Beginning as simple food reviews crammed into 10-second videos, Austinite Caleb Newton built his online persona on humor, fun facts and candid takes. Since his first viral video in 2019, Newton’s following currently sits at over 70,000 across TikTok and Instagram. He credits one of his best friends, Ciara Cera, for convincing him to post videos alongside her.
Newton, a UT alumnus, posts under the username @calebcomplains, frequently visiting viral Austin spots.
“Once I came up with (the username) calebcomplains, it was a reflection on what content I was making,” Newton said. “I would go to popular, trendy spots in Austin, and I would review them and say whether they were good or not. Most of the time, they’re not good … I would just be complaining about them.”
Before content creation, Newton said he felt disillusioned with Austin. Through making videos, Newton rebuilt his connection to his hometown, using videos as an outlet to explore and learn new things about the city.
“The (videos) I find the most fun to make are the history of places,” Newton said. “I think it’s cool to go to different places that have a deep history. … I talked about the tunnels underneath UT, (and) I just made a video on the only … underground subway station in Texas.”
Newton’s videos expand far beyond food reviews and unique places. Much of his content centers on politics and current events, guided by his motto that “everything is political.”
“I like spotlighting locally-owned businesses,” Newton said. “I’ll always try to weave in how food is political, and that’s why I go to so many Palestinian restaurants. … I’ll make videos about protests happening in Austin, or I’ll work with politicians who are trying to flip Texas blue.”
Nora Melhem, one of Newton’s best friends and a UT alumna, uploads environmentalism and travel content under the handle @lebaneseprincessnora, and knows Newton’s political perspectives firsthand.
“We definitely have our own niches,” Melhem said. “Caleb shows things to do, but he also dips into the political aspect of things.”
Newton, Melhem and Cera, who first encouraged him to create his social media channels, have been friends for over a decade, a dynamic often carried into their social media through collaborations.
“(Our interests) do overlap very slightly,” Cera said. “We spend a lot of time together, so we’ll be in each other’s videos, but I think each of us has different goals.”
With how much Austin is changing, Newton tries to make the most of it and still highlight the “old Austin” charm to his viewers while educating them about issues he resonates with.
“I try to do whatever I can to make the city and the state that I live in as good as possible,” Newton said. “I try to use my platform in a responsible way.”
