Parker James, 19, is a social media creator based in Dallas, Texas, who has made a name for himself on TikTok through his family-friendly comedic character "StEvEn." Below James shares in his own words how he went from being an average high schooler to a TikTok powerhouse with over 6 million followers, a talent agent and making a living from creating videos.

19岁的帕克·詹姆斯（Parker James）是德克萨斯州达拉斯市的一名社交媒体博主。他因其家庭喜剧角色"史蒂文"（StEvEn）而在TikTok（抖音海外版）上一举成名。下面，詹姆斯用自己的话分享了他是如何从一个普通的高中生变成一个拥有超过600万粉丝的TikTok流量王、一名出色的经纪人，以及如何以创作视频为生。

When I was younger, I started making funny videos in hopes of making my friends and family laugh. Their reactions always made me so proud and motivated me to continue to come up with new jokes and skits.

我小时候喜欢制作有趣的视频，希望能让我的朋友和家人开怀大笑。他们的反应总是让我感到骄傲，并激励我继续新的笑话和小品的点子。

However, as I grew older I got more into sports than my previous comedy passions. Unfortunately, while trying out a new trick on my skateboard, I fell on my arm and broke it in three places and had to get two metal plates and 12 screws put in my arm.

然而，随着年龄的增长，比起以前对喜剧的热情，我对体育更感兴趣。不幸的是，当我试着在滑板上玩新技巧时，我摔了胳膊，导致三处骨折，不得不在胳膊里放置两块金属板和12颗螺丝钉。

At first I was devastated because I had worked so hard to secure my position on the school football team, and now I was being told I could no longer play.

一开始我很沮丧，因为为了保住我在学校足球队的位置我曾刻苦付出了很多，但现在我被告知我不能再踢球了。

What I didn't realize at the time was this amazing opportunity was waiting for me. The door was closing on my football career, but a new one was opening.

我当时并没有意识到有个令人惊喜的机会正在等着我。我足球生涯的大门正在关闭，而一扇新的大门正在打开。

How I got my start

我是怎么开始的

I discovered an app called Musical.ly and created a platform that would eventually turn into my career.

我发现了一个叫作Musical.ly的应用，并创造了一个最终成为我的事业的平台。

At first I was making videos at 3:00 a.m. in my room just for fun. I didn't expect my account to take off and start growing like it did.

一开始，我凌晨3点在房间里拍视频只是为了好玩儿。我没想到我的账号会像现在这样迅速增粉儿。

That's when I realized I could make this into something. I began to make this my priority and work on growing, figuring out what people wanted to see.

就在那时我意识到我可以把它变成某种东西。我开始把这作为我的首要任务，努力开拓，弄清楚人们想看什么。

I started posting on Musical.ly, and was lucky enough to get "Crowned" (their version of verified), which was extremely difficult to get on the platform.

我开始在Musical.ly上发视频，并幸运地获得了"加冕"（他们的版本验证），这在这个平台上是极其困难的。

When Musical.ly morphed into TikTok—the app encouraged original content so I was really excited about that because it was right in line with what I was already doing and passionate about!

当Musical.ly变成了TikTok，这个应用程序鼓励原创内容，所以我真的很兴奋，因为这就是我已经在做的事情也是我的激情所在！

Creating a community

创建社区

Through my comedy sketches on TikTok, I created my notable character "StEvEn."

通过在TikTok上发布喜剧小品，我塑造了我重要的角色"史蒂文"。

"StEvEn" became an extension of myself, a character who had the same curiosity, self-assurance and zest for life. He became popular for his quirky and funny interests and phrases such as "goober" and "Hey bucko" and his famous scream.

"史蒂文"成了我自己的延续，一个对生活有同样好奇心、自信且热情的角色。他因其古怪有趣的兴趣和诸如"goober"和"Hey bucko"之类的口头禅以及他著名的尖叫声而广受欢迎。

My followers enjoy his love of chicken nuggets and cookies and it was actually "StEvEn's" love for dinosaurs that launched my fan community—Dino Club. As my community developed, I made sure that my followers knew they were more so my friends than my fans.

我的追随者喜欢他对炸鸡块和饼干的喜爱，而正是"史蒂文"对恐龙的热爱才使得我的粉丝社区"恐龙俱乐部"得以成立。随着社区的发展，我确信我的跟随者们知道他们更像是我的朋友而不是我的粉丝。

I wouldn't have had these opportunities if it hadn't been for them, and I want my buddies (Dino Club members) to always know how much I appreciate and am thankful for their support.

如果没有他们，我就不会有这些机会，我希望我的朋友们（恐龙俱乐部的成员）一直知道我是多么感激他们的支持。

Turning social media into a business

将社交媒体转变为一门生意

Soon enough my follower count skyrocketed from one million, to two, to three and four million followers. When I was 18 I was approached by a management company.

很快，我的追随者数量从一百万猛增到两百万，再到三百万、四百万。我18岁时，一家管理公司找到我。

Even though I was getting business, I recognized if I wanted to develop my brand on a larger scale, I needed help.

尽管我正在开展业务，但我意识到如果我想更大规模地发展我的品牌，我需要帮助。

I signed with Barbara's management company Outshine Talent and got connected with my manager Mark Fischer.

于是我与芭芭拉的管理公司Outshine Talent签约，并与我的经理马克·菲舍尔达成了合作。

Soon after, I was super excited that I had the opportunity to sign with United Talent Agency (UTA) and my talent agent Samantha Schoenberg.

不久之后，我非常兴奋，因为我得到了与联合人才机构（UTA）以及和我出色的经纪人萨曼莎·勋伯格签约的机会。

Making branded content.

制作品牌内容

Since then, I've been incredibly busy working with a variety of brands. It's fulfilling to see my followers enjoy the products or services I promote.

从那以后，我一直忙于与各种品牌合作。看到我的追随者们喜欢我推荐的产品或服务，我觉得很满足。

In addition to campaigns, I recently launched a new merch line with a California based company called Safety Pin and it's been awesome. I've really enjoyed the creative and promotional process.

除了宣传活动之外，我最近还和加州一家名为"安全别针"的公司合作推出了一个新的商品系列，这特别棒。我真的很享受这个创意和推广过程。

What's next for me?

我的下一步是什么？

I can't wait to continue building out my "StEvEn" character. Eventually, I would love to see him as a cartoon or a plush toy with my other merch in stores, and even books!

我迫不及待地想继续塑造我的"史蒂文"这个角色。最终，我会很高兴看到他作为一个卡通或毛绒玩具与我的其他商品一同出现在商店，甚至在书里！

In terms of personal future projects, I have a passion for music and ultimately want to put out a record that sees mainstream success.

就我个人未来的项目而言，我对音乐很有激情，最终想推出一张为大众所喜爱的唱片。

I know the Dino Club will have my back through everything I hope to accomplish. Dino Club Forever!

我知道"恐龙俱乐部"会支持我完成我希望完成的一切。永远的恐龙俱乐部!

知识积累：

1. motivate v. to make sb want to do sth, especially sth that involves hard work and effort激励；激发

2. devastated adj. extremely upset and shocked 极为震惊难过的；非常伤心的

3. secure v. to protect sth so that it is safe and difficult to attack or damage 保护；保卫；使安全

4. morph v. to change, or make sb/sth change into sth different（使）变化；（使）改变

5. campaigns n. a series of planned activities that are intended to achieve a particular social, commercial or political aim运动（为社会、商业或政治目的而进行的一系列有计划的活动）

6. merch abbr. 货物；merchandise （总称）商品

本文英文选自goodmorningamerica，已选入《快捷英语 活页英语时文阅读理解 高二年级20》，参考译文由"快捷英语"提供。转载需注明出处。

"快捷英语 活页英语时文阅读理解 20（七年级、八年级、中考、高一年级、高二年级、高考）"，2020年12月即将上市，欢迎关注！