See why this TikToker is taking the platform by storm with over 8 million views
Second-year RTA Media student Michael DiMuccio (external link, opens in new window) has taken TikTok (external link, opens in new window) by storm and built an online community for himself in the gaming and comedy niche. Having acquired more than 1 million followers in the last 200+ days, many of Dimuccio’s videos like “If Vin Diesel Played Warzone (external link, opens in new window) ” and “Dark Aether (external link, opens in new window) '' have amassed 4.7 million and 8.1 million views respectively. His success on Tik Tok encouraged him to explore YouTube (external link, opens in new window) where he has more than 200,000 subscribers with 47 million video views in the last month alone.
Photograph of Michael Dimuccio courtesy of Michael Dimuccio
Many of our students entering The Creative School are content creators and gamers, and we have the skilled individuals to help them push themselves, their brands, and their talents to the next level
Using the skills he’s learned through the program, Dimuccio has written scripts, recorded, and edited videos daily for almost a year from his bedroom with nothing but an iPhone, ring light and his computer.
Dimuccio’s filming setup featuring his iphone, a ring light, and his recent addition of a green screen. Image courtesy of Michael Dimuccio
Dimuccio’s journey as a content creator started in high school posting videos to YouTube, with little success. When the pandemic hit, however, he found himself with a lot of free time and turned to video games. “I was able to unlock a challenge that was extremely difficult to unlock in one of the games,” he says. “I posted a video about it to Tik Tok (external link, opens in new window) and it garnered over 8 million views in a week. That same week I gained 60,000 followers and thought to myself, ‘let’s see what this means’. I’ve been working on my (Tik Tok) videos ever since.”
Dimuccio's TikTok account
Dimuccio quickly realized that posting generic video game content wouldn’t guarantee a viral video. Creators posting tutorial videos for popular games like Call of Duty (external link, opens in new window) and Call of Duty: War Zone (external link, opens in new window) could receive a lot of views, he shares, but they wouldn’t necessarily increase their follower count. This is when Dimuccio discovered “screen rant (external link, opens in new window) ” videos. “They’re essentially pitch meeting videos about movies, for example, where the person in the video points out the flaws in films,” he says. “I made one about the game War Zone and the response was great. I started making similar skit videos soon after and invested in a green screen to improve my production quality.”
Video taken from Michael Dimuccio on Youtube
Dimuccio’s gaming and editing set-up in his home office. Image courtesy of Michael Dimuccio
In addition to higher production value equipment, Dimuccio also made changes to how he approached the app. “Instead of posting decent content four times a day,” he says, “I started posting one high-quality video a day and my account has blown up ever since.” A single video can take Dimuccio anywhere from five to 15 hours to create.
RTA Media Assistant Professor, Dr. Kristopher Alexander
RTA Media Assistant Professor, Dr. Kristopher Alexander (opens in new window) proudly notes what Dimuccio’s achievements mean to the creative industries. “Michael is a critical example of media production in the present. Many of our students entering The Creative School are content creators and gamers, and we have the skilled individuals to help them push themselves, their brands, and their talents to the next level,” says Dr. Alexander.
Video taken from Michael Dimuccio on Youtube
Dimuccio credits RTA Media for teaching him the importance of lighting in single-camera production and how to use various tools in Photoshop. Balancing his academic workload while pursuing content creation full-time instilled a deep focus and determination in him. “Without both at play and the skills I’ve learned from RTA Media, I wouldn’t be as prepared to create these very time-consuming videos,” he says.
From gaming to production, Dimuccio is an example of all of the elements that The Creative School represents. “We help cultivate students into the future generation of content creators, which includes technical production, sound engineering, on-air talent, data analysis, and more. Michael does it so seamlessly that it's tricky to notice that he does this all himself,” says Dr. Alexander. “These are the students that will continue to gravitate toward our school.”
The Creative School at Ryerson University
The Creative School is a dynamic faculty that is making a difference in new, unexplored ways. Made up of Canada’s top professional schools and transdisciplinary hubs in media, communication, design and cultural industries, The Creative School offers students an unparalleled global experience in the heart of downtown Toronto.