Everyone’s been there: first time in a new town, in search of coffee or a bite to eat or a park to pass the time.
A web search may not visualize the experience of going to these businesses quite like social media. YouTube vlogs and TikTok videos let viewers visit any restaurant or attraction anywhere, with the ease of a swipe.
MyDavisCalifornia’s mission is to be the digital introduction for all things Davis, California. Across its website, TikTok and YouTube channels, fans can witness hyper-local journeys around town and special events, get sneak peaks to art exhibitions, see new restaurants, and learn more about what the city has to offer to students and residents alike.
The project is the brainchild of Richard Jia ’18, Gray Eby and Brandon McKee.
Though Davis may exist under some people’s radars, Jia ’18 said, “if you peel back the layers, it's pretty awesome here.”
He moved to Davis from New Mexico in 2014 to pursue a degree in neurobiology, physiology and behavior in the College of Biological Sciences. “When I was a student, I kind of fell into the trap of going to the same places. I didn't have a car, so I would just go to campus,” Jia explained.
None of the people behind MyDavisCalifornia are originally from Davis. Co-founder Eby and another staff member are originally from Texas.
“We've all lived in Davis for about 10 years and want to make some entertaining stuff that people want to watch and share with other people,” Jia explained. “It's really just three people who love Davis, are giant nerds and make internet videos.”
Humble digital roots
Now a full-time venture, MyDavisCalifornia began as a creative hobby of an Instagram account in 2021. The project took off after filming a video at the then-newly opened Yang Kee Dumpling. The post resonated with viewers, with some followers recommending additional businesses for MyDavisCalifornia to feature.
“We thought, maybe we should try to put some more time and effort in this thing,” Jia recalled.
They started by optimizing their website for SEO to increase web traffic and get more eyes on their content. MyDavisCalifornia hosts all its YouTube videos on the website, which also offers neighborhood-specific guides.
Popular MyDavisCalifornia social posts include a video about a new cat café in town and a viral video about the “food hole” near Mrak Hall.
MyDavisCalifornia are contracted by local businesses to create and feature content. They also act as a creative agency and public relations firm for local businesses, helping to manage their social media accounts, websites and related digital services, to help drive web traffic and increase brand awareness.
In January, a collaborative post with Steve’s Pizza generated over 8 million views and showed Jia dipping a whole cheese pizza into a tub of ranch dressing as if it were a single slice. Such collaborative posts, where a single post reaches all the author’s audiences, help increase the number of viewers and followers to the longtime Davis restaurant’s new Instagram account.
“It takes a lot of dedication and interest in weird stuff to get to where we are,” Jia explained.
Public — and accessible — university
Part of MyDavisCalifornia’s appeal comes from being one of the few local content creators solely dedicated to spotlighting Davis.
And Jia said he enjoys introducing, or reminding, students and residents that UC Davis is a public university with many offerings everyone can enjoy.
“I feel like a lot of people don't realize you can enjoy these awesome things,” Jia said. On campus, they’ve already collaborated with the Bohart Museum of Entomology and the Botanical Conservatory, with hopes of profiling the new coffee center and the Arboretum. “We’re like, ‘It's a public university.’”
A spotlight on the California Raptor Center back in October received more than 7,800 likes on Instagram. Watch their visit to the Bohart Museum of Entomology:
Labor of love
“Content creation is the hope and dream. All three of us are working very hard to make as many videos as we can,” Jia said. This is a potentially lucrative but frequently grueling endeavor, he said. They are working to be monetized on TikTok and YouTube, with the latter having “a much more consistent and forecastable way of earning money,” according to Jia.
His optimism and excitement for the project’s future is palpable.
“Our saying is — brick by brick — one follower at a time.”