Iman Crosson, better known by his stage name Alphacat, is an American actor, impressionist, and YouTube personality known for his impersonations of former U.S. President Barack Obama and his starring role in independent film Along the Roadside.
YouTube and Barack Obama impressions On December 14, 2005, Crosson opened a YouTube account with screen name Alphacat. In July 2008, at the urging of his fellow waiters, Crosson created spoof videos of then–U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama.
During the summer of the 2008 U.S. Presidential election campaign, Crosson's 30-second video won Denny's Restaurant's nationwide contest for the best impressionist of the then-candidate Barack Obama. He said that he "went from unemployed to self-employed in literally a matter of a month." Crosson moved from New York to California, obtained an agent specializing in helping talent crossover from online to mainstream, and was invited to be on America's Got Talent.
On YouTube, Crosson specialized in mashing up his Obama impersonations with hip-hop songs, his spoofs of Beyoncé's "Single Ladies" and T.I.'s "Whatever U Like" being viewed more than 20 million times each.
After Obama's January 2009 inauguration, Crosson was featured on several entertainment and news television shows, blogs, and newspapers. Crosson was called a "YouTube sensation" by Fox News' Neil Cavuto.
Crosson's post-inaugural work included voice-overs in Newsweek's The District, a video series in which Crosson narrated Obama's first months in Washington from the President's point of view."The District Ep. 1 The Challenges We Face – Newsweek.com" video (archive) which aired on newsweek.com on February 2, 2009, and was posted on YouTube's "NewsweekVideo" channel (archive) on February 4, 2009. The word "District" refers to the District of Columbia (DC), the U.S. capital. The District season finale "'The District' | Ep. 9 | Season Finale -- video.newsweek.com" (archive) aired on March 30, 2009. Crosson impersonated Obama at the 66th Annual Radio and Television Correspondents' Association Dinner on March 17, 2010.
In October 2012, Crosson performed as Obama in the YouTube series Epic Rap Battles of History with the episode "Barack Obama vs. Mitt Romney", the music single of which was certified gold by the RIAA.
In December 2013, Crosson contributed to an Affordable Care Act social media campaign by releasing a video spoof of Snoop Dogg's "Drop It Like It's Hot." In February 2014, YouTube content creators including Crosson met with U.S. President Obama at the White House to discuss ways in which government could connect with the content creators' viewers, concerning awareness of and enrollment in health insurance policies and other issues.
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 2013 Along the Roadside Varnie Independent film 2016 Tere Bin Laden: Dead or Alive Barack Obama Bollywood comedy
Television Year Title Role Notes 2018 Our Cartoon President Barack Obama Voice 2024 NCIS Lt. Elliot Greene 2026 Wonder Man Actor in Hallway
Web series Year Title Role Notes 2011 President Obama on Death of Osama bin Laden (SPOOF) Barack Obama Johnson, Bailey, "President's bin Laden speech could have gone differently" (archive), CBS News, May 5, 2011. 2012 Epic Rap Battles of History Barack Obama Episode: "Barack Obama vs. Mitt Romney" 2012 Annoying Orange Broccoli Obama Episode: "Kitchen Decision 2012"
See also List of actors who have played the president of the United States
References
External links