October 18, 2024
With 3.4 million TikTok followers, Brissette brothers aim to make people smile
By Vicki-Ann Downing ’21G
Francis Brissette ’26G perches on the porch roof outside his bedroom in Cranston, Rhode Island, wrapped in a blanket, expressing his angst about dating, relationships, school, employment, insomnia, the state of the world.
A booming voice intrudes from off-camera — his brother, John Paul Brissette ’25. After attempting to introduce reason to the conversation, John Paul can only conclude with an exasperated “Francis!”
Franchismo10, also known as “the roof man,” is a social media character the brothers created in 2019. Their videos have brought them 3.4 million verified followers on TikTok, 572,000 on Instagram, and 57,000 on YouTube — and recognition as influencers in the world of social media marketing and content creation. Through their business, Broskis’ Studios, they have shared their creativity with professional sports teams and partnered with major brands, including Instagram.
Since October 2023 they have been under contract with the national Society of Saint Vincent de Paul to promote its work to a younger audience.
“J.P. and I love making people laugh and smile,” Francis said. “We want to make life easier for people who need it the most. You see a lot of ‘life is hard’ messages. We want to be family-friendly and relatable.”
Their business may be comedy but it’s one they take seriously. Francis, who has a bachelor’s degree in performing arts from Rhode Island College, is studying in PC’s MBA program. John Paul, who has an associate degree from the Community College of Rhode Island, is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in marketing.
“There is so much to know about business,” John Paul said. “A degree helps. We had people doing our accounting for us; we want to do it ourselves. At the end of the day, business is foundational.”
“We’re both Rhode Island boys,” Francis said. “You hear about PC your whole life. One day you want to be a Friar. We have a Marshon Brooks autographed basketball in our room from a field trip to the college when I was in third grade.”
The brothers refined their Franchisimo10 character while at home during the pandemic. When travel resumed, “a plane was our home for a year and a half,” Francis said. They sat in the penalty box at a St. Louis Blues hockey game and rode a golf cart onto the field of a Texas Rangers game, introduced as “TikTok sensations from Rhode Island.”
During the academic year, John Paul brings his social media talents to Campus Ministry, helping to create videos with the Dominican chaplains, including Rev. Simon Teller, O.P., who also has a large Instagram following. John Paul also marketed the School of Business as a Benjamin Family Social Media Fellow during his junior year.
Most professors are unaware of the brothers’ fame and its responsibilities. Just weeks after school resumed in 2023, they had to apologize for missing class — they’d been invited to be special guests at VidCon Baltimore, a four-day gathering of thousands of digital creators, fans, and brands.
“One time we were negotiating a contract, so I was five minutes late to a Civ class with Father (Isaac) Morales, who didn’t like anyone being late,” John Paul said. “Many of our flights have been on Friday nights and back on Sunday night for school.”
“We’re working the dream job,” Francis said. “It’s everything I could have hoped for.”
