Forget Retirement. Become a Social-Media Star Instead.
Lynn Davis, a 67-year-old retired engineer, never thought she would find fame and fortune on social media. She stumbled into it in the spring of 2020 during the pandemic while she and her family were in lockdown at their home in Holmdel, N.J. One day, she says, her son Tim Davis, an out-of-work videographer, asked her to help him shoot some short cooking videos.
He needed to do some work to keep his production and editing skills sharp, he said. And it would be fun. In 30 days, the mother and son made 30 short videos and posted them on YouTube, each one a showcase of mom’s quirky sense of humor and cooking skills, and son’s video-production expertise.
Among other things, Lynja, as Lynn Davis calls herself on the show, might be doing some crazy antics in the kitchen such as cutting a watermelon with an ax, cooking a 50-lb. chicken nugget, or dressing up as a turkey while frying one up for Thanksgiving. Today, “Cooking with Lynja" has nearly 27 million followers across TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, Linda Davis says.
She says that her large fan base has helped her make deals with brands including Chobani, Impossible Foods and Disney Cruise Line that she adds have pushed her annual income well into six figures. A Chobani representative confirmed the company has worked with Davis. The other two brands didn’t respond to requests for comment.
What the Davises hit upon was the growing appeal of a new cultural phenomenon referred to among marketers as “granfluencers." Seen on TikTok, YouTube and other social media, granfluencers are seniors who share their expertise on a subject through short, lively videos. Popular subjects include cooking, auto repair, fashion, health and life coaching. Most are people who rose from obscurity
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