Allan Maman, a 21-year-old who didn’t go to college, is the brainchild behind many of the memes used by this year’s U.S. presidential campaigns of Andrew Yang and Michael Bloomberg. Maman’s work included an “AirPod” meme for Yang and a Democratic debate meme for Bloomberg.

In 2017, one of Allan Maman’s high school teachers sent his parents a blunt note: “Allan is dismissive and disinterested,” it read. “During class, he is always on his own laptop and I’ve had to get him on task countless times.”

Maman was then a junior, living in Armonk, New York. Like an estimated one in 25 American adults, he has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, with young men of his generation seeing a dramatic increase in diagnoses. Maman’s personal understanding of what it takes to capture and keep someone’s interest — and turn that into some sort of action — has led to work on two U.S. presidential campaigns and the launch of his own unique start-up.

Like a lot of younger professionals today, he doesn’t have one fixed job or job title — he’s building a career out of various gigs, hustles, and networking. “I feel like if you find success too early, you’re going to peak,” he jokes. “It’s better to have the slow incline.”

Maman spent many school days in trouble. During the junior years, he found a DIY solution: Playing with a fidget spinner seemed to benefit his concentration. Maybe that could help other kids, too? Maman enlisted his friend Cooper Weiss and a physics teacher to tinker on his school’s 3D printer. In six months, they had built a US$350,000 online company called Fidget360. After that, he wasn’t interested in college. He wondered if there was a fidget-spinner-like way to refocus and unite the United States.

After meeting serial entrepreneur and Democratic primary hopeful Andrew Yang in November 2018 during a campaign stop, Maman emailed Yang’s campaign manager to sell his e-commerce background: He knew how to build a brand (at least one centered on fidget spinners), so Yang hired the Gen-Zer to shape his social media. By early 2019, Maman was creating and circulating memes via Instagram. And he helped grow the candidate’s followers from 50,000 to 200,000.

Once Yang dropped out of the race, Maman parlayed his way into former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg’s campaign. For a brief time before Bloomberg quit, in March 2020, Maman was pushing messages to an estimated 400 million-plus followers.

Now living in New York City, Maman doesn’t have the answer for how to create a social change. What he does have is an understanding of digital communication and consumption, and with that, he has turned the generational crisis of growing ADHD rates into something of a professional asset.

He believes that if brands are looking to hire a meme-maker to help with future elections, that meme-maker better be a member of Gen Z. He also said TikTok is the new political frontier, the place where everyone should be trying to connect with the next generation.

“TikTok is going to be one of the biggest attractions. It’s going to be the Instagram of political messages,” he said. “Without a doubt, I think that’s already happening now.”

For most days now, he’s in the throes of launching his new business and building its social-media presence through Instagram. And he’s still spinning on what’s next.

“If I fail,” he says, “worst case, I move back into my parents’ house or couch-surf with a friend — until I find a big win.”

(SD-Agencies)