By Reigha Weaver | Arts & Life Writer
If you hear a knock on your door and see a ball flying past your threshold, it’s safe to assume the culprits are Mansfield freshman Hudson Fletcher and his friends.
Fletcher has been doing dorm tours on TikTok under the username the.hudson.fletch since August, showing up by surprise or request at student dorms.
“I don’t really know how it started,” Fletcher said. “I forced Noah and his roommates into their room and I grabbed a guy in the hallway and made him record.”
Boerne freshman Noah Brunsvold is now the cameraman for all of Fletcher’s videos.
“I met Hudson through his roommate,” Brunsvold said. “But I basically got to know Hudson through this.”
Additionally, Fletcher has two more people in his crew: Amarillo freshman Hayden Brillhart and Lago Vista freshman Jason Markert. Brillhart is Fletcher’s manager, while Markert is responsible for throwing the ball and rating cords and outlets in each video.
Brillhart met Fletcher through Line Camp, and Markert was a recipient of a dorm tour.
“He came and toured my dorm, and from there he invited me to come with him,” Markert said. “And then I became the ball thrower.”
The dorm tours begin with a message on TikTok or by random selection. Then, with a dorm in mind, they film. As of Monday, Fletcher’s TikTok account has amassed 1,025 followers.
“It’s funny when people come up to me and ask if I’m the dorm tour guy,” Fletcher said.
But Fletcher is not the only one being recognized.
“I had a girl come up to me after class and she was like, ‘You’re the outlet guy,'” Markert said.
But what makes the dorm tours special isn’t the views or the engagement, Fletcher said the tours give him an outlet that forces him out of his shell.
“Before college, I stuck to what I did, and I never thought about doing something as spontaneous as this,” Fletcher said. “This has established a lot more confidence in myself to reach out to people.”
As someone who has been friends with Fletcher since the beginning, Brillhart sees the change too.
“Watching Hudson be provided with an outlet to show who he is has been the most fulfilling thing,” Brillhart said. “I’ve watched him change from Line Camp so much to now. He has such a positive experience with everyone he interacts with, and this experience has given him the chance to do that.”
Now that Fletcher’s account has surpassed 1,000 followers, he has a hefty goal in mind.
“I want to tour President Livingstone’s house,” Fletcher said. “That’s the biggest goal.”
