Des Moines, Iowa, native Granny Coy Bundy is giving Gen Z a run for its money. The 47-year-old grandmother has 2.8 million followers on TikTok and is using music to inspire millions. Bundy first went viral last June after dancing in her kitchen to Megan Thee Stallion’s “Savage” mashup. She says she never imagined what would happen next.
“He was like, ‘Mom, you got like a million views on this,’ and I was like, ‘Wow, is that one of your friends,’ ’cause I didn’t know,” Bundy laughed as she explained how one of her sons informed her of her newfound social media fame.
Several weeks later, Bundy went viral again for dancing to the “Savage” remix featuring Beyoncé, which also got the attention of Queen B’s mom, Tina Lawson. “When she shared it, I went straight to Facebook, because that’s where my family is, went on live and I cried,” said Bundy. “It made me feel like I had a purpose.”
This hobby has now turned into a business for Bundy, who is now a full-time influencer who spends hours daily on TikTok. “I spend a lot of time on TikTok. I probably spend six hours on TikTok from looking at videos on my ‘For You Page’ to looking at my follower pages and I usually post three times a day,” said Bundy.
Joining a platform that is geared towards Gen Z was quite an adjustment for Bundy. She says in the beginning the fans in the comments would call her names. “They started coming on my post and some were saying, ‘Somebody come get they grandma’ and ‘Whose granny is this?’ so I added Granny to my name,” said Bundy. She says monetization does not start until after you reach 10,000 followers. Instagram works a little differently.
“I don’t get paid for views on Instagram, but it does make a difference on promos and sponsors. Like right now, if I was to get an offer from a sponsor, I would think that I could charge the same amount for Instagram as I do for TikTok because I have a chance of a viral video hitting because I have 2.8 million followers on TikTok,” Bundy added.
Business Insider reports that creators can make $0.01 to $0.02 for each sponsored view on TikTok, meaning 100,000 views can make you roughly $1000 dollars in sponsorships. “You get paid monthly for views on TikTok, let’s say February was when you got the views, you’ll get paid April 1,” she added.
Before going viral, Bundy was a writer. She published two books, “Life Chances: Your Choices Can Change Your Child’s Life,” and another called “Life Chances: Relationships,” inspired by the childhood trauma she has overcome.
“I’m not a professional. I haven’t gone to college, but I’m just a mom and a person who actually was in situations that traumatized me as a child seeing my friends get shot or hearing gunshots,” said Bundy.
Today, after her continued viral success, she tries to help other creators extend their reach by showcasing their talents on her social media platforms.
“I’ll see a small creator and I see their talent and share it to the world. I want small creators to build their platforms because I want everybody to eat at the table.”
Bundy says the key to going viral is doing something you love despite age and negative comments. “Do something that makes you happy, not [what makes] the world [happy]. Because if you’re doing something for somebody else, you’re never going to succeed. Anything that you do whether it’s viral or not, do it with love. Do it with your heart,” said Bundy.
