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Jordie Bloom, born and raised in Manhattan, was just excited to attend the Knicks’ season-opener against the Celtics at Madison Square Garden last week.
What he didn’t know was that after the thrilling double-overtime Knicks win he’d be a hometown hero of sorts. A development that, he told The Post, has been a dream of his since he was a kid.
Bloom, 26, became an internet sensation after he was filmed yelling “bing bong” into a microphone outside the Garden. The postgame footage was shot by SideTalk, which published the fan footage to Twitter last Thursday.
“I came out of the game and recognized [the SideTalk] logo, the guy pulled up the camera with the light, I literally went over there, said ‘bing bong’ into the camera and left,” Bloom recalled. “It only happened because of brand recognition.”
The video has drawn attention from players, including Knicks newcomer Evan Fournier, the Orlando Magic and numerous sports podcasts and television shows. The phrase “bing bong” can also be heard in previous SideTalk videos, which Bloom was familiar with as a fan of the SideTalk creators.
“I had never been on Twitter prior to this, I didn’t even know how it worked,” Bloom said, noting the excessive attention he’s received since the video came out.
“It’s traumatizing,” he joked, but said he is “appreciative” of those who’ve been supportive.
“When I went to the Knicks game, I had 800 Twitter followers,” he said. “Now [eight days later] I have 1700 followers.”
Bloom has since changed his Twitter name to “@BingBongGuy,” and swapped his profile photo to show him holding the SideTalk mic during his viral debut. He’s determined to create a do-good brand of longevity with his newfound media attention.
Bloom uses Instagram, but “only for personal reasons and my business,” Build Your Boys — an evolving lifestyle brand with a mission to motivate, support and appreciate your friends. Bloom wants to incorporate his new “bing bong” brand and turn that attention into business opportunities led by Build Your Boys.
“I want Build Your Boys to be sort of a brand incubator,” he said. “I’m going to commit to this being the first brand under the Build Your Boys umbrella. I’m going to use this as proof of concept that I can build a brand from an idea. I’m just having fun being myself and it’s resonating.”
Bloom has already started to merge the two with the marketing of his own “Bing Bong Guy” t-shirts. And as the sales continue to come in, more and more people are recognizing the “Bing Bong Guy.”
“Some kid came up to me [on the street] and gave me the biggest hug and said, ‘The Knicks are going to do great things this year strictly because of you,’ and I was like, ‘That’s unnecessarily true, but I love you bro,’” Bloom recalled. “It was a great feeling.”
“I went from a guy that’s trying to figure out what he’s doing with himself in life, in 24 hours to being… welcomed into the Knicks circle,” he said.
But despite the “cool” parts about Bloom’s viral fame, life under the spotlight isn’t always so friendly.
“People have accused me of trying to steal [the phrase] ‘bing bong,’” he said about what some trolls have accused him of. “I’ve never had to deal with [working] Twitter before, let alone the Twitter backlash.”
Show your Knicks pride with our ‘Bing Bong’ tee
Bloom clarified that his brand and merchandise is “Bing Bong Guy,” and not “Bing Bong.” He explained that he’s creating a “personality” as the “Bing Bong Guy,” and has no intentions of upsetting or taking from anyone.
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