Rob Clark has made a career out of being tall. When the six-foot-tall father of four decided to quit his job in Michigan during the pandemic in search of a place to live that wasn’t so cooped up, he and his family came up with the idea of recruiting social media influencers. become. They came up with the name That Tall Family. “We’re tall,” says Clark. “When we walk into a room, people notice us.”
That was in March 2021 and Clark had not been offered a job. He and his wife Rachelle decided to sell their house and end it. “We had 18 months to live off the equity in our home,” he says.
Fortunately, Clark’s previous background in social media paid off and the show took off. Today, now based in Greenville, Illinois, the family has 2.2 million followers on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube where they document their lives as a larger-than-average family. “I’ve found that when you look at families on YouTube or social media, it feels like you know them,” he says.
They currently rake in about $100,000 a year from their social media efforts, with about $1,000 to $3,000 of their monthly income coming from TikTok’s Creator Fund. The family has worked with brands such as Meta, Nickelodeon, Warner Brothers, Toronto Raptors, Walmart, Sam’s Clubs and CROSSNET, the quadruple volleyball game. “It’s actually kind of insane to think that we could document our lives and make a really good living from it,” says Clark.
In the family’s most successful videos on YouTube, Clark’s eldest son, Carter, who is 6 feet tall, stands in the front yard, and family members take turns running and running. trying to give him a high five. That video had been viewed 170 million times when we spoke in January.
The Clark family has compiled their height into a series of popular YouTube and TikTork videos that pay off … [+]
“Everyone is always asking what my gear is,” he says. “Every video is made on my iPhone. An $18 ring light I bought from Amazon was my only investment.
Clark says he’s been making videos since Carter was two years old. The family, who lived in Canada at the time, took a 30-day road trip that they documented in videos. All told, they made about 700 videos, he estimates.
“Ultimately, it ebbs and flows,” he says of the family’s video-making. “When the children are involved in a sport, the content shifts a bit. We work it around our lives.
When TLC approached them, he says, they passed. “We knew our lives should revolve around that,” he says. “We want to run a business that works for us.”
Living in a small town where they stand out for their height, the family often answers questions from people who are curious to become social media influencers.
“Almost every student wants to be an influencer to some degree,” he says. “My 13-year-old daughter will undoubtedly be the biggest influencer in the family. She just gets it. She already has her own accounts that are doing very well.”
