A retired man from Barry has said TikTok has “changed his life” after finding success in his cooking videos.
Brad Dodd, 61, started posting content on TikTok eleven months ago after realising his love for hosting dinner parties and sharing food could reach a wider audience.
Since then, he has shared a number of videos with step-by-step instructions on how to make some of his favourite dishes and has amassed more than one million views across his content, with one video about air fryer tandoori chicken reaching 302,000 views.
Brad retired in 2018 and has always had a keen interest in cooking and travelling. He has travelled to a number of South Asian countries, and picked up a number of recipes that he not only wanted to make for other people, but prove if he can make them, anyone can.
He didn’t realise, however, the positive impact TikTok would have on his mental health by keeping him productive. He said: “It’s really energised me, because it’s not just about the cooking, I go to the markets, I’m on various platforms looking for recipes. It’s kept me incredibly productive.”
In 2023, just less than 2% of users on TikTok were aged 60 and above, according to Datareportal. But that shouldn’t stop someone from any age group joining TikTok, Brad said. In fact, many of Brad’s friends who are around his age are looking more and more at social media, he argued.
It’s a fantastic tool, and you’re never too old to learn new tricks. It gets you out there
Brad Dodd
Brad’s goal is that by the summer, he will be able to reach 10,000 followers and another million views.