Rob Clark has made a career out of being tall. When the 6’4” father of four decided to leave his job in Michigan during the pandemic, in search of place to live that was not as locked down, he and his family came up with the idea to become social media influencers. They dreamed up the name That Tall Family. “We are tall,” says Clark. “If we walk into a room, people notice us.”
That was in March of 2021, and Clark had no job offer. He and his wife Rachelle decided to sell their house and make a go of it. “We had 18 months to live off the equity from our house,” he says.
Fortunately, Clark’s previous background in social media paid off, and the show took off. Today, the family—now based in Greenville, Ill. —has 2.2 million followers on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, where they document their lives as a taller than average family. “I’ve noticed that on YouTube or social media, if you watch families, it starts to feel like you know them,” he says.
They’re currently bringing in about $100,000 a year from their social media endeavors, with about $1,000 to $3,000 of their monthly income coming from TikTok’s Creator Fund. The family has worked with brands such as Meta, Nickelodeon, Warner Brothers, Toronto Raptors, Walmart, Sam’s Clubs, and CROSSNET, the four-way volleyball game. “It’s kind of insane, really, to think we could document our lives and make a very good living at it,” says Clark.
In the most successful of the family’s videos on YouTube, Clark’s eldest son, Carter, who is 7-feet tall, is standing in the front yard, and family members take turns running and trying to give him a high five. That video had 170 million views when we spoke in January.
The Clark family parlayed their tallness into a series of hot YouTube and TikTork videos that pay … [+]
“Everyone always asks what my equipment is,” he says. “Every single video was made on my iPhone. An $18 ring light I bought from Amazon has been my only investment.”
Clark says he’s been making videos since Carter was two years old. The family, living in Canada at the time, did a 30-day road trip that they documented in videos. All told, they’ve made about 700 videos, he estimates.
“Ultimately it ebbs and flows,” he says of the family’s video making. “If the kids are busy with a sport, the content shifts a little bit. We work it around our life.”
When TLC approached them, he says, they passed. “We knew our life would have to revolve around that,” he says. “We want to run a business that works for us.”
Living in a small town where they stand out because of their height, the family often fields questions from people curious about becoming social media influencers.
“Almost every college student wants to be an influencer to some degree,” he says. “My 13-year-old daughter will, without a doubt be the biggest influencer in the family. She just gets it. She already has her own accounts that do very well.”
