How Comedy & Struggle Built a Viral HVAC Movement to Fix the Skilled Trades Shortage – Trent Parker
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AC SmartSeal, the professional's choice. What's up everybody? So listen, Trent Parker, you probably know him by Mr. Fat Cheeto. He makes all those funny videos. He's got the now HVAC tattooed on his arm when he was writing it on there with permanent marker before, a Sharpie. He makes some funny videos and I'm like, hey, let's reach out to Trent and find out what drives the guy, what drives

drove him to make these funny videos within the trade and that's the conversation we're going to have we have Trent Parker Mr. Fat Cheeto sometimes he's in character sometimes he's not but he's got the wig on he's got the tattoo now so let's get at it guys this is Trent Parker aka Mr. Fat Cheeto

On the HVAC Know It All podcast, I'm your host, Gary McCready. This podcast is sponsored by Master. And if you guys are looking for additional training, commercial and residential training, reach out to your local rep because here in Ontario and even out West, they have training facilities and they are doing consistent and constant training on different things, commercial and residential. So check them out, guys. Check out master.ca.

Welcome to the HVAC Know It All podcast, recorded from a basement somewhere in Toronto, Canada. Your host and HVAC tech, Gary McCready, will take you on a deep dive into the industry, discussing all things HVAC, from storytelling to technical discussion. Enjoy the show.

All right, buddy. So the first question I'm going to ask you is where did the name Mr. Fat Cheeto come from? It's kind of like I like Cheetos. I mean, I've gotten into a bag of Cheetos before. It leaves your fingers kind of orange in that. But anyway, go on. Let us know. Okay. So basically I started working for a commercial HVAC company.

And at this time I didn't have any money, believe it or not. What? So like I had like kids, you know what I mean? It's it wasn't because like I wouldn't make it. It's just like life happens. Yeah. So I couldn't afford the breakfast. You know, I worked at a place in house at a, we were contracted out. So I stayed at one place in this place, you know, you could buy lunch, breakfast, everything, but I couldn't afford, if I wanted to eat lunch, I couldn't have breakfast, but I could afford a bag of Cheetos.

Like they're like 25 cents for a little bag. So every morning I eat Cheetos for breakfast. Well, then the Hispanic crew was like, they just started calling me Cheeto. So, Hey, you know, he's Cheetos all the time. So when I started doing this video stuff, like even on, I used to play world of Warcraft. So my names and all that started becoming Cheeto. Yeah. And, uh, when I started doing the video stuff, I was like, man, I really need a good name. Um,

And I was like, what about Cheeto? And then I was like, what about Mr. Cheeto? Then my daughter was like, what about Fat Cheeto? And I was like, what about Mr. Fat Cheeto? And there it was. Nice. Sweet. Cool. So what do you do in the industry right now, Trent? I make videos. That's what I do now. That's what you do now? That's all I do. So you're not in the trade anymore. It's just video content. Yeah.

Yes. I started out in the trade about 18 years ago. I did residential work, mostly apartments. So I learned on apartments. Believe it or not, it was heat pump apartments. So then I'd started my own business and I'd sold it and went to work for a commercial company. And I didn't know anything about commercial work like whatsoever. I did nothing.

So after they put me on anxiety medicine and a couple of therapy sessions, I became the supervisor over the commercial job at this place. So I stayed there. And then like this happened, this was an accident.

I wanted to bond with my daughter making videos on TikTok. And I made a video, me flying off the hood of a car, like really actually flew off and ended up breaking my elbow, my ankle. And my wife is like, look, I don't mind you doing videos, but nobody's watching this crap.

If you're going to do something, at least do something you know. And I was like, well, there's a lot of funny stuff in the trades industry, HVAC. So one day went outside the character. I got a compressor out of an old P-TAC unit, and I just put all this together, and history was made. Just spray painting a compressor saying, you know, $1,500 selling a used compressor. Yeah.

just crazy stuff. So like before now you actually have HVAC now tattooed on. So before that was what that was Sharpie that was on there before every video you draw it on. Is that what happened? Yeah. Yes. I'd actually gotten really good. I'm actually doing it. And then I upgraded, hold on. Let me show you. Let me see if I got it upgraded to these.

stencils and well actually stick on tattoo wet it yeah and it just pulls off that's it so my wife got tired of doing that for me

And she was like, look, these fans are like the real deal, what you got. And we got fans out there getting tattoos now because of you. Go get the tattoo. I was like, yeah, I think it's time. You know what? I agree. I agree with the decision, man, because you've created a brand for yourself and that tattoo is part of the brand. So why not get it? But I've seen pictures of you as short. Is that a wig you're wearing or do you have short hair underneath there? Yes, I do. Okay. You want me to take it off?

It's all part of the, no, it's all part of the character. I just, I was just a question I had to ask because I've seen pictures of you with short hair. Yeah, this is, this is all now this all came together. Like I said, by an accident, I went to a Halloween store here in town, bought this, pay $20 for my wife. Listen, my wife chewed me out over this $20 a week. When I first started making videos, she was like, Oh, I hope you make your money back. I was like, I want to do my best.

Well, three years later, hon, we've made our money back. So you're on TikTok, Instagram, like Facebook, you're on everything, right? Pretty much. And it's all under the name Mr. Fat Cheeto. Yes. Well, if you're, if you're on Facebook, it's like Trent Parker, Mr. Fat Cheeto, you know what I mean? But yeah. All right. Now that rooftop that you made the vehicle out of, where in the world did you get that? And what's underneath that? It's like a go-kart or what is that?

Okay, I'm going to give a plug here for my friend. I had a dream one night. I know this just sounds crazy, but I was laying in bed and I was like, I want to do something and I want to do something different. I want to build a drivable air conditioner. And the next morning I went to work. I found a package unit. It was a rooftop unit from an oil refinery.

and my buddy Russell Latner, who owns Tuscaloosa Lawn Equipment, I told him my idea. He was like, well, maybe we can figure something out. He was like, let me have it. He literally took over the project, which I'm thankful he did or never got done. He gutted it out and got a craftsman lawnmower, set it up under there, took the deck off. Well, it did have the deck on one time, but we took it off to get the weight off of it, but

He mounted it under there. We put a train horn under there. We've put LED lights. I mean, it's pretty awesome. And there it was. That's why I call it the Russell because he made it. It's definitely drawn a lot of attention, I'll tell you that.

Yeah, for sure. I mean, I have a lot of fun watching your videos and we can talk about, we can talk about them a bit more in sort of the transitional period of you being in the trade. So how long you've been making these videos for now? Two, three years, right? Yeah, about three years now. Yeah. And I mean, you were just at AHR and I seen you, you walking around the floor and all that. How many people, obviously you were recognized by a bunch of people. Did you have a big crowd of people following you around wanting to talk to you?

This is my third year at AHR. First was Atlanta. I was feeling good about myself. I had like one or two people be like, oh, you're that dude? I'm like, yeah. Second year, you know, they put me in a booth and I'm, you know, taking pictures and it was fun.

This year I didn't have a booth. I just walked around. I couldn't enjoy it. I mean, I looked back there. I enjoyed it, but I couldn't this year. I couldn't like really go out because I would take a picture, turn around, take a picture, walk three steps. Then there'd be a line of people. And then I found myself taking pictures with people. I didn't, didn't even know who I was. Yeah. But it was, it was cool though. And I, I'm going to do, I'm doing Vegas next year. We're going, we're going wild in Vegas.

So I've had that too. I've been doing this

for about eight, nine years now. Oh yeah. Podcasts, videos, all that kind of stuff. I don't have nearly the following that you do because you hit on a different level, more on the entertaining level and it catches and it catches really, really quick and it spreads really, really quick. But I've had that too where you go to a trade show and people want to take pictures with you and stuff. And I get what you're saying. Not nearly to the extent that you're saying every time you turn around. It's almost like you're

you're famous, like you're a movie star going to, uh, walking through the mall or something like that. And everybody catches wind that you're there and, and that's it. Right. I mean, and I can get that. It's almost like you need your own security to follow you around and start bumping people out of the way. Well, it was crazy. I actually may have to watch. I have people coming to my house. Oh, really? Yeah. Asking, am I like this? Mr. Fetchy to live here.

Uh, even in town, like I go up to a restaurant, it's, it's, it's actually gotten a little creepy, but it's cool. You know what I mean? But it, I mean, it's fine. I like it. I mean, it's fun. Now, let me ask you a question. You take the hat off, you take the wig off, you cover up the tattoo with a long sleeve shirt. Does anybody notice you at that point? I think what the giveaway is, is.

The belly? The belly? Yeah. And the boobs. Yeah. No, I mean, well, I'll tell you this. I took it off at AHR, went to Orlando Airport, and then people still recognize me. But they would have to really look or listen to me talk. I think that's what it is. If they look at me really good. So Mr. Fat Cheeto is not a character. It's you. You're just being you. Is that true? Yeah.

It's a character, but it's a character, but part of it is me. I think it's a character that I'm living. It's like something that I want to do that, but I can't do, but this character could do. It's like, it's like, um, I don't know if you're a hip hop fan. It's like Eminem and his alter ego, Slim Shady, right? That's it. I guess it's my alter ego. Like I said, this all got created. I got remarried.

And went through a hard time, you know, through a divorce and stuff like that. And I got remarried. And like I said, just wanted to bond with my kids. And next thing I know, I got a YouTube play button on the wall, you know. But I don't think I'm anything special. Actually, I really do this. I really just honestly I do it because I enjoy making people laugh.

I like, I think a lot of people miss, uh, understand me sometimes also they think I'm attacking the trade industry or anything like that. I'm really not, you know, I actually, I, you know, I love the trade industry and a hundred percent support it. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

For sure. So you're talking about the trades, the trade industry. Obviously, you're online, obviously, a lot. I mean, the videos are. But how much time do you spend actually looking at the trade as a whole these days? And what do you feel about the trade? What do you feel like it's come to or going to? Do you have any thoughts on that? I think if something don't turn around, the trade industry is, well, it's already leading down a bad path about finding workers and things like that and getting people interested in it.

You know, we got to get people interested in there. We need workers. You know, we need the blue. We need somebody to learn something instead of, you know, play video games all day or, you know, and I blame a lot of this. And I guess I'm not trying to get political or whatever. But years ago, parents would be like, go to college. You don't want to be the plumber or the HVAC guy. You don't want to be that guy. You don't want to be that guy.

Well, now we ain't got nobody, you know, and you know, now we need people, you know, and I guess I'm probably spilling off a long pathway here, but. No, but you're, you're absolutely right. We do need people. The, one of the things that I see is that the older generation could be a bit of a roadblock to some of the new people just because of the way, anyway, the way they speak online. And I get a lot of messages from younger techs that their journeymen are

We'll not teach them. Or if they've got an idea, they put them down. We can't do that. Yeah, we can't do that. We can't hold information hostage because we're going to think a young kid might come in, swoop in, and take our place. We have to pass the information down. And I think that's one of the roadblocks as well. Not only one, but it's one of them. It is a big one. It is a big one. And when you got somebody out there, I mean, yeah, everybody jokes around.

If you've got a guy out there on that job, take the time to show him something. I mean, my gosh. And don't sit there and shame him on the job because, or, oh, he's an idiot. Well, nobody ever taught him anything. That's why. Oh, he ain't going to last. We ain't going to last because nobody's going to help him. He don't know anything. You know? Oh, he went to school. Look at him. Well, show him differently.

mm-hmm i mean that's up to us you know and and i do want to encourage people i do want to encourage young people to get in the trades it can be fun and you can make a lot of money if you want to work hard at it you know yeah 100 you can but your perspective on the trades as far as not having enough people that that's a good clear observation because it's actually happening but what about

the, the, the very quick advancement of technology in the last 10 years, like digital tools, probes, all these apps. I mean, now we're, we're going to some AI stuff. Uh, some of the apps are going AI based, like Copeland's got like an, an AI scout now where you can find information. Like what about all the technology? Do you think it's helpful, uh, to have this at your fingertips? Because there's an argument. Here's the argument that I get from some of the older techs. Well,

The information's too easy for these young guys now. Now they don't actually go through the steps of troubleshooting and finding out on their own and all these mistakes they make is lessons. Now they make less mistakes because the information's in front of them and they're able to do their job a little bit more efficiently, but they're not learning the hard lessons as they grow. What do you think? Do you think that's a good argument? Well, this is the way I look at it. We have an instrument here, a piano or a guitar, right?

When you're playing it, I mean, you want to learn all about it. I mean, you want to learn the ins and outs of everything as much as you can. I feel like it's a good thing and it's a hurtful thing, like you're saying, when it comes to technology. How about this? I can walk out there right now. I can use my gauges, my digital gauges, or I can use my old manifold set. You put a new old manifold set.

And then you guys, you don't know how to use it. And I always say stuff like this. What if the batteries go dead? What if it gets broke? You know what I mean? I always just say that. I mean, technology is good and it's helped us. And I'm not down in like the digital gauges or anything like that. I do like the programmable new like Bluetooth control boards, things like that. Those are really helpful. But when it comes to AI and stuff like that,

It's moving fast. It's moving super fast. It's moving fast that I don't even know what's going on every day is honestly almost something different. I always just encourage people to do what I did when I got in the trade is luckily I had an old timer, you know, the old timer guy to teach me, but that didn't stop there. There's so much information on YouTube that,

It's literally a free university. You can learn bad things on there, too. Yes, of course. I was going to say that. And not everything's good. You've got to find you a good channel, good something that...

you know, your channel, you know what I mean? Find you something good. It's got a lot of good information and, um, learn so much. I wouldn't suggest really learning anything from my channel except what not to do. So I think that's, to be honest with you, Trent, I think that's one of the reasons that your channel has been, or your channels and your brand has been so successful is because, uh,

The trade is... Sometimes it's hard. It's easy for some people. It's hard for other people. But it's a related or relatable escape from the daily. It's still trade-related, but it's like, hey, look at me do some crazy shit here and laugh along with me. I think that's why you become successful. Now, I don't know if you know Andrew from NAVAC, but he started...

an HVAC comedy channel way before he started working for NAVVAC and it started to kind of blow up. Do you know what I'm talking about? Uh, I don't think I know him. Uh, I know NAVVAC, but I've got a big, big, big, huge long beard. Did you see him at, at, uh, HR? Uh,

No, you're talking about, okay, there you go. Gotcha. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So he, before he went to work for NAVAC, he was doing content creation and he went down the road, the road of comedy as well. And he was doing super success. If you go back in time, you could probably see some of this stuff and he was doing really, really, really well. And I think it's because it's a relatable relationship.

So it's, it's HVAC related, but it's also funny as shit and people could relate to it and laugh along with it and just get rid of some of that tension of the day or the week. Right. I think that's why you're, you're doing so well. So if you guys are looking for a universal podcast,

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Yeah. Um, it's basically, it's been a therapy for me to, you know, coming home after working on a hot roof all day, if you changed a big old motor and a air handler and, uh, you know, hot day anyways, it was like therapy to me to come home and just like, has something to do. I'm not really like, believe it or not, I don't really venture out much. I don't really go anywhere.

Probably the most boring person you'll ever meet. If I'm, you know, sometimes, you know, I like to be at home, you know, but, um, like I said, it's just been like a therapy for me just to do this and just to make people laugh. Um,

I've always enjoyed comedy from John Candy to Chris Farley, people like that, and a lot more people. I hope to take it further. I hope to keep making people laugh, especially that I do it full time now, for sure. You can definitely see a little Chris Farley in the Fat Cheeto character. You can definitely see that influence there.

Yeah, definitely there. So where do you want to take this? Is this something that you're going to continue to do until you get bored of it and move on to something else? Or do you have plans? What's going on with that? I want to increase the wild, crazy stuff on my videos. You know, I want to do crazier stuff. You know, I want to build a

I mean, I want to build a monster truck now, you know, out of a chiller, you know, crazy stuff like that. You know, I want to continue to do it. I would like to do like a television or some kind of a, it'd be nice to eventually do some kind of a series, you know, or a, a, uh, like a comedy home improvement show that was almost live action, not like scripted. I don't really like scripted stuff. As a matter of fact, believe it or not, none of my videos are scripted.

Everything you see, I've just done it. I like it that way. Yeah, I mean, because if I start scripting, I've tried. It's just, don't get the views and everybody's like, fake. Even though they think I'm fake now, but at least it's funny fake instead of like...

I don't script any of my videos either. It's all off. Like I, I work with a lot of manufacturers and some of them say to me, Hey, um, can we get a plan of, of your video? And we want to see the, the, the raw version. And we need to, we need an outline of what your video is going to be. And I said, it don't work like that with me. I get in my truck and I read some information. I turn on my camera and whatever comes out of me is what you get. It's not pre-planned.

The same thing. I'm literally have been talking to a company. They literally gave me almost word for word, what you said. And I was like, I can't do that. You know, I can make it and then you can watch it and then be like, yeah or no. But yeah, I'm not sitting here typing something. I give you, if you, you've already liked me, you watch me, you know, Hey,

It is what it is. You get what you ask for, right? You get me. Right. You get me. I'm trying to get in behind who you are because I just think it's fascinating that you have grown to such popularity over such a short time.

And the, the monster truck thing would be super cool. It's almost like you're trying to develop yourself into the, the Mr. Beast of the HVAC world with all these cool projects that you're doing. You know what I mean? Because he's got his, his, uh, what he does with, with the game show now, right? Squid game. And he's, he's replicated that. And it seems like you want to keep growing and building and with your home renovation show, that's comedy based. It's, it's almost along those lines, right? Yeah.

Yeah, that's basically I want to keep going forward. You know, I actually I've done a movie. I was in a movie. It was called Steege Ridge. Friend of mine film also was in a Matthew McConaughey movie. Oh, no way. Very small part. Let me show you how small I see. See that little that's how small it was. But I still claim it.

I was in there. Yeah. Well, my wife's claim to fame is Aaron Carter. Back in the day, he filmed a music video in...

in the Toronto area where I'm from. And it was a big party outside in someone's backyard. And the camera spans across as she's like putting her hair behind her ears. And she's like, there's me, there's me. And that's her claim to fame as she was in a music video. And it was like literally for like two seconds. That's awesome. So anyway, the, the trade, where would you like to see the trade for, for these young kids that,

that might want to get into the trade. The reason I asked you about the technology is because I got three boys and the technology is always in their hands. So if they transition into the trade using something digital with an app or AI, the transition for them is super easy. I think that's important. There's teachers I've talked to, instructors that will

uh, sit, teach a class and the class is getting antsy and the instructor will actually say, all right, boys, girls, there's girls in the class, grab your phones. We're going to look some stuff up on our phones because it gives them almost that. It's almost like an addiction picking up your phone and looking at it. It's like a stimulation.

Yeah. They'll be like, okay, so now we're going to look up this next topic and we're going to look it up on our phones and see what we come up with. So they look it up on their phones, they read it out to the teacher, then they go through it. And they're starting to implement that with like Gen Z and maybe younger millennial type students. And, but it's just the way of the world. So.

grabbing like a kid that's now 10 years old let's say in 10 years they're in the trade throwing them a set of analogs will be like a whoa it'll be this the shock to them right but i do agree with you that we should show them how to use a set of analogs in case the batteries die on the other gauges but at the same time we don't churn butter anymore at home we don't sit there with a stick and churn butter that's true at one point like if i run out of butter i'm not gonna

churn butter. I'm just going to wait till the store opens again. I'm going to go buy it. So at one point, I'll get your take on this.

There's a time where we have to go kid that, that technology gets left behind and we move on. Oh yeah. I agree with you on that. And I mean, I mean, I get what you're saying. We don't turn butter anymore, but it's always good. I feel like that 1967, it's always good for that one person to learn how to work on an old car. You know what I mean? You know, I guess, or to know, I mean, that's just how I feel. Like I want to know, you know?

but not everybody's like that but not every you know but my son my sons he learned for how to drive a car just by on app basically so i mean oh really you know his all of his driving stuff was on that so technology is here to stay that's for sure cool yep i agree with you so what's the next video you can give us a teaser

I'm going to give you a year in advance teaser. Okay. It's going to take place at AHR in Las Vegas, Nevada. And this person right here is going to dump a five gallon bucket of cool cleaner from Viper on me. You know who that is? That's H5 Ash. Yeah. Yeah. She's going to listen, Ash. You're going to dump that five gallon bucket of cool cleaner all over me. She sprayed me this year with a can. I told her next year, I'll let her throw a five gallon bucket of it.

I just had, that's funny you say that because I just, like John Passarella, their CEO, I just had a podcast with him talking about different coil cleaners and stuff like that. So because they're coil cleaners on the alkaline side, slightly alkaline, it's not acidic. Right. It shouldn't start burning your skin off.

Right. So that, that's why they're able to do that with. Right. So, so this is going to be at HR a certain time of day, obviously. Uh, and they're just going to dump that five gallon pill right over you. Uh, it's, it's just a joke. I told her, you know, but, uh, as far as the actual video coming out. Oh, yes. Yes.

I'll give you a little teaser. Some pesky prankster, they accidentally busted the water meter when they left poor concrete in the water meter box and it busted the water meter. I liked the one video when you went up and you started, you were spelling something into the coil, right?

are you doing something like that yeah yeah yeah bob or something like that yeah oh oh the big coat the chiller yeah the big chiller coil oh yeah yeah i destroyed that thing yeah was that so where was that was that on a roof that was getting ready to get off the roof type thing is that why you did it was it was frigid was out i just recovered all like 500 million five days worth of refrigerant out of it

And I was up there and I just said, hey, give me that tool. I'm going to do something. And I just did it. And man, I've posted that many times and it's probably got total probably 30 or 40 million views combined off that. Well, man, I know you don't have a lot of time. I do want to ask you a couple of questions off of the record, which I'll hit start.

stop on the video for, but thanks, man. Trent, Mr. Fat Cheeto, the character in Behind the Man, thank you very much for your time today and just learning a little bit more about you. Man, I love it. I just want to say, just tell people that do watch my videos that are in the trade. They don't have to be shy. They can message me. I'm not a jerk or a snob or anything. I just like to have a good time. Yeah, man. When I messaged you, you replied almost...

instantly it was like a very cordial message so I'm like yeah man this guy's real he's not he's not a jerk well I don't like jerks all right thanks man all right