‘Weekend at Biden’s’ creator takes on LA mayor Karen Bass

Spencer Pratt has ended his campaign for mayor of Los Angeles, but he says his fight against the two remaining candidates is just beginning.

And we thought all we had to look forward to was an electrifying debate between Nithya Raman and incumbent Karen Bass about shade trees.

‘This is not really a Republican or Democrat issue. ... It’s a commonsense, quality-of-life issue.’

Pratt hardly needs his name on the ballot to steal focus from the two Democrats. The meme magic has been particularly strong with him since he first announced his candidacy — thanks especially to behind-the-scenes creators like digital media guru Nick Ward.

‘Weekend’ warrior

Back in 2020, Ward had a killer idea capitalizing on the Trump/Biden presidential race — but he knew Hollywood wouldn’t so much as give it the time of day.

So he decided to DIY it instead.

Ward’s “Weekend at Biden’s” comedy video swiftly went viral, generating millions of views with his wacky riff on 1989’s “Weekend at Bernie’s.” The clip shows Joe Biden’s advisers attempting to trick the country into thinking he’s still very much alive.

Last month, Ward found inspiration in a battle just as contentious as that presidential match-up: the tight L.A. mayoral race between incumbent Karen Bass and reality show star-turned-candidate Spencer Pratt.

The clip spoofs director Ridley Scott’s classic Apple ad from 1984 featuring a “Big Brother”-style threat. Here, it’s Mayor Bass as Big Sister, telling her bedraggled citizens not to believe their eyes and ears.

“There is no reason to change mayors. Our city is fine,” the dystopian Bass asserts. “There is no homelessness. There is no fire damage. There is no crime.”

“No one’s buying it,” Ward said of Bass’ attempt to spin the truth during her re-election campaign.

He says Californians know it’s “not normal to see a threat on the side of the road and tell your nervous system to ignore it.”

Hammer time

The clip retains the iconic female athlete throwing a hammer into the projection, a figure emblematic of the frustrations felt across Los Angeles. “It speaks to a lot of Los Angeles moms, people who want to feel safe,” Ward said.

The clip was quickly picked up by actor James Woods (5.3 million followers on X), generating hundreds of thousands of views in addition to the eyeballs shared from Ward’s account, @Weekend_Bidens.

“The cat gets out of the bag. ... You have no control in a way,” he said of the clip’s early adoption. “I’m walking around South Beach. ... Within an hour or two it had gone up to 30K or 50K views.”

Ward made the video independently of Pratt’s campaign, but he makes no bones about his intentions.

“This is not really a Republican or Democrat issue. ... It’s a commonsense, quality-of-life issue,” Ward tells Blaze Media Lifestyle of his Pratt support.

RELATED: Hate-spewing Jimmy Kimmel mocks homeless Spencer Pratt with U-Haul gag

Dimitrios Kambouris/Randy Holmes/Getty Images

Truth in comedy

Ward may be building a brand as a go-to political satirist, but he spent his college days honing his improv comedy chops. Now, he’s tapping into the digital world’s viral reach as well as what AI can offer those challenging the media’s groupthink.

He understands the power of humor, something late-night comedians have attempted to marshal for some time. Except the Kimmels and Stewarts of the world are working at a disadvantage, as he sees it.

“I think one of the issues with the left, so to speak, is that they can’t really be funny,” he said. “Comedy is about truth. ... They’re not telling the truth.”

“Someone like Gavin Newsom tries to be funny, but it comes off very off-key,” he added.

Since most mainstream comedy platforms lean to the left, that’s given creators like him an opening.

“In some ways there’s been an artificially suppressed supply with that. There is a lot of demand,” he said.

The best satirical clips “speak about what’s unspoken, touching on something you’re not supposed to touch.” It’s one reason he hasn’t had to dig in his pocket for his latest clip’s promotion. It’s being shared organically.

There’s a method to his viral video madness, one that others have understood for ages.

“Leading with comedy is so great. Culture comes before politics,” he said, adding that there’s “a lot to laugh about in California” today.

AI auteur

Ward began making viral video content in 2020, and he didn’t have the wonders of AI at the time. He worked with a professional visual effects team without access to ChatGPT or Grok.

“I used to be so frustrated with stock images and being so limited,” he said. Now, with AI, “I can still do the whole editing process but just make myself the assets and be specific about it.”

The technology still has some hiccups. He notes how AI videos may degrade over time, forcing him to work in shorter segments.

“You try to change one thing, and [the onscreen character] may grow an extra arm or leg,” he said. “I have a few tips and tricks I use. Shorter is better.”

Ward isn’t hiding his partisan approach, but he also hopes his videos do more than ding the Bass campaign.

“I like making dialogue happen between people who aren’t necessarily talking to each other or hearing each other,” he said of his clips. “It’s an opportunity to bring people back into the conversation.”