<p><img src="https://static2.businessinsider.com/image/5fbd345350e71a001155715d-2400/The%20McFarlands%20High%20Quality.jpeg" border="0" alt="The McFarlands TikTok" data-mce-source="The McFarlands" data-mce-caption="The McFarlands are a viral sensation on TikTok with over 2 million followers."></p><p></p><bi-shortcode id="summary-shortcode" data-type="summary-shortcode" class="mceNonEditable" contenteditable="false">Summary List Placement</bi-shortcode><p>Some dads of TikTok creators have become stars in their own right, with the <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/dadsoftiktok'lang=en">#DadsofTikTok</a> hashtag racking up over nine billion total views.</p><p>And one of the most famous TikTok fathers is Dan McFarland, 59, who is front and center on The McFarlands TikTok account, which has over <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@the.mcfarlands">2 million followers</a>. He's often seen dancing or dramatically acting out a scene with his sons.</p><p>"You know it's going to be a good video when dad's like, 'Guys, I'm a grown man!'" said Colin McFarland, one of the family's three sons.</p><p>The McFarlands, a family of five from Louisville, Kentucky, have been creating comedic TikTok skits since January 2019. Besides Dan, his sons Colin, 26, and Dylan, 24, are the other lead stars. (They started their social-media endeavors making videos for the now-defunct app Vine.)</p><p>The family's most recognizable hit is a video in which they dance to the viral TikTok challenge around the Weeknd's song "Blinding Lights." That video, posted in late March, has <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@the.mcfarlands/video/6807615571639782661">over 15 million views</a>. It even ended up beinglicensed for a fee by the Hospital of Special Surgery for a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch'v=x7gpb_whAEA">television commercial</a> in May and was <a href="https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/the-year-on-tiktok-top-100">highlighted by TikTok</a> as part of the "Top 100" rewind for 2020.</p><p>With the rise of TikTok, the family's tradition of making home videos together has turned into a family business for the McFarlands.</p><p>While the two sons describe their father Dan as the staror "the Bradley Cooper of the family"they all collaborate on video ideas, brand partnerships, and their growing business. Colin typically edits and produces all the content and Dylan has spearheaded the business side of things, like establishing a McFarland LLC. Kathy (the mom) and Mitch (the eldest brother) also make plenty of cameos.</p><p>"It's almost like having a mini Hype House," Dylan joked, referring to the prominent TikTok influencer collab house.</p><p>TikTok, too, has taken the family under its wing. In 2020, the McFarlands were invited to join <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/inside-tiktoks-creator-ambassador-program-from-trips-to-brand-deals-2020-8">TikTok's ambassador program,</a> an exclusive group of creators that aimed to help the members grow their followings and businesses.</p><p>And in February 2020, the family went to Playlist Live, a convention in Orlando, Florida, which draws YouTube stars annuallyand this year, TikTok stars too. That's where the McFarlands met their now-manager, Natalie Anastasia, who signed the family as a client in March when they had about 600,000 followers.</p><p>Currently, all five of the McFarlands are working full-time jobs on top of their social-media careers. But they plan on going full time as creators in the next year, they said. On the horizon, too, are hopes to "maybe even dip our toes into traditional media," Colin said, like a TV show or a Netflix special.</p><p>In an interview with Business Insider, the McFarlands took us inside their family business, from how they make ads feel natural to how much money they charge brands for TikToks.</p><h1>How they went from making home videos to building a business</h1><p>When the McFarlands started making TikTok videos, starting a career was not a priority. And as they grew, they weren't quite sure how to approach sponsorships.</p><p>"We were kind of struggling ... navigating those waters of how much should we ask for'" Colin said. "How much is a video worth' How much is us promoting a brand worth'"</p><p>"Working with a manager helps you understand your worth a lot more," Dylan said.</p><p>Now, the McFarlands will typically charge between $5,000 and $8,000 for a sponsored TikTok video, and then an additional $3,000 to $6,000 for that same footage to be posted on Instagram. Business Insider verified these rates with documentation provided by The McFarlands management.</p><p>On top of those rates, their manager will account for certain terms like usage rights (<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/influencer-usage-rights-in-brand-contracts-explained-by-lawyer-2020-9">how a brand is able to use the content</a>), exclusivity, timeline, and time of the year (like the holidays). She'll also offer package rates for brands interested in more long-term partnerships with the family.</p><p>Colin said each video the McFarlands make may take about one hour to film, and then another two to three to edit.</p><p>"I spend about 10 to 12 hours a week just editing our videos," he said.</p><p>"Most of our videos ... they do have that story arc of who's going to be the hero'" he added. (Often, that hero is Dan.)</p><p>Colin said they have to take that into account when making sponsored videos.</p><p>"If we incorporate a product into it, how can we make the hero use the product'" Colin said.</p><p>One of their earliest partnerships actually came out of a TikTok video about the brand Flex Seal (an adhesive bonding product) that wasn't originally an ad.</p><div><blockquote class="tiktok-embed" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@the.mcfarlands/video/6780460865910000901" data-video-id="6780460865910000901" style="max-width: 605px;min-width: 325px;"> <section><a target="_blank" title="@the.mcfarlands" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@the.mcfarlands">@the.mcfarlands</a> <p>Turning a meme into a movie <a title="meme" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/meme">##meme</a> <a title="dan" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/dan">##dan</a> <a title="fyp" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/fyp">##fyp</a></p> <a target="_blank" title=" original sound - The McFarlands" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-6780440544003869445"> original sound - The McFarlands</a> </section></blockquote> <script async src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script></div><p>At the beginning of 2020, the McFarlands made a video at a Home Depot, where Dan grabbed two cans of Flex Seal and morphed into character as Phil Swift, the face of the brand.</p><p>After Flex Seal saw the video, the brand reached out to the family directly, saying they loved the video and wanted to work with them on some more. Then, a year-long partnership was formed.</p><p>And as the months have gone on, the family said brands have continued to lean into TikTok, and short-form content more broadly.</p><p>"I definitely feel like short form is here to stay," Dylan said.</p><hr><p><strong>For more stories about TikTok and how it has impacted the influencer industry, check out these Business Insider stories:</strong></p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-tiktok-has-impacted-different-industries-music-retail-media-2020-12" data-analytics-position="8" data-analytics-module="">How TikTok has impacted industries ranging from music to retail to cybersecurity in 2020, according to an analysis of hundreds of executive interviews</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/luxury-fashion-is-surging-on-tiktok-but-brands-face-challenges-2020-11" data-analytics-position="27" data-analytics-module="">Luxury fashion is surging on TikTok, but turning Gen-Z viewers into customers is a complicated task for brands</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/planet-money-shares-strategy-for-podcast-radio-content-on-tiktok-2020-11" data-analytics-position="22" data-analytics-module="">How the 'Planet Money' TikTok account has become a breakout hit through careful scripting, engaging in the comments, and making a 24-year-old its star</a></p></li></ul><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-much-money-tiktok-star-mcfarland-family-charges-for-sponsorships-2020-12#comments">Join the conversation about this story »</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/transgender-activist-former-white-house-intern-sarah-mcbride-isnt-discouraged-by-trump-2018-3">Sarah McBride made history becoming the first openly trans person elected to a state Senate seat. In 2018, she explained why the Trump administration wouldn't discourage her work.</a></p>
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