Houston influencer Tito poses for a photo at Student Center North, Friday, Sept. 5, Houston, Texas. | Raphael Fernandez/ The Cougar.
Houston influencer Robert “Tito” Gutierrez, better known by his social media handle @titofortheworld, doesn’t simply film places, he captures experiences and fleeting memories.
From high-energy football tailgates and trips to Houston’s beloved flea markets, his videos are more than the scenes they depict.
“We’re all growing up, we all have childhoods, we all have pasts,” Gutierrez said. “I love to go back and reminisce on my past because they’re just memories for life. I think when I go to those places and I record it, a lot of people can relate to those things too.”
With more than 40,000 TikTok followers and 5,000 Instagram followers, Gutierrez’s videos often hit on nostalgic notes.
However, his videos can also be laugh-out-loud funny, like his first viral video, captioned “When you’re five minutes to your alarm and your mom has to wake you up to go to class.”
“People that have a high influence, they’re themselves,” Gutierrez said. “They don’t have to be anyone else. They are the trend. So I was like, OK, let me see how I can make something as simple as the mall fun, but in my own way.”
Growing up, Gutierrez was often made fun of for not fitting in. Even now, he gets called derogatory slurs while filming, but he believes that if you’re not getting hate comments, you’re not doing anything right.
“I want people to be able to feel like they can express themselves without caring what anyone else thinks,” he said. “That’s my whole goal with everything. I would love to create that legacy: that you can be anyone you want.”
The effortless energy in his videos belies the relentless pace he works at. He often films, edits and posts two videos in a single weekend.
“I just post so much that it definitely makes me burnt out sometimes, but I push through it because it’s just part of the job,” Gutierrez said. “It’s like a fun burnout — when you had so much fun, you’re tired.”
Pride in his Hispanic community
Gutierrez is also an intern with the Center for Latino Studies at the University of Houston-Downtown. For Hispanic Heritage Month, he started an “esto o eso” series with Latin American foods, filmed an event commemorating Mexico’s historic El Grito and featured the center’s staff for a Q&A.
The center’s Instagram page has already gained hundreds more followers.
“Ever since Robert took over, it’s been an engine of growth,” said assistant director of the Center for Latino Studies Anthony Ramirez. “He really does bring in that student perspective that we were longing for. It’s important to be that shared voice, and I think Robert does a good job at that.”
Public policy junior Joshua Sombrano remembers watching Gutierrez’s “esto o eso” video on flour and corn tortillas. Sombrano said the charm of Gutierrez’s content is that it’s open to everyone.
“Even if you’re not of Hispanic identity, you can understand what’s happening there, and that’s what makes it so inviting,” Sombrano said. “It’s not like you have to be part of the club or something to really understand in depth what’s going on, and it’s purposely made not to be that way so that a broader community can be fostered.”
Gutierrez prefers Valentina hot sauce, salsa verde over salsa roja and flour tortillas for shrimp tacos but corn for fajitas. His dream is to one day work with NRG Stadium and take his followers with him to events. He lives by the tagline: “It’s us.”
“I love working for my Hispanic community, and my community loves me back, so that’s why it’s so much fun,” Gutierrez said. “As I get bigger and I have more opportunities to work with events, I would love to do more things for the community and for my Hispanic family.”
Although Gutierrez now has enough of an online presence that he’s recognized when he’s on campus, he doesn’t see himself as different from anyone else — just the same kid who didn’t quite fit in, whose idea to post videos online has changed everything.
“Everyone sees me as famous, but I’m not — we are the same people,” Gutierrez said. “You’re working as hard as I am. I’m not special. I’m just me, you know? And you’re you, you know? We’re good together, that’s it.”
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