Stefan Johnson, known to millions as “Snack Daddy,” became an overnight social media sensation in 2021, after he posted a silly video on TikTok of himself ranking the best fast food french fries. He woke up the next morning to the video having over 1 million views. He posted a follow-up the next day, and it racked up 2 million views.
Thanks in large part to the success of those videos, Johnson is taking the voiceover industry by storm, providing narration for McDonald’s, World Wrestling Entertainment, Netflix and more. He sat down with Signal Cleveland to take us through his journey from growing up in Cleveland to becoming one of the most successful influencers on social media.
Q: Before we get into your incredible career, can you tell us a little bit about your upbringing in Cleveland?
I grew up on Hough for the first 16 years of my life, then we moved to Lexington Village. I went to Martin Luther King High School and graduated in 2008. After I graduated, I stuck around the area and worked at University Hospitals, Pizza Hut and Subway.
Q: What were some of the things that you loved about growing up in Hough?
You have such a community there. It was a rougher area, but there is so much love in the community. It was never the type of area I worried about walking up and down the street with my guitar. It was one of those a-village-raises-a-kid-type situations. I had about four or five “moms” and “grandmas” on the street. Everyone was always looking out for me and the other kids in the neighborhood.
Q: So when you go back to the Hough neighborhood now, what is the general reaction, like when people you grew up with see you?
It’s all love. I’ll go up to Thurgood (Marshall Recreation Center), where they host the Hough Festival every year, and it’s all hugs and daps. People tell me how much they love the content. And I’ll run into my buddies and we reminisce about the old times. It’s always love when I go back to Hough.
Q: When did you first realize that you had such a unique voice that people enjoy listening to?
My voice has been around this timbre since around 3rd grade. I would get up to read a passage from a book in class and you would hear the kids and teachers gasp. It got to a point where they would ask me to do the morning announcements or I would be the class reader just because people loved the voice.
Q: You were doing food reviews during COVID to help pass the time, and that’s the thing you are probably most known for these days. What inspired you to make your first food review video?
I was actually doing music parodies and skits on TikTok just for fun and to make my friends laugh and those would get some decent views. Something just said, let’s make this goofy food video. I made my list, posted it and went to sleep. When I woke up, it had a million views. Then I made a follow-up video and it got 2 million views in two days. I started doing more short-form things on TikTok and it ended up becoming a whole thing.
To hear the full interview and to learn more about Stefan’s story, including his music background, his growing voice over career and overcoming a speech impediment, head over to Signal Cleveland’s Instagram page @signalcleveland.
