Knights, Camera, Action: Anthpo's viral revival

In the age of social media, where influencers are constantly searching for innovative ways to get clicks, creators like Anthony "Anthpo" Potero immediately stand out. Instead of relying on algorithms or increasingly dubious clickbait, the Rutgers alum cultivated a devoted audience by adopting a straightforward strategy — he makes the videos he wants to.

Potero's online presence has been defined by his singular vision and control over his videos, which is evident in his decision to stop creating content at the height of his popularity. After a year of radio silence, he returned to making videos, now imbued with a new, creative direction.

In an interview with The Daily Targum, Potero discussed his time in New Brunswick, the behind-the-scenes process of creating videos and his decisions to leave and eventually return to social media.

While fans are probably familiar with Potero's recent hijinks, mainly involving him hanging out with friends, internet virality isn't anything new. The social media star has been making wacky comedy videos with his friends since high school, drawing inspiration from a mixture of traditional creatives, like Nathan Fielder and Donald Glover, and his online contemporaries, like Ryan Higa and Jaiden Animations.

"I don't look towards one person as like, 'This is how I want to be,'" he said. "I kind of just see the people around me, the world around, the things I love and I just make things."

Even with Potero's current focus on more polished and elaborate videos, these simple, random ideas he came up with during high school still rack up the most view counts on his channel. Potero's authenticity, whether he was dressing up as cartoon characters or handing pictures of video game characters to unsuspecting classmates, helped cement him as a "niche internet micro-celebrity."

But, as high school ended, the status of his channel was up in the air — figuring out where he would go to college took top priority. Eventually, he settled on attending Rutgers Business School, but it wasn't a seamless transition. While it allowed him to stay in New Jersey and attend school with his friends, it was initially a temporary decision.

"I was pretty sure I was gonna drop out. I got into some other schools that were further away and more expensive, and in my head, more stressful," he said. "These other schools I got into that are $80,000, and put myself into debt because of the year didn't feel worth it."

Like most first-year college students, Potero spent his first two semesters figuring out where he belonged. His plan was to continue making videos until he decided on a career path, but as he stayed in school, he kept returning to it. Whether it was his roommate, who was a videographer, or the prospect of exploring an abandoned bowling alley and the rest of Rutgers' lore, there were sources of inspiration all around him.

His channel remained true to its roots during this time, now set within dorms and lecture halls. Some of his most popular videos from this period included dressing up as a crab at Livingston Dining Commons or enrolling in Mr. KSA, a talent show held by the Korean Student Association. While other YouTubers might worry about alienating their audience with the happenings of their college campus, Potero found success while sticking true to his central philosophy.

"I kind of just make things that I think are fun," he said. "I'm making things for other people, but the first thing I think about is, 'Is this a fun idea? Would I watch this?'"

Potero's spontaneity is a major reason his content consistently feels so fresh. Since his first year at Rutgers, his channel has undergone several iterations, including a stint in a content house and a shift to making parody skits. Still, he's maintained a passionate fanbase.

"If you can become the 'XYZ' person three times, I feel like that's when you earn the title of your name," he said. "You do enough of those things and you're just a person who just does things."

As Potero entered his final years at Rutgers and decided to continue pursuing his education, his desire to leave social media resurfaced. To the surprise of his fans, he gave himself an ultimatum — he would stop posting videos after graduation.

"I just wanted to figure out what I wanted to do with my life," he said. "I'd been doing YouTube for my entire young adult to adult life at that point."

Throughout Potero's final semesters, a countdown loomed over his channel, but the content remained the same. While he had left things relatively open-ended, fans didn't hear from their favorite creator until May.

Only about a month after stepping out of the spotlight and accepting a new job for online sensation Mr. Beast, Potero began to consider resurrecting his channel. It wasn't until Potero took some time off and gained some perspective from friends that he decided he needed to give YouTube another try, only this time with a more serious attitude.

"I'm gonna give the YouTube thing a go, but from a job perspective. I'm not gonna treat it like it's something fun to do on the side like it had been in the past," he said. "Like, I would film a video at Rutgers and then edit it in three days and then post it."

Now, facing a new timer, counting down 24 videos to be released every month, Anthpo enters another era. No longer confined to a college campus or burdened by coursework, Potero's only limit is his ambition.

"Maybe it'll be awesome and everyone's gonna love it or maybe people are gonna excommunicate me from the internet. We'll see," he said.

As of writing, two of Potero's 24 videos have already been uploaded: one documents an undercover operation at a furry convention and the other involves the elaborate staging of an alien invasion.

Potero's made it clear that his return isn't definite — once the 24 videos are uploaded, he may leave the platform again. But, for now, at least, he continues to find solace in getting to do what he knows best.

"I just want to do YouTube right," he said. "It's what I'm good at ... My best skill is creating. Always do what you love, and most importantly, learn to love what you do. If you can learn to love what you're good at, I mean that's life, baby."