Brunswick native gains fame, almost 4 million TikTok followers

Ever since he was a 10-year-old boy growing up in Brunswick, Liam Donafee has always been interested in making videos. Whether it was behind or in front of the camera, and anything from filming videos with his friends in his basement or doing school projects through the Medina County Career Center video production program, Donafee said he always knew he wanted a career in film. "I didn't want a normal person job. That's kind of boring," he said. "I want to do cooler, more fun things. I started making videos and I realized that I like making videos but I wanted to be in front of the camera rather than behind it. I've always kind of been in the entertainment realm. I like making people laugh." In high school, Donafee started posting on YouTube and decided he wanted to get into acting. Then, at 18, he hired an agent and moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. According to Liam Donafee's IMDB page, he has starred in several short films such as "Unbridled Spirit," "Jessie," "Oscar" and "Street Ships." He's also appeared in the TV show "Betrayed" and was in the movies "Sincerely, Me" and "When Today Ends." At the time, platforms such as YouTube and Instagram were not giving Donafee the growth and following he said he was hoping to amass. Now at 24 and still living on the west coast, Donafee has found fame, success and much more on the social media app TikTok by combining his love of videos and his love for food on his account "liamslunchbox." After posting his first TikTok in March 2020, his account now has nearly 4 million followers and he has received recognition from celebrities such as Gordon Ramsay, Katy Perry and rapper Lil Yachty. "I'm still going to pursue the acting route but since my social media has been taking off, I'm trying to put the acting on hold so I can focus on my social media career," Donafee said. "It's also more fun because I have control over everything. I don't have to wait for people to say yes. I can say yes to myself and bet on myself and do whatever I want." Donafee has now made a career out of TikTok and posts at least two videos a day. They range from informative (recipes for dishes such as caprese salad), to silly (cooking a Fruity Pebbles-crusted filet mignon), to somewhat indescribable (dunking an entire piece of pizza in a bucket of ranch dressing, only to then reveal that his face is covered in ranch dressing as well). "I finally feel like I've merged food and comedy," Donafee said. "You never plan to go viral but I feel like I kind of did. I thought it into existence, I believed it, I put in the work and it happened. I think (Gordon Ramsay) has dueted five of my videos." At the onset of these videos, Donafee's mother, Sandi Donafee, said she initially was concerned videos such as the ranch dressing one were going to possibly hinder his chances of appearing in serious acting roles. Now, seeing the attention her son has brought onto himself because of his unique style, those fears are long gone. "It's actually made a path for him to do other things," she said. "He went even as far as painting his nails with Gordon Ramsay's face on them because he made a comment about his nails. He put (Gordon Ramsay's) face on his nails and challenged him to a cook-off." Just do it To look through Donafee's videos on TikTok, it might be easy to think, "Why and how did he get so successful doing things that anyone with a phone could do?" He even thinks that himself, sometimes. To him, the difference between him and everyone that might think that is one simple thing: actually going out and doing it. "I look at my own content all the time and think anybody could do it," Donafee said. "I think I've just done social media so long that I know what works and what doesn't. People that say they can do that, they didn't think of it. I thought of it, so I did it. My content is not necessarily hard to do." This is the same mentality he's had even dating back to when he was a preteen and throughout high school. One of his high school classmates and now roommate in Los Angeles, Liam O'Donnell, said Donafee has always had the drive and self-starting attitude he displays now. That's what he said sets him apart from others. "He's been doing social media for six or seven years without getting any money for it," O'Donnell said. "He's been posting almost every day of his life. It's all about the reps." Even Sandi Donafee said her son often goes the extra mile where others might stop short. She has her own experience with that level of drive and motivation, having started her own business when she was just 22. "I think I kind of taught him the path of positivity," she said. "He moved out to California with support from me. I had his back and I would go out there all the time. Seeing your kids' dreams come true, that's the best. He works so hard and puts a lot of time and money into it." For Donafee, that's what it's all about — just going out and making the content he wants to make, he said. "A lot of people do something for a day and then they give up too fast," he said. "I could have given up 10 years ago when I started making videos. Anybody can do anything and blow up on (TikTok). It's just about doing it." Big accomplishments, bigger plans For as well as Donafee has done on TikTok and all the attention he has received, he said he doesn't feel as though he's made it yet. Down the line, he has multiple projects he hopes he can spearhead including an interview show — something he has long had a desire to do — and an Anthony Bourdain-style travel food show. He wants to use his platform to document his struggles with eating disorders and spread awareness about them. "I want to start doing things that really make myself proud, instead of just going for numbers," Donafee said. "I pride myself on being transparent. Any time I'm more open and honest about who I am and what I want, it works in my favor. Then, nothing is a lie." Contact reporter Jack Kopanski at (330) 721-4063 or jkopanski@medina-gazette.com.