Normally, Caleb Simpson ’15 is the one putting others in the spotlight. But this time around, the tables have turned, and the focus has shifted to the viral MU alumnus.
Normally, Caleb Simpson ’15 is the one putting others in the spotlight. But this time around, the tables have turned, and the focus has shifted to the viral MU alumnus.
If you spend any time online, it doesn’t take long before you run into Simpson’s social media content. With 8.4 million followers across YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, Simpson is best known for his video series that tours some of the most unique apartments in New York, Los Angeles, and other large U.S. cities.
Most of Simpson’s videos show him walking up to someone and asking them how much they pay for rent each month – ranging from $700 to $10,000 – followed by a tour of their studio, loft or apartment. While Simpson typically meets up with everyday Americans, he’s also had the chance to feature well-known celebrities like “Shark Tank” business tycoon Barbara Corcoran – who actually reached out to Simpson to be featured.
His friendly, “MTV Cribs”-style videos have become such a sensation on social media that ABC, NBC, the New York Post and more have featured Simpson on their platforms.
“I simply want to be out in the community, interacting with people,” Simpson said. “This gives me a chance to experience something new each day while potentially uplifting people and showing off their homes.”
Simpson would tell you his rise to social media fame wasn’t immediate and it took years of hard work. He grew up in Morganton, N.C., before he started at MU in 2010.
“I grew up playing tennis, but I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do. Once I found out that Methodist University had a Professional Tennis Management (PTM) program, I knew that’s where I wanted to go,” Simpson said.
On top of his studies, Simpson was in the Kappa Sigma fraternity, a captain of the MU Club tennis team, and he found his passion for creating video content. After earning his bachelor’s in Business Administration with a concentration in PTM, he went on to work in the tennis management industry in Raleigh and NYC. He also taught himself how to record and edit high-quality videos and started volunteering for social media personalities.
In 2021, Simpson helped start a media company in the NFT-crypto space, but he also had been building up his personal social media brand and decided to become a full-time content creator on various platforms. Since then, Simpson’s social media accounts have “blown up.”
Simpson acknowledges some people may not understand how he’s able to make a steady living in the profession, but he aptly explained how his business degree helps him to this day.
“I’m a walking billboard,” he said. “A Super Bowl ad may cost a company a few million dollars with less than a 100 million people watching. I normally get half a billion views a month. If you do the math, there’s a lot of money to be made in this space.”
Moving forward, Simpson hopes to tour more celebrity homes and create videos across the world. And, he’s grateful for the experience he had as a Monarch.
“Looking back at my time at Methodist, it was great for me,” said Simpson. “Without my experience there, I’d honestly be working a dead-end job. It was definitely a valuable time.”
This story was published in the Spring 2023 edition of “MU Today Magazine”. The magazine is available digitally on the MU website.