McDonough’s fondest childhood memories are of playing basketball with his grandmother just beyond the door of his apartment. They would watch the Red Sox play the Yankees and celebrate each win. They respected Tom Brady. He said their relationship was the “greatest blessing” of his life.

“I know there are a lot of kids out there going through the same thing I went through,” McDonough said. “You can’t really do anything but find a way to maneuver and sustain life.”

Together with one of his closest childhood friends, Tommy Guarino, he turned his indecisiveness in cooking into a source of income. The duo, who met at the police summer camp in 2005 when they were 5 years old, graduated from high school together. Now they are business partners and brothers.

They are now 24 years old and have nearly 2 million followers on TikTok. On Instagram, Guarino considers himself a “Boston content creator” and makes videos that he feels accurately depict Boston style. She has been using her account since September 2020 and has quickly amassed hundreds of thousands of followers, so she dropped out of university to pursue content creation full-time. McDonough, who goes by the name Prosciutto Papi, stars in Guarino’s videos and posts recipes on his platform.

They worked with Mark Wahlberg, there was a movie starring him. Dunkin’ commercial starring Matt Damon and Ben Affleckand performed live with Apple TV in July. They founded the media company together “It is content” They have big ambitions like television, cinema and so on, but they never strayed far from their roots.

“We’re just two kids from the city, very humble beginnings, and we aim to — I don’t want to say get out of here — but get out of here so we can shine a positive light on Boston so people can make it. See what Boston is like,” Guarino said.

His content follows the most basic advice of creating “what you know.” They play characters Bostonians recognize: “Union men,” sports fans, and some are even inspired by popular movie characters. The medium didn’t fare any better than Boston either. Most of his videos are shot New Opportunity FruitA popular deli in Revere spanning the East Coast. The current owner of the facility, which has been operating since 1964, Yano Petro, said that it has been family-owned since its establishment.

“Delicatessen is such a relevant thing on this side of the country, especially in Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, it’s so relevant to everybody,” Petro said.

Guarino and McDonough started the deli line in April 2023, and Petro was initially skeptical. They were shooting throughout the day, with real Bostonians in the background and all the chaos of an East Side deli captured. “It was (expletive) hectic, but we did it over and over again,” Guarino laughed.

Petro soon realized that “these kids were onto something.” Petro said their ingredients don’t necessarily attract more customers, but they also increase the deli’s own customer base. social media interaction. Some people even came to the deli for the first time to try the Prosciutto Papi sandwich, which was briefly featured on the menu.

“Their content resonates with a lot of people,” Petro said. “The characters they portray are very relevant in daily life. Particularly in Revere, unionists are a large demographic.”

Guarino said that while he plays loud characters, fans they meet are almost always surprised by their quiet nature. They both consider themselves huge introverts — Guarino likes to watch movies alone — and they enjoy watching sports together at home.

“We have a really good trust that egos won’t get in the way, and I don’t think money will get in the way either,” McDonough said of their relationship. “He is my brother. “This is more than a friendship.”

Both see comedy as a form of escape. While much of Guarino’s childhood was filled with positive family memories, there are still things he can’t ignore. “Money was always a big deal,” his uncles were “in and out of jail,” and most of the people he grew up with were in the wrong circles at school.

Making mini movies with his father’s video camera gave him a way to cope. In many ways, TikTok has rekindled the childhood joy of storytelling.

“Comedy and making jokes to lighten the mood is the way I communicate with people and the way my group of friends and family communicate,” Guarino said. “This is a Boston thing. “We need to turn this into a joke for people who grew up in the city and experienced similar traumas.”

Beyond creativity, learning the business side of social media has boosted Guarino’s confidence. When he started out, he was uncomfortable asking for compensation from businesses that wanted to partner with him. He now knows what to bring to the table, how to ask for a fair wage, and how to make sure his work is valued.

“I gained confidence from experience, from being rejected, and from hearing some conversations that I wasn’t able to negotiate well,” Guarino said.

Their upbringings, hometown pride and desire to make a difference guide what Guarino and McDonough do. “What I try to do is inspire others,” Guarino said. When he hears that a video brought joy to someone on a bad day, he feels accomplished.

While they have dreams of expanding into long-form content and continuing to work with Wahlberg on projects, they want to make a big impact on their community and inspire others to change their own lives. Perhaps McDonough’s biggest goal is to get to the point where they can be guest speakers in Boston public schools and show kids what’s possible.

“You just have to be a good person,” McDonough said. “If you’re actually making a movie, I’d like to come back and explain how you should proceed. “For example, I want the kids of East Boston to know: Don’t let anyone tell you you can’t do something, because in the world we live in, people need hope.”

Emily Wyrwa can be reached at [email protected]. follow him @emilywyrwa.