Sunday, January 29, 2017
HAVE A LAUGH: View Ross and Granny's funniest videos here
YOUNGSTOWN
Video
Ross Smith and Granny Smith share a special bond – they create crazy videos that are viewed by over 1 million fans.
An elderly woman and her 24-year-old grandson take a stroll through their backyard one fall afternoon. The grandson — who dwarfs his 90-year-old grandmother by nearly 2 feet — has his arm around the nonagenarian and a broad smile on his face.
Just as the duo pass a mound of raked leaves, the grandson — without warning — turns and shoves his grandmother into the leaves.
This isn’t an act of cross-generational assault; the shove is gentle, the landing is soft, and the entire scene is staged. It’s popular social media personality Ross Smith and his grandmother — and longtime Youngstown resident — “Granny Smith,” and they make funny videos that are viewed by more than 1 million fans.
Smith and his grandma — whose name is being withheld for the sake of her privacy — have been making videos for the last three years. Smith first began dabbling with internet video during the early days of Vine — a now-defunct social media platform that let users create and share short videos — and slowly began building a fan base.
During a visit home from college during spring break, Smith and his grandmother were in his driveway playing basketball. He decided the scene was the perfect opportunity for a Vine.
Asking a friend to film after talking over a plan with his grandmother, Smith had her take a shot at the basket. Just before the ball reached the rim, Smith jumped up and smacked the ball away. After landing, he teases her — jokingly, and with his grandmother fully in on the joke — for not making the shot.
The video went viral, spreading quickly through the Vine community and eventually ending up on both ESPN and Deadspin. Seeing how endeared the audience was to their interactions, Smith decided to continue making videos with her, and their audience continued to balloon.
While Smith appreciates the fandom surrounding their antics, he said the chance to make people laugh and the chance to continue growing closer to his grandmother have been his favorite part of their growing popularity.
“I’ve always been close to her, but the videos have definitely made us closer,” Smith said. “Not only has it given me an entirely new level of closeness with her, but because of how much time we spend together, I really think it helped me develop an appreciation for the elderly and the way they see and interact with the world.”
Smith’s grandmother grew up in Newton Falls and married in 1955, after which she moved to Youngstown. She’s lived on the West side for the last 60 years.
“I love Youngstown; my children went to Chaney High School, I love going downtown ... it’s a joy,” Granny Smith said.
As for the videos, Granny Smith supports her grandson’s efforts and enjoys participating, though Smith says she had assumed they were just making funny photographs up until six months ago. Regardless, she said she found acting in the videos to be exciting and fun.
Today, Smith’s pages have more than 2 million “likes” on Facebook and more than 986,000 followers on Instagram. His videos have been so widely viewed and well received that he has even been approached by television producers in Los Angeles to discuss developing a show around him and his grandmother. Last week, Smith and his grandmother flew out to Los Angeles to explore those options.
“I’m in a whirlwind now … I’m experiencing something new in my life and being with my grandson is wonderful” Granny Smith said. “It’s something new, and I love every moment of it.”
While the duo explores what the future could hold, Smith said in the meantime he intends to keep making videos just as he has been to keep bringing entertainment to their fan base.
“We’re trying our absolute best to spread happiness around, so we’re thankful for all the support we get from Youngstown and our fans from all over, and we’re excited for future opportunities to do what we do,” Smith said.