Michelle Zuo | The Chronicle
On the night of May 14, 2025, the Hikmatulloeva sisters went to bed unaware that helping their little brother would lead to life-changing fame.
Two Mason Middle School (MMS) friends Javlon Uzbekov and Anish Sathyanarayanan launched the Instagram page The Zooming Demons (@the_zooming_demons) to document their journey as aspiring MMS cross country runners. Their first post amassed over 448,000 likes and 6.1 million views, with famous content creators such as YouTuber PrestonPlayz and Olympian Lolo Jones leaving comments. The account has garnered 82,200 followers that include coaches, parents and student-athletes across the country in the span of three months.
Behind the fame are Uzbekov’s sisters—Mason High School (MHS) senior Nozanin Hikmatulloeva and sophomore Kamola Hikmatulloeva—who both showcase their talents through filming and editing the videos.
Kamola first started filming videos and communicating with sponsors for the Instagram account. Her contributions to the account have expanded to developing and producing video ideas, as well as responding to comments and collaboration requests.
“The parts I enjoy the most would be video production and thinking of new video ideas,” Kamola said. “Especially because it’s like my creativity is flourishing. They also have no boundaries, so we can make both crazy and fun videos.”
Nozanin (left), Kamola and Javlon (right) collaborate to edit and produce an Instagram reel.
Nozanin edits the content by compiling footage and revising the final product. Since she is the oldest, Nozanin said that she typically handles the bigger sponsorships and responsibilities. She said that content creation is something that she enjoys.
“I really enjoy editing for them,” Nozanin said. “It’s just been great to finally have an excuse for one of my long-time passions.”
Kamola said her experience as a first-year MHS cross country athlete was shaped by the Instagram account and influenced by her little brother. She said she was drawn to the team aspect of cross country and started running outside in preparation when Uzbekov and Sathyanarayanan joined her. The three began training together, eventually leading to their Instagram videos.
“The three of us started running together,” Kamola said. “Then they just started filming videos. It made me more accountable for running. When I’m recording their videos, I have to keep running and making sure I’m staying on track with them.”
In addition to creating content together, Kamola said they often have to address the difficulties that come with schedule conflicts and balancing academics with athletics.
“I feel like it was definitely a lot easier during the summer,” Kamola said. “It became more challenging when school started since not only are [Javlon and Anish] on social media, but they also have school, cross country practice, and other activities. Finding the perfect time to film, sit down and talk about video ideas has become a lot harder.”
The Hikmatulloevas meet with their little brother and Saranyananan to discuss video ideas for the Instagram. Nozanin said this strengthened the siblings’ relationships as the account became a common ground.
“We all just sit at the dinner table and talk about ideas like a committee,” Nozanin said. “We were already really close to begin with. This just adds on as a hobby that we all enjoy because we don’t usually have those.”
The future of the Instagram is uncertain as Nozanin navigates her last year in high school. However, Nozanin said she was confident that the team will remain strong even with her graduation.
“I think there’d be a lot of changes in that since I’m going to be adapting to this new college environment,” Nozanin said. “But I’ll try to help them in any way I can, and for the most part, Javlon himself is not a bad editor.”
Despite both the obstacles and accomplishments that have come so far, The Zooming Demons’ journey has only just begun. The sisters said that they plan to continue working alongside Uzebkov in his future endeavors.
“Our main focus for the near future of this channel is to send out the message that it’s never too late to go after your dreams,” Kamola said. “We’re hoping this becomes more than just a hobby for Javlon and Anish, so that they’ll stick to this and make a channel that supports and motivates others the way they [the community] support and motivate the boys back.”
