Dennis McCray, better known by Indianapolis social media users as BigDenDen, didn’t mean to start his profane catchphrase — a four-letter word stretched a little longer by his unique inflection that punctuates each of his increasingly viral videos.
“It’s S, H, E, T, T, T, T,” McCray, 43, told IndyStar.
The word, now yelled at him from car windows as he walks or worn on shirts by fans, was kept in one of his early “I’m From Indianapolis” videos as an outtake. He messed up the attempted video but ended up leaving in the expletive by mistake.
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In just over a month, McCray’s social media posts have gone from a few thousand plays to tens and hundreds of thousands each. He’s grown to more than 33,000 Instagram followers and 163,000 TikTok likes. He shoots enough clips for two or three videos in a day and aims for three or four posted each week.
McCray previously hosted a food review show, “Breakfast, Lunch and DenDen,” on WHMB-TV 40, and he’s been focused on making social media content for a little over a year. But his first “I’m From Indianapolis” video, posted just after Christmas, accelerated everything.
James Moore, 17, sought McCray out for a photo as he walked near Monument Circle Monday afternoon. The two bantered a bit and exchanged social media information.
“This is all new for me,” McCray said. “I’m like a quiet nerd.”
‘I’m from Indianapolis’ videos take off on social media
McCray’s videos follow a simple formula: He’s from Indianapolis, he tells the viewer at the beginning, then it’s the meat of the matter, then his catchphrase.
The meat is where it gets interesting. Sometimes, he’s sharing some down-home regional wisdom. Others, it’s a history lesson on a particular building or location.
“The city has changed over the years,” McCray said. “I’m 43. Some places used to be a restaurant and are not a restaurant now. I just want to tell people about that.”
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Malls, restaurants, businesses, the weather and his fellow Hoosiers are all fair game. But, as is often the case with reviews, his takedowns of specific restaurants, businesses or buildings seem to have created the most heat behind him.
Like a video featuring a certain Wendy’s location near Eagle Creek.
“Man, that Wendy’s don’t ever have no food,” McCray said. “They don’t ever be there. They don’t ever do nothing. So I was shining the light on that.”
The video series began after someone accused him of losing his edge due to his tamer television persona, McCray said. So he went off, and a lot of people liked it.
McCray said his videos often result in social media follows from particular brands, and he has yet to receive any major pushback on unfavorable reviews.
And yes, he really is from Indianapolis. Born and raised in the 49th Street and College Avenue area.
What’s next for BigDenDen
Content creation not yet a day job. McCray takes care of his 2-year-old twins, Jenesis and Myles. But he’s looking to become a global influencer. He’s mixed some sponsored content in with his usual videos. He has a few speaking engagements lined up. He has some opportunities to do stand-up, though he’s still working on what that may look like.
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He plans to keep on grinding in the content mines, as well as stepping up his personal appearances. He has plans to begin speaking in several township schools, which he is looking forward to.
Probably best to leave out that catch phrase, though.
Rory Appleton is the pop culture reporter at IndyStar. Contact him at 317-552-9044 and rappleton@indystar.com, or follow him on Twitter at @RoryEHAppleton.
