Forget Mariah Carey defrosting the minute the ghouls start swapping their capes for tinsel boas—J.I. Case High School junior and YouTuber Grayson Kirch had his own holiday-season glow-up. His reimagining of Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ clawed its way to nearly 40,000 views and even snatched the attention of CBS 58. The plot twist? Grayson didn’t just direct the video—he produced it, starred in it, and basically ran the whole thing like a one-teen multimedia empire. The result was such a hit that he and his crew are already back in the lab, this time cooking up a Christmas sequel soundtracked by Mariah’s ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You.’ We caught up with the budding filmmaker to get the inside scoop before the elves leak it on TikTok—and to hear what he wishes Hollywood understood about young creatives who are, frankly, out here doing the most.
Okay, Grayson, origin story time—when did you first realize video and film were your thing? Like, what kicked off the obsession?
As a kid, I loved to make iMovies on my phone with my friends. Me and my cousins would go over to my grandparents’ house after school, and we would make these little videos. I would film, direct, and edit the videos. I guess I really just never grew out of that phase, and I feel like it’s something that will always stick with me.
You’re a junior at J.I. Case—is there a teacher or mentor who hypes you up or inspires your media-making brain?
I definitely get hyped up a lot at school – the staff at school loved the video, and they hype me up for it all the time! I have been recognized for it quite a few times now.
Your first reimagined video was Fetty Wap’s ‘Trap Queen.’ Looking back, what’s the biggest glow-up in your skills since then that helped you take on Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller?’
Hahahaha, I can not believe you guys found that! My first music video recreation that I uploaded on YouTube was a school project. I didn’t really think much about it and kind of just posted it for my friends to see. ‘Thriller’ is definitely a lot better on the production value side. A lot more thought was put into it as well. That first video was filmed in maybe two class periods, while ‘Thriller’ took months. ‘Thriller’ is also the first video that I really put my business sense into. I really pushed and marketed this video, which is something I’ve never done before.
You weren’t even born when ‘Thriller’ dropped, but music lives forever. Do you remember the first time you actually heard the song?
Yes. I was probably 3 years old – I remember hearing the song and being terrified of Vincent Price speaking at the end. For like 4 years, I wouldn’t listen to the song because I was so scared of it. Talk about ironic!
What was it like scouting spots for your ‘Thriller’ remake—especially filming in the Oriental Theatre? That’s iconic.
Finding shooting locations was one of my favorite parts of making this video. It was so much fun to find places in my local area that have the same vibe as the original video. It was also quite a challenge, though, as the original ‘Thriller’ was filmed in LA, finding similar areas near me. My friends and I had a lot of fun calling different theaters and explaining to them what we were doing. We probably called 10 other theaters before the Oriental, and they all said no, but I am so glad we ended up shooting there – it was perfect.
Is there one moment from shooting ‘Thriller’ that you look at and go, “Yeah… that was sick?”
I mean, I think I definitely have to go with the zombie dancing scene. Obviously, the original dancing scene is one of the most iconic in history, and being able to recreate that was so much fun, and I am so happy with how it turned out. We worked so hard on every detail of that scene, making sure that it was as close to the original as possible, while still adding our own little twist to it.
Next up, you’re doing Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You,’ and you’ve got FrankenFuel as a sponsor—what is it about holiday videos that brings out the most creativity in you?
Christmas is something that I love just as much as creating. Since I was little, it has always been my favorite time of year. I just enjoy it so much more than anything else. It brings me so much joy, and I hope this video will do the same for a lot of people. I can’t wait to share this next video with everyone; we have some awesome things in store, including a cameo appearance that I can’t wait for you guys to see!
Going from “these videos are fun” to “oh wait, sponsors are watching” is a jump. How do you keep the stress out and stay in your creative zone?
I think that something that most people don’t realize is the whole business side that is behind this. I am even more passionate about business and building my brand than I am about creating videos, but most people don’t see that side of me. There is so much strategy that goes into it. You have to be really close to me to see how hard I work behind the scenes on the business/marketing side of things. You could ask any of my close friends how much work I put into it that nobody else sees. I think you have to have a really good business and marketing sense to do something like this – you’re marketing yourself. It does get stressful at times, but I always try to remind myself that this should be fun and not to get too stressed about it.
You’re working with your friends as your cast and your crew. What do you wish people knew about how creative teens actually are, even if Hollywood hasn’t caught up yet?
I don’t think people realize how our generation connects with the internet. We are able to create anything from anywhere. These days, you don’t have to be in Hollywood to be able to be “in Hollywood”.
Last one—where do you see yourself in ten years? Dream big, we won’t judge.
I definitely want to be doing something that has to do with what I am doing now. I always say that my biggest fear is ending up spending my life doing something that I don’t enjoy. If I could find a way to make this career, that would be the dream; so I hope that I’ve done that in 10 years.
Which holiday should Grayson reimagine next? Drop your chaotic, festive, or downright unhinged suggestions on our socials—Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook. Go on, enable his cinematic era.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT GRAYSON KIRCH:
INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | WEBSITE | YOUTUBE
