Turns out accountants have a funny bone after all! We knew that all along but thanks to this hilarious viral video, the rest of the world knows too.
1 min read
Lauren Miller is a content writer for Canopy.
Keeping college students engaged can be a difficult feat for teachers, especially in a remote learning class. But Ryan Ball, an accounting professor for The University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, found a new way to make class a little more fun in what's now turned into a viral video that's been viewed more than 24.9 million times. What exactly did he do? He turned himself into a potato.
Well, not literally. But thanks to a spud-tacular Zoom filter, Ball appeared as a potato to his graduate students, who found the stunt hilarious. His eyes and mouth appear on the potato which bounces around the screen.
"I did it with my undergraduate class on April 1 of 2020, right when we first transitioned to Zoom," Ball told The Today Show. "I'll do anything to keep their attention. Within, like, 25 minutes I learned how to use the snap filter on a desktop and I actually had to start class 10 minutes late. To me, the best part is I did it the entire time."
The filter was such a hit for Ball's undergrad students, he decided to try it out this summer on his master-level students. Luckily, the joke was a hit and one student filmed the lecture and posted it in multiple TikTok videos, where each video has amassed millions of views.
"Once you are the potato, you can’t get it off without closing Zoom," Ball says in the video. "You’re stuck with me." He then proceeded to teach the entire lesson as the spud.
During the review session, Ball says he needs to check on his family and pulls up a photo of baked potatoes. Then, it’s time for the review session to get serious, so he changes his background to a more appropriate and professional setting — the potato sitting in an office chair.
If nothing else, this video proves the age-old adage that accountants aren’t funny is absolutely untrue!
Stay up-to-date on accounting news by subscribing to Canopy's blog.
Explore more of our recent Articles, User Stories, and Ebooks.
1 min read
Lauren Miller is a content writer for Canopy.
2 min read
Lauren Miller is a content writer for Canopy.
Canopy takes the headaches out of client management by offering a way to keep client info organized.
I love how easy it is to setup a new client in this software. Once set up, it's one click to get IRS transcripts downloaded for my review. This saves me at least an hour each week in comparison to the software I used to use.
This makes workflow for tax resolution manageable. This business is a bunch of hurry up and wait. This system helps to refresh my memory while transitioning to different clients.
The ability to securely share documents with clients as well as complete POAs from client contact data already in Canopy. The ability to route workflow between team members with color coded statuses allows us to work efficiently.
Cool features, outstanding customer service, constantly updating to make it better. I love that I can upload files easily to a secure client portal and we don't have to email files anymore. Absolutely can't imagine not having this software.
It's safe and secure. Clients are able to upload documents and the documents are saved their portal which as a result, keeps us better organized. The task feature keeps us organized and we know exactly the status of each client.
Submit this form, and we will be in touch soon to give you a custom demo.
Set a time for one of our product specialists to give you a guided tour practice.
Leave a comment!