Julian Shapiro-Barnum: Discovers 'Corn Kid', Makes Forbes 30 Under 30!

Julian Shapiro-Barnum, founder and host of "Recess Therapy," had a great 2022! After discovering Tariq, better known to the Internet as "Corn Kid," and helping him go viral, he's been named one of Forbes 30 Under 30 for 2023.

Forbes just announced the people who made their annual prestigious list. The "Recess Therapy" host is one of the 30 people selected in the social media category described as, "The people, forces and companies shaping the creator economy."

"Julian Shapiro-Barnum is a comedian and actor known for his viral online show, 'Recess Therapy,' where he recently unearthed the internet sensation 'Corn Kid.' The creator conducts on-the-street interviews with children about their hopes, confusions and dreams," his bio on Forbes' website begins. "He has amassed 3.5 million across social platforms, and partnered with Nike, Dole and Hasbro. Shapiro-Barnum has been profiled by the New York Times, CBS Sunday Morning and The Today Show."

Shapiro-Barnum also announced the exciting news on his Instagram page with a carousel of photos captioned, "They don’t know I’m 31…This is a massive honor, thank you @forbesunder30 !"

Many of his followers hopped into the comment section of the post to congratulate him on this big honor. One follower wrote, "Can’t think of a more worthy honoree. Recess Therapy is indeed my therapy between formal therapy sessions. Thank you, Julian ❤️." Another person added, "Congrats!!! You and that sweet baby made so many people happy this year." One other fan wrote, "Yes!! I genuinely just teared up. Your energy is what we need right now. I’m super proud of you. ❤️"

Shapiro-Barnum is an actor, comedian and filmmaker who started the YouTube show featuring interviews with New York City children in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. He talked to ABC News in September about how "Recess Therapy" came to be.

"The idea was that someone can learn a great deal from listening to people that young, and that the process of listening, learning, and questioning is constant," he said. "I would bring kids subjects like happiness, anger, climate change - things that I thought, 'how do I navigate this as an adult in the world; how do I grapple with these things?' Let me see if I can get any advice from kids."

Shapiro-Barnum has interviewed many children since first starting the YouTube channel and branching out to other social media pages such as TikTok and Instagram. One of the children interviewed, Tariq, also known as "Corn Kid," became an instant viral sensation. After the first interview with Tariq went viral, he did a second interview with the outgoing 7-year-old who loves corn. The two recently reunited for a fun day at the Empire State Building.

From the chance meeting with Shapiro-Barnum and the first interview all about why Tariq loves corn, he's since become the "Corn-Bassador" of South Dakota, partnered with Green Giant and was featured in this year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, was a guest on "The Drew Barrymore Show," and much more.

"Recess Therapy" has released tons of videos and went on their first national tour this summer. "I think it is really important and really powerful and really necessary to give children a voice. And to hear what they have to say," he said. "Especially, because so often the responses are laced with such positivity."