LMU Magazine - The Magazine of Loyola Marymount University

Isaac Lamb’s Viral Marriage Proposal

Isaac Lamb '02 pops the question to his girlfriend, Amy Frankel, at the conclusion of his live-dub marriage proposal.

Published: August 15, 2012
By Fred Puza

When Isaac Lamb ’02 posted on the Internet a live lip-dub video of his marriage proposal to his girlfriend, Amy Frankel, he simply wanted to share it with his family and friends.

Lamb, who studied film production in the School of Film and Television, put together a heart-warming, yet complex production: 60 people joined in the minutely choreographed, six-minute dance number on a Portland street and set to the Bruno Mars song “Marry You.” His friends loved it right away. So did a few others: The first day it was posted in May, it got 1 million hits. To date, it has more than 15 million views, and counting.

“It’s weird — good weird, but strange,” Lamb says. “It’s pretty intense that our private and personal moment has been shared with millions of people and that we’ve received responses from around the world. At the same time, it’s also delightful.”

Lamb first noticed something unusual when the video’s YouTube views and Facebook shares were coming from people beyond his circle of friends. By Day Two, he received 827 emails and messages, mostly from strangers. Then the interview requests began arriving, first from The Oregonian, Portland’s major newspaper. But when he got calls from “Good Morning America,” “The Today Show,” ABC News and CBS News, he knew something big was happening. Finally, he learned that Bruno Mars himself had seen the video and re-tweeted it to his 11 million followers on Twitter.

The video’s appeal crossed borders, going global. Lamb received hundreds of emails from as far away as Iceland, Iran, New Zealand and Uganda. One woman in Iran emailed him telling him how difficult her life is. She said Lamb’s video was a reminder to enjoy life again.

“Ultimately, the video taught me how hungry the world is for community,” Lamb says. “It’s so universal because people are eager to feel the sense of love, artistry, friendship and community. They liked seeing so many people working together in their community.”

Today, three months later, the video’s popularity has ebbed. But Lamb’s proposal still is having an impact. By trade, Lamb is an actor and director and the experience has opened some doors. He has no ambition of becoming an Internet video creator, but he is signed up to direct an independent feature film in Portland this coming fall.

“Internet fame is even more fleeting than any other 15 minutes of fame,” Lamb says. “But I think this video is always going to be watched. There is a timelessness to it that will remain even after the viral outbreak is over.”

Lamb says he’s glad his video became popular because of its appeal to romance and community. Amy, who said yes, loves the video and watches it whenever she feels stressed or overwhelmed.

“I’ve wanted to marry Amy since we first started dating,” Lamb says. “This experience has been breathtaking, but I feel so lucky just to be engaged.”