What began with a pocketful of rubber bands and an thought to treatment boredom throughout the COVID-19 pandemic has stretched right into a rising enterprise for 27-year-old Jayson Brocklesby.
Identified regionally for his athletic prowess in highschool and school sports activities, Brocklesby of Agnew now goes by Rubber Band Ball Man on TikTok (@rubberbandballguy), the place he’s set the objective to assemble a 500-pound rubber band ball.
“With the primary video I stated to myself, ‘There’s no manner I’ll get to a 500-pound ball. That’s going to be large.’ However it saved rising and rising,” he stated.
Because the rubber band ball grew, so did viewership, unexpectedly, Brocklesby stated.
“I believe it was half six (of establishing the ball final September) once I went to 250,000 followers in a single day,” he stated.
“I woke as much as my notification feed with no ending in sight.”
The expertise felt unreal, Brocklesby stated, so he went to work at 7 Cedars On line casino making an attempt to be unfazed.
“Everybody at work instructed me I popped up on their telephone,” he stated.
The concept to start the rubber band ball got here partly from working as valet supervisor on the on line casino the place he’d get greenback payments and must tie them up.
“Every evening I ended up with a handful of rubber bands in my pocket,” Brocklesby stated.
So he began making rubber band balls for enjoyable. The concept to movie his efforts got here to him when the primary ball, featured in his movies, hit 75 kilos.
“I’ve nothing else to do due to Covid, so I believed I’ll make a heavy rubber band ball,” he stated.
Going by the title Rubber Band Ball Man on TikTok, Jayson Brocklesby has amassed greater than 5 million likes on his movies as he inches in the direction of making a 500 pound rubber band ball. Photograph courtesy of Jayson Brocklesby
Increase
Dozens of movies later, Brocklesby’s mission has been featured at native skate parks rolling the ramps and bouncing from a bridge. He additionally continues to toy with new concepts, reminiscent of making his personal large bouncy ball, and tying rubber bands round a watermelon to make it explode.
This led about 550,000 on-line followers to him and greater than 5.3 million video “likes.”
The ball simply reached 400 kilos per week in the past, with about 10 kilos of rubber bands set for set up quickly, he stated.
“The final time I picked it up on my own was round 200 kilos,” Brocklesby stated.
“It’s tremendous tough and about 4 toes round.”
For Brocklesby, it’s a problem to maneuver it from room to room and even retailer it.
On the 100-pound mark, the ball broke a desk Brocklesby made for it. When he dropped the then-300-pound ball from a window for a video, it rolled and cracked his telephone on a tripod.
He just lately rolled the ball onto his mother and father’ deck and broke some boards too, he stated.
A rubber band additionally gave him his first black eye, which viewers can witness in a slow-motion video on his account.
Brocklesby wears goggles to forestall comparable incidents and gloves to keep away from blisters when build up the ball.
Gloves are a should together with goggles, not pictured, says Jayson Brocklesby when constructing his rubber band ball in any other case he will get blisters. One band broke giving him a black eye, too, he stated. Photograph courtesy of Jayson Brocklesby
Band of help
At this level, Brocklesby stated he’s spent hundreds of {dollars} on widespread rubber bands to specialty order bands coming from Thailand. However folks have gotten on board with constructing the ball up, he stated, sending him cash to buy extra rubber bands.
“I used to be stunned by that after which I felt I ought to no less than ship them an merchandise to present again so I began sending out small rubber band balls,” Brocklesby stated. “I’ve despatched one to Florida and one to Utah.”
He estimates there are upwards of 700,000 bands on the ball thus far.
Brockelsby’s movies even made their method to his girlfriend’s tattoo artist at Ravens Claw Tattoo & Gallery in Tacoma with the store providing to do a rubber band ball tattoo at no cost. Brocklesby stated he’d solely do it if he acquired 250,000 likes on a video.
“I felt it wasn’t going to occur,” he stated. “It hit it in lower than an hour-and-a-half. So, by no means dare folks to do one thing on TikTok.”
Jayson Brocklesby of Agnew acquired a free tattoo in Tacoma for his video journey making an attempt to make a 500 pound rubber band ball. He would solely get the tattoo, he stated, if 250,000 folks favored the video. It took lower than two hours to succeed in the objective, he stated. Photograph courtesy of Jayson Brocklesby
Trying forward, Brocklesby has some large concepts and aspirations for his movies. One thought is dropping a rubber band ball from a helicopter to see if he can accomplish a world document.
He’s additionally been throwing out the thought on-line that, as soon as the 500-pound ball is full, he’d it for a Tesla automotive.
“Being a valet parker, it’s only a good, dependable automotive to drive,” Brocklesby stated.
He’s additionally contemplating making a large rubber band ball package together with extra child-friendly science experiment movies to proceed branching out to youthful viewers.
“Youngsters like foolish, academic movies and oldsters need one thing they’ll get behind,” Brocklesby stated.
500 kilos
When folks study of his channel, the commonest query is, “What’s within the center?” he stated.
“Rubber bands!” he replies.
“I’m fairly certain there’s just one different ball being made that’s larger on the earth … so I’ve the world’s second largest rubber band ball being made proper now,” Brocklesby stated.
When it reaches 480 kilos he plans to purchase costlier, multi-colored rubber bands to brighten the ball up, he stated.
That 500-pound mark is probably going arising this summer season.
“It actually relies upon,” he stated. “I hope to be carried out earlier than the winter time as a result of you are able to do cool issues with it in the summertime.”
Final Might, that is what Jayson Brocklesby’s rising rubber band ball regarded like. Now, it’s greater than 400 kilos. Photograph courtesy of Jayson Brocklesby
Brocklesby was unhappy there wasn’t a gathering for the Sequim Irrigation Pageant’s Grand Parade as a result of he hoped to stroll the ball downtown. Now he’s planning to deliver the ball to his work on the prompting of his coworkers for the North Olympic Discovery Marathon.
His nieces love the mission, he stated, and the remainder of his “household is coming round to it.”
As for him, the mission stays enjoyable.
“I believe I’m nonetheless a child at coronary heart,” he stated. “Spherical, bouncy issues are enjoyable!”
Once more, discover Jayson Brocklesby, aka Rubber Band Man on TikTok at @rubberbandballguy.
The final time Jayson Brocklesby stated he was in a position to elevate his rubber band ball was when it weighed 200 kilos. Now at 400 kilos, it’s getting more durable to maneuver, he stated. Photograph courtesy of Jayson Brocklesby
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