Trick-Shooting Twin Students, Social Media Sensations, Connect With More Than Dunks

This summer, Jake and Pete Randall have had their feet in two worlds.

The St. Louis twins — both soon to be seniors and both studying finance and economics at Rockhurst University — are helping work in the fields on a farm south of Kansas City at Boys Grow during the day, part of a summer internship program at the Bishop Sullivan Center.

The organization gives young boys experience as part of a working farm, and each year they produce, market and sell a packaged food item showcasing the produce they raise — in the past, it’s been ketchup, barbecue sauce, avocado hot sauce, and salad dressing.

Asked about their own previous experience with the agricultural lifestyle, Jake is extremely honest.

“We are not farmers by any means,” he said. “We had no idea about any of that stuff, but it is kind of cool to learn about farming and the techniques and why drip irrigation is important.”

“The Randall Twins,” as they’re known on Instagram and Twitter, are better known for viral videos combining their skills on the basketball court with a healthy dose of humor.

That formula has garnered millions of views and a spotlight from some influential sources in the realm of social media — popular sports site Bleacher Report showcased one of the twins’ recent videos on their social media pages, and ESPN has also shown the Randall twins some love. Each video serves as its own setup and punchline — in the post shared by Bleacher Report, the twins don Heelys shoes (equipped with wheels) to simulate the awkward, sometimes frustrating glitches in NBA basketball video games. The result was very silly, but with a helping of truth in it — in other words, shareable comedic gold.

By building up their social media audience and networking, the twins’ video savvy have given them new opportunities — invites to judge the dunk contest at a Kansas City-St. Louis all-star basketball showcase and to be special guests at the opening of the new Nike store on the Country Club Plaza, as well potential sponsorships in the future.

“We’ve got some big stuff in the works,” Jake said.

Despite that penchant for nailing tone and content for a broad audience, the twins said becoming social media stars was never necessarily the plan. They loved basketball, and had hoped to play in college. It didn’t work out, but it did give them an idea.

“We got into professional dunking,” Jake said. “And that led to making videos. Rather than just wow someone with our ability, we figured we can use the skills to make people laugh.”

Once they know what they want to do, the twins said filming the videos only takes a few minutes.

“The hardest part of the whole process is the idea,” Pete said. “For us to get on ESPN, it’s got to be funny and to have something that people can relate to.”

In past videos, they’ve poked fun at elaborate pre-free-throw routines, the differences between the way basketball is played now and in the past, and other aspects of the game, all showcasing the twins’ talent. Those videos have caught the eye of millions. They certainly haven’t gone unnoticed on the Boys Grow farm.

“Our biggest video got 20 million views and we were working when that blew up,” Pete said. “There’s another guy who works out here who played basketball and he saw it and showed to everyone else.”

Soon, the boys at the farm were also watching the twins’ videos, and both Pete and Jake said they embraced the opportunity to connect with the boys around them.

“We try to use this as a way to be good role models,” Pete said. “It’s something we’ve worked really hard for and it’s kind of cool to be able to relate to them through sports.”

The relationships they’ve built are on display on a typical day at Boys Grow — the crew passes the time by talking about any number of topics. The boys rib the Randall twins about finally having to do some work now that the cameras are clicking.

In that and many other ways, everyday work at Boys Grow could almost not be more different from their last internship. After their sophomore year, Jake said they spent the summer with a financial services firm. It was a great fit with their majors, but not so much with their personalities.

“We basically cold-called people,” he said. “The whole time we were in a cubicle, with a routine. We hated that lifestyle. Now we’re out here every day with these guys, where maybe we can help them a little as they turn into outstanding young men.”

The opportunity almost didn’t happen — Jake said as the two were looking through options for the Bishop Sullivan Center internship, he was initially drawn to anything business-related. His brother was the one who saw the farm and talked him into it.

“They had the option to select programs that you wanted to be a part of, and I just kind of thought Boys Grow sounded like something I’d want to do,” Pete said.

They met with Phil Smith, the coordinator of the internship program at Bishop Sullivan, who Jake said told them they would be a great fit for Boys Grow.

Taking the chance has worked out great, Jake said. The twins’ drive to take something they are passionate about and turn it into an entrepreneurial venture has more than a little in common with the lessons being taught at Boys Grow. And they said they’re happy to be sharing a summer internship experience that, for them, has cultivated more than crops.

“What we like most is working with the boys,” Jake said. “Building those relationships is really what makes Boys Grow great.”