The McFarland family transformed their hobby of making home videos into a thriving social media presence, trading secure corporate careers for the unpredictable world of content creation. Their popularity exploded during the pandemic with creative takes on viral challenges, but their genuine family dynamic has always been their foundation.

Before becoming full-time creators, however, the McFarland brothers, Colin and Dylan, followed traditional career paths. Colin worked in marketing for a senior living company, while Dylan landed a position at Brown Forman, working with Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey.

“I got this job,” Dylan recalls, “and my parents were like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is so great. Our boy’s done it. He’s really done it.’ And then we were like, ‘Dad, I don’t think this is right for us. We want to make videos.’ And he was like, ‘What?'”

Dan McFarland, the family patriarch who became the unexpected star of their videos, was initially skeptical. “I’m Dan, the dad, and I actually still work. I’ve always been in sales, but when the boys started in social media, I just jumped in and tried to help them as much as I could.”

Throughout 2019 and early 2020, the transition wasn’t immediate. Colin and Dylan maintained a grueling schedule, working their day jobs from 9 to 5, then filming content at their parents’ house from 6 until 10 or 11 at night.

“We would leave nine to five and then we’d meet up at Mom [Kathy] and Dad’s and we would film,” Colin explains. “Which left both of our fiancées at the time like, ‘We cannot keep doing this.'” This unsustainable routine prompted them to consider content creation as a full-time business, but first, they needed to prove it could be successful.

Finding Their Breakthrough

The McFarlands’ earliest content creation experiences stretch back to childhood, with Colin noting, “Since we’ve been kids, we’ve always loved making videos. When Dylan and I would stay home, mom and dad were working in the summer, we would just get out the Handycam and come up with video ideas.”

Their first social media success came on Vine, where they maintained separate accounts and built modest followings. After Vine shut down, they experimented with various platforms, including a short-lived app called Vigo.

When TikTok emerged, the brothers made a key decision. “We decided to go in with just one account,” Dylan says, “because on Vine, you had my separate account, Colin’s separate account. And it was kind of difficult because we would come up with a video idea and then be like, ‘Who’s are we going to post it on?'”

Their early TikTok content consisted of “off the wall” comedy, with Colin recalling a breakthrough moment: “There was one meme style where Dylan and I, we’re in the kitchen just asking dad what’s for dinner. And he just turns around and screams at the top of his lungs in this high pitch. And that one, for some reason, people thought was hilarious.”

The pandemic in 2020 provided the catalyst for their viral explosion when they tackled the popular “Blinding Lights” dance challenge. Unable to dance, they transformed a simple trend into a narrative that showcased their family dynamic.

“We cannot dance at all,” Colin admits. “So we’re like, how can we change this?” They created a storyline where Dan reluctantly agrees to participate. “Dad, he’s just reluctant because he can’t do this dance. He’s like, ‘Boys, I don’t know. Like, I can’t do this.’ I’m like, ‘Dad, come on. The people, they need you.'”

The family spent two and a half hours in their driveway, meticulously breaking down the dance routine into 15-20 separate shots while neighbors watched curiously. The resulting video resonated immediately, landing them on “Good Morning America.”

“It almost brought a lot of people together,” Colin reflects. “Especially while we’re home during the pandemic, we can do stuff with our family. You can have fun with your parents.”

Inside Their Creative Process

A typical McFarland content creation day blends planning with spontaneity. Colin describes their process as “chaos” and “a bit of everything,” noting that for a simple video concept, they’ll often start with just a one-sentence idea.

“Most of the time, it’s just that we’ll have a one-sentence idea. We’ll get together and then kind of banter off each other,” Colin explains. They typically spend about an hour refining the concept before filming begins, making adjustments as they go. “A lot of the time, while we’re filming, we’ll make changes because that’s a little funnier.”

For a 30-second video, they estimate about an hour and a half to two hours of filming time, with sponsored content requiring more structure and preparation.

The family draws inspiration primarily from everyday situations that viewers can recognize in their own lives. “We try to find stuff that is relatable,” Colin explains, offering a recent example: “When you drop a piece of food on the floor and you try to point it out to your dog and they just can’t find it. So you’ve got to bring out the toe tap.” The response validated their approach, with comments like “I thought I was the only one who did this.”

Their content philosophy centers on creating relatable scenarios that are slightly exaggerated but still believable. “We like to think of our stuff almost like ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ where you watch that and you’re like, ‘It could happen. It’s why it’s funny,’” Colin says.

What makes their content stand out is how it connects with different age groups. As Dylan explains, “We have our ideas and we bring them to our parents and they’re like, ‘Well, this could be funny for my generation.’ We’re like, ‘Okay, we can kind of mix it and make it funny for people that are our age or younger.’ It’s multi-generational humor.”

Platform Approaches and Audience Connection

The McFarlands use a thoughtful approach for each social media platform, recognizing that audience expectations differ. Initially, they posted nearly identical content everywhere, but they quickly learned that this wasn’t optimal.

“When we first started off, we were posting almost every video we made across every platform,” Colin explains. “It was wild to see that one that would go viral on TikTok might not do well on Instagram or vice versa.”

They find that many of their most engaged followers are on Instagram and YouTube, while TikTok requires shorter, more immediate content. “On TikTok, it seems like the shorter videos that just pack a punch quicker do better because a lot of the TikTok audience wants that instant, like, stop me from swiping,” Colin observes.

Rather than focusing solely on views or likes, the family values shares as their primary success metric. “I always love when our videos get a lot of shares,” Colin says. “A video that gets a lot of shares means that we did something right. Because people didn’t just like it themselves, they want to send that video to their mom or their dad.”

The Rewards of Family Creation

Despite the challenges of working with family members, the McFarlands unanimously identify togetherness as the most rewarding aspect of their content creation journey.

“The most rewarding part of all this is just being able to do it as a family,” Dylan reflects. “There’s never a day when I don’t see either one of them, which is great. Every day is almost like a backyard little party. We just all hang out and get experiences as a family.”

Colin adds a poignant observation: “If it wasn’t for social media or us being creators, I don’t think we would see each other as much as we do.”

The family also treasures the archive of memories they’re creating through their videos. “We get that comment a lot,” Colin notes. “‘It’s so cool that you do this as a family so you can have these videos forever.'” This aspect has taken on new significance now that Colin has recently become a father. “Colin just had his first little daughter,” Dylan explains, “and we just have all these videos and memories that we can always look back and see.”

Beyond personal satisfaction, the McFarlands derive meaning from the impact their content has on viewers. Dan shares, “When someone comes up to you and says, ‘Thank you for making us laugh,’ especially during the pandemic, it’s nice when people come and say, ‘Man, we had such a bad day.’ But just watching your videos has made us so much as a family and just made us laugh.”

Some of the most touching feedback comes from viewers who see their own family dynamics reflected in the McFarlands or who find comfort in memories of loved ones. “The comments that are like, ‘Oh, my gosh, I lost my dad a couple of years ago, and your dad reminds me so much of mine,'” Dylan shares.

Being Real: A Business Advantage

The McFarlands’ business success stems directly from their commitment to being genuine. When meeting fans in person, they consistently hear the same feedback: they’re exactly like they appear in videos.

“That does happen a lot,” Dan confirms. “And we’ll start cutting up with them, whether it be in an airport or just on the street somewhere. They’re like, ‘You guys are just like you are in your videos.'”

Colin describes encounters with fans where his father receives particular attention. “This man gets recognized. He gets treated like he’s Santa Claus,” he laughs. “A lot of people say, ‘Oh, my gosh, like, you are exactly how I pictured you would be.'”

This authenticity extends to their content selection process. Rather than chasing trends that don’t align with their sensibilities, they focus on creating videos they genuinely enjoy. “We just do things and choose projects based on how we feel about them,” Colin explains. “We’re not going to jump into something that we’re not gung ho on. We know we won’t enjoy that. And most of the time, our audience isn’t going to enjoy that either.”

‘The Backyard Chronicles’

Recently, the McFarlands began creating longer content with their YouTube podcast series, “The Backyard Chronicles,” responding to audience requests for deeper insights into their family dynamic.

“Since a lot of our content is that short-form skit comedy style, we want our audience to see more of how we interact with each other and what we do on a daily basis,” Colin explains. The podcast features casual conversations about family experiences, from trips to parenting to grandparenting, all in a relaxed setting.

“We get that comment a lot,” Colin notes. “‘I just wish I could have a cookout with you guys in your backyard and just hang out.’ And that’s what we want to do is just welcome everyone to our house and feel like they’re just hanging with us.”

The McFarlands are managed by Fixated, a creator representation and monetization company. Their manager, Cameron Partridge, provides production support for projects such as “The Backyard Chronicles” and guidance on brand partnerships.

Advice for Family Creators

For other families considering content creation, the McFarlands emphasize the importance of embracing what makes your specific family dynamic unique.

“Don’t try to exactly copy someone else, because no two families are exactly the same,” Colin advises. “Whatever you find funny in your family, whether it’s inside jokes or certain weird shtick your dad has, because all dads, that’s what we’ve learned, is like, they seem to all be the same, but they’re all so weird in their own ways. So, yeah, just show that.”

Dan distills their philosophy into a simple motto: “Just laugh with your family. You live with them, you gotta laugh with them. You know, just have a great time. I think we laugh so much as a family because it just makes life a lot easier when you can laugh at each other or situations.”

The McFarlands’ path from casual Vine creators to professional content makers demonstrates that, in the competitive creator space, sometimes the most effective business approach is gathering your loved ones, embracing genuine interactions, and inviting audiences to join in the family fun.

“We just love to create,” Dylan concludes. “We’re always going to keep creating and having a good time doing it.”

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