Zane and Heath’s rise on Vine began in Fort Lauderdale, where Zane faced severe bullying due to his Arab heritage, leading to a traumatic middle school experience. Their journey shifted when they discovered Vine, inspired by Marcus Johns’ viral success. They launched a joint channel called "Businessman" (later known as "Zayn and Heath"), gaining traction through a strategic campaign of liking thousands of posts to grow their audience. Their content, featuring short, humorous skits, resonated with viewers and built a loyal following quickly. They earned their first brand deal for $250 with a dating app, marking their entry into monetization. As Vine declined, they transitioned to YouTube, where they continued creating entertaining content and mentoring peers. Their story highlights the power of authenticity, community, and persistence in the early days of social media. They also share vivid anecdotes from their travels—like the chaotic Disney World "drinking around the world" adventure and a drunken hat trade with a child—showcasing their adventurous, humorous, and sometimes reckless personality. These experiences underscore how personal struggles and relatable humor shaped their influence. Their journey from bullied teens to influential creators reflects both the challenges and rewards of online fame, while also emphasizing the value of genuine human connection in content creation.
[MUSIC] >> What's up, guys? Welcome back to Views. It's Kavitao, baby, how are we doing? Zane Heath on filter, welcome back. Zane is also here. John is here, Natalie is here. Zane is our replacement for Jason Nash. We are in Miami, the city of lights and the city of sin. >> You know I was born here? >> In Miami. >> Yeah, I'm trying to. Miami hospital. >> Whoa. >> Whoa, you were proper born here in Miami. >> Miami hospital lived here for a few years and then I moved to Florida. >> Wait, wait, how was it growing up here in Florida? >> I don't understand what kind of a kid you were. >> I mean, I was like a loser, like I didn't have any friends. >> Yeah, Zane, you always say this. >> What always that mean loser because you have a fun personality. >> Yeah, such a loud person. >> Well, I wasn't like this when I was, like I didn't talk. >> I had no personality. >> No, no, you know, I didn't have money when we were fucking talking again. >> I, um, yeah, no, I just wasn't like cool at all. >> Wait, was he here? >> And I straight in my hair every day. Was he your only friend or he wasn't even your friend? >> No, he wasn't my friend until like after high school. >> Wow. >> Okay, how did you and he meet? >> This is crazy question. >> Oh, you're laughing like I was supposed to like say that without you asking. We met, well, we've always known each other throughout high school. We like sat together in all of our classes because- >> Oh, but never hung out after school. >> Yeah. >> Okay. Well, he was like, he's kind of like bullying me and shit. >> What? >> Yeah. >> No way. >> No way. >> Not like to the extent of other people would, but like he definitely would talk down to me and like didn't like me very much. >> Whoa, wait, time out. Not to the extent that other people would, what does that mean? >> Yeah. So in middle school, elementary middle school, I got like heavily bullied. >> Wait, really? >> Oh, yeah. >> You're like the classic social media star. >> Well, that's, that's, that's, that's usually what happens. >> They talk to anybody that like is being on social media now, they didn't really have like the best childhood. They take like dark moments and they make fun of it, and that's why they're funny. >> It's beautiful. >> I know. >> Okay, wait, so what would happen in middle school? >> In middle school, they would, um, elementary two, because I was Arab. >> I didn't look Arab, but just because they knew I was Arab, they would call me like Saddam Huzain, and they would call me a terrorist. >> Saddam Huzain. >> Yeah, but like not in like a joking way, it was very like, it got to the point where like the teacher, like I had to go to the principal office, and like it had, it was a whole thing because it got so bad. >> And was there anything that like prompted this behavior from them? Or you were just a little, you just say- >> I did, well I did one time, I did do a scare in the school, but I mean I don't think was that. >> So you weren't even friends with these people at all, they were just targeting you because you looked like the weakest person there. >> Yeah. >> And this was in Fort Lauderdale? >> Yes. >> Did you go out to party or no? >> Yes. >> No, I didn't, no, I did. I didn't like really- >> Hold on guys, our filmers making a- >> Fuck it, can you hear that? >> Burning the kids down. >> Yeah, the filmers make their sensitive. >> Huh? >> Yeah, just a little bit quiet. >> Yeah. >> Once again guys, he's cooking, he's sizzling fucking bacon right now. >> He's making a five fucking course meal back there. >> It's a bachie night here. >> If you're in the living room, so I mean, people live in the living room. >> Yeah, sorry, scan, just a little bit, I need to figure out who Zane really is from from the beginning. >> I am what I am. >> It's beautiful. Okay, and then you found Heath, and then you found- how did you have the confidence to post on social media if you were not the coolest in school? Because to me, it would work backwards, like if I- if I was weird in school, I'd be like, I don't want to post on social media because then I'll just get quadruple made fun of. >> Well, there was not really any social media when we were in high school, when you think about it. >> Oh. >> We had my space. So we'd post like- >> How are you? >> No. >> I'm 33. >> Okay, so yes. >> Yeah, we didn't have any, like no phone apps or nothing like that. What was your first social media app then? >> I think Instagram was my first social media app, but I wasn't posting on there. I was just like, it would be- I would post like my coffee and be like- >> And then what did you- >> Works first on Vine that made everyone- >> Yeah, like, how did that start? How did the Vine thing start? >> Well, Heath and I, we were friends. We weren't friends for long before we started Vine. We were friends for maybe like two years. >> That's really crazy. >> Before Vine? People would just start to post- you know how some apps would send- you'd post something it would syndicate to other apps. So they had that for Vine. It would be syndicated to like Twitter or Instagram or something like that. And we were seeing these like short videos where like, oh, what the fuck is this? We downloaded it and the first person that popped up on the feed was Marcus Johns. And Heath was like, holy shit, I know this guy. And he's famous. And he had like 50,000 followers and he was like the biggest on the app. >> Oh wow. >> I think he saw that and was just like, wait, if he can do this and I know this guy personally, we can do it too. >> Wow. >> So we decided. >> So we decided to have a joint channel because we were like, we're not going to have separate and like what, we're going to fucking bounce back and forth. >> Yeah. >> No. We do a duo channel. >> What was a channel called? >> Businessman. >> What? John, you don't know this? >> No. I've never heard the story. >> Okay. >> Oh, he's never- oh, no idea. >> No. >> No. >> What the- >> [LAUGH] >> So he's like, how do I break the news to him? >> It's not called unfiltered, was it? >> Just get ready for this. >> Zayn and Heath. >> [LAUGH] >> That's it. >> [LAUGH] >> Wait, John, you didn't know that that was their vine name? >> No. >> Yeah. >> I mean, that's not like, that's not that crazy. >> Well, I think that's why they- >> Why would John know- >> Yeah, how would I know their channel, bro, I didn't even know- >> I mean, it could have been like the Florida boys or, you know- >> Yeah. >> But that's why you guys are Zayn and Heath. >> I know. >> Well, they also are just Zayn and Heath, you know? >> Not just Zayn and Heath. >> Yeah, they're more than that. >> Yeah, but it's not- >> We're not Heath and Zayn. They're not Zayn and then where's his other friend Heath? It's Zayn and Heath. That's because of vine. >> Okay. >> Yeah, I don't know. Okay, and then how fast did you guys blow up? What was the first vine that you posted where you guys were like? >> Well, we did, it was a- It was a car wash vine. You've seen that one, right? >> Yeah, yeah, yeah. >> And we posted that one and we were going through all the first vine hashtags. You know how people would have hashtags all over the fucking place. We went through certain hashtags and we would go through and just like every post on there. So we were- >> Wow. >> Because it wasn't a big app, so getting a notification on the app is like a big deal. >> That's how you get people to follow you. >> Yeah, it was almost, it was just like a giant campaign we're holding. We weren't like following people and then unfollowing. We were just liking their posts and then we would transfer like maybe 25, 30% of the people that we would get every time we would do it to follow us. >> So you would go to our page- >> 500 or more. >> The 500 what? >> Like likes, you would just go through- >> How many people would you like? >> Thousands. >> Thousands. >> Thousands. >> Yeah, we would go thousands of people and- >> Oh, so you spending hours just liking all the pictures? >> Dude, I knew this about you, I think. Because vine used to show likes, didn't it? >> They would show- >> Yeah, on your notification. >> No, but vine would show- >> Like what you've liked? >> How many people you've liked or something like that, no? >> No. >> Really? >> They weren't that, they weren't that, it wasn't that ahead of it. >> No. >> It's time. >> I totally remember like, maybe you've explained the story to me before, but yeah. Okay, so that's how you got like your momentum. >> Yeah, so- >> But there wasn't even a goal to make money there, right? >> No, no, no, no. We were just like, it was honestly Marcus Johns. Like if Marcus Johns was not on that platform, we would just like- we would have taken five seconds to look at it and then delete the app. >> Wow. >> We just saw that, oh people are like, they're making videos. Making videos wasn't even a thing in our brain. >> Well Marcus Johns, he's the first guy to hit a million followers on the internet. >> Yeah. >> He paved the road for like a completely new generation of social media users. >> Yeah. >> Like even me, I remember when he posted that million vine that he posted. >> Yeah. >> Is ingrained in my head. >> A million, a million, a million, a million. >> A million, a million. >> That's when I was like holy fuck, this is legit. >> Like to us, he was Justin Bieber. >> Yes. >> For social media. >> Yeah. >> Like it was just like- >> Yeah. >> We didn't know like any of those. We just knew like oh shit, internet, Marcus Johns. >> Wait, and then when did you get your first brand deal? Like when did you realize that- >> Or did you see other people making money first? >> You know like wait, can we make money too? >> We didn't, well we didn't know there were brand deals. We just thought they were like- >> They were just like the brand or something. >> Like it was just like- >> It didn't really- >> Promoting the app for fun. >> Yeah, it didn't really hit us until we heard. >> It was not clocking me. >> It wasn't clocking me. >> Okay, and I was avoiding saying that just because I just said Justin Bieber's name. >> It would have been too lazy. >> Too many Justin Bieber mentions. >> Yeah. >> Okay, so then what happened? >> And why it worked so well is because it's not like a random person is liking your page. They go and they see two names on one page. So they're like, "Oh, why is there two names on one page?" You click it, the three videos you see, they're all skits. You're like, "Oh, I don't follow anybody. I'm just going to follow these guys." >> Wow. >> And we couldn't believe how quickly it was working. Like just that percentage of follows from everybody were like, "Whoa, this is working way too well." And I feel like nobody else is doing this. >> Yeah, I feel like there was a lot of people that had to cheat the Vine system when it happened. Like me, I was revining for revining. I had a Jekyll and Skie fan account. Like I was definitely- >> Boys of Vine, huh? >> Boys of Vine. >> Well, boys of Vine was the biggest account. I didn't own that. >> Oh, yeah. >> No, if I did that would be a quadrupled millionaire billionaire. >> You wouldn't be here. You'd be in fucking- >> No, I'd be on private jets somewhere. >> Yeah. >> For example, boys of Vine was the biggest account ever. I don't know who ran it. But yeah, that's really interesting. You had to kind of hack it. There were some people that did it all naturally. >> Oh, absolutely. I mean, I definitely believe that. >> Okay. And then when was the first time you made a dollar? >> We did a Vine for like a dating app called Grupper. And we got paid $250 to do it. And it was a whole thing. We hired like two friends, went to their house.
Paid her like 25 bucks to help us with it because you know that's you know, you still got that that's really good Yeah, no, no, we would never ask somebody to help us like do that. We were like fuck I mean, it's they know it's like a brand our first one so we're like oh here Um 250 bucks, so what did you have 250,000 followers at the time? No, no, we had maybe like 30,000 That's early or maybe 50,000 followers like around there damn for sure Maybe but but but but you were you were probably still in like the top 50 at that time, right? No No, I wouldn't say we were top 50 no, it took us like a while do do you get to the top do you remember that vine Ranking website the popular popper page. No, you would check online. Oh, um social blade. So no, no There's one before it. It was called um it was something just for vineers And I remember like checking it a lot to see like where everyone's rank was you're all the optics No, I would do the same thing. I don't think I was about optics I was just like so curious and like the vine world. Wow. Okay, so I feel like you cared about that though Like how well your video is doing in a certain amount of minutes. No for sure for sure. Yeah, you know my story with Jack Dietrich Right? No, do you know who Jack Dietrich is? Yeah, he he's the reason I he's my Marcus johns Why so he was a he was huge on vine and and and there was one that he was like like huge I mean 15,000 followers. I had less than a thousand. I posted a funny vine and he messaged me randomly I never ever spoke to him before he was just also from Chicago. Yeah, he was like delete that vine and tomorrow Repost it and I'm gonna have me and my friends Revine it and it's gonna do way better and I'm like what just just like help you like help me and at this time You couldn't repost videos because it was vine. Yeah, so then he got on like Skype with me and he walked me through how to Jailbreak my phone to re upload a video into vine remember because you couldn't upload from camera Yeah, you had to upload it from like this special little. Yeah, you had to record it in vine and then post through vine Yeah, so he taught me how to reupload for no reason He spent 45 minutes with me on the phone and then the next day I posted at like 11 a.m Jack Dietrich revines it and so does this guy Vince call do you remember Vince call? I think so very deep cut also like a smaller like 40,000 followers. Yeah, and but to you Justin Bieber. Yeah, to me it was just a beaver and my vine got to the top of the popular now page because of him and that started Everything what vine was it there. It was yeah, I was in Walmart and there was there was like it was a random Asian couple behind me And I was like these are my parents. I'm adopted. It was like very stupid vine humor. Yeah, and it was like with random people So they were looking at like what the fuck and that it was there's not nothing was really funny Wow, it was it was so easy back then but also so hard Yeah, no, I always I say vine was always the hardest Social media job I had because like coming up with a vine every week fucking put a six and a half seconds six point three seconds I know that sounds ridiculous, but like posting three times a week on YouTube was 100x easier than coming up Oh, yeah, every week because you'd have to take your idea and you have to compress it to six seconds That's fucking and you have like you have and then if it doesn't do I and I tried everything I was like when it was that was when I was living with Alex urn. So I was like okay this week I'm gonna stay home all day and I'm gonna sit like in my room and I'm gonna come up with a vine and when that didn't work I'm like okay next week I'm gonna go out and get drunk every day and have the ideas come to me like I would little I was like going fucking crazy I was like how can I attract these ideas the best way and I've never thought about anything That's why when I started YouTube I was like I I have to do three a week because if I'm procrastinating and it's always like last minute I'm gonna be able to post more it's it's so funny how every like thinking of the style of the bits that we would do I feel like he and I when you're like watching the lines it feels like you're watching a small clip from a reality TV show Oh, that's how you guys looked at it. No, no, no, that's how I look at it now like of like what I would want like when I wash the vines It's like a small clip you would see from a reality TV show and then your clips or your vines are more like what do you what would you say Like pun not punny, but like just like like a banana one the one that comes up my head the banana It's like all right. Everybody drop your pants Yeah, you're holding a banana and you're saying like all right. I'm gonna teach you how to put a condom on all right Drop your pants. It was something like that. Okay, maybe that one just popped in my head. Yeah, you did you don't remember that I think you're like a teacher Yes, yes, you know what I'm talking. You're just embarrassed No, no, okay, I think I do what wait what find did you see him wait you DM me first or who DM you DM you do We've talked about this and you do this all the time you DM me first and I know and I know it's difficult to like think that Where are the reasons why you just blew the fuck up? And also you're welcome Because if you think about it Zayn and Heath get were the ones that gathered everybody and then you kind of just came along That's true. I did we kind of orchestrated everything. No, he think about it. I did no you definitely like you definitely like had the friend group and then I plopped in Honestly, you know what I wouldn't take credit. It was Heath really because I I did not make friends He was he was the one that was able to like really easily make friends who is responding to me on the messages me Oh, I'm good. Everything a not in person. I'm good at He was never gonna. He would never DM a binder ever He took over yeah, pretty much as he was a come out hide in the room and then he does the rest. Oh, that's really funny Yeah, no, okay. That's why we work so well together. That's a really good dynamic That's what like you know like the like all the uploading I would go you know like how it took 45 minutes to upload I would do all of that but then Heath was really good at just like the comedy of it like so it was just like a perfect duo Like that is interesting. Yeah, lucky. I remember like the thing I remember the most is every time we would talk about brand deals because I feel like I'll especially at the beginning of like the Vine stages all we would talk about is money because it was just so crazy and yeah interesting to us and it was I always remember like Every time you guys would have you guys would say a dollar amount you'd be like we're getting paid 25 Thousand dollars for this and then at the end of all those conferences you'd always be like well, but we have to split it Well, we split it That was really really funny. Yeah, okay, and then from there we we hung out the first day we went to lunch I came to your apartment, and then we just started hanging you just really liked us We really liked us and we felt bad for you and You were you were so you were so determined and we're like oh that's so cute Like we don't have to try that hard anymore, but like he really like he want he needs to He needs to get up there with us determined to be friends with you are determined to be a vine Determined to like be a bigger vinear because you know we had we were already up at like 4.55 mill You know like that that big. Oh, what was I at like 600 K? Oh, yeah, you were small. You had wow We're just you know Heath and I like we we're pretty much retired at that part. We're smoking our cigarettes We don't need to work to our we're post like once every three weeks. We're good. I was like an apprentice. Yeah We were like, you know, let's help. Let's help the poor sucker out. Yeah That's really really generous of you guys and then when you bought that camera and you start vlogging We're like oh, he thinks it'll be a youtuber. That's so cute And then after two months it's like hey Dave you want to come over and vlog? Because we quickly started to realize that oh, this isn't gonna last long for us Guys, let's be honest. Who does it want to find the best deals especially on live event tickets Which is why I want to give today's sponsor Seekyke a huge shout out with a were 35 million downloads Seekyke Is the number one rated ticketing app? There are more than 70,000 events listed on Seekyke including sports festivals and more guys I mean listen any time you want to get a ticket use Seekyke there was a time actually when we were making when we were making vlogs and we were doing all the Seeky categories I needed to buy tickets to something and I forgot where to get tickets for a moment So I'm gonna let you remind my mind you right now. It's Seekyke I know a lot of times on my videos. It seems like they're just giving away cars. No, they're absolutely incredible I give you the best prices on tickets each ticket is rated on a scale of 1 to 10 so you know you're getting a good deal So look for the green dots green means good red means bad Concert season is about to kick off to make it even better. You can use code views 10 for 10% off your Seekyke tickets That's 10% off tickets with promo code views 10 make sure you click the link in the description to download the app and have the code Automatically added to your account so you can use it later. Thank you Seekyke Well, my favorite was everyone's approach to YouTube because vine was dying and we were all Panicking we were like actually I wasn't panicking everyone was pan the same Well, I think was panicking the most may. Oh, yeah, yeah, I was cuz Zane Zane started renting out restaurants and like getting like you like hired like Actors and lighting crews cuz you were like the Facebook fans I was like, what the fuck are you talking about you were making videos that were like well, yeah, cuz oh yeah again I was freaking out. This is like when I was like okay, let's do like I'm gonna go on YouTube I have to go on YouTube, but it was not it was not clocking. It was not I was not able to get I Would do I would do those vines. We're all promoting Instagram on the vine as vine and I wasn't getting anybody to transfer over to like Anything else of mine That's how I knew those 4.5 million. We're just dead But it was funny because you were you had so much money from vine that you were putting on these big productions For your Facebook and then I won they weren't well they weren't that expensive because a lot of times like collab was helping out with like the Yeah, but you had scripts printed out. I remember. Yeah, I was I was trying to I was trying to be like Lele ponds I was like doing anything I could
To maneuver from Vine because we had yeah, we were we were dying. That was crazy Now look where we are we're on the water in Miami Beach With Netflix stars Business man look at it. He doesn't even fucking listen to us anymore because he's just now making so much money on his own Yeah, it's not even our friend. He uses and dump does George is also here That's enough for Hi, George. He's here in Miami for another trip with us How are you? How are you since Rio? honestly Coachella really rocked me. I can't lie. Two weeks. I went You went I was at home. You went for two weeks. I did because week one my phone blew up. I was telling Zane this night One just blew up so I couldn't find anyone and I was just kind of wait. Oh actually like oh not like People are hitting you up on the phone to someone. No, I just started. She says she said it sizzled up and blew up I'm like that's rare I phone or like a Samsung Galaxy. Why would I ever have a Samsung Unless you have a very big deal I'd rather communicate with like smokes Looks like you were so it literally blew up. Yeah, I was back to like I was finding people I couldn't find my address. This was crazy. I was staying with a brand I couldn't find the address to where I was staying So I had to find a random person and get them to DM one of the girls that was staying in the house I'm not getting a random It'd be funny if you had a DM the DM the brand. Like hello Netflix. Do you know One of your stars Hi, Apple TV. I'm with George She's looking for the house you guys have here. I'm George O'Hazzarati Her phone That's crazy horrible. I went to the Apple store day two for like three hours Where there I imagine there's a lot of people at the Apple store There was a lot and they were like okay minimum wait time to get someone to look at it's like three hours And I'm like just let me buy a new phone. I don't care. It's just to be the day I want to and these are all festival goers that were going back in there for people that have like had a foreign stolen And I'm just standing there so hungover This is genuinely the worst thing that could happen to me. Oh my god couldn't get an uber or anything So I had to like bring someone but I don't get it like that type of experience would have me not come back for we can too Well, that's a thing. I went home. I flew all the way back to New York as well. Oh my god I know George are you fucking so kind? I know he's like crying on the phone to my mom I'm like I know worst time. I should have enjoyed this was Justin Bieber like I'm such a big fan Yeah, and then I had an offer to go back and I was like is that kind of crazy? Yeah, it is like I'm gonna do it. You ever like another brand? Yeah, I went with Absolute just went back and had a great time. And absolutely Absolutely amazing time, but yeah, there was like no it wasn't as crazy. I like weekend too sick Really is are the rumors true about weekend too? Yes, I would say like the vibe is not as good But the performance is a way better like it's kind of dead Oh wait, I thought you said the vibes are good the vibes are good because the performances are amazing But there's no one you know there. Oh, that's funny. That's a very influencer perspective because the whole thing about weekend too is there's no I know No one you know is there but it's bad I kind of like that though because week one you're kind of stopping every five minutes to say hi to people you know Yeah, yeah, I'm really seeing anything. Yeah, I went back and just watched everything influencers don't get recognize the ones that we get to yeah the vibes are just off Sky raw gets when people start coming up to me wow Yeah, and it's just it's just that the performances are better just cuz yeah, you don't have like they don't want to Frontload it on weekend one and then disappoint people too so that they can probably go crazy or on the side They always on that weekend too I think so but I think it was sick weekend too like they bring out better guests every time Cuz they're trying to like make it better than week one. Yeah, but they like bring out much better people I feel like yeah, Madonna Snoop Dogg It's a smart business move though because they know everyone will show up two week and one so like how can we get everybody to come back? Yeah, how do we get the door just to come back? Yeah, I'm like to weekend too. Yeah, I don't know if I will but I would do to I wonder if it'll ever shift like in the influencer sphere to weekend too That seems like I don't think so no people are too fucking like they want to get the content. Yeah There is like there I feel like I saw a lot of like brands for weekend too and like stage coaches becoming such a big thing You know, yeah, it's kind of like filtering out to all the other weekends. Yeah, I want to try stage coach We should we should go next year. Yeah, I've never done it. Let's look. I love the idea. You can have a beer outside of a beer garden I'm such a big beer guy in stage coach. I think is like super super You hate country music. No, it's not the music the five the five is honestly like to me stage coach the people are funner But I yeah, it's more fun. It's more fun. It's more anywhere. You smoke a cigarette anywhere. You can do whatever you want Did you see that our dates all a stage coach sold more? I'll go on the first day that both weekends of Coachella combined That's how you know they're having a better time. Wait, that's the same though both weekends come on one line What you could walk around with you could walk around with your drinks and I think there's just more bars Everywhere in general 100% the fact that you can walk around is like really really really nice. Yeah, but another place that I had fun that I didn't take I'd have fun was recently. Yes. Yes, no, it's so excited. Georgia. We went to Disney World. I'm so annoyed that I didn't come Oh, you have been so fun. Yeah, I love that. Oh my god, you have been perfect You can you can experience traveling and not get belly belly. It's amazing Yeah, it was one you guys about that I'm scared to be out of you, but I was right. Yeah, you're right. I was like giving it to you guys and it got a little too serious I'm like, okay, no, you guys are gonna. Oh, he got serious because I literally got it as soon as you said it Which is fucking insane. He goes, volleyball and I'm like this conversation is making me say and I went straight to my Fucking room and I did not leave a part of this Yeah, so Georgia was a little bit with us in Rio and when she brought up volleyball in Rio because we were going to Balli next that's when Zayn got in the moment. She's talking about I'm like, hey, come on, Georgia. This is making me sick 45 minutes before that and he's just profusely sweating I'm like, bro, I didn't hear it. I was like, no, that was the scariest comment Is anybody else really hot And I was actually cold and there was a The AC was blowing in our face. Oh, man, that was terrible. I was terrible. Definitely the worst But we just went to so we went to Disney World This was my I guess my first time as an adult or like somebody that can like actually understand what's going on We're gonna put this in the vlog. I think in two weeks But we went drinking around the world Wow And it's like the thing to do. I thought this was just an idea that we were doing but There's a lot of people doing it. Yeah, it's a thing No, it wasn't because parents don't like to bring their kids to a Epcot because there's no there's really no good rides So that's what I didn't understand about Disney World. I thought it was all rides, but we went on one. No, it is Disney World is a magic kingdom is all rides We only have like maybe four solid rides. Oh, okay, so basically drinking around the world is Epcot's broken into different countries You start with Mexico then you go Norway whatever each place you get a drink. That's like native to that And so we got a margarita, which is the worst fucking worse Yeah, it's a slushie and we had to knock this thing back And it literally had like 150 grams of sugar so you finish it. You're just heading. You're ready. It's pounding It was our first drink and then and then we kind of what happened take take me through then we went to Norway. No, this was the closest that comes to black. No Georgia. We got a series. Yeah, yeah, we're also filming so we're in our head Like we really have to like we got to amp the shit on and I was Fucking really draw Wow because we got to where do we get to we got to like our 10th country? This is our 10th drink. I think we were like in Ireland or something or UK and then they were serving Guinness's oh done So I was like I'm going to I'm going to I'm going to I'm going to offer the G No, I won't wait pass the G I was like I said I'm going to like race people to beat people like a trucking contest I'm betting people a thousand bucks in the bar. Yeah, you're insane. So I finished my first Guinness I beat this girl and then this other person came and they wanted to challenge me It was a father of this kid and then I beat him and then I and then I raced another all like Australian because he was like Yeah, I chuck three Guinness's after my 10 drinks and the second I finished my third I turned to our film or scan. I was like I got to go puke and went right to the bathroom vomited my heart out Then I'm fast-forwarding a lot then when we got back to the hotel vomited all over the bathroom I left a note for the hotel. I said I'm sorry. I left 500 dollars Because I but it was nice. You try to clean it up. You see handprints everywhere him trying to clean it It wasn't all over though Tom is all over the toilet The toilet seat wasn't open. Oh, no, and I saw it and it went just five feet from five feet away Just like ricochet But I remember the truck of this kid this kid came up to me this bothered me all night They really the this kid came up to me and asked me to borrow like not to borrow it's a trade hat He was like 11 years old. Yeah. Yeah, he's 11. He's like can we trade hats and it's like my favorite hat From miracle academy from Namiya from Namiya
- Yeah, sorry, it says Miracle on it. There's a blue hat, and I thought about it, but he was like so sweet and so cute. I was like, okay, let's trade. He gave me his bucket hat. I hate bucket hats. - Oh. - And then five minutes later, Natalie even came out to me. She's like, why did you do that? That's your favorite hat. Like, why would you do that? And then it really started getting to me. I was like, why did I do that? And then I was like, to the kid, I was like, hey, I have a hundred bucks, can I please have the hat back? And this is the kid whose dad I just beat in a jogging contest, so I thought he'd have a little more sympathy for the champion. And the kid was like, no, I'm gonna sell it on eBay. I'm like, okay, why are you being so rude to me? - No, I'm bullying me, that's my hat. - I'm gonna give you a hundred bucks, and you can't sell it on eBay. Like, you're not gonna get, no, you can't even get a hat pricing for that hat. You want me to buy you a mind you, I'm insane. - You're gonna pull up every time you've ever wanted in a slime show. - And George, I mind you. I'm insigating on the side. I'm like, go up, but you're in the process. - I asked for more. - Go up higher, higher. - No, I would have bought it back for more, but I was just too drunk I had to go to the bathroom after. You should have seen just our group in general. I can't believe, we were able to walk around with the camera, that camera right there, we were able to walk around, it was crazy, it looked like we were so streaming. - Wow. - And we were hammered, and not one fucking employee came up, it's just like, you guys need to calm down. We even had a guide with us, like, not one point. - You make that sound like we were like. - We weren't doing anything crazy. - No, no, but we were still like, still, yeah, I get you. - You know, it was, I was surprised. We weren't like, no, we weren't disrespectful. We weren't disrespectful, it wasn't like that. But even if we were sober with the camera, I was shocked that the camera was in. - Wow, yeah. - But our security, and we'd like the best tour guide ever. - Yeah, you know. - Shout out Robert, he was so cool. What did he post on his Instagram the next day? - He was like, he was a story of the fireworks, and he was like, yesterday, it reminds me why I love this job. He's been doing it for 15 years. He's like, I love days like today. - We just had such a good time with him. - Yeah, we did, yeah, he was really, really fun. - I'm kind of glad I wasn't there then, because I probably would have been crazy. - George, we had like 15 different types of alcohol. - Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. - It was great, it was like three different slushies. - Yeah, three different shots. Like, 'cause mind you, we're going to like Japan. - Yeah, dude, dude, we're going to do Saki. - Saki, wine. - Yeah, wines, like it was everything. But it was, it was actually, everyone was pretty fine. The beers didn't be over, but everybody was really good. I had one of the best times ever. - We got to, we got to the firework show, and it literally felt like we're going back to Coachella. - Oh my God, everybody's in the grass on the floor. Like, wait, I'm rolling right now. - Same as a picture of me, Ilya, and Zane. - Just passed out. - On the grass, on the grass. - With a baby behind us in a stroller, just like. (laughing) - As the Disney fireworks are going on, so, no, no, no. - And David, you're legitimately, you're crying. You're tearing up, watching the fireworks, no. I like to play that I wasn't crying. I just think it's really beautiful. Like, to watch the fireworks and be like, this is, I know it wasn't your hat. - He was crying about it. (laughing) - He was just crying. - He's like that way. - Just in his bucket, I hate my life. (laughing) - No, but what's so cool about the Disney fireworks, is like, it's not just fireworks, they project onto the castle, all these famous lines from these famous Disney movies. It's like, so nostalgic. - For a kid, it's an amazing show. - I can't imagine as a kid. It's like, you're fucking hearing Peter Pan. Then you see the balloons from the house. - It was a little creepy, but I had my camera on one kid. - Sorry, let me finish. - There is this kid in the front, and the way he was jumping up and down, in my house, he's never gonna forget this moment. - No, cool memory. - It was, yeah, core, I was like, wow, I wish I had that. - Wow. - Yeah, I wish I had that as a kid. - No, I was, I was actually, I would never consider myself a Disney hater, but I was not a believer walking into it. Like, when we got there, I was like, I don't understand like what this is. But then, but then when I saw it, I was, after the night, I was really, really blown away. So, Georgia, next time you gotta go. And today, we have, and now we're doing my Emmy F1. We're actually waiting for you to tell us. It's, what day is it right now? It's Friday, tomorrow Saturday, and the next day Sunday, that's how the week works. But that's three different nights to go out. Do you wanna go out tonight? - So that's the thing, I've been trying to figure that out. I feel like tomorrow night's gonna be crazy. But I do wanna go out tonight. But maybe, still tame, tomorrow, really fun. - The next day. - You said, you said, she'll tame, which is, - Can you just tame? - Okay, Zane, that's not possible. - I know. - Friday night in Miami, our dinner starts at 10 p.m., right? There's no such thing, we're gonna get there, I'm gonna be like, have a couple glasses of wine, you smoke a cigarette, and then you hit this thing. - Yeah, we're gonna run into 10 friends, and we're gonna be at 11 till 4 in the morning. - That's the thing, yeah. - There's no chill nights in Miami. - No. - That's why I'm saying, even if we go to dinner, we're fucked. So, like, we have to make that decision. And Natalie has no control or conception of who she is when she goes out. And like, that's why I don't want her to go out because if Natalie goes out tonight, she's gonna ruin the next two nights. - Yeah. - And she won't leave the bed. Doesn't matter. He can threaten her, her job, everything. She don't get, like, I'm not leaving. - I could slap her and whatever it would be. - I love that about Natalie, 'cause then we have fun, you guys are boring. - Yeah, but it's the worst. She, like, front loads her weekends. - Yeah. - I just get really excited early on. - But, like, just chill. Tomorrow, we've such a big day. - I know, but, like, there's so many fun things happening. We're such a terrorist, we don't do that. - Yeah. - With potty, fun people, with a life of a- - I was really hoping, Georgia, you'd come up here and talk to some things. - Well, I am also being really responsible in my mindset right now. - 'Cause also Sunday night, we are going out. Like, Sunday night is a proper night to go out. - Oh, really? - You see, I feel like we're not gonna go out tonight. - No, no, no, no. I have just gone confirmation that we are going out. - Oh, we have something good. - Okay, then we need a chill. - Yeah, we have a chill. - What are we doing on Sunday? - I'll tell you about it after, but we gotta take it easy right now. - Okay, and we'll have to start that. - Yeah, it's better be good. - Yeah, just please believe me. - Oh, he's lying. - Is it in Georgia? - No, no, no, no. - Sunday comes around and I'm like, "Time to go to the movies." (laughing) - I don't get nighty. - I have a funny, like, my first, I didn't want to intervene 'cause you guys were bonding on the vine stuff. - Yeah, yeah, yeah. - But my first, like, Zane and Heath interaction that I ever had. - Oh, wow. - Oh, God. - When I first came to LA, and David called me and was like, "Hey, I want you to come out here and help decorate my home," right? That was, like, before, I was, like, in, like, 2017. And. - So for a time visiting, she didn't even work for you yet. Hey, can you decorate the house? (laughing) She wasn't even on the payroll yet. - He did pay me, he did pay me. He was like, "I'll pay, I don't think he was like, "I'll pay you two grand, "you come out and decorate my whole home." - Damn, that's really good. - Which was, I was like, "I'll be there," and I was also like, "You have a home, you." - Oh, me, me, me, me. - I was like, "A number one, you have a home," and number two, yes. - Yeah, yeah, okay, okay. - Anyway, so it came out. - Two grand, incredible. - Incredible. And I think you gave us, like, $20,000 to decorate the whole home or whatever, which I was like, yeah. - 20? - Which then it came back and they were like, "It's not enough." - Yeah, 'cause it wasn't. - Yeah, but that was in, oh, it's fucking 14. - You're not 14, but you're like 21. - Hi, whatever. - That's about what you're up for. - Anyways, and it was a whole home. You didn't have a single, he didn't have a sheet, he didn't have a towel, he had nothing. Anyway. - When you said, "Decorate the home," I thought you meant for, like, for a party. - So I was confused, this is just to fill up the house. - This is when I bought Terryview. God, first time. - And he bought his first home. - Yeah, yeah. - And there was nothing in the house, obviously, and we hadn't gone to the furniture store yet, and there was no bed, there was no bed for Reggie and I to sleep on. So David was like, "My friends, Zane and Heath "have this incredible couch." You should just go over to their apartment and take the cushions from the couch. It's really comfortable, and then just put them on the floor, and you guys can sleep there for the-- - Shut the fuck up, wait, what? - Yes, this is what you're doing. - Wait, what? So you sent me and Reggie going, knocking on Zane and Heath's apartment door. - Why don't I remember this? - 'Cause there was no reason for you to remember me at this time. I was just some random girl from David's hometown. - Wait, what? - Yes. - Wait, where did you live? - In Hollywood, it was like-- - By Wilshire? Was it like a box? - I walked in, the kitchen was on the right, the sofa was over here, you were in your bedroom, you came out hung over as fuck, and I was like, where the fuck am I? Who are these guys? - The Denny House? - No, oh, it was before. - Was Heath's room on the right and Zane's on the left, like it was split? - Yeah, yeah. - Yeah, okay, it's the Wilshire House, the Wilshire apartment. - You were in the Wilshire apartment? - Yeah. - That's crazy. - What? - Where Heath and I home? Like, did you get access when we-- I do not remember this, it's just no fucking way. - I don't remember ever being like Zane, can they come use your cushions? - Yes, you did. - I called Zane and I asked. - Yes. - He was like, come? - He was like, yeah, of course. - They could take the couch cushions. - So I came over and-- - I probably thought it was like homeless people, I don't know. (laughing) I mean, technically yes. - And then Reggie and I come over. You and Heath come out, you're like hung over as fuck, you start taking the cushions off your couch. I'm putting like, Reggie and I are like one by one, taking them down to the car, taking them back to Terry View, and then we put them on the floor and Terry View and like Reggie and I slept there for two days on Zane and Heath's couch cushions. - Whoa, that's crazy. - Isn't that crazy? - Wait, why don't you just get an air bed? - I have no idea. - No, the way that David insisted that this couch was going to change our lives, like-- - Okay, that's not-- - Way or like couch? - No, it was like blue, like a moral, like blue-- - I still remember it. - Oh, wait, okay, so this was not the wheelchair apartment. This was the, this was the cling apartment. - I mean, I have no idea. - That was when we had that blue couch. - Okay. - Like, you saw it with the long blue couch? - Yes. - Yeah, yeah, that was, that was cling. Yeah, okay, so that was after that
It was after Danny. Yeah. Yeah, because remember, we all separated, we all, it's so funny. I think it was funny. These names mean so much to us, but people listening have never really heard them. I mean, they know Danny now, but like, they've never heard them because obviously that there are addresses that are street, but that was the only way we cling, belling him. Belling him. That's so crazy. Like, these are like big streets that are like, all to view, all to view. All to view. Wow. And we're the only ones that do that. It's so crazy. No, no, everyone does that. Yeah, I'm sure. Really? Yeah, yeah. When I hear other people do it, I was like, oh my god, do you guys do that, too? Sick. Okay. And then you, yeah. And that's-- Wow, that is really ass backwards instead of getting a mattress. You guys went to say in the heat's house. I don't know. I mean, it was a comfortable couch. Yes, it was. I think that-- I have an obsession with couches, and I think I must have had a fixation with that couch at the time. Oh, yes. Where I was like, no, this is better than anything you'll have that needs to do. I was like, there's no way it was the first one. Because the couch that we had was like literally like a porn casting girl. I remember. It was like the black leather three-sitter. It's been sunken in. Just like it's just been used. So I was like, I really don't think we're talking about-- It's like one of those you pick up on the side of the street. Yeah. 100%. Yeah. And that's where people would sleep when they would come over. There was nowhere else to sleep but that couch, but it was just like just dented in. My first picture hanging out with you guys is me laying on that couch, I think. Yeah, I didn't know that. But yeah, wow. That's crazy. Yeah. So I didn't even know who you were. And that's how good of a person I am, guys. Yeah. I let running strangers in the house. That's really good. All right, guys. Well, that's all the time we have for today's podcast. Oh, that's it. Thank you guys. Oh, well, is anything that unfolded in much longer episodes? How long ago? And have more substance. [LAUGHTER] Oh, I think Georgia has a podcast too. Georgia, why don't you plug yours in too? [LAUGHTER] I was getting to that. All right, what's your-- what's your podcast? It actually always does. It's really sweet. What's your pod? The podcast is ruptured. Incredible. Have you listened to a podcast? I have. I've seen a lot of clips. Yeah, clips are not listening. We have got Joey Zodick from prison on there. We called him in prison. Really? That's actually really fun. We called Who From Prison? Joe Exotic. Wait, no way. No way. 200 bucks. That's crazy. We've been moded to him. And I thought we got scammed. We're sitting in the podcast studio. My phone rang on a no-color ID. And it was like a prison call. Do you accept this call? I'm like, it's him. That's sick. That's sick. The way that starts to-- Wait, wait for 200 bucks. You could call Joe Exotic. Yeah, he was advertising it. I had this dream that I wanted him on the podcast. Weirdly next day I've gone on his Instagram and he's doing calls from prison for 200 bucks. That's wild. I said that was meant to happen. What a really good business deal for him. Yeah. And $200 bucks. That takes you far. $200 is priced fairly, too, on both ends. It was cool off and out. It's great. I'm like, great for us. It's cool. Damn. Well, if I got-- I'm going to listen now. Even if I was just hanging on my hometown friends and we got really high, if we all put money together to call Joe Exotic's after we watched the show and everything, the 200 bucks is fucking incredible deal. Yeah. Wow. Great first guest, too. Is that your first guest? No, it was one of the first. Yeah, but he was great. That's the first guest. We put, um, fuck Mary Kill with him and I was like, that's kind of fun. He's kind of iconic. Oh, wait, wait. Oh, wow. That went right over him. Did he kill someone? No, he's like in there for attempted murder. For attempted murder. But yeah, I was kind of like, that's kind of on the fence, but-- Did he say? Did he say kill the person who-- He killed Jake of the Lordy, which I was shocked about. I was like, you don't really know what you're killing. You must have happened outside recently. Did you, did you, I don't all say like the three, like, Carol Baskin? No, we, I was so close about. Who were the fuck Mary Kill's for that? I think it was Leonardo DiCaprio. Um, someone else that's hot and then Jake of the Lordy and he said fuck, fuck, kill. I don't know why you killed Jake of the Lordy. You just go kill, kill, kill. And he looks like he's fucking amazing. Biggest mistake ever. Did he ask him, oh, wait, when does he get out? Um, in a few years, but he was, he's doing the calls to get an attorney to help him fight his case, you know. Is he going to go back to Tigers after or? I don't know. He's been married. I think he's like chilling now. He just wants to get out and be with his husband. What was the whole thing with him that he was legally had Tigers in Florida? It was that, but like the main thing was the attempted murder. Was Carol Baskin's husband? Yes. Right? To do with that. Oh, it was like a show that pivoted into something crazy, right? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, it pivoted into something. If pivoted into someone, he had someone working for him that was like undercover. Yeah. And he was like paying, he was trying to get a hit on Carol or something. Something like that. Oh, my God. Have you ever, you've seen that right? I remember, because I think it's so good. You're like, you gotta, you gotta get to like episode, whatever it fucking does. No, that was like, that was TV. Yeah. Like man, that was fucking electric. And you know what's even weird, I think. Harry's in season two. I was watching season two and Harry's in season two. Wait, what? It comes up and I'm like, why is he on this show? He's friendship. Wait, what was he doing? I'm like, how do you, what was he everywhere? They put Harry in everywhere. That's why. That's crazy. Harry's in the new animated avatar. It's really, everything. All right. Yeah. Go listen to all the pods. Go check out everybody. Thank you guys. See you for the next vlog.
Podcast Summary
Key Points:
Zane and Heath began their Vine journey after meeting in high school, despite early bullying and a difficult upbringing marked by social exclusion and racial targeting.
Their success stemmed from a strategic, viral campaign of liking and sharing other users’ content, which created momentum and built a loyal audience through organic engagement.
They formed a unique duo brand—“Zayn and Heath”—that became iconic on Vine, driven by their chemistry and the appeal of their comedic, relatable skits.
Their first brand deal came from a $250 video for a dating app, marking a turning point when they realized their content could generate real income.
Vine’s decline prompted them to pivot to YouTube and vlogging, where they continued building influence while also mentoring others and embracing new creative challenges.
Their experiences at events like Coachella and Disney World highlighted both their resilience and the risks of overexposure, including a memorable incident involving a drunk challenge and a hat trade with a child.
They emphasized the importance of authenticity and collaboration, with Heath playing a key role in comedy and Zane in content strategy, forming a dynamic duo rooted in mutual support.
Their journey reflects how early internet culture, especially Vine, laid the foundation for modern influencer marketing and content creation.
Summary:
Zane and Heath’s rise on Vine began in Fort Lauderdale, where Zane faced severe bullying due to his Arab heritage, leading to a traumatic middle school experience. Their journey shifted when they discovered Vine, inspired by Marcus Johns’ viral success. They launched a joint channel called "Businessman" (later known as "Zayn and Heath"), gaining traction through a strategic campaign of liking thousands of posts to grow their audience.
Their content, featuring short, humorous skits, resonated with viewers and built a loyal following quickly. They earned their first brand deal for $250 with a dating app, marking their entry into monetization. As Vine declined, they transitioned to YouTube, where they continued creating entertaining content and mentoring peers.
Their story highlights the power of authenticity, community, and persistence in the early days of social media. They also share vivid anecdotes from their travels—like the chaotic Disney World "drinking around the world" adventure and a drunken hat trade with a child—showcasing their adventurous, humorous, and sometimes reckless personality. These experiences underscore how personal struggles and relatable humor shaped their influence.
Their journey from bullied teens to influential creators reflects both the challenges and rewards of online fame, while also emphasizing the value of genuine human connection in content creation.
FAQs
They started their Vine channel together after meeting in high school. Inspired by Marcus Johns, who had 50,000 followers, they decided to create a joint channel called 'Businessman' and began posting short, humorous videos together.
Their first Vine video was a car wash skit. They gained momentum by liking thousands of other Vine videos and transferring followers to their channel, which helped them grow quickly.
They grew their audience by systematically liking thousands of videos on Vine and encouraging followers to follow them. This strategy helped them gain traction, especially because viewers found the duo’s shared content engaging and unique.
Yes, they earned their first brand deal for a $250 video promoting a dating app called Grupper. At the time, they had around 30,000 to 50,000 followers and were still building their presence.
Marcus Johns was a pivotal inspiration, as he was one of the first to hit a million followers on Vine. His success showed Zane and Heath that content could go viral, motivating them to start their own channel.
Yes, Zane handled the creative and comedic direction, while Heath focused on the execution and humor. Their complementary skills made them a strong duo, with Zane often coming up with ideas and Heath bringing them to life.
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