How a B.C. man went viral by creatively popping balloons

CENTRAL SAANICH, B.C. –

Before David Beck discovered the positive potential of filling a balloon full of water, he was striving to be a full-time travel photographer.

“It was my big dream,” David says. “I was working hard.”

But then the pandemic hit harder. David lost both his photography gigs and the bartending job that was paying the bills.

“I was definitely under a lot of stress,” David says.

He says his mental health started suffering, so he began searching for some way to take his mind off it all.

“Obviously you’re looking for a positive place to put your energy,” David says.

Obviously if you have a lot of time on your hands, with nothing to lose, why not pop a balloon full of water with an axe and capture the action in slow motion on camera.

But far from obvious was what happened after David posted the video on social media.

“In the first 24 hours, I got a million views or something,” David says. “I was freaking out!”

David says the video would eventually reach more than 200 millions views, so he wondered what would happen if he made a couple more.

When you pop balloons on the internet and it goes viral, you keep going.

“I just think, right place at the right time,” David says.

Yet, three and half years later, during this very different time from the pandemic, David’s balloon-busting videos are earning even more viewers.

“Things have skyrocketed,” David says.

Thanks to producing countless thousands of daily balloon-popping videos on YouTube and other social media sites, David’s earned almost 20 million followers. A couple of his videos have earned more than 500 million views each.

David is now a full-time content creator.

“It’s wild.” David says he’s thankful for his global audience. “I’m stoked.”

David says he also couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity to focus his seemingly superficial content on more substantial issues, ranging from the war in Ukraine, to videos specifically aimed at calming anxiety or distracting from depression.

“My message is to share gratitude, positivity and love,” David says.

David also shows us how — if we choose to respond creatively — the worst days of our lives can be transformed into our best.

“When life’s calling on you, you gotta respond,” David smiles. “You gotta do what you can to keep going.”