On January 6, 2021, Vitus “V” Spehar crouched down under their desk in the Neighborhood of the Arts and recorded a short TikTok video response to the United States Capitol attack, directed to then-Vice President Mike Pence. It went viral, and @underthedesknews was born — as of this publication, the account has 3.1 million followers on TikTok.
It wasn’t Spehar’s first foray onto the platform. After working for 15 years in the food and beverage industry — including as Director of Impact for the James Beard Foundation in New York City — the Connecticut native began teaching celebrity chefs how to create Instagram videos about cooking during the pandemic. After a close friend reached a million followers on TikTok and shared how much easier it was to create on the newer platform, Spehar began making TikToks about everything from standing in line for groceries in Brooklyn to applying for PPP loans.
“I don't think people will ever truly understand what the New York City experience at the front end of COVID was — like, apocalyptic,” they said. “I was trying to make people happy and find community.”
In May 2020, Spehar and their wife, Natalie, made the move from Brooklyn to Rochester to wait out the pandemic. Natalie, a cellist, had attended the Eastman School of Music and had teaching opportunities here. After their January 6 video, Spehar began making regular TikToks where they would break down important news issues quickly, always under their desk, for viewers.
Four years later, Spehar’s social media star continues to rise, and the couple is still here — in fact, they just closed on their first home. CITY chatted with the new-ish Rochester resident about the future of media, running for local office, and their weekly trip to Mumford.
CITY:
Do you have a journalism background or any training?
V:
I went to undergrad for theater and grad school for marketing. I think all theater kids can be anything, right? I have always been good at storytelling and politics. My special skill is making big, scary things super relatable and approachable. I can take something that's really complicated and make it make sense. I try to create human moments that get to the bottom of the real story.
CITY:
When did you transition to TikTok as your full-time job?
V:
I'm 41 years old. I didn't know that this could be a full-time job. My first brand deal during COVID was a suitcase company, and I said, ‘Alright, I don't know where the hell anybody's going right now.’ But I did a staycation packing video, and it was funny. And then a pillow company sent me one and I did something about taking a nap under your desk. And people thought that was funny, too. It wasn’t until (2023) I considered this my full-time job. The millennial in me felt like I had to have a “job-job.” Even though I made more money doing this than at my other job (which is not saying much when you work for a nonprofit). Even now I still have a “job-job” consulting in food and beverage and have a full-time speaker schedule where I emcee, moderate, or facilitate workshops in political leadership strategy and DEI. I also build storytelling workshops for journalism schools.
CITY:
You’ve been very open about your dyslexia — does that inspire this work as well?
V:
I think (dyslexia) helped me have a lot of patience for wanting other people to ‘get it.’ Because it sucks when you can understand something, but you can't find the words for it. I didn't want other people to keep feeling like that. That's the goal of UTDN — to make everyone feel included.
CITY:
And that does really come through. There’s probably no typical day or week for you, right? But does there tend to be a rhythm to what you're doing, especially during an election year?
V:
A big part of the brand is Rochester. I'm not going anywhere. I go downstate and do what I need to do, and then I come home. Sometimes I work at Melo just to be a regular person and chill. We don't go out to dinner a lot anymore, because I do get recognized — which is super nice! — as soon as people hear my voice or see my eyebrows, it's over. So we often get takeout from Lento or Redd.
CITY:
What’s a typical day in the life of a local celebrity?
V: (Laughs.) Mostly, my days are very normal, like anybody in Rochester: you go to Wegmans, you root for the Bills, you go into Target for something and then, “Oh, the White House needs you on a Zoom in 15 minutes.” It's the weirdest thing because I'm doing regular-normal-person things but I also might have to interview some big YouTuber or fly to South by Southwest. I got invited to interview Mark Zuckerberg in Germany (I said no), but that's one of the cooler dynamics of it — proof that exceptional things don’t only happen to people in NYC or in DC. They're happening while I’m at the Marshalls on Monroe Avenue.
CITY:
I love that. During an election year, what do you want your followers to know?
V:
It comes back to the idea of the regular person. I'm not here to endorse candidates, or blur the line between journalism and activism. I’m in my down-ballot era. I'm excited to restore people's faith in the United States of America and democracy by showcasing the down-ballot. On my new podcast, we're talking about Samra Brouk and what she's done at the local level as a state senator in Western New York. Getting Medicaid to include doula care? That's incredible. Huge. Something that you can be like, ‘hey, look, my state senator did this. If you're in Wisconsin, Arkansas, Florida, wherever you are, find your state senator’s office, show them Brouk’s one-sheet and be like, ‘I want this too.’ And that's the way that we can have the most power right now. If you haven't made up your mind about Biden or Trump by now, I'm not going to convince you.
CITY:
Tell us about this new podcast.
V:
It’s called “American Fever Dream,” and it's a combination of the American dream and this fever dream that we're all kind of experiencing, where every day you wake up and think it can't be any weirder. And then it gets weirder. The podcast I had before was “V Interesting,” which was about meeting people and news you might not have heard. This one is decidedly more political, but from a lens that you can control. Down-ballot candidates doing iconic things in their local communities. Civilian power within the military. A lot of people hate the military as a monolith, but when we understand these complicated industries, we feel more power. The idea came about because me and Amanda Duberman, who's the director of news for Betches Media, in a group chat where we would just talk back and forth to each other. So it's kind of like a political group chat. We'll talk about pop culture and gossip a little bit. But mostly it’s a hopeful show that can keep you company, inform you without overwhelming, and make you feel included.
CITY:
As huge media companies continue to downsize, do you think the future of news is largely in the hands of independent creators on social media?
V:
One in three people get their news on TikTok. Maybe from me. But I see myself very much in partnership with legacy and traditional media. I'm an excellent showman. I'm a wonderful storyteller, and I'm very good at ‘Mr. Roger-ing’ things to people. But I'm not brave. I’m not a foreign correspondent or a police accountability correspondent. We need those people, and we need them to be funded. There's not one big publication out there that isn't owned by some billionaire looking at the business instead of the fact that it has such an important role in the lives of people.
CITY:
So you’re reading the news?
V:
I’m getting my news from the Washington Post, from NPR. I'm getting my news from local reporters because Rochester always has crazy shit going on, from the true crime stuff and the lobbyist stuff to the social biologists. The news is still traditional media, but the delivery mechanism is social. If I didn't have trad media, there would be no me. And in some ways, a lot of trad media now needs to either be like me or have a me-type person.
CITY:
I know you and Natalie love the arts. Any Rochester favorites you want to mention?
V:
She is currently playing cello on the Hadestown tour, and we're season ticket holders at RBTL. We also see a lot of little things — you never know when I'm going to attend a high school production because I like the musical. Artists Unlimited (which provides performance opportunities for individuals with disabilities) just did “Mary Poppins,” and I went every night. It filled my heart so much. My secret guilty pleasure is a weekly visit to Genesee Country Village and Museum. We’ll walk and sometimes get a little hand pie. Their programming is incredible; the Wehle family is such a treasure. I worked with (GCVM) on gender-inclusive interpretive culture, where like, if you have a 9-year-old girl who wants to play a soldier — who cares, she wants to get involved! We're all playing pretend here. She just wants to wear the cool military uniform. They're just kids. They're just playing.
CITY:
What about the future of TikTok? Do you want to get into that?
V:
I’m a TikTok-er, period, the end. Like all things, this will end and this part of my career will end with it. I have big followings on YouTube and Instagram, but they're different cultures. I continue to build stuff on the side. Maybe I’ll go back to school. Maybe I’ll run for local office – there's a lot to do here in town.
Leah Stacy is the editor of CITY.