The transformation from Zeddie Little into the "Ridiculously Photogenic Guy," or "RPG" for short, began in early April when the 25-year-old from Isle of Palms, South Carolina, decided to compete in the 10km Cooper Bridge run in nearby Charleston. As he ran with the crowd, Will King, an amateur photographer, snapped a photo when Little happened to be looking straight into the camera. His enormous smile and his perfectly flowing hair was a stark contrast to the sweaty, exhausted competitors running beside him.
"One of my friends commented on the picture and said something along the lines of, 'I dub this guy Mr. Ridiculously Photogenic,'" King said. "I thought it was a pretty cool comment, so I posted it on Reddit. For some reason it just took off from there."
Since then, Little has become one of the few people who has gained Internet fame for good reasons.
"It's still just a crazy experience, but I'm having fun with it," Little said.
On April 16, Little decided to introduce himself to the Reddit crowd that made him Internet famous by hosting his first-ever AMA (stands for "Ask Me Anything") on the social news site.
"Hello Reddit, This is Zeddie Little, now known as 'Ridiculously Photogenic Guy.' As requested, I will be answering your questions, whatever they may be," he said. "I'm very excited to be a part of this interview and look forward to speaking with you all!"
Here are 10 things we learned from Little's candid interview with his passionate fans:
1. The fame of Zeddie Little, a.k.a. "Ridiculously Photogenic Guy," has not yet resulted in many monetary gains:
"Brooks Running has been in touch, (I was photographed wearing their racing shoes and shorts) and we've been throwing around some ideas," Little said. "I haven't been too much in contact with agencies or whatever, but I'm not opposed to doing commercials/modeling/etc. I think it would be a new and fun experience.
"I have, however, been contacted by the John Ritter Foundation to run the NYC marathon this year. I'll be running to raise awareness for Aortic Health. I am really glad they contacted me to do it."
In response, one user named bgbopper proclaimed a new meme: "RPG: Could be professional model, decides to be professional role model."
2. Zeddie Little, a.k.a. "Ridiculously Photogenic Guy," loves his newfound fame:
"I have to say, I really enjoy being part of such a good joke. I was noticed by an older woman around 70 or so in the grocery store on Saturday and she was ecstatic, saying, 'I saw you on my TV!'
"As well, I'm completely honored to be approached by the John Ritter Foundation for Aortic Health to run the NYC marathon. Any way I can promote healthy living and such positivity is really humbling."
Yet, he gives all the credit in the world to his photographer.
"Regardless of who the subject is, Will King took a great photo. I've told Will, the photographer, that as well."
Redditor "faxwellington" responded: "This man is the perfect human being."
3. Zeddie Little, a.k.a. "Ridiculously Photogenic Guy," has a daily hair care regimen:
"Just shampoo, maybe conditioner, no particular brand or whatever," Little said. "It's really thin so I just use wax/pomade from Keihl's (product placement?). And once in a while go to a cool barber called Freeman's."
In response to this "ridiculously photogenic advertising," a user named ho666 said "Freeman's is going to be confused at the 1000s of people waiting at their door tomorrow."
Just in case you want to wear your hair like RPG, here's a link to Little's hair wax of choice.
4. Zeddie Little, a.k.a. "Ridiculously Photogenic Guy," has a few favorite memes of himself:
"It got to a point where it felt weird looking at a billion pics of mysef, so I might have missed out on any recent ones within the past week or so," Little said. "There are a ton of great ones. Off the top of my head, I like the "Record Milk Sales" one, the creepy Wolverine one and definitely the RPG photoshopped into the North By Northwest airplane scene."
5. Zeddie Little, a.k.a. "Ridiculously Photogenic Guy," admits his fame was a "total fluke."
"My friend was among the crowd while I was running," Little said. "They were behind me, actually, and as I turned around I guess I looked straight into a camera lens."
6. Zeddie Little, a.k.a. "Ridiculously Photogenic Guy," has a real job.
"I bartend at a restaurant in NYC and I manage web content and PR material for a pretty rad music venue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn."
Upon reading Little's post, user "wurbswrub" said, "I think I just attempted to mate with my computer screen on impulse."
7. Zeddie Little, a.k.a. "Ridiculously Photogenic Guy," has plenty of interesting hobbies.
"I like running, listening to too much music, and am really into the NYC food scene," Little said. "I cooked for about 6 years and a little here in the City, and I just can't shake the bug I have for cooking/eating/learning about food and gastronomy."
In particular, Little says his favorite breakfast is "eggs benedict," and his favorite burger is the "Grass Fed burger at Back Forty in the East Village in NYC."
Redditor "pakron" adds "RPG also enjoys long walks in the park, and sitting in the moonlight staring out onto the sea."
8. Little's family loves his new role as "Ridiculously Photogenic Guy."
"Everyone is enjoying it. It's a joke everyone can have fun with," Little said. "My dad was so proud he would have given away my complete biography, complete with SSN to a journalist until I had to ask him to dial it back a little bit, haha. Yeah, I've always found memes funny, but never, ever though I'd BECOME one. Bizarre."
9. Zeddie Little, a.k.a. "Ridiculously Photogenic Guy," has a favorite Ninja Turtle.
"Michaelangelo. Duh," Little said.
Leonardo, Donatello and Raphael all just put on orange masks.
10. Zeddie Little, a.k.a. "Ridiculously Photogenic Guy," will be on Reddit to stay.
As Little signed off: "I want to thank all of you for this opportunity and catapulting my likeness to world renown. I've said it before, but it's all so surreal and greatly appreciated. Looks like I'm now a Redditor! I might change the name, but who knows. Thank you again for a great time! Good night! Zeddie."
If you'd like, you can follow Little on Twitter.
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