You know those nonsense 100 second Snapchat stories that you just click through? Imagine one that is 15 minutes long…do you delete that person? Not if that person is Timmy Gray.
Who is Timmy Gray? I did not know who he was until a few days ago when my roommate was watching a YouTube video. Laughing to the sound of it, I walked over to her side of the room to see what it was. It was no “Damn Daniel” or “You Not My Dad.” It was “Three Things Scranton.” (Link below. It is important that you watch)
You might have seen this video floating around the internet. It is an accumulation of Timmy Gray’s 15 minute Snapchat story where he asks students HERE at The University of Scranton to list three “things.” That sounds easy, doesn’t it?
Based on the subject’s reactions to he or she’s question, the on-the-spot pressure produces an accumulation of flustered, anxious, confused and hilarious responses. The participants have a limited time of around 6 seconds to answer.
I met up with Timmy recently to get the scoop on this project. A distinct and lively sophomore here at the U, Timmy is that red head kid you’ve seen on the Lacrosse team. He explained to me that he first started this Snapchat story in the locker room with his team, just for fun. “It started around 6 p.m. and then after practice I continued just around campus all night until like 11 or 11:30 p.m.,” Timmy said. I was shocked to hear this; when you watch the video, you will think it was made over the course of a few days!
“How did all these people react to you going up to them and doing this?” I asked
“Some loved it, almost everyone was smiling, that’s what I loved about the video, everyone’s laughing. But…there were some people who were just not havin’ it,” Timmy said.
The video starts out with the Lacrosse team. Riled up after practice, they seem excited to participate. Timmy went up to his teammates and invited them to name three things like, “Name three of the seven dwarves,” “three soap operas,” “three General Mills Cereals,” and so on. He then moves to places like our own DeNaples Center and even the Library, where he told me he in fact did NOT get in trouble for running around creating these videos.
Did Timmy come up with these questions on his own? Yes, he did. He had the idea from a friend who also used Snapchat to ask friends to list three things. From demanding participants to “Name three games on an iPhone” to “Name three places to buy a notebook,” our fellow peers actually, really, definitely, mostly did NOT seem to gather their thoughts quick enough to answer correctly. And it’s hilarious.
Watch the video and try to play the game yourself, and imagine being on camera. These Scranton students involved make up a video that can put a smile and a laugh on anyone’s face.
I also spoke with a senior featured a lot throughout the video, Timmy’s friend Will Hartz. Will explained to me that naming three things was actually very pressure filled, but he wanted to prove himself. He answered a few questions right like, “Name the three types of bibliographies.” (MLA, APA, Chicago…Scranton taught him well.)
Timmy and Will would love to get famous from this. Already, the reaction to this video is widespread. They love seeing how much Scranton students find the video entertaining and hope that other college students around the country watch it. And it already has reached campuses around the country! Timmy received calls and texts from kids he went to high school with, and even his family, commenting on his funny “documentary.”
“It actually was awesome to hear from people who I haven’t heard from in forever just tell me how much they loved the video. It was nice that the video brought me together with some people I haven’t been in contact with.”
Some more about Timmy and Will:
- Timmy is an RA in Fitch. He is an Exercise Science major and has 4 little sisters (awh).
- Will is a Neuroscience major who never wears any of his shirts untucked, ever. He pretty much has no hobbies. You can see a solid 2 whole minutes of Will in the video.
Both Timmy and Will’s favorite response from a student was:When asked to name three of his teachers, one first year student simply could not.
The real question is: WILL THERE BE A PART 2?
Timmy plans to continue this as long as he can. He’s hoping to try to do this the third Monday of every month. So if you see this kid with his iPhone out walking toward you, you have two choices: run away or brace yourself.
Watch video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jdojp11ZF9s