I became Insta-famous with dog videos during the lowest moment of my life
People know me for my goofball videos on the internet – often featuring my two rescue podencos, Nala and Monkey. But what they don’t know is that my viral fame earlier this year – which came about entirely by accident – coincided with one of the most traumatic periods of my life.
In 2023, I ended up living in a foreign city alone, without being able to speak the language. I could feel my anxiety levels creeping up by the day. Things got much worse when my Dad died suddenly from a heart attack on a family holiday last summer. Grieving has been a horrible process. For a while, I was just waking up late, smoking and listening to The Beatles – Dad’s favorite band. I was in bits.
After my Dad died suddenly, I didn’t want to do anything
I’m a musician with a niche skill for writing songs for other people. But after the events of last year, my creativity was crushed. I didn’t want to do anything. I was, however, aware of the power of simple daily routines to help manage stress. And I knew these would be my lifeline in terms of healing.
My plan was to get outside as much as possible. In the months after my Dad’s death, I got into the habit of running around on the beach at sunrise with Nala by my side (Monkey had yet to arrive at that point). I also went for a daily swim in the sea. During winter, the water was so cold, I was completely distracted: I couldn’t think of anything else. I found a lot of comfort in being as active as possible, and filming beautiful videos set in nature.
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Then in January of this year, my life changed once again, after I uploaded an Instagram video of Nala that people went nuts for. It was just a simple video of me saying, “Want to go walkies and wee wees?”. She responds by crossing her legs and snapping the air with her mouth. It’s something we do every day.
The thing is with Nala, she’s such a character. That’s why people love her. She’s a human inside a dog’s body. Her eye contact and body language are so expressive. I’ve had a few viral videos before on Instagram and TikTok, but what really struck me this time was how my audience just blew up as a result. I moved up to 50,000 and then 100,000 followers in a matter of days.
Nala’s a human inside a dog’s body. She’s such a character
Receiving so many comments was incredibly motivating: it puts a fire up my ass to keep creating. I wasn’t using hashtags or jumping on any trends. I was just uploading goofy, fun, anonymous videos (I’ve never even shared my surname) and people stuck around for more. Suddenly I found myself in the big league of influencers; it happened like that.
As a result, my songwriting website also lit up, and I found myself getting busier by the day. Between January and now, I’ve written 250 custom songs for people, about everything from bearded dragons to dogs, Dads, love stories and beyond. I’ve worked six days a week and hired my best friend to be my PA.
As well as vocals, I dabble in the ukulele, guitar and piano. My style is unique: it’s not something you’ll hear on the radio. The words and rhyming structure are the most important part to me, because everything must go together beautifully. In fact, my songs are more like musical poems. They have a catchy, whimsical rhythm – almost like a limerick. I also offer a first dance songwriting service for weddings.
The beauty of my business is that it’s one-of-a-kind – you can’t replicate someone’s story twice. So people receive something that’s completely theirs, and it lasts forever. I often receive videos of recipients in floods of tears; it’s pretty moving to have a song specially made with your story or name in it.
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Getting my creativity back has helped me a lot on a personal level but it’s also been hard when I’m still grieving. Every Saturday night, I take time to sit down and think about my Dad, and have a good cry. I talk to my friends and family a lot, but it feels too personal and raw for my social channels. Instead, I keep things on TikTok and Instagram deliberately light.
Saying that, there is an amazing link between my Dad and the videos I’ve produced over the past year. Growing up, my Dad was always the biggest goofball. He was like Jim Carrey and Robin Williams combined, talking in silly voices or doing puppet shows for us kids.
When I do silly stuff in videos, I’m keeping my Dad’s spirit alive
So when I do silly stuff on my channels now, I’m somehow keeping my Dad’s spirit alive. I’m channeling his ability to heal with humor, and it’s really helped me navigate the ride. My family gets so much joy from seeing what I do, too. Every compliment I get – it all comes back to my Dad. He’s my hero.
Of course, a lot of my goofy content revolves around my role as a proud dog Dad. As well as Nala I went to collect another rescue Podenco, Monkey, earlier this year. She’s adorable but she can be a bloody nightmare – she gets bored so easily! I’m the same, though. I can’t concentrate on one thing for more than 10 minutes. I try to give both her and Nala as much cuddles and play time as I can.
Before I adopted Podencos, I had no idea of their horrific mistreatment as Spanish hunting dogs. It’s truly shocking how cruelly they’re abused and because of that, I donate all the money I earn on TikTok to Hope for Podencos – the charity I found Nala and Monkey through.
A lot of interesting things have happened in life since my social channels took off earlier this year. I’m asked for selfies on the street, and have been approached to appear on Love Island. More importantly, I’ve settled into my new life in Barcelona by learning Spanish, and have loads of friends in the process. I continue to be very active, too, working out and running. But I’m also kind to myself because I’m still grieving. If I want to eat peanut butter in my underwear, that’s fine too.
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It’s my work raising money for Podencos that matters most, though. Hope for Podencos doesn’t even have a headquarters right now, so I want to do as much as I can to support them. I don’t want my life to be about making money for the sake of it; I want to give back. And if I can die having that kind of impact, I think my Dad would be very proud of me.
Charlie is a Flash Pack ambassador, songwriter, dog Dad and creator of Life Like Charlie, where he raises money for the charity Hope for Podencos.
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