Meet the man behind the popular Seabus Memes account
If you’re from B.C.’s Lower Mainland and use social media, you might be familiar with Seabus Memes.
Nearly every Friday, the account’s creator – a graphic designer from North Vancouver who has kept his identity a mystery – posts a series of memes satirizing life on the West Coast.
“At this point, it’s kind of become my whole life,” the man behind Seabus Memes told CTV News. “I feel like I can’t stop it.”
The creator, who asked to keep his anonymity intact, said he’s “always been sort of a creatively driven person.”
When he launched the account in 2018, the early posts were almost exclusively inspired by his daily commute downtown on the SeaBus.
Through the years, he's branched out into memes poking fun at everything from COVID-19 policy to the housing crisis to this week’s transit strike.
"I guess I'm hoping to succeed in accurately reflecting our local culture and society," said the creator, who writes, edits and produces all of his own material.
He also incorporates new technology, including A.I. voice-cloning software, which he uses for animated skits involving impersonated celebrities ranging from Keanu Reeves to Alex Trebek.
One of his most popular series of videos involves the unlikely trio of Joe Biden, Donald Trump and Barack Obama going on fictitious West Coast adventures, such as a ferry trip to Victoria, a night drinking at Earls, or a Vancouver Canadians game.
"The juxtaposition of these politicians … acting like guys in their 20s who are just kind of idiots, and also the local references, are the biggest thing people are drawn to," said the creator.
His account currently has nearly 200,000 followers on Instagram, plus many more on Facebook and X, the platform previously called Twitter.
The man behind Seabus Memes told CTV News the account’s success has allowed him to quit his 9-5 job and focus solely on content creation.
"I never imagined it would become my career, but here we are,” he said.
As for the future of Seabus Memes? The creator said he may one day switch gears and focus on national topics – but for now, he’s happy to continue releasing locally-driven content every week.
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