Humans of Reno: A Prolific Student Instagram Meme Maker

As the cost of living and tuition keeps going up for university students, some of them are finding creative ways to make money. Here at the University of Nevada, reporter Daniel Baldini profiles the student behind the Instagram account scoobydoofruitsnacks which has over four million followers.

UNR student Justin Balconi checks his phone every morning before he gets out of bed. However unlike most young people who do that often, Balconi has a reason; his phone is his source of income.

Listen to an audio report above by Daniel Baldini about Justin Balconi, a successful meme maker.

Regulating Growth, Paying for College and Plenty More

Balconi owns one of the “largest meme accounts in North America,” @scoobydoofruitsnacks, an Instagram account he owns with over four million followers.

Balconi says he works hard every day to regulate his follower growth. His account is a private account so he has to log in and use an automatic follower accepting software that helps with this.

The strategy of making this large of an account private is simple — it helps him gain followers. Sharing memes is common between friends, so when you get a meme from an account that’s private you have to follow the account to see the meme. This, he says, enables him to gain around five to eight thousand followers a day.

Balconi is also a college business major at the University of Nevada, Reno, and a fraternity member, so to keep time for studies and fun, he’s hired three employees who all post memes for him on the account while he remains in charge of the business side of things.

Balconi works on the rooftop of his Reno apartment building, a place he commonly goes to, to make phone calls regarding ad purchases for his account.

Making Money with Ads

Balconi makes revenue with ads, including a recent one for an app developing company with fun video puzzle games. An Instagram user can swipe up and purchase the app on the spot via scoobydoofruitsnacks. It’s a win win for both, and more entertainment for the user purchasing the app.

Depending on the amount and types of ads Balconi posts, he says he can make lots of money each week, four figures worth. Recently he sold an old Instagram account he used to run. Even more recently a company bought 30 promotional posts from him.

How much money is he making exactly? He says he’ll be able leave college with plenty more money than he came with.

Reporting and Photography by Daniel Baldini shared with the Reynolds Sandbox