// Workers AI · dad joke modeWho's JJ Yosh? JJ who?
J.J. Yosh is an American adventure filmmaker and social media personality based in Boulder, Colorado.[1] He is known for outdoor videos made with his cat Simon, who has a large following on Instagram and TikTok under the name "Backpacking Kitty".[1][2]
Career
[edit]Yosh runs a production company, Higher Earth, which produces branded content for outdoor, technology, food and pet companies.[1][3]
A 2020 Business Insider report on Yosh and Simon said sponsored-video packages started at around $10,000 and could reach $60,000, and noted brand work with companies including Procter & Gamble, Intuit and Petco.[1]
In 2016 Yosh appeared as a guest presenter on the Discovery TLC Asia travel series Fun Taiwan, as part of a Taiwan Tourism Bureau campaign featuring international vloggers.[4][5]
Simon the Backpacking Kitty
[edit]Yosh adopted Simon, a black Bombay cat, in Boulder in 2016. The kitten came from a neighbour who had rescued a litter that was otherwise going to be euthanised.[2]
Because Simon rode on Yosh's shoulders and backpack when tired on hikes, the pair became known as "Backpacking Kitty".[6][2]
The two have hiked, kayaked, rock climbed, paddleboarded, mountain biked, skied, sailed and camped together across the United States.[2] Yosh has described Simon as his "soulmate and my guardian angel".[2]
By early 2020 the pair had a combined following of about 2.8 million across Instagram and TikTok, with Simon's TikTok account reaching roughly 2.1 million followers within about six months of launching.[1]
In 2018 Simon appeared in a Kansas tourism film, which was covered by The Wichita Eagle.[7]
They have been featured by Good Morning America[8] and the Today show,[6] and in People.[2]
They have also been covered internationally: the South China Morning Post profiled the pair in a 2019 feature on adventure cats,[9] and the Italian edition of Vanity Fair covered Simon in 2018.[10]
Recognition
[edit]Yosh and Simon appeared in Westword's 2019 list of Colorado Instagram influencers,[11] in a 5280 feature on local animal Instagram accounts,[3] and in a Denver Post roundup of adventurous Colorado pets.[12]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 Whateley, Dan (February 24, 2020). "A TikTok influencer cat with 2 million followers earns up to $60,000 for a sponsored video package". Business Insider.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Kantor, Wendy Grossman (May 9, 2022). "Adventurer and His Feline 'Soulmate' Hike, Kayak, and Climb the U.S. Together". People – via Yahoo Entertainment.
- 1 2 LaRusso, Jessica (November 2019). "At Home With 4 Local Animal Instagram Stars". 5280.
- ↑ Lee, Hsin-Yin (January 12, 2016). "Tourism Bureau, TLC to promote Taiwan through famous vloggers". Focus Taiwan. Central News Agency.
- ↑ Chien, Yu-ting (April 18, 2016). Janet帶領「百萬」婉君 《瘋台灣》大玩實境秀 [Janet leads million-follower vloggers in Fun Taiwan reality series]. SETN (in Chinese (Taiwan)).
- 1 2 "Purrrfect match: Adventurer, backpacking kitty take on the wilderness". Today. NBC. June 9, 2022.
- ↑ Neil, Denise (August 9, 2018). "Simon the Adventure Cat swims, hikes, parties across Kansas and Wichita in tourism film". The Wichita Eagle.
- ↑ "Adorable backpacking kitty loves adventuring with his dad". Good Morning America. ABC News. February 23, 2023.
- ↑ Marcus, Bennett (October 20, 2019). "Sperm requests and 20-hour weeks: how cats can get their owners noticed". South China Morning Post.
- ↑ "Simon, il gatto avventuroso in viaggio per il mondo". Vanity Fair (in Italian). April 9, 2018.
- ↑ Antonoff Hart, Lauren (November 27, 2019). "Twenty Colorado Instagram Influencers to Follow Right Now". Westword.
- ↑ Sink, Mindy (June 27, 2019). "5 Colorado Instagram pets that are more adventurous (and cuter) than you". The Denver Post.