Jack Kadis is seeking your views, whether on two wheels or on foot
By Elliott Jackson
Sitting at a picnic table behind his old elementary school, he recounted the day at Wolf Plaza involving an electric scooter, a Speedo, a large crowd and an encounter with North Carolina State University campus police.
“People are always like, ‘What’s your angle? Who is this guy, the scooter guy?’ A lot of times in life, if something happens, there’s often a very reasonable explanation and reason for it. If someone goes viral on social media, it’s likely that’s what they intended to do in some form or fashion,” said Jack Kadis, a 22-year-old content creator who received online viral attention after posting a series of Instagram Reels on and around NC State’s campus, where he jumped sets of stairs on electric, rentable scooters.
On Oct. 20, 2025, roughly 250 people gathered to see Kadis jump the 10-step staircase between Carol Hall and the Freedom Expression Tunnel. Before he could jump, campus police detained and charged him with trespassing after an employee in the Talley Student Union saw him exiting the bathroom in the Speedo, paired with flip-flops and goggles.
Campus police directed Kadis to walk straight to his vehicle. A large portion of the crowd joined him, parading behind. According to Kadis, someone initially challenged him to do the jump in high heels.
Walking towards his car, he gave away the goggles and flip-flops to those following him and $20 bills to several of the bus drivers momentarily parked on Founders Drive, by the Platform A bus stop in front of the D.H. Hill Jr. Library.
“I don’t know if you’ve ever done acid, but everything gets super serious. I was not on acid, but I don’t know how else to describe this. There’s a lot of eyes on me, and even though I’m talking to police officers, I’m also doing my job and performing,” Kadis said. “[The Talley Student Union employee] was just very upset, asking all these questions. You can ask a very pointed question, and those are the moments when I stop talking and I go silent. That’s when she’s like ‘stay in one place.’ I decided not to stand there and wait for her, because there were a lot of people crowded outside waiting for me and my wallet and such was over there.”
Only five days prior, he attempted the same jump for the first time, successfully. Lined up on the side of the steps, on the surrounding walls and leaning over the overhead rail, students cheered as the wheels of the scooter touched red brick.
“I picked that place because there’s a train track that runs through campus and that’s a pinch point. People commute through there, and a lot of people had never seen my Instagram videos, but they just saw a crowd,” Kadis said. “What’s most important to me is showmanship first, scooter land second. It all ties into views. I told myself, if I didn’t land it, it would be OK, but I felt like that was my Olympic gold.”
The scooter jumps began on Sept. 30, when Kadis jumped the two sets of stairs between the Talley Student Union and Carmichael Gym. Five days later, he then jumped the eight steps next to the Bell Tower, skidding his way around the flagpole. This time he wore his best business casual: a blue dress shirt, tie, khakis and brown dress shoes.
“Moneyshot,” Kadis exclaimed, seconds before jumping. “Boo yah!”
In between the first and second attempt at Wolf Plaza, he jumped the two sets of stairs next to D.H. Hill Jr. Library, towards the Brickyard. After trespassing, Kadis said, he considered his next steps, but more importantly, the next viral moment.
“From that point, it was like, OK, what’s next?” Kadis said. “I gotta go home for the holidays in Charlotte. Why don’t I just walk there?”
From Raleigh, Kadis began his journey towards Charlotte. Having previously participated in Outward Bound programs and motorcycle trips up the East Coast, he said he was prepared. He received a total of three rides and was driven for about 80 miles. The remaining 100, he walked, avoiding highways.
He announced his final destination, his elementary school, where he arrived on Dec. 10, completing the trek in 5 days.
“The problem with doing something like this is that everything’s private property, and I’m not sleeping in motels or anything. I think it really lets me focus on the entertainment. I could sleep in motels, probably, and go just as far. I don’t have any money. It’s crazy. A 20-minute drive is like three days of walking for me,” Kadis said. “I was never scared for my safety. I think that’s a big part of being in the public eye–for me at least–proving that people are good people. That’s something I’m going to die trying to prove. I come across a lot of people that are very scared of the sidewalk. You can walk down any sidewalk you want. I don’t care who you are, what time of day it is. You’re good, I promise.”
While he experiences embarrassment, Kadis said he deliberately chooses not to feel it. People should “live life to the fullest.”
“Walk wherever you want. If you say you’re bad at basketball, you’re gonna suck ass. Cat calling is not getting stabbed, and people do get stabbed, but people also don’t get stabbed. Planes crash. Walking is important, America is fat. Get out there and walk,” Kadis said. “I’m free to embarrass myself. Yes, it’s embarrassing. It’s not like I don’t feel embarrassment, but it’s cool. That’s what I do.”
Reflecting on the scooter videos, Kadis said the videos received roughly a 70% positive, 30% negative reception. Ideally, he said, it should be 50/50.
“Right now, in the walking, I think I hit a pretty good balance, where if we look at the comments, I’m getting a lot of ‘good luck, you got this,’ and then for every one of those, there’s a ‘they’re gonna filet you on the Mexican border’ and ‘kill yourself,’ which is something I’m very proud of,” Kadis said. “I think I went too long receiving a lot of love, and I didn’t like it. If all you get is praise, and your goal is to be known, then you’re falling short.”
Later that day, Kadis drove around the city, aiming to hit the 10,000 Instagram followers milestone by the end of the day. To do so, he filmed himself next to every green Charlotte Mecklenburg School sign in front of each of the district’s high schools.
The inclusion of specific locations, Kadis says, is likely to draw engagement from those who recognize them. In this instance, he intended to reach a younger, high school-age audience, an experimental yet procedural step in pursuit of view maximization.
Beforehand, he stopped by his parents’ home, where he stayed for the holidays after walking from Raleigh.
“Dad couldn’t handle it. Deleted Instagram. Mom has always been the cheerleader and the center of attention in her own life, so I believe secretly, this is what she’s always wanted,” Kadis said. “There was one point where I emailed my professors and told them I had become famous. [My brothers] got those screenshots, and they loved that. They think it’s hilarious.”
The scooter videos, Kadis said, were the first content intentionally produced to optimize view count and likes.
“I was wondering what it might be like to phone in and hyper focus on views. I had an idea, and it turned out it worked,” Kadis said. “How can I stack up against the greats, the ones that really pull in the millions.”
Before the search for the green signs, Kadis stopped to eat at the La Catracha food truck next to Andinos Tire Services. In the car ride over, he discussed past dating experiences and the use of ChatGPT for relationship advice. Outside the food truck, he rapped every word to J. Cole’s Wet Dreamz and filmed a video for Instagram.
“Anything you want to do, you can do, you just have to choose to,” Kadis said in front of Palisades High School.
Two and a half years ago, Kadis said he began creating content as a hobby, starting with a diary entry about an ex-girlfriend. From there, the diary entries morphed into five-second YouTube videos, which evolved into Casey Neistat-style vlogs in New York. Ultimately, they proved unsustainable, leading him to return to North Carolina.
After several semesters at Wake Technical Community College, he dropped out and worked a series of jobs, from Jersey Mike’s to the counter in a smoke shop on Hillsborough Street. To clarify, Kadis says he has never been a student at NC State University, though he lived in Raleigh for several years. Going back to college is still on the table, he says.
The night before the interview, Kadis said he watched the film “Marty Supreme,” the day of its release and saw himself in the film’s protagonist, partly due to the character’s high confidence level and shared Jewish identity.
“I really identified with the main character. He has this fire inside of him that is so compelling. I cried at the end,” Kadis said.
According to Kadis, inspirational figures to him include Timothée Chalamet, LeBron James, Barack Obama, Tiger Woods, Logan Paul and IShowSpeed. If media personality Nick Fuentes ran for president, Kadis said, he would have his vote.
“I don’t even know most of [Fuentes] takes, I just know him and whatever he says I love because it’s just him saying it. I love his person. I’m always wondering what he’s gonna say next,” Kadis said.
From the success of the scooter and walking videos, Kadis says he has successfully monetized his videos by producing exclusive subscription-based content on Patreon and Instagram.
“It took a couple of years, but now I feel this time next year I need to be, monetization or not, in that next tax bracket,” Kadis said.
As a kid, Kadis says, he would seek attention by any means. He says he does so now, except now of his own accord, through Instagram.
“I’ve always craved attention from my parents, but then you move out, and there’s no more parents. I feel like that was suppressed for a long time, but I found a great avenue to unleash it. When my younger brother was born, I remember this shift. Why am I not the center of attention anymore? I would try to get attention however I could. I like trick shots. Sometimes I’d smoke a lot of weed,” Kadis said.
As the sun set, Kadis, sporting a creeper-themed Minecraft t-shirt, won in the basketball game HORSE on the hoop in his parents’ driveway. Home for the holidays, Kadis considered the near future and potential next steps.
On Jan. 14, 2026, Kadis was back on his feet. From Sandbridge Beach, Va., 20 miles north of the North Carolina border, Kadis walked south, down the East Coast. Today, Kadis is actively attempting to walk the entire country’s contiguous border. This is his second legitimate attempt, he says.
On March 16, Kadis sat at the What A Tavern bar and grill in Vero Beach, Fla., alongside a local couple, Amy and Tristan, who picked him up in the rain after recognizing him from his videos. The previous night, Kadis joined the “reggae-inspired beach pop” band Beach Fly on stage as they performed at the downtown Melbourne Street Patrick’s Fest.
“Good luck Jack!” the audience cheered.
Amy gifted Kadis a hat reading “Florida Woman,” from her clothing brand of the same name. Given a sticker with Kadis’ face and the outline of the U.S., Tristan stuck it to the glass on their coffee table.
While the couple watched the film Pool Man, Kadis was in his tent in their front yard, playing a game of regularly-scheduled online poker.
At this point, Kadis walked nearly 700 miles. Initially, he attempted to walk 10 miles each day, then 11, now 12. Of all the places he’s seen, the Outer Banks remain his favorite.
Early next morning, Tristan and Amy invited Kadis to surf at Fort Pierce State Park, before he got back on the road. After a successful surf, he walked the Florida beach, head leaning towards his phone, working. A few days later, Kadis surpassed 100,000 followers.
Today, on April 29, Kadis passes through Manatee County. Now, 127,000 followers watch on Instagram, whether scrolling through the home page or the Reels tab. He nears the 1000-mile mark; today is his 105th day walking.
“Social media is a strange thing because it’s essentially like an attention contest. That’s why a lot of people, I think, get caught up in the humps of it all. Because every endeavor has trial, error and objects that you have to find your way around, but in this particular endeavor, I think a lot of people get caught up around objects,” Kadis said, from his tent in Amy and Tristan’s front lawn, before going to sleep. “I see people all the time, they just don’t post that much to social media, or I see people all the time who are trying to do what I’m doing. I think I see my past version of myself in them.”