Knowles said that working as a lobsterman may be harder than people think.
The New York Times reported that a video Knowles posted to TikTok in 2020 was one of his first to go viral. As of August 2024, it had roughly 6.2 million views.
In the 26-second clip, Knowles catches a female breeding lobster covered in eggs and explains that “like on a farm, you wouldn’t want to kill your breeders.”
Instead, he cuts a small notch in the lobster’s tail before throwing it back into the ocean, a common practice with female breeding lobsters that has become mandated by law in the state. That way, any future lobstermen who catch a female lobster while she doesn’t have any eggs will know that she’s able to produce them.
Knowles called the rise in short-form content, like the videos he posts to Instagram and TikTok, a “pivotal moment.”
“When the world transformed from long-form videos to short-form, now the farmers, fishermen, hunters, anybody can pull out their cell phone and film a 60-second, 30-second, 10-second clip and post it,” he said.
Knowles’ videos now frequently surpass 5 million views, and one video from 2023 has been viewed more than 57 million times. His success in catching viewers’ attention has led to brand deals, which could mean even more income as a content creator.
Knowles said he and his team are still being choosey about who they work with.
“We are being pretty selective on the brand deals, making sure they’re authentic to the page,” he said.