TikTok stars Bryce Hall and Josh Richards made their way over to Chatham County this weekend for the promotion of their new energy drink, Ani. The meetup event, which started at 10 am and ended at 1 pm, drew many Northwood students to meet the duo, buy cases of their drink and take pictures. Combined, Hall and Richards have over 40 million followers on TikTok and almost 6 million followers on Youtube. Many have mixed opinions regarding Hall and Richards, but those who attended the event had a positive experience. Northwood junior Georgia Taylor said that they were “very chill” and “acted like normal guys.” Other students reported similar reactions.
“The guys are all about the fans and seeing them; they’ve been standing out here in the sun just to meet everyone,” a security guard stationed at the Walmart in Chapel Hill said.
The pair were reportedly chased by fans and had to set up barriers on the second day of their promotional tour in North Carolina. Fans threw cans of the drink at them and disregarded their personal space, according to a security guard.
Hall and Richards’ first stop in North Carolina was Greensboro NC on Aug. 28; then, they made their way to the UNC Chapel Hill campus to promote Ani at the closest Walmart. According to the production manager from Ani, the meet-up or “pop up” was originally supposed to be in Siler City, but because of UNC being so close, the location was then changed to Chapel Hill and Chatham County, according to Ani’s production manager.
Soon after their event in Chapel Hill and Chatham, Hall Richards and their manager flew back to LA. Their next pop up location is currently considered classified information, so stay tuned for more announcements on their respective social medias.
According to its website, Ani is a lot cleaner than most energy drinks on the market with only 6 grams of sugar and 30 calories. Its main source comes from green coffee beans and blends of B vitamins. The drink, offered in black cherry and lemon lime flavors, claims to be made to promote focus and boost energy.
“I prefer the black cherry flavor 100%,” junior Lex Mansour said. “The taste of lemon lime was so slight it seemed like normal carbonated water at first.”
Overall, Hall and Richards’ visit to North Carolina will go down in the books, as they posted on Instagram, saying that their NC fans showed them great hospitality and lots of love.
Photo courtesy of Nellielou Errett
