What if Twitter had always existed? Pepperdine alumni Alan Beard and Alec McNayr asked themselves this question back in 2008 and began tweeting. After 10 solid weeks of historical tweets Internet fame came. Five million hits later there was a book deal.
The Twitter account @historicaltweet redirects visitors to “historicaltweets.com” where the historical tweets are laid out in a graphically interesting way usually overlaid on recognizable historical images.
This project began around the time of McCain vs. Obama. At that point AMC’s “Mad Men” had fans tweeting on behalf of Don Draper as if it were the year 1962. This idea of a new technology like Twitter conveying events from the past whether fictional or factual intrigued Beard and McNayr.
They sat around and thought what past presidents would have to say about the 2008 presidential election. Washington Jefferson and Lincoln were easy to write for. But by the time Beard and McNayr got to more obscure presidents like Taft and Garfield they realized they were skating on thin ice.
Then they found solid ground: What if Twitter had always existed?
The website of their social media humor agency tells how they approached their work: “No promotion. No marketing budget. Just posting content. Every day.”
Soon the pair was producing some of their most enduringly popular historical tweets and attracting media attention with what Alan Beard calls their “little irreverent history jokes.”
Website traffic quintupled from 50000 to 250000 between May and June 2009. Then over July 4th weekend CNN.com listed “historicaltweets.com” as one of the funniest sites on the web. Tech blog “digg.com” began linking to the site. Twitter and Facebook began directing people to the site and even Ashton Kutcher tweeted about Historical Tweets. Now page views were in the millions and publishers were bidding on the rights to a Historical Tweets book. The result was a Random House book on the shelves in April 2010 a mere year and a half after the first brainstorming session.
In the process of talking with publishers Beard and McNayr found themselves having deep conversations about the power and nature of social media with major brands. The connections they made with Historical Tweets spawned a new social media humor agency called McBeard Media. The company now represents clients like 20th Century Fox Disney Sony and “amazon.com.”
Alan Beard studied Music at Pepperdine. It was his friend Alec McNayr who was the History major. While attending Seaver McNayr was involved with the early days of PIT and starred on the Randumb Show. He also hosted a radio show on KWVS. Beard doesn’t credit Pepperdine with particularly equipping him with the skills to craft Historical Tweets but he is thankful for having met McNayr while an undergrad.
The two remain busy with work besides McBeard Media and Beard now teaches marketing strategy at Pepperdine. McNayr has written spec scripts for “30 Rock Parks and Recreation” and “How I Met Your Mother.”
Fellow Pepperdine alumnus Darnell Brisco now works with Beard and McNayr at McBeard Media. While at Pepperdine Brisco participated in Last Comic Standing and was well-known on campus as the Won by One performer who could beatbox while laying down a bass beat.
When asked if there was talk of a second installment or new project Beard responded in an email that a 2012 daily desk calendar of Historical Tweets had just been sent to the presses. It will be available for purchase in the fall. Further the Random House contract Beard and McNayr signed gives the publisher first rights on their next book. The two are currently working with their literary agent on ideas.
Copies of “Historical Tweets” are available online for around $14 and can also be purchased at local Barnes &?Nobles.