From lab to back garden, this content creator is making chemistry relatable and accessible
Who would have thought a video making an alloy of sodium and potassium could rack up 3.5 million views in under four months. Emanuel Wallace aka Big Manny has successfully made chemistry trendy while educating millions of fans on fundamental theory.
Who would have thought a video making an alloy of sodium and potassium could rack up 3.5 million views in under four months. Emanuel Wallace aka Big Manny has successfully made chemistry trendy while educating millions of fans on fundamental theory. ‘I would’ve enjoyed science so much more if it was taught like this,’ comments a follower on the video.
@big.manny1 Making NaK (sodium+potassium) 💥 #chemistry #experiment #science ♬ original sound - Big Manny
After pursuing his degree in biomedical sciences, Wallace embarked on an unexpected journey as a content creator to engage young people in science. ‘I started to work as a science technician in a secondary school. I was setting up all the experiments for the students,’ Wallace explains. From this experience he acquired the knowledge to start creating his now incredibly popular content.
Wallace produced his first chemistry videos in 2021 – minute-long explainers of chemical theories in practice, available on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube – to help students after remote learning became the norm during the Covid-19 lockdowns in the UK. ‘I could see first-hand that students were struggling in science because of the lockdown,’ reveals Wallace, noting that there was a severe gap in their understanding due to not being in the classroom physically. Comments from his followers suggest that many of them have never done any practical work in their lessons.
Wallace produced his first chemistry videos in 2021 – minute-long explainers of chemical theories in practice, available on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube – to help students after remote learning became the norm during the Covid-19 lockdowns in the UK. ‘I could see first-hand that students were struggling in science because of the lockdown,’ reveals Wallace, noting that there was a severe gap in their understanding due to not being in the classroom physically. Comments from his followers suggest that many of them have never done any practical work in their lessons. ‘A lot of people reach out to me, and their teacher didn’t do any experiments with them … as a result, they didn’t have any engagement with or any kind of interest in science.’
A single 60 second clip can take between two to four hours to create depending on the experiment. Most are filmed in Wallace’s back garden. To ensure the information in the videos is useful and applicable, Wallace creates content based on England’s national curriculum. ‘Some of the experiments are what they do in school, but a lot of them are just fun experiments,’ he explains. For example, he covers key topics like exothermic reactions (using alkali metals with water) and simple analysis like chromatography. ‘I kept it conversational, light-hearted … and I try not to use words that are too complicated.’
Using slang is part of Big Manny’s charm, and his East London Street accent, combined with Jamaican patois, helps him to connect with some children who otherwise may not actively participate in science. At the same time, he is breaking down stereotypes as many of the negative comments he receives are from people who equate his accent with not being knowledgeable. ‘How you speak doesn’t determine your level of intelligence,’ comments Wallace, who attributes his success in part to the way he speaks to people in an informal manner.
Everyday influence
The hard work is paying off for Wallace, with people contacting him to say he’s ‘helped with their studies, and [I] have given them inspiration to take up science and pursue it as a career.’ His supporters credit him when they pass exams, which gives him a lot of satisfaction – ‘that’s the whole reason I do what I do.’
His new influencer status has allowed him to partner with several brands. ‘I recently did a collaboration with BMW,’ says Wallace. ‘I’m explaining the science of the car and how it uses renewable energy.’ He sees it as important to explain the science in everyday items and real-life events. Following the Titan submersible incident, he ‘decided to make a video to explain to people how implosion works,’ after finding out that while explosions are part of everyday lexicon, many people didn’t know what implosion meant. He also promotes safety; conducting all experiments in appropriate personal protective equipment and adding relevant warnings to videos to deter his fans from copying the experiments at home. ‘I always let people know that the reason why I’m doing this is because I’ve got the experience to do it … you shouldn’t try and replicate anything that I’m doing.’
The videos have become so successful that Big Manny has amassed over 3 million followers from all over the world. He has reached a point where he is being recognised on the street – people ask him, ‘are you the science guy from TikTok?’
Other milestones include going on the long-running children’s TV show Blue Peter, but a special moment that has stuck out for Wallace is collaborating with Oxford University Press. ‘They asked me to help promote the new science textbooks. That was a huge pleasure because I literally went to school learning from their textbooks.’ Currently, he is working on longer form chemistry content so he can flesh out more of the science and has ambitions of getting his own science documentary series on TV. Apart from science he is a musical artist, producing songs to give his fans an extra medium to engage with science as well as providing an insight into his life.
Those fans are not just school children. Wallace’s videos have reached older people who did chemistry at school but never understood it properly. ‘A lot of them say that when they watch my videos, [chemistry] makes a lot more sense,’ he says. Parents even tell him that their children, some as young as four years old, watch his content: ‘there’s a bit of science in there for everyone’.
@big.manny1 “SCIENCE 4” out on Friday 7th July! Instrumental produced by me 🧪 Spotify: Big Manny #science #chemistry #experiment ♬ original sound - Big Manny
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