More and more people have joined TikTok in the last year. Quarantine was the perfect time for individuals to spend scrolling through their phones exploring their “For You” pages, watching others do dance challenges, sharing advice, creating a new recipe, or sharing a funny or emotional story. For others, lockdown left them unable to work on their passions and careers, so TikTok became the perfect platform for sharing their talent. One of them was a comedian living in California who decided to share his funny bone with the world through this platform. Now, David Fein brings TikTok to your coffee table.
The comedian in front and behind the camera
Growing up in New York City, David Fein knew he belonged on stage.He wanted to perform, be in plays, and become a different person every day just like his biggest inspiration, his grandfather, actor Al Kent. When he was 12, he auditioned and got the part for the main role on Broadway for A Thousand Clowns with Tom Sellek, but his parents wanted him in school. As he got older, he came to realize he had a talent that would allow him to get on stage, perform, and bring light into the world. This talent was comedy. Fein knew precisely what to say at the right time to make people laugh, something not many know how to do.
When he moved to California, Fein connected with people in the industry, working on a feature film, countless web series, and screenplays. But he knew comedy was his thing, so he began doing stand-up comedy. “I never stopped doing stand-up comedy, even with the trials and tribulations of the industry.” He continued to perform even while he worked to get his Masters in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University.
However, when COVID-19 changed everyone’s life, his career path took a turn, and he could not perform on stage. Quarantine, lockdown, and social distancing kept him from doing what made him happy. Instead of giving up, this comedian decided to take his show on a worldwide tour through one social media app. “TikTok was the closest thing I could find to stand-up comedy in this tumultuous time. I could reach audiences live through streaming and make short videos and jokes.”
In a short period of time, Fein grew his TikTok account to 143.9K followers. Now, he posts videos daily, reacting to different viral videos or sharing his own content. In every one of his videos, he is unique, funny, and quirky, allowing people a few seconds of joy and laughter in a world that is, at times, a little too dark. His stand-up comedy is the kind to bring a smile to your face even when you feel like giving up.
“My hope,” explains Fein, “is that folks know life is a rocky, bumpy unpredictable river that acceptance and surrender can only travel. Everyone’s context is different. Not one person’s pain is greater or less than another’s. We all need to practice compassion and empathy, especially in the post-pandemic world.” And that is precisely what he has been doing through his TikTok.
TikTok on your coffee table
Fein found a community on TikTok as he realized more and more people were joining the platform, watching his videos, and reaching out to him. Through this networking, he came across hundreds of thousands of usernames of all types. He found creative ones, funny ones, and inspiring ones. Some relating to people’s lives or their favorite TV shows and movies. There was a pool of names that could connect to his content and his audience.
After going through a long list of usernames, he decided to create something that would bring people joy and put a smile on their faces. That is how he came to write TikTok Usernames: Volume I. The book is now available on Amazon. The first round of paperback books is about to sell out, and Fein is working on getting the next batch ready.
“I wrote the book,” says Fein, “to be a funny social commentary on the TikTok generation. It’s a limited edition coffee table art piece of 100 funny, weird, and outlandish usernames that I found. It’s just as quick as the new TikTok generation.” His goal is to create many volumes of the book in which he can share more usernames and continue to mention some of his followers who have been part of his live audience.
If you are looking for a fun time and a distraction, you can pair up his book with his videos.
TikTok and books
There are times in which life gets hard, and we do not know how to navigate it. David Fein went through a rough patch during 2020, and he utilized this as an opportunity to expand his network and let the world see his talent. Now, he is a well-known comedian on TikTok who people turn to when they want to laugh. And because he wanted his reach to go beyond the screen, he brings TikTok to your coffee table with his book TikTok Usernames: Volume I.