Finance Graduate turned social media personality and comedian. Born with Achondroplasia Dwarfism, John Ferguson has lived his life ready to face any challenge. At a young age he decided to use his difference to spread positivity and joy with the public. He’s always been an entertainer but has now found a way to monetize it with his 1.5 million followers and videos that have gained millions of views. He went from being a popular small town kid in Erin, Ontario, Canada, to a worldwide social media icon. 

John has Directed, starred in, and produced numerous viral videos across all social platforms including a FaceBook video which amassed over 78 million views. Within three years, John grew his social media following across five platforms accumulating over 1.5 million followers and over 150 million views including a YouTube video on his personal account with over 43 million views.

As his following increased, brands started reaching out to work with him on promotions. He has negotiated multiple partnerships with major brands like Manscaped and Fuegobox to increase awareness and sales.

Making a Name In The Industry

John discovered a way to make a name for himself within his niche, and it all began in 2015 with a Vine. He had made a Vine of hiding himself in a washing machine and waited for his University friend to open it so he could scare him, this video got over 17million views. During late 2018, John put all his focus on social media, he used his height to his advantage by making comedic videos revolving around his uniqueness. These videos would be re-posted by Barstool Sports, House of Highlights, the LAD Bible, and Sports Center which resulted in gaining millions of views and giving his own channel tens of thousands of followers. With the increase of engagement, Ferguson was able to build a strong network of content creators around North America. This gave him another opportunity to grow his personal brand using other platforms.

Obstacles

John has experienced many obstacles in order to reach where he is now. Although, his main challenge has always been his stutter, as he’s had it for as long as he could remember. Being in an industry where speaking is essential, this was the obstacle that Ferguson both feared and wanted to overcome. Another obstacle he has experienced is branding himself to be different from the average little person you see in the entertainment industry. Plenty of people in the entertainment industry see someone with dwarfism and automatically assume they should play the stereotypical role of an elf, a hobbit, or be the butt of the joke, which downplays who they are as people.

Overcoming Obstacles

Overcoming these obstacles took a lot of courage, with Ferguson’s stutter, it took years of practicing and vocal exercises to become the fluent speaker he is today. He has had to face his fears and understand how important it is for him to be able to speak fluently on camera and in front of millions. John also branches away from the stereotypes people like himself are given by creating videos that showcased how capable people with dwarfism really are. Whether it be John getting launched 40feet in the air or playing roller skate hockey in the back of a moving semi truck, he has never been one to shy away from showing his capabilities. He has always used different types of comedy instead of the belittling short jokes you often see from entertainment pieces involving someone with dwarfism.

Uniqueness Within The Industry

When it comes to what makes John so unique within his niche, the obvious answer he would give is his dwarfism. Although, in all honesty John would say it’s more so his natural creativity and the way he is able to work with what he has and turn it into a short video. Within his industry there is an overload of the same videos with the same concept. Ferguson believes that being creative and being able to think of video ideas that haven't been done before give him an advantage in the industry. Although John does get to use his height to his advantage, he also likes to think outside the box, and with both a unique physical appearance and unique ideas, he believes the content he creates is truly one of a kind.