There are few positive memories from the pandemic but one person who helped us all get through the day was a man with cranberry juice, a longboard and dreams.
When we were all stuck inside and unable to see our friends, online videos were a source of comfort and entertainment for many.
It's almost impossible for anyone who was on TikTok or Instagram at that time to have not seen a video of Idaho man Nathan Apodaca.
While you might not know him by name, you'll almost certainly recognise the video of him cruising down the street on a longboard, while sipping on some Ocean Spray while listening to Fleetwood Mac's eternal classic 'Dreams'.
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That song always brings the good vibes but Nathan's good mood was inspirational to many people who were going through a tough time, and the video was liked more than two million times.
Six years on, with the video transporting him into a different world which has seen him appear in TV shows and music videos, Nathan has now recreated the original video for his vast social media following.
Speaking to People, the content creator has revealed how posting the impromptu video helped to completely change his life.
He said: “I kept thinking, I need to get a video out, and I also need to get to work on time.
“By coincidence, I had the juice with me — I really did drink it a lot — but as I was going down the hill, I just felt the vibe with the song."
He was initially unsure about posting it but was determined to make it big on social media and took the advice of a motivational speaker who he would listen to on the way to his work. When he woke up the next morning, it had already been viewed seven million times.
Nathan added: “I was like, ‘What the hell’s going on?’ I had no idea about the concept of being viral; I understood it, like you’re viral and everyone sees you, but I didn’t understand the opportunities that would come from it.”
In the months that followed, he was approached by Mick Fleetwood himself, with the music legend even singing Happy Birthday to Nathan while creating his own version of the video.
Suddenly, the door was being opened for Nathan and he found himself being offered acting opportunities, even appearing in a music video alongside Snoop Dogg and Cheech & Chong.
“Getting into music is something I always just played with,” he says. “I just wanted to have fun with it. I definitely feel like I could be a one-hit wonder, and I’m fine with that. But having Snoop, Cheech & Chong, George Lopez - all of that blows my mind.”
Although he has recently recreated his video, albeit with a different cranberry juice brand, he is now committed to doing his own thing on social media and hopes that he can continue to spread joy, while also reflecting on the impact his off-the-cuff video had on millions during the pandemic.
He concluded: “I like to think that it helped people realise that people are people. For one second, everybody loved each other for being human.
“It was just beautiful seeing the world come together."
Topics: TikTok
James Moorhouse