Content creator Justin Holmes shoots a video reviewing a vacuum sealer at his home in Greensburg on Thursday. Holmes, a Columbus East graduate, is known on various social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and Facebook as Holmes Cooking. Holmes has more than 3 million followers on all platforms.
GREENSBURG — With the birth of his fifth child expected in less than a month, a Bartholomew County native is doing what husbands do for expectant wives.
Justin Holmes is trying to keep his wife, Amanda, off her feet as much as possible by, among other things, handling the cooking for their growing family.
But when Holmes, a 2011 Columbus East High School graduate, is whipping something up in the kitchen or on the grill, there are people around the world watching his every move.
His online program, “Holmescooking” has up to 1.3 million followers on TikTok. He has about the same number of followers combined on two Facebook pages, with the remainder on Instagram and YouTube.
With a degree of humility, Holmes describes himself simply as “a certified nerd who loves to share my home cooking and barbecue.”
But that belies the fact that the 31-year-old has garnered approximately 3.6 million followers as of Sept. 4, he said.
Making money on the web
With that many followers, a digital content creator can earn money by, among other things, partnering with corporate brands.
Part-time sponsors for Holmescooking include Fire and Smoke Society, a manufacturer of spices, sauces and rubs, Holmes said. Another listed company is Powerful Pepper Co., which markets culinary items such as salsa, specialty jams, pepper flakes, and even jalapeno candy.
The Columbus native says Holmescooking is also partially sponsored by a company featured frequently in local news for their future food processing facility near Taylorsville: King’s Hawaiian.
Other limited sponsors include Hungry Jack products and Typhur Culinary air fryers. In addition, Holmes said he is currently in negotiations with Weber grills.
So how much does the East alumnus earn with part-time sponsors?
“Enough to live on within reason, if we budget well,” Holmes said.
According to the Indeed Career Guide website, content creators earn an national average of $48,474 annually.
Overnight sensation?
This is Holmes’ first month as a full-time digital content creator after leaving his 11-year job at Delta Faucet’s Greensburg plant. But before quitting his conventional job, Holmes said he first payed off his debt by following advice from nationally syndicated financial adviser Dave Ramsey.
But later, the Columbus native said his No. 1 goal is to have the time to spend with his children as they grow up. That includes Amelia, 6; twins Andrew and Archer, 3; and Amaris, 1.
Like many in show business, Holmes said it took him several years of preparation to be perceived as an overnight sensation.
His training began when he took the communications curriculum, which includes video and television broadcast production, through the C4 Columbus Area Career Connection. During his three years in high school, Holmes also took courses in the culinary arts, he said.
In 2016, the Columbus native first began working with social media platforms by posting online images from a video game collection, he said. That’s when he began to make friendships with successful digital content producers who provided him with sound advice about achieving success in social media.
“In 2020, I was stuck at home and bored during the COVID-19 pandemic, so I started posting videos online as well,” Holmes said.
Although the majority of videos were about cooking, there were also some programs regarding activities he enjoyed with his children. Today, those videos are appropriate for one of his two Facebook pages that deals more with personality and less with food.
In earlier cooking shows, viewers would only see whatever was in front of the chef, such as a pot, slow cooker or grill. While his followers would see Holmes’ hands, they never saw his face.
“I started working with some friends who told me that if I wanted to excel on social media, I really need to be on camera,” Holmes said. “When I did, it really took off.”
Lessons learned
Concerned about his stout appearance, Holmes said he realized cruel remarks and insults are unavoidable in social media.
“But I really thought it was going to be much, much worse,” Holmes said. “Most people are just interested in being entertained. They aren’t there to bully people.”
After producing an estimated 1,800 videos over the past four years, the East alumnus has learned several things about his craft.
“You have to develop the skill,” Holmes said. “You have to put time in to learn how to get there. It’s trial and error.”
That includes knowing how to make a professional-looking show by selecting the proper lighting, ensuring steady and balanced camera positions, and the occasional use of electronically generated characters.
In Holmescooking, tight editing is utilized to keep the show moving, while his wife and older children add to the enjoyment by serving as his studio audience.
Usually, he spends up to three hours making the final product, but Holmes said some programs require up to five hours of shooting, followed by post-production work.
“It is more like doing a documentary, with me explaining it along the way,” he said.
But the subject matter of each program, which are recorded once a day, is essentially whatever fits into the day, Holmes said.
“For example, if we’re having potato soup for dinner, that would be the video,” he said. “I just capture normal life and occurrences.”
Where to find Holmes Cooking online
Tiktok: @holmescooking
X (Twitter): @holmescooking1
Instagram/threads: @holmescooking_
Facebook (cooking show): cookingwithholmes
Facebook (personal profile): holmescooking1
YouTube: Holmescooking
