you guys have really put on for the entire sector. And it's just, it's just an immense amount of appreciation we have for what you've done. And like I agree with Dr. Billa, I don't think you realize how much it means for our whole sector. But at some point there is going to, that you guys are going to have another chapter. You're going to graduate. You're going to go on to careers and all of you want to help people in your careers. Is this something that you think is a, is an undergraduate experience? Or is it something that you say it's so popular? Maybe we should consider a way to keep it going beyond our college days. And then to you brother president, is it something that you feel because it's been so, so popular and helpful for the university? Do, does the institution feel any pressure to say, how do we keep something like this intact? I'll let them go first. I think we all can agree that first we take care of our priorities. You know what I'm saying? As far as graduation, if it comes to that part where it's like, okay, I pursued my dream. I got my diploma. I'm doing what I want to do. But I feel like we could have done more. It's nothing to contact one another or just say, what if we pick back up where we left off? Because it's still going to be there regardless. Once the world sees, you know, a video, it's out there. Remember. And it can be reposted, retweeted, it's going to be brought back into the conversation. So that's my two cents. As far as after graduation, we definitely feel like we can continue to make videos even after graduation, just to help the people who recognize our faces now. So our video doesn't necessarily have to be on campus. It could be us doing anything now. But we will always represent Virginia State. You know, we will always have this apparel. We'll always have all of that. So no matter where we go, we'll represent Virginia State and we're making videos. No matter where we're at, it doesn't have to be in the room. It could be different settings. And just, and even if we don't, maybe our videos are inspiring the people coming to Virginia State to do the same thing or to make something similar or giving them hope that they can do something like this. So just to make videos now inspiring the people that's coming to Virginia State or people that are already here, you know, that would be a good accomplishment for us. Pressure's on. For me, I would say the beautiful thing about it is we had the opportunity to have a pandemic where it separated us. We all live in three different states. We already had to go through not being around each other, you know, for extended period of time. And throughout this period of time, we were still able to get videos done and be broadcasted on a different light. So I think the good thing about it is that the bond is actually there. Like, these are really my brothers. Like over the breaks, over the vacations, we still talk every day in the group chat. We still FaceTime. We get on Instagram Live. We can still joke. So I know throughout this lifetime, I'm still having the relationship. Although we're gonna grow past the dorm room, we understand that. But I think that's when it's gonna get better, believe it or not. Because a lot of the world doesn't understand that my roommate all the way to the side is an amazing artist. Like they haven't seen his art yet. He's gonna be a great artist. He already is one. My roommate right here is a passionate athletics person. He's gonna be a famous coach one day. I'm a counselor. I have a business with counseling. And the world doesn't know that yet, but that's the next journey in life. I'm just, I look forward to seeing it. Cause I saw it from when we first started and people was like, yeah, that was one cool video. That's done, which I'm gonna do now. We'd never thought of it like, I think that we have to keep doing these videos. It's just so natural and so real that when we get to the next level, I think it's gonna shock a lot of people of how we can continue it through a different life. Well, I'll pick that a one. I just wanna, I think you heard it, right? I mean, how incredibly thoughtful they are, how talented they are and how successful as teachers, as counselors, as artists, as coaches that they're gonna be when they leave Virginia State. Of course it goes without saying, I don't want them to stay at state, right? We bring students to state so they can graduate and leave. But is there extra pressure, I think, from the university to make sure, one, that we just begin to work with young people more to get the word out about states? Oh, definitely, definitely. And is there not pressure, but is there the idea that maybe we can figure out something between me and these five million men about how we continue to market Virginia State University? That's certainly true too. I don't know if we know what that answer is yet, but I think the conversation has to continue to go forward because, and I say this to all of my colleagues, your best marketers from your institution, they're on your campus right now and they're doing the work. And quite as kept, they've already gone viral twice, right? Your kids on your campus have already gone viral twice and they're talking the good word or sometimes not the good word about your institution. The challenge is how do you partner with them to tell the great stories of your institution? And I think it's doable. And these young men have really showed part of the way that universities can use the talent that's on their campus to begin to move forward. So again, they are the story. And I'm glad to, I'm glad to have had a role in wanting to take Orlando's place. He's usually the star, Orlando's the star. So I get to, I got to do his thing.