Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Launches YouTube Channel, And You Won’t Believe His First Video
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is one of the most recognizable names on the planet, and virtually everything he touches turns to gold. He is a former WWE superstar who has held numerous titles throughout the organization, Forbes ranks him as the world’s highest-paid actor, and he is an internet sensation with over 100 million followers across various social networks. On Tuesday, The Rock extended his social media reach by launching his own YouTube channel, Seven Bucks Digital Studio.
Dwayne Johnson has always recognized the value of social media, utilizing it for years, and he has truly become one of the gurus in the industry. From a business standpoint, interacting on social media is a way to remain relevant, but as long as “The Rock” keeps cranking out hit movies and doing guest appearances, his relevancy isn’t disappearing anytime soon. What makes Johnson special is that he actually loves connecting with his fans and has never lost sight that they are the reason for his success. He engages his audience on social media not because he has to, but because he wants to.
In a 2011 interview with Piers Morgan, The Rock commented on his use of Twitter.
“I love the interaction. Sometimes I’ll sit down for two hours and just answer questions.”
So with The Rock’s success in sports, Hollywood, and social media, his own YouTube channel is a natural fit for his personality and talents. On June 23, Dwayne Johnson released a trailer for ASCENDANCE, which at first appeared to be another movie of his, but ended up being an announcement for his YouTube launch.
On July 18, Lilly Singh (known on social media as llSuperwomanll) released a video, “How To Be a YouTube Star,” on her channel featuring The Rock. The video features Lilly giving Dwayne Johnson advice on the ins-and-outs of becoming a YouTube star, and the duo’s chemistry together is nothing short of laugh-out-loud entertainment. On the same day, Johnson launched his YouTube channel, and the first video that he posted featured Singh giving him the tour of “The YouTube Factory.”
Dwayne Johnson is the co-founder, alongside his partner Dany Garcia, of the multi-platform company Seven Bucks Production. Seven Bucks Production is teaming with Studio71 for The Rock’s YouTube channel. In a press release, Johnson and Garcia explained their excitement.
“Other than my family, social media is my strongest relationship and it’s allowed me to connect on a very direct and personal level with fans globally. We’re thrilled to partner with the world-class team at Studio71 to deliver cool, compelling and entertaining content for audiences around the world to enjoy,” said Johnson.
“Seven Bucks and Studio71 both share a passion for innovation and excellence. The launch of this channel and the collaboration with Studio71 only strengthens our ability to provide the greatest level of entertainment to our consumers on all media platforms,” added Garcia.
The Rock has always had natural comedic timing. Known as the most electrifying man in sports entertainment, Johnson soared to superstardom during the WWE’s Attitude Era not only because of his athletic gifts, but also because he is a natural on the microphone. He would cut original promos that had never been done before leaving the audience mesmerized. Johnson would be in front of a sold-out audience and had such natural comedic timing that the entire crowd would roar with laughter. That same comedic gift can be seen in many of The Rock’s movies, such as Central Intelligence co-starring Kevin Hart, and it can also be seen in his “YouTube Factory” video.
Lilly Singh and “The Rock” play off of each other in hilarious fashion, and fans can only hope to see more videos featuring the pair. With Johnson’s natural charisma, social media reach, and ability to entertain, there is no telling what assorted videos “The Great One” will release.
[Photo by Emmanuel Wong/Getty Images]
