B.C. man's balloon-popping videos earn hundreds of millions of views worldwide
Before David Beck discovered the positive potential of filling a balloon full of water, he was striving to be a full-time travel photographer.
“It was my big dream,” David says. “I was working hard.”
But then the pandemic hit harder. David lost both his photography gigs and the bartending job that was paying the bills.
“I was definitely under a lot of stress,” David says.
He says his mental health started suffering, so he began searching for some way to take his mind off it all.
“Obviously you’re looking for a positive place to put your energy,” David says.
Obviously if you have a lot of time on your hands, with nothing to lose, why not pop a balloon full of water with an axe and capture the action in slow motion on camera.
But far from obvious was what happened after David posted the video on social media.
“In the first 24 hours, I got a million views or something,” David says. “I was freaking out!”
David says the video would eventually reach more than 200 millions views, so he wondered what would happen if he made a couple more.
When you pop balloons on the internet and it goes viral, you keep going.
“I just think, right place at the right time,” David says.
Yet, three and half years later, during this very different time from the pandemic, David’s balloon-busting videos are earning even more viewers.
“Things have skyrocketed,” David says.
Thanks to producing countless thousands of daily balloon-popping videos on YouTube and other social media sites, David’s earned almost 20 million followers. A couple of his videos have earned more than 500 million views each.
David is now a full-time content creator.
“It’s wild.” David says he’s thankful for his global audience. “I’m stoked.”
David says he also couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity to focus his seemingly superficial content on more substantial issues, ranging from the war in Ukraine, to videos specifically aimed at calming anxiety or distracting from depression.
“My message is to share gratitude, positivity and love,” David says.
David also shows us how — if we choose to respond creatively — the worst days of our lives can be transformed into our best.
“When life’s calling on you, you gotta respond,” David smiles. “You gotta do what you can to keep going.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Poilievre kicked out of Commons after calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 'wacko'
Testy exchanges between the prime minister and his chief opponent ended with the Opposition leader and one of his MPs being ejected from the House of Commons on Tuesday -- and the rest of Conservative caucus walking out of the chamber in protest.
Baby, grandparents among 4 people killed in wrong-way police chase on Ontario's Hwy. 401
A police chase which started with a liquor store robbery in Bowmanville Monday night ended in tragedy some 20 minutes later when a suspect fleeing police entered Highway 401 in the wrong direction and caused a pileup which killed an infant and the child's grandparents, as well as the suspect, investigators say.
BREAKING Hosting Vancouver's FIFA World Cup games could cost half a billion dollars
Hosting seven games in Vancouver during the 2026 FIFA World Cup could cost more than half a billion dollars, according to an updated estimate provided Tuesday.
Man dies after suffering cardiac arrest while waiting in ER, widow wants investigation
When an ambulance took David Lippert to the hospital in March of 2023, the 68-year-old Kitchener, Ont., executive was hoping to find out why he was feeling weak and unable to walk. Some 24 hours later, he was found unresponsive in the ER.
Sword-wielding man attacks passersby in London, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring 4 others
A man wielding a sword attacked members of the public and police officers in a northeast London suburb Tuesday, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring four other people, British authorities said.
Freeland previews omnibus budget bill, proposed capital gains tax change left out
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will be tabling yet another omnibus bill to pass a sweeping range of measures promised in her April 16 federal budget, though left out of the legislation will be the government's proposed capital gains tax change.
WATCH Arnold Schwarzenegger spotted filming in Elora, Ont.
The name of the project has not been officially released although it’s widely believed to be the Netflix series FUBAR.
Conservatives push motion calling for Carney to testify, say it's about 'accountability'
The federal Conservatives made good on their promise to push for former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney to testify before MPs, resulting in a heated political debate in Ottawa on Tuesday.
London Drugs stores remain closed, 'cybersecurity incident' may have breached personal data
London Drugs says it is working with third-party security experts as the company tries to reopen dozens of stores across Western Canada that were shuttered by a cybersecurity incident Sunday.