Damn Daniel

Damn Daniel is a 2016 viral video.^[1] Daniel Lara (born September 11, 2001) and his friend, Joshua Holz, who are students at Riverside Polytechnic High School,^[2] reached their Internet fame after their video, an edited collection of Snapchat videos, went viral on social media platforms.^[3] In 2016, Time magazine listed Lara as one of "The 30 Most Influential People on the Internet".^[4]

The original video was retweeted 69 times, liked 400,000 times on Twitter and looped more than two million times on Vine.^[5] The original video clip is a 30-second compilation of Lara striding around school, with Holz complimenting him by repeatedly saying "Damn Daniel!" and occasionally following the catchphrase with: "Back at it again with the white Vans."^[6] In the video, Lara wore a navy blue hoodie, skinny chinos, a burgundy backpack and slip-on sneakers.^[7] This led to Lara and Holz guest appearing on Ellen, soon after, where Lara received a life-time supply of Vans' shoes.^[8][9] Lara donated the shoes to patients at Loma Linda University Children's Hospital in California.^[10][11][12]

Tech Insider stated in an article that “It’s hard to explain why it’s so funny.”^[13] As a result of the video's popularity, companies such as Clorox, Vans, Denny's and Axe used the phrase "Damn Daniel" as a part of their marketing campaigns.^[14][15] Vans' profits peaked shortly after the video as well.^[16] In addition, the video's rise in popularity created price inflation for "Damn, Daniel Vans," which have sold for upwards of $400,000.^[17] The video has also been turned into a song by rappers Little, Teej, and LeBlanc.^[18][19] According to Wired, the viral video lasted for 14 days before Josh Holz, the director of the short video, had his Twitter hacked.^[20] Daniel and Josh were later featured in the video for the song "California Kids" by Weezer, which appears on the band's 10th album (and fourth self-titled album), Weezer. The meme was also turned into a house song by Australian electronic comedy duo Bombs Away, adding to its popularity.^[21]

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