Photography: Matt Klitscher.
When your videos are reposted by Justin Bieber, Shania Twain slides into your DMs and you share your kina with Jason Momoa, it’s only natural to be inundated with brand deals. But while some influencers might jump on every bandwagon, social media sensation Louis Davis has a refreshing approach that’s the same as his rule for fishing – take only what you need.
With his online success having created the security he and wife Ashleigh, 32, need to comfortably raise their three daughters – Anakiwa, five, Kānoa, three, and Kiahi, one – Louis, 32, regularly declines big-money offers. He wants those paycheques to go to other content creators, so they can support their own families.
“My dream already came true,” explains the Celebrity Treasure Island contestant, who is of Ngāpuhi and Ngāti Whātua descent.
“My whānau is good. We don’t have to worry about anything. How much money do you really need? There are so many creators who are set financially and don’t need to be doing brand deals. If you’ve made 10,000 videos, those videos are making money every month. “I’ve got very simple needs now. It’s about what difference I want to make or what fun I want to have. Unless it’s a real adventure like Treasure Island, I’d prefer to be with my family, fishing and diving.”
From student videos to viral success
It’s been a slow and surprising road for Louis to find financial stability. Growing up in the Far North, he never imagined content creation as a career option. But while studying marketing 12 years ago, he started making videos to fuel his love for storytelling.
Beginning by documenting student life, Louis has since branched into diving, fatherhood and celebrity encounters. With more than two million TikTok followers, his videos rack up 300 million views each month.
Such success has earned him a trip to Apple headquarters in the US, where he met YouTuber MrBeast and rapper Travis Scott. He has also been reposted by Usain Bolt and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
Meeting internet royalty
“That’s the power of the internet,” he smiles.
“There’s no barrier between me and them.”
But when your social media profiles are dripping with Hollywood stars and exotic adventures, Louis admits it can feel like you’re not entitled to complain or experience hardship.
“If you have a life where you don’t have to worry about money, it’s like you’re not allowed to struggle. You can’t run to your friends and whine to the public because they’ll tell you to shut up. You get no empathy. It’s a lonely space.”
What drives his success
Such challenges are why Louis feels it’s important to love what he’s doing – something he believes is key to earning views and followers.
“The thing that separates top-tier creators is we all still like making videos,” he explains.
“You pass a point where you don’t have to worry about money, so you’re just playing for the love of the game. “And you have to be open to changing what you make because if you get bored of the stories you tell, your audience gets bored. When I started, it was about being a uni student, living in the halls and Thirsty Thursdays! Then my career began, I got married and we had kids. My life changed.”
A bigger purpose
Today, one of Louis’ greatest goals is helping to create a positive image of Māori people.
“My hope is to be a tsunami that washes away stereotypes like Jake the Muss. I want to leave an impression that we’re people of goodness, not drunk, dumb, hori people who are shit dads or abuse our partners.”
Appearing on CTI is a way to reach even more people. Having grown up on the ocean around Northland, he believes his diving, fishing and outdoor skills are an asset on the show. His strategy going in was to be honest with his castmates, rather than being sly or sneaky, and he ultimately hopes to show his daughters that he tried his best.
Learning as a father
Parenting the girls has been his greatest challenge, with Louis constantly questioning whether every decision he makes is good or bad from a fathering perspective. He hopes his “crazy job” inspires the trio to explore any career path.
He enthuses, “My biggest aspiration for my kids is that they have delusional dreams. It’s hard to go where you don’t know, so if they watch my example, they’ll have the courage to be writers, pianists or dancers. “Growing up, I had no one creative to look to, then I saw the Laughing Samoans doing comedy and it changed my life. To see another brown person making money in the entertainment industry was transformative.”
Following in his footsteps
And since Louis’ kids have his creative path to inspire them, it’s no surprise Anakiwa has already shown a love for the spotlight.
“She’s a performer,” he grins.
“She’s magic. But I think they’ll all be storytellers of some kind.”
Celebrity Treasure Island screens Monday-Wednesday at 7.30pm on TVNZ 2 and TVNZ+.
