How Daniel Bennett Built a Viral Empire by Breaking the Rules
- By: Adriana Bolanos
Post First, Ask Later…
Before Daniel Bennett was crafting Grammy-winning campaigns and building a powerhouse content agency, he was just a guy watching Vine, laughing at strangers being weird and wonderful in six seconds or less. What started as fandom quickly morphed into ambition — the idea that with just a phone and a little confidence, anyone could be seen. Anyone could make it.
And he did. Now with almost 700,000 followers, a viral track record, and the thriving creative agency, KDX Creative, under his belt — Daniel’s story is a blueprint for Gen Z creators who aren’t waiting for permission to make something great.
“I sometimes think I’m funny,” Bennett says, casually, like it’s no big deal. But it was exactly that instinct — paired with a belief in democratized content and the raw power of TikTok — that pushed him into social media. “The ability to simply post into the ether and let the world decide if you’re worth watching? That’s incredibly interesting to me.”
That curiosity turned into momentum. But it wasn’t always smooth. While working at the legendary agency TBWA Chiat Day LA, Bennett was surrounded by big ideas — but limited by even bigger hierarchy. “As an assistant and not a creative, I often had to sneak my ideas into decks just to get them seen,” he says. One of those ideas? Gatorade’s Play by Play TikTok campaign — a concept he quietly added to a deck that would go on to rack up 1.1 billion views in 48 hours. “That was the spark,” Bennett remembers. “It made me realize I had something.”
He set a goal: if he hit 250K followers on any platform, he’d leave the agency world. When the day came, he cried in his boss’s office. “It felt like everything,” he says of the job, “but leaving was the best decision I ever made.
Enter KDX Creative. Born from Bennett’s frustration with corporate slowdowns and approval chains, the agency was built to be fast, flexible, and fearless — everything traditional advertising wasn’t. It quickly found its niche: creating thumb-stopping social content that feels organic, not overthought. “No one gets anywhere by playing it safe,” Bennett says. “You don’t need 15 people weighing in on a tweet.”
KDX thrives on trust and instincts. That approach is working. The agency now counts Grammy-winning artists and global brands as regular clients. And it’s not just the star-studded partnerships that prove their worth — it’s how KDX shows up in the trenches, helping both musicians and brands navigate the often chaotic world of digital storytelling.
For musicians, it’s about authenticity. “Fans know when you’re faking it,” says Bennett. “We focus on the real — the process, the vibe, the offbeat moments.” For brands, it’s a slightly different playbook. “You can’t speak like a brand anymore. Let the admin show. Make unhinged content. Be human.”
That balance of strategy and spontaneity is something Bennett understands deeply. His own most viral moment? A tongue-in-cheek take on “personality hires” that he shot on a whim. “It’s always the ones you put zero effort into,” he laughs.
What’s striking about Daniel isn’t just his creative vision — it’s his values. At the heart of KDX is a belief in accessibility, speed, and empowerment. He’s not interested in building a clout empire. He’s building a content engine that’s fast enough to ride the waves of culture as they rise.
“People overthink social media. I get it — there’s pressure. But the best stuff comes from the gut. You have to hit ‘post’ before you talk yourself out of it.”
That instinct has carried him from the assistant desk to leading campaigns for some of the biggest names in music and media. But for Bennett, success isn’t about celebrity — it’s about freedom.
“The most rewarding part of this journey? I get to make the decisions now. I don’t need to wait ten years for a creative director title to call a shot.”
With a new partnership with Kursza under KDX’s belt, the agency is stepping into its next evolution — becoming a full-spectrum content powerhouse. One TikTok or a full-blown TV commercial, all from the same team.
And where does Bennett see himself five years from now?
“I don’t need a five-year plan. We’re building every day. We’ll be better, smarter, faster. That’s the goal.”
In a world where everyone’s chasing going viral, Daniel Bennett is chasing impact. And if his story proves anything, it’s that the future of content creation doesn’t belong to those who wait — it belongs to those who post.
