FORTUNE OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021 117Leo González hit rock bottom two years ago. His mother had a second stroke and
his friend was murdered. Depressed and unable to make rent, he moved into his car. Then his
camera equipment was stolen. It was the last straw. González moved from Hanford, Calif., to
Reno. And he decided to try making videos. Drawing on his background in news production,
he posted a parody on TikTok of a news anchor teeing up a field reporter and enduring an
awkward delay. “That video got me, like, 5,000 followers that night,” he says. He was on his
way. Now based in L.A., González uses his dry wit to create scenes featuring caricatures of, say,
overzealous fast-food workers or Walmart shoppers. He was recently named one of TikTok’s
2021 LatinX Trailblazers, and he’s done campaigns for Jack in the Box, Paramount, and Hulu.1.3M
followers
42.2M
likes
Age: 26@leogonzallPHOTOGRAPH BY JOE TORENO