A video titled “I Feel So Close To You” created by Will Gibbons ’13 and Melake Getabecha ’13 was posted on YouTube on Nov. 4th and has already received over 20,000 views. In this video, Gibbons, dressed as the College’s panther mascot, hides in portable toilets at a cross country meet at Williams College and greets unexpected bathroom-goers with hugs.
“I've had a lot of injuries the past couple years and haven't really been able to race, so I started filming some goofy videos last year to keep people loose at meets,” said Gibbons. “I was wearing the panther outfit that day at Williams for the shenanigan potential but also to keep warm.”
The video has gone viral on the Internet; in addition to its nearly 30,000 views on YouTube, it was also featured on Huffington Post and on the blog #whatshouldrunnerscallme.
“Getting some publicity on those sites racked up a lot of hits, but it also brought in a lot of random subscribers and random people commenting,” said Gibbons. “I think it first hit home with the running community, then the hugging community and then the mascot community. In that order. Three worlds colliding.”
“It’s fun for people who know the people in it, or [students] in the NESCAC or [people who] like hugging,” added Getabecha.
The popularity of the video was unexpected by Gibbons and Getabecha.
“Honestly, I only expected our team, my mom and maybe some creepy internet trolls to watch it,” said Gibbons.
Gibbons and Getabecha said that creating a viral video was never their goal or expectation.
“It should always be about making something that you enjoy in the moment,” said Gibbons. “If people like watching it, that's great, but you can't lose sight of your own creative process.
“It’s amazing what you can get away with if you’re the mascot,” he concluded.
XC Runners' Video Goes Viral Online
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