Nice Michael

Michael Pelchat, known online as Nice Michael (@nicemichael), gained prominence on TikTok, a platform he joined in November 2018. Originally from Lowell, Massachusetts, Pelchat cultivated an audience through his high-energy dance videos and positive demeanor, often seen with an ear-to-ear grin and a selection of baseball hats. His approach involved quick-cutting clips set to music, demonstrating a knack for aligning visuals with audio themes, a skill he refined after early attempts at video editing in iMovie proved challenging. Pelchat’s initial success on TikTok came with a video set to Flipp Dinero’s “Leave Me Alone,” where his naturally positive expression resonated with viewers, a trait he has maintained in his content.

Pelchat’s influence on the music industry became evident in February 2019 when he uploaded a snippet of an unknown song, Lil Nas X’s ‘Old Town Road,’ to TikTok. This video, which featured Pelchat transforming into a cowboy, contributed significantly to the song’s widespread popularity, leading it to become the Number One track in the country. Following this, he continued to demonstrate his ability to spot emerging talent, finding hip-hop singles by lesser-known artists and presenting them in ways that captivated TikTok’s user base. Notable instances include his work with 10k.Caash’s “Kerwin Frost Scratch That,” which garnered 1.5 million associated videos, and Flo Milli’s “Beef FloMix,” which grew from fewer than 500 uses to over a million video clips after Pelchat featured it. This success led to Flo Milli attracting interest from major labels.

Despite his impact on the music industry, Pelchat initially operated without significant direct financial compensation from the viral success he generated. At the time of his early breakthroughs, he held a day job with Gatorade, managing grocery store displays. However, his growing influence began to attract direct opportunities. Lil Nas X acknowledged Pelchat’s role in the success of ‘Old Town Road’ with a payment of $500. Similarly, Flo Milli’s manager paid him $200 for a promotional clip. By May 2019, Pelchat had established a rate of $500 for creating videos to promote artists’ songs, receiving multiple daily requests. He maintained a selective approach, only promoting songs he genuinely believed in. Pelchat expressed aspirations to transition full-time to content creation, aiming to leave his day job behind by the summer of 2019.