Meet Kevin Craig Carlock.
He’s a first-year, a Virgo (Leo cusp!), and on the Davidson golf team. Oh, and he’s also the viral superstar who created a YouTube video asking Star Wars actress Daisy Ridley to be his date at the athlete’s formal. Here’s where it gets better: she responded.
We at Her Campus Davidson aren’t ones to shy away from fame, so we sat down with Kevin to talk about his warp-speed ride through virality.
How did you get the idea to create a formal invitation video?
I’ve always been a Star Wars fan, and I thought the new movie that came out was so awesome that I saw it four times in theaters. I watched some press conferences and interviews that Daisy gave, and I especially admired her authenticity and the personalized attention she gave to her interviewers.
How was the process of creating the video?
Recording in the audio media labs was one of the most awkward experiences in my entire life. It was just me singing into a microphone with no other music playing. I think there are a couple of permanently damaged relationships that resulted from that.
How did you feel when you saw Daisy’s reply?
70% excitement and 25% disappointment that she couldn’t go. I was on my way to golf qualifying, and I thought about it for the entire round and played so horribly. I did not qualify for that tournament, not even close.
Do you think you and Daisy would have gotten along?
I think so. From what I can see, she seems like she doesn’t take herself too seriously and she has a realness to her that I think is admirable. But I don’t know her, so that’s why I want to meet her at formal!
At this point, we took the liberty of imagining what Kevin’s formal date with Daisy would have been like:
How are you coping with all of this fame?
I don’t think it’s fame, just a lot of fun. My friends have been super above and beyond supportive, and the Davidson community has really backed this, especially on Facebook. None of it could have been accomplished without help from people with much more knowledge than me.
At this point, Kevin thought it apt to provide a “Shoutouts Section” dedicated to the people who helped him achieve such notoriety:
To Spencer Papciak, who inspired me to create a video in the first place.
To David Sargent, a.k.a., “White Chedda,” who helped write the lyrics to the Ridley Rap.
To Jack Lang, for his excellent choreography.
To Abhi Jain, the filmographer, editor, and general hero of the project, who had never used a camera before in his life.
Have you gotten any negative attention from this?
For one, I’m getting DM’s from girls around the globe on a daily basis asking if they can go to Davidson spring formal with me, which is a little bit alarming, but slightly hilarious. I’d say I get about one every day.
What have some other interesting reactions been?
My golf coach finding out was pretty awkward. He’s usually a very quiet guy, but one day before practice, I was sitting on the couch and he plopped down next to me, gave it a very lengthy pause, and then said, “So I got a text from the Wake Forest golf coach about our team’s YouTube video.”
Advice for others who want to go viral?
It’s all about levels. You can’t just release the video and send it to NBC. You have to build sort of a resume. I sent probably more than 2,000 emails during the first week of its release to every news office in North Carolina. I don’t want to say academics took a backseat, but I definitely treated this as though it were a full-time job. Once Daisy replied, of course, it took off on its own.
What are next steps?
We’re really trying to get on Ellen. We’ve sent hundreds of requests and would appreciate it if other people would send requests too. We think we’ve got a good case: dancing, college kids, viral videos, and we really want Jack Lang to twerk onstage.
Seen the formal invitation video and want more? Kevin was gracious enough to provide us with some exclusive screenshots of cut scenes, one featuring Curry’s old stomping grounds and another featuring MBB:
Although Daisy’s rejection was bittersweet, we at Her Campus still think this story had a happy ending. May the formal be with you, Kevin!
If you are interested in writing an article for Her Campus Davidson, contact us at davidson@hercampus.com or come to our weekly meeting Tuesday at 8pm in the Morcott Room.