1
00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:03,560
Speaker 1: Afro Tech Conference is back, bringing together over twenty thousand

2
00:00:03,640 --> 00:00:07,840
Speaker 1: tech enthusiasts, founders, investors, and more for another unforgettable year.

3
00:00:08,119 --> 00:00:10,320
Speaker 1: For years, afro Tech has been the go to event

4
00:00:10,360 --> 00:00:13,080
Speaker 1: for black innovators in tech with the brightest mind share

5
00:00:13,080 --> 00:00:15,880
Speaker 1: the latest developments and insights, and this year we're bringing

6
00:00:15,880 --> 00:00:19,360
Speaker 1: the experience to Houston, Texas. From November thirteenth through the sixteenth.

7
00:00:19,720 --> 00:00:21,640
Speaker 1: Join us to learn from the innovators and leaders who

8
00:00:21,640 --> 00:00:24,400
Speaker 1: are shaping the future of tech. From insightful panels to

9
00:00:24,480 --> 00:00:27,760
Speaker 1: curate it meetups and expansive recruiting, you'll connect with industry

10
00:00:27,840 --> 00:00:30,520
Speaker 1: trail blazers. In addition to focusing on the latest and

11
00:00:30,560 --> 00:00:33,960
Speaker 1: AI and data, this year's programming explores the intersextions of

12
00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:37,239
Speaker 1: tech with health, environment and creative design. Don't miss your

13
00:00:37,360 --> 00:00:39,800
Speaker 1: chance to be part of it. Secure your spoted afro

14
00:00:39,880 --> 00:00:43,440
Speaker 1: Tech Conference twenty twenty four today visit Afrotech Conference dot

15
00:00:43,440 --> 00:00:47,199
Speaker 1: counted by your ticket Now. I'm with Lucas and this

16
00:00:47,240 --> 00:00:51,159
Speaker 1: is Black Tech, Green Money. DeMarcus Sean is one of

17
00:00:51,159 --> 00:00:54,680
Speaker 1: the funniest people on tiktop, with over six point six

18
00:00:54,720 --> 00:00:57,920
Speaker 1: million followers and a million plus on ig He's become

19
00:00:57,960 --> 00:01:02,200
Speaker 1: a master of Online Entertainment Skits. So how do you

20
00:01:02,200 --> 00:01:05,959
Speaker 1: go from working as Firebucks to social media startled? So

21
00:01:06,040 --> 00:01:09,840
Speaker 1: you've talked about being naturally funny growing up, you know,

22
00:01:10,640 --> 00:01:13,160
Speaker 1: particularly in Chicago you grew up and I'm sure there's

23
00:01:13,160 --> 00:01:15,120
Speaker 1: a lot of people that you around growing up that

24
00:01:15,319 --> 00:01:19,080
Speaker 1: might have been funny. Also, how does that upg upbringing

25
00:01:19,120 --> 00:01:22,319
Speaker 1: that you had, How does that influence your comedy today?

26
00:01:23,920 --> 00:01:27,440
Speaker 2: I would say pretty much just because the way I

27
00:01:27,480 --> 00:01:30,400
Speaker 2: grew up in me experience and so many I have

28
00:01:30,480 --> 00:01:33,720
Speaker 2: so many different family members. Like my family is huge.

29
00:01:33,800 --> 00:01:38,600
Speaker 2: My grandma on my mom's side had like ten kids,

30
00:01:39,160 --> 00:01:43,880
Speaker 2: and everybody had like three to four kids after that,

31
00:01:44,360 --> 00:01:47,319
Speaker 2: so I have tons of cousins. And then also on

32
00:01:47,360 --> 00:01:49,880
Speaker 2: my dad's side, my grandma over there had like six kids,

33
00:01:49,920 --> 00:01:53,840
Speaker 2: and everybody over there had kids. So on both sides,

34
00:01:53,880 --> 00:01:57,120
Speaker 2: I have big families. So like all of my inspiration

35
00:01:57,320 --> 00:02:00,720
Speaker 2: either comes from like different end of visuals in my

36
00:02:00,800 --> 00:02:06,160
Speaker 2: family or just like life itself, me growing up with

37
00:02:07,160 --> 00:02:10,840
Speaker 2: many different characters of like just like friends, just because

38
00:02:10,880 --> 00:02:13,680
Speaker 2: like I I was like type of kid you couldn't

39
00:02:13,680 --> 00:02:16,519
Speaker 2: really put in the box in school. I wasn't nor

40
00:02:16,639 --> 00:02:21,280
Speaker 2: the jog geeky you know, I was. I would say,

41
00:02:21,320 --> 00:02:24,160
Speaker 2: I was kind of like everything in one so like

42
00:02:24,200 --> 00:02:28,840
Speaker 2: I was cool with everybody, so I had I was

43
00:02:28,919 --> 00:02:33,399
Speaker 2: able to experience all different faces of life growing up,

44
00:02:33,880 --> 00:02:38,079
Speaker 2: through school, through family, and just every day nuances.

45
00:02:38,440 --> 00:02:41,400
Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah, I was watching another interview then and you

46
00:02:41,440 --> 00:02:44,560
Speaker 1: were talking about how, you know, just living life is

47
00:02:44,600 --> 00:02:47,639
Speaker 1: how you get these stories and these comedy sketches. And

48
00:02:47,680 --> 00:02:49,880
Speaker 1: you mentioned, you know, having a love for music and

49
00:02:49,919 --> 00:02:54,760
Speaker 1: singing and drawing and photography. How has those interests helped,

50
00:02:54,919 --> 00:02:58,239
Speaker 1: you know, shape your perspective on your comedy.

51
00:02:59,440 --> 00:03:04,200
Speaker 2: I would say just because every single I guess creative

52
00:03:04,200 --> 00:03:08,639
Speaker 2: hobby that I do have, they are in a sense

53
00:03:08,919 --> 00:03:13,560
Speaker 2: feeding my content that I put online, and in the

54
00:03:13,639 --> 00:03:16,000
Speaker 2: small I wouldn't I shouldn't say in the smallest way,

55
00:03:16,040 --> 00:03:20,480
Speaker 2: but in a sense, in the smallest way. So like,

56
00:03:20,600 --> 00:03:24,200
Speaker 2: if if I'm not like, let's just say, like right now,

57
00:03:24,240 --> 00:03:28,760
Speaker 2: if I'm not really into like just like posting as

58
00:03:28,840 --> 00:03:31,320
Speaker 2: much as I want to, I'll take a break from

59
00:03:31,360 --> 00:03:34,360
Speaker 2: online and then I'll go into let's just say, my

60
00:03:34,440 --> 00:03:37,200
Speaker 2: photography for the next week or so and not really

61
00:03:37,200 --> 00:03:40,400
Speaker 2: worry about the online scene and posting, and then that

62
00:03:40,440 --> 00:03:45,040
Speaker 2: will give me the I different ideas in a way

63
00:03:45,200 --> 00:03:49,200
Speaker 2: because I'm not so bombarded with other people's content or

64
00:03:49,320 --> 00:03:53,520
Speaker 2: just like little things that you will see online on Instagram,

65
00:03:53,560 --> 00:03:56,840
Speaker 2: on TikTok, where like it can cloud my creative mind.

66
00:03:57,040 --> 00:03:59,200
Speaker 2: So then at the same time, I'm not number one

67
00:03:59,280 --> 00:04:00,440
Speaker 2: stealing from other people.

68
00:04:00,520 --> 00:04:01,640
Speaker 3: It's all organic.

69
00:04:02,200 --> 00:04:04,840
Speaker 2: And then at the same time, I'm able to come

70
00:04:04,920 --> 00:04:08,560
Speaker 2: up with my own ideas, like straight off the domes

71
00:04:08,560 --> 00:04:11,480
Speaker 2: straight from me, So then I don't have to be like, crap,

72
00:04:12,400 --> 00:04:14,280
Speaker 2: what did so and so put in his videos? I

73
00:04:14,320 --> 00:04:15,560
Speaker 2: kind of want to do that. You know, it's all

74
00:04:15,600 --> 00:04:19,480
Speaker 2: coming straight from me. It's all my own creative process

75
00:04:19,560 --> 00:04:21,800
Speaker 2: and how I post.

76
00:04:21,440 --> 00:04:23,640
Speaker 1: It's so interesting to me, Like it's like all black

77
00:04:23,680 --> 00:04:26,880
Speaker 1: people live this same life. Like we've all seen the

78
00:04:26,960 --> 00:04:29,320
Speaker 1: guy who comes back to the job after having not

79
00:04:29,440 --> 00:04:32,040
Speaker 1: worked there, and it's like I used to We've all

80
00:04:32,080 --> 00:04:34,080
Speaker 1: seen that I used to work here guy, and so

81
00:04:34,200 --> 00:04:38,200
Speaker 1: like it was, so, how when did you recognize that

82
00:04:38,240 --> 00:04:40,760
Speaker 1: we've all had these same experiences and but you you

83
00:04:40,920 --> 00:04:42,320
Speaker 1: found the humor in it.

84
00:04:44,160 --> 00:04:48,720
Speaker 2: I think in a sence again, growing up, I think

85
00:04:48,760 --> 00:04:53,560
Speaker 2: we all look at each other and try to impress

86
00:04:53,880 --> 00:04:57,799
Speaker 2: one another, and I think through that I was able

87
00:04:57,800 --> 00:05:00,839
Speaker 2: to kind of like I think, like, bro, we all

88
00:05:00,880 --> 00:05:03,880
Speaker 2: doing the same stuff, Like we all like a little weird,

89
00:05:03,960 --> 00:05:07,719
Speaker 2: Like we all honestly all of us are all like

90
00:05:08,080 --> 00:05:11,240
Speaker 2: very weird in our own way, but all in the

91
00:05:11,360 --> 00:05:14,560
Speaker 2: same way at the same time. So like what I'll

92
00:05:14,680 --> 00:05:16,440
Speaker 2: sit at home. I was having a conversation with one

93
00:05:16,440 --> 00:05:19,919
Speaker 2: of my cousins and I was like, I forgot what

94
00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:23,000
Speaker 2: I said what I did in bed. I was like, oh,

95
00:05:23,040 --> 00:05:24,840
Speaker 2: that's what I said. I was like, you ever like

96
00:05:24,880 --> 00:05:27,720
Speaker 2: set in bed and you get like super excited just

97
00:05:27,720 --> 00:05:30,040
Speaker 2: for like out of the blue, just because it's cold,

98
00:05:30,240 --> 00:05:32,479
Speaker 2: like you get cold, you like in your blanket, you

99
00:05:32,560 --> 00:05:36,200
Speaker 2: just start getting like jitters, like you know what I'm saying.

100
00:05:36,480 --> 00:05:38,800
Speaker 2: And he was like, wait, I thought it was just me,

101
00:05:38,839 --> 00:05:41,680
Speaker 2: And I was like, bro, I feel like everybody does

102
00:05:42,080 --> 00:05:45,440
Speaker 2: like all the same stuff. So like back then, that

103
00:05:45,520 --> 00:05:47,360
Speaker 2: kind of gave me the idea to kind of tap

104
00:05:47,480 --> 00:05:48,200
Speaker 2: into that.

105
00:05:49,960 --> 00:05:50,159
Speaker 3: Now.

106
00:05:50,200 --> 00:05:55,080
Speaker 2: Granted, I always sent videos to between me and my brothers,

107
00:05:56,400 --> 00:06:00,400
Speaker 2: So me making skits skid form to our videos never

108
00:06:00,520 --> 00:06:03,159
Speaker 2: like out of the blue for me, just because I've

109
00:06:03,160 --> 00:06:05,760
Speaker 2: always kind of done that, me and my brothers, We've

110
00:06:05,760 --> 00:06:07,040
Speaker 2: all just sent them back and forth.

111
00:06:08,320 --> 00:06:08,760
Speaker 3: So me.

112
00:06:10,960 --> 00:06:15,440
Speaker 2: Just like implementing I guess like everyday life nuances was

113
00:06:15,560 --> 00:06:19,279
Speaker 2: slightly different, just because like my skit forms before was

114
00:06:19,360 --> 00:06:22,440
Speaker 2: a tabit different than what they are what they are

115
00:06:22,480 --> 00:06:24,279
Speaker 2: Like now, what.

116
00:06:24,160 --> 00:06:27,400
Speaker 1: Was that moment where you realize that TikTok, you know,

117
00:06:27,800 --> 00:06:29,880
Speaker 1: could be more than just a hobby, but for real

118
00:06:30,240 --> 00:06:33,159
Speaker 1: to your brand and you can make real money over here.

119
00:06:35,960 --> 00:06:40,760
Speaker 2: I think it was more so again the money, but

120
00:06:41,080 --> 00:06:46,599
Speaker 2: besides obviously besides the money, because before that, I I

121
00:06:46,600 --> 00:06:52,120
Speaker 2: would probably have to say, building a community and not

122
00:06:52,200 --> 00:06:56,840
Speaker 2: only not only the black community, but also a community

123
00:06:56,920 --> 00:07:03,200
Speaker 2: that stretches on the bounds of just like America. Because

124
00:07:04,520 --> 00:07:06,680
Speaker 2: for me, when I got on TikTok, I thought my

125
00:07:06,760 --> 00:07:12,440
Speaker 2: reach was just like first just like black, and then

126
00:07:12,720 --> 00:07:14,720
Speaker 2: I started seeing like it was so many other different

127
00:07:14,760 --> 00:07:18,320
Speaker 2: races and now I'm like, okay, we all be touching

128
00:07:18,400 --> 00:07:20,320
Speaker 2: in the US. And then all of a sudden, I

129
00:07:20,400 --> 00:07:22,800
Speaker 2: look at it. There's people were like, I'm from Germany,

130
00:07:22,880 --> 00:07:27,280
Speaker 2: I love your stuff. I'm like Germany or Russia, and

131
00:07:27,640 --> 00:07:29,400
Speaker 2: you know what I'm saying, China, I'm like, I don't

132
00:07:29,400 --> 00:07:32,600
Speaker 2: even know that my stuff can stretch that far or

133
00:07:32,760 --> 00:07:37,240
Speaker 2: people can relate, you know, to something like that that

134
00:07:37,680 --> 00:07:41,040
Speaker 2: I would think that's just like a US thing people

135
00:07:41,080 --> 00:07:43,960
Speaker 2: around the world can relate as well. So that's when

136
00:07:43,960 --> 00:07:45,720
Speaker 2: I knew, like, Okay, this can kind of be a

137
00:07:45,800 --> 00:07:50,760
Speaker 2: little bit not only like I can make money off this,

138
00:07:51,080 --> 00:07:54,080
Speaker 2: but I think in a sense it helps bring people

139
00:07:54,160 --> 00:07:58,920
Speaker 2: together from different walks of life and different people across

140
00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:02,520
Speaker 2: the planet. That you know, there's so many wars going on,

141
00:08:02,600 --> 00:08:07,600
Speaker 2: so you may think like something so small, as I

142
00:08:07,600 --> 00:08:11,280
Speaker 2: guess the comedy that I do, could bring people together

143
00:08:11,440 --> 00:08:13,000
Speaker 2: through just something so simple.

144
00:08:13,600 --> 00:08:15,960
Speaker 1: Yeah, and speaking, I mean, you've built this huge following

145
00:08:16,200 --> 00:08:18,760
Speaker 1: on TikTok, six point six million on TikTok, a million

146
00:08:18,760 --> 00:08:21,600
Speaker 1: on Instagram. You know when you think about the big

147
00:08:21,720 --> 00:08:25,800
Speaker 1: is as big an audience as you've built. You know,

148
00:08:26,040 --> 00:08:28,400
Speaker 1: how do you think about creating these skits, Like how

149
00:08:28,400 --> 00:08:30,040
Speaker 1: do you say, you know what this one will work?

150
00:08:30,080 --> 00:08:31,760
Speaker 1: I'm not gonna do that one. That one I thought

151
00:08:31,840 --> 00:08:33,960
Speaker 1: was a good idea, but you know that one's not

152
00:08:34,000 --> 00:08:35,920
Speaker 1: gonna make it to the timeline, Like how do you

153
00:08:35,960 --> 00:08:39,000
Speaker 1: how do you think through what's gonna make it to

154
00:08:39,040 --> 00:08:40,000
Speaker 1: your feed and what's.

155
00:08:39,840 --> 00:08:47,280
Speaker 2: Not just time And honestly, I don't whatever idea that

156
00:08:47,320 --> 00:08:50,360
Speaker 2: I do have I just posted. That's what I will

157
00:08:50,440 --> 00:08:54,040
Speaker 2: say for any creative. You do have an idea, just

158
00:08:54,080 --> 00:08:57,400
Speaker 2: posted it, don't hurt. But I have taken down a

159
00:08:57,440 --> 00:09:00,920
Speaker 2: couple of videos if they don't saying like, oh they

160
00:09:01,000 --> 00:09:06,320
Speaker 2: don't hit because obviously the algorithm things happen. Not every

161
00:09:06,480 --> 00:09:09,600
Speaker 2: video realistically is going to do good. That's just really

162
00:09:09,640 --> 00:09:12,480
Speaker 2: you just got to keep that one hundred with yourself.

163
00:09:12,520 --> 00:09:14,679
Speaker 2: Like every video, I know it's not gonna be as

164
00:09:14,679 --> 00:09:17,360
Speaker 2: big as the last video that I posted, or one

165
00:09:17,440 --> 00:09:19,960
Speaker 2: video may do way better than the video I post before,

166
00:09:20,200 --> 00:09:23,959
Speaker 2: so keeping that in mind. But for me, I never

167
00:09:24,120 --> 00:09:28,360
Speaker 2: just fully scrap an idea. What I'll do is is that, Okay,

168
00:09:28,520 --> 00:09:31,480
Speaker 2: I'll take it down. Maybe it's not received in a

169
00:09:31,520 --> 00:09:34,800
Speaker 2: way that I wanted it to, so I'll take it

170
00:09:34,840 --> 00:09:38,440
Speaker 2: down and then just rework it. So if I ever

171
00:09:38,559 --> 00:09:41,560
Speaker 2: like take down a video, I never like just like

172
00:09:41,640 --> 00:09:43,760
Speaker 2: delete it out and you won't see the video again.

173
00:09:44,760 --> 00:09:48,920
Speaker 2: I'll maybe add it to another video that I'm already

174
00:09:48,920 --> 00:09:52,400
Speaker 2: planning on recording in a way, so then it's come

175
00:09:52,520 --> 00:09:54,320
Speaker 2: like two videos in one.

176
00:09:54,520 --> 00:09:56,719
Speaker 1: Yeah, talk to me about the process. It seems like

177
00:09:56,760 --> 00:09:59,360
Speaker 1: you have a real process. It's just like, is there

178
00:09:59,480 --> 00:10:02,520
Speaker 1: the market journal somewhere is like you sketching ideas while

179
00:10:02,520 --> 00:10:04,440
Speaker 1: you on your way to the grocery store, Like, how

180
00:10:04,800 --> 00:10:07,120
Speaker 1: does this way? What's the actual process you use?

181
00:10:07,640 --> 00:10:11,240
Speaker 2: You know, it's crazy, I honestly don't. It sounds like

182
00:10:11,280 --> 00:10:13,440
Speaker 2: I have a full on process. I think my process

183
00:10:13,520 --> 00:10:15,880
Speaker 2: is kind of just letting things go with the flow.

184
00:10:16,440 --> 00:10:19,320
Speaker 2: But I honestly I don't have a journal. I don't

185
00:10:19,320 --> 00:10:22,320
Speaker 2: write down nothing. The most I will write down is

186
00:10:22,360 --> 00:10:27,080
Speaker 2: if I'm out and about and I'm doing something where

187
00:10:27,080 --> 00:10:31,319
Speaker 2: I can't fully record directly at the moment I'll.

188
00:10:31,160 --> 00:10:33,280
Speaker 1: Come So you're typically recording right then.

189
00:10:34,160 --> 00:10:36,719
Speaker 2: Yeah, oh wow, go straight up the dumpson. As soon

190
00:10:36,720 --> 00:10:38,319
Speaker 2: as I get the idea, I'll try to record it.

191
00:10:38,440 --> 00:10:39,720
Speaker 3: Wow. Yeah.

192
00:10:39,760 --> 00:10:42,040
Speaker 2: So most of the time I don't really write down

193
00:10:42,040 --> 00:10:45,880
Speaker 2: stuff just because I feel like, over time it takes

194
00:10:45,920 --> 00:10:49,439
Speaker 2: away from the feeling that I actually want to portray

195
00:10:49,559 --> 00:10:52,199
Speaker 2: in the video, and then I have to think back

196
00:10:52,360 --> 00:10:55,160
Speaker 2: to crap, how was I like, what did I want

197
00:10:55,200 --> 00:10:55,880
Speaker 2: to do in a video?

198
00:10:55,960 --> 00:10:56,120
Speaker 3: What?

199
00:10:56,200 --> 00:10:59,160
Speaker 2: How did I want to say this? And then if

200
00:10:59,200 --> 00:11:02,080
Speaker 2: I do record, you know what I'm saying later on,

201
00:11:02,320 --> 00:11:05,920
Speaker 2: it don't come up as authentic as I wanted it

202
00:11:05,960 --> 00:11:09,640
Speaker 2: to or as good and then I'm trying to perfect it.

203
00:11:09,720 --> 00:11:13,360
Speaker 2: And then for my videos. Again, I don't know about

204
00:11:13,360 --> 00:11:20,040
Speaker 2: anybody else. I'm an imperfect perfectionist, if that makes sense.

205
00:11:20,120 --> 00:11:24,400
Speaker 2: So I love that my videos, like I stumble around

206
00:11:24,480 --> 00:11:26,600
Speaker 2: a lot, Like most of my videos is kind of

207
00:11:26,640 --> 00:11:29,000
Speaker 2: like one takes at.

208
00:11:28,800 --> 00:11:31,880
Speaker 3: The most, maybe two to three.

209
00:11:32,040 --> 00:11:35,040
Speaker 2: But that's if I like remember something where I'm like, crap,

210
00:11:35,080 --> 00:11:37,560
Speaker 2: I was supposed to say this, But for the most part,

211
00:11:37,600 --> 00:11:40,560
Speaker 2: most of my videos are one takes, just because I

212
00:11:40,640 --> 00:11:46,880
Speaker 2: want them to be very natural as humans speak. You know,

213
00:11:47,120 --> 00:11:51,680
Speaker 2: human speech, we stumble around, we may pause for a second.

214
00:11:51,720 --> 00:11:54,840
Speaker 2: It didn't gather ourselves and stuff like that, So I

215
00:11:54,920 --> 00:11:58,120
Speaker 2: want that to be portrayed on the video. So then

216
00:11:58,160 --> 00:11:59,920
Speaker 2: when people are watching it was like, oh my god,

217
00:12:00,120 --> 00:12:04,080
Speaker 2: pause is so real, or you stumble around, It's really

218
00:12:04,080 --> 00:12:07,360
Speaker 2: what they always do, you know it for people, they're

219
00:12:07,400 --> 00:12:13,800
Speaker 2: able to connect to the realistic style of human beings

220
00:12:13,880 --> 00:12:16,800
Speaker 2: instead of just like a regular skit that's perfect all

221
00:12:16,800 --> 00:12:17,240
Speaker 2: the way through.

222
00:12:17,679 --> 00:12:21,680
Speaker 1: Was that like an insight you had after having you know,

223
00:12:21,920 --> 00:12:23,600
Speaker 1: messed up a couple of times and you just like,

224
00:12:23,600 --> 00:12:25,200
Speaker 1: you know, let me just run with it, or was

225
00:12:25,240 --> 00:12:27,560
Speaker 1: it like it very just like I'm doing this one

226
00:12:27,600 --> 00:12:30,280
Speaker 1: take and we're gonna go no.

227
00:12:32,559 --> 00:12:35,680
Speaker 2: I would say it kind of developed over time the

228
00:12:35,800 --> 00:12:37,920
Speaker 2: more because when I first started doing skits, I tried

229
00:12:37,960 --> 00:12:40,640
Speaker 2: to make sure that was kind of like perfect, and

230
00:12:41,280 --> 00:12:44,720
Speaker 2: then I think I stumbled on a couple and I

231
00:12:44,840 --> 00:12:47,559
Speaker 2: just like left them in. I got lazy. I was like, okay, whatever,

232
00:12:48,679 --> 00:12:51,120
Speaker 2: I don't feel like going back to record this. But

233
00:12:51,240 --> 00:12:55,439
Speaker 2: I noticed that people actually like that form of recording

234
00:12:57,440 --> 00:13:01,000
Speaker 2: because it helps them to connect to the skin. It

235
00:13:01,040 --> 00:13:04,880
Speaker 2: has some to connect and know that every single person

236
00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:08,559
Speaker 2: is and it's it's the same. So that's the way

237
00:13:08,640 --> 00:13:10,880
Speaker 2: I like to record. Again, there's a lot of other

238
00:13:12,120 --> 00:13:16,880
Speaker 2: a lot other you know, TikTokers and influencers that like

239
00:13:16,920 --> 00:13:20,640
Speaker 2: the perfect. I can't really go that route just because

240
00:13:20,720 --> 00:13:22,440
Speaker 2: you know, it don't match up with me. I like

241
00:13:23,040 --> 00:13:25,640
Speaker 2: even in some of my texts when I write it

242
00:13:25,720 --> 00:13:29,840
Speaker 2: on the screen, I'm a very fast like person when

243
00:13:29,840 --> 00:13:32,520
Speaker 2: I in terms of like texting and stuff, So like

244
00:13:32,600 --> 00:13:35,040
Speaker 2: I'll text it out or I mean I'll type it

245
00:13:35,080 --> 00:13:38,360
Speaker 2: out for the text over they overlay, and then I'll

246
00:13:38,360 --> 00:13:40,600
Speaker 2: post it and then I look back at it. I'm

247
00:13:40,640 --> 00:13:45,640
Speaker 2: the I'm missing words, I'm messing up the how to

248
00:13:46,280 --> 00:13:49,120
Speaker 2: how to spell the words and everything and that everybody's

249
00:13:49,160 --> 00:13:53,720
Speaker 2: like you're missing a word or you meant to put

250
00:13:53,920 --> 00:13:55,560
Speaker 2: you put there instead of there.

251
00:13:55,760 --> 00:13:56,080
Speaker 3: Whatever.

252
00:13:56,520 --> 00:14:00,000
Speaker 2: It's like, bro, I'll talk about that stuff very quickly.

253
00:14:00,080 --> 00:14:02,880
Speaker 2: I don't look back at it. I just type post.

254
00:14:03,440 --> 00:14:06,360
Speaker 2: So now like it kind of goes in with my

255
00:14:06,679 --> 00:14:08,880
Speaker 2: the way my brain works. That.

256
00:14:09,720 --> 00:14:13,840
Speaker 1: I mean, you've seen success, you know with the creators

257
00:14:13,880 --> 00:14:17,840
Speaker 1: fun brand deals, you know, other revenue streams. Share how

258
00:14:18,080 --> 00:14:22,200
Speaker 1: you know creators can more effectively monetize their content on

259
00:14:22,280 --> 00:14:24,560
Speaker 1: platforms like TikTok, Like, what are some of the things

260
00:14:24,600 --> 00:14:27,800
Speaker 1: that we need to be conscious of if we want

261
00:14:27,840 --> 00:14:31,480
Speaker 1: to build not just the following, but a monetizable following.

262
00:14:33,520 --> 00:14:39,760
Speaker 2: I would say, first focus on the how long you

263
00:14:39,800 --> 00:14:43,160
Speaker 2: want your videos to be? So like me, when I

264
00:14:43,200 --> 00:14:46,600
Speaker 2: first started, my videos were less than a minute. Now

265
00:14:46,640 --> 00:14:50,240
Speaker 2: I kind of try to stretch it to be either

266
00:14:50,320 --> 00:14:51,440
Speaker 2: a minute or to have it over.

267
00:14:52,160 --> 00:14:56,040
Speaker 1: But in the beginning, any video, what is the why

268
00:14:56,040 --> 00:14:56,760
Speaker 1: does the lift matter?

269
00:14:58,120 --> 00:15:01,880
Speaker 2: Just because now now on TikTok. I don't know about

270
00:15:01,920 --> 00:15:04,840
Speaker 2: this on Instagram, but now on TikTok, your videos have

271
00:15:04,960 --> 00:15:09,400
Speaker 2: to be a minute to get monetized. So if your

272
00:15:09,480 --> 00:15:12,760
Speaker 2: videos aren't a mini you can't really monetize back in

273
00:15:12,800 --> 00:15:16,520
Speaker 2: the day when TikTok, well, back in the twenty twenty

274
00:15:17,040 --> 00:15:20,360
Speaker 2: and twenty twenty, when in twenty twenty, when I was

275
00:15:20,400 --> 00:15:23,720
Speaker 2: doing everything, it didn't have to be a minute, you know.

276
00:15:24,360 --> 00:15:27,160
Speaker 2: So that was for a lot of creatives that was

277
00:15:27,160 --> 00:15:31,040
Speaker 2: a change, just because it seems so small. Like let's

278
00:15:31,080 --> 00:15:34,200
Speaker 2: just say, like your videos is always like forty seconds

279
00:15:35,240 --> 00:15:38,120
Speaker 2: putting that extra you know what I'm saying, ten to

280
00:15:38,160 --> 00:15:40,040
Speaker 2: twenty to fifteen seconds on there.

281
00:15:40,160 --> 00:15:42,280
Speaker 3: It's in your mind. You're like, oh, that's easy.

282
00:15:43,160 --> 00:15:45,560
Speaker 2: Doing it is the hardest part because then you're like, crap,

283
00:15:45,600 --> 00:15:46,840
Speaker 2: I don't know what to say at that point.

284
00:15:46,960 --> 00:15:48,400
Speaker 1: Yeah, So I.

285
00:15:48,360 --> 00:15:50,800
Speaker 2: Would say focus on the lane, focus on what you

286
00:15:50,840 --> 00:15:57,760
Speaker 2: want to record, and I would say, try to film

287
00:15:57,800 --> 00:16:01,840
Speaker 2: your videos and it in a way that's for you.

288
00:16:02,880 --> 00:16:05,680
Speaker 2: Don't try to focus on so much of like the

289
00:16:05,840 --> 00:16:09,480
Speaker 2: audience or a fan base or a supporter base first,

290
00:16:09,640 --> 00:16:12,520
Speaker 2: just because I feel like a lot of I was

291
00:16:12,560 --> 00:16:15,320
Speaker 2: just telling the girl this literally like two days ago,

292
00:16:16,080 --> 00:16:19,920
Speaker 2: I did a panel and she was like, yeah, I've

293
00:16:19,920 --> 00:16:21,920
Speaker 2: been trying to record and I'm trying to get my

294
00:16:21,960 --> 00:16:24,520
Speaker 2: following up. But she was like It's always so awkward

295
00:16:24,560 --> 00:16:28,640
Speaker 2: because when I record, because I'm not used to recording myself,

296
00:16:29,120 --> 00:16:32,600
Speaker 2: and I was like, that's because you focusing on the following.

297
00:16:32,640 --> 00:16:36,920
Speaker 2: You focusing on the camera. That's right there. You literally recorded.

298
00:16:37,000 --> 00:16:40,240
Speaker 2: If you were recording yourself just for you, you'll be natural,

299
00:16:41,640 --> 00:16:44,480
Speaker 2: you know. So if you're doing that, it's going to

300
00:16:44,560 --> 00:16:47,600
Speaker 2: come across better on screen when somebody's watching it, and

301
00:16:47,640 --> 00:16:50,520
Speaker 2: that's going to make them gravitate towards you to just

302
00:16:50,560 --> 00:16:53,560
Speaker 2: start following. That's how you build a community. People are

303
00:16:53,560 --> 00:16:55,920
Speaker 2: gonna be like, Oh, he's just supernatural with it. I

304
00:16:55,920 --> 00:16:57,880
Speaker 2: feel like I'm actually talking to him. I feel like

305
00:16:57,920 --> 00:17:00,960
Speaker 2: I feel like we're on FaceTime together, you know, I

306
00:17:01,080 --> 00:17:05,240
Speaker 2: feel like my online cousin, online brother. So do that,

307
00:17:05,400 --> 00:17:08,800
Speaker 2: and then after that you will gain success from that,

308
00:17:09,280 --> 00:17:11,560
Speaker 2: and then you will be able to monetize.

309
00:17:10,960 --> 00:17:14,760
Speaker 1: It all that you know, you've built, you know again,

310
00:17:14,840 --> 00:17:18,359
Speaker 1: six point six million plus and growing on TikTok a

311
00:17:18,400 --> 00:17:22,359
Speaker 1: million and growing on ig and you've clearly found a

312
00:17:22,400 --> 00:17:25,199
Speaker 1: way to resonate on both platforms, which is not always

313
00:17:25,200 --> 00:17:28,719
Speaker 1: easy for a lot of people because those algorithms are different,

314
00:17:29,359 --> 00:17:33,240
Speaker 1: what the platforms want is different. How have you found

315
00:17:33,480 --> 00:17:36,320
Speaker 1: success on both, Like what does TikTok want from you

316
00:17:36,400 --> 00:17:40,960
Speaker 1: differently than Instagram wants from you? And vice versa.

317
00:17:41,080 --> 00:17:45,480
Speaker 2: I just noticed that my audience is different on both,

318
00:17:46,440 --> 00:17:48,360
Speaker 2: whereas when I first started, I thought they were kind

319
00:17:48,359 --> 00:17:52,040
Speaker 2: of the same. But on each platform or each app,

320
00:17:52,400 --> 00:17:55,800
Speaker 2: every audience that you gain will be slightly different or

321
00:17:55,880 --> 00:18:01,000
Speaker 2: totally different. I noticed that on my Instagram it is

322
00:18:01,800 --> 00:18:08,359
Speaker 2: slightly more mature than my TikTok, where TikTok is I

323
00:18:08,400 --> 00:18:10,480
Speaker 2: have a I wouldn't say I have kids. I do

324
00:18:10,560 --> 00:18:15,000
Speaker 2: have kids on TikTok, but it's more where it's kind

325
00:18:15,000 --> 00:18:21,720
Speaker 2: of like I would say like sixteen to like thirty, yeah,

326
00:18:21,840 --> 00:18:24,720
Speaker 2: or like thirty five in between there that's my main.

327
00:18:26,560 --> 00:18:28,800
Speaker 3: I would say age range.

328
00:18:29,119 --> 00:18:33,720
Speaker 2: On Instagram it's very wide range, but there's a key

329
00:18:33,800 --> 00:18:39,440
Speaker 2: focus on like twenty five to like forty range for

330
00:18:39,600 --> 00:18:42,919
Speaker 2: my age range on air both again, so both of

331
00:18:42,960 --> 00:18:46,040
Speaker 2: them are pretty similar in terms of the age range

332
00:18:46,080 --> 00:18:51,920
Speaker 2: as a a wide span, but the key focus points

333
00:18:52,040 --> 00:18:57,679
Speaker 2: are very different. So just knowing how that works is

334
00:18:57,720 --> 00:19:00,159
Speaker 2: a little bit weird for me. I'm still I was

335
00:19:00,200 --> 00:19:05,800
Speaker 2: trying to get used to it, but I guess so.

336
00:19:07,240 --> 00:19:08,959
Speaker 1: Yeah, I was just thinking about something you said a

337
00:19:08,960 --> 00:19:11,720
Speaker 1: minute ago about you know how they added another twenty

338
00:19:11,760 --> 00:19:14,399
Speaker 1: seconds or some people who were doing forty second videos,

339
00:19:14,440 --> 00:19:16,440
Speaker 1: No gotta do a minute video, and that's not easy

340
00:19:16,440 --> 00:19:20,360
Speaker 1: for everybody. And I think about they kind of separate

341
00:19:20,480 --> 00:19:23,520
Speaker 1: people who really do this from people who can kind

342
00:19:23,520 --> 00:19:26,480
Speaker 1: of do it, you know, So I wonder your perspective

343
00:19:26,640 --> 00:19:29,480
Speaker 1: on that twenty seconds. If I'm used to doing forty

344
00:19:29,480 --> 00:19:32,280
Speaker 1: second videos, I may not be sixty second funny. I

345
00:19:32,320 --> 00:19:35,320
Speaker 1: may be forty second funny. And so they kind of

346
00:19:35,359 --> 00:19:38,560
Speaker 1: separate the people who really about it versus the people

347
00:19:38,600 --> 00:19:40,800
Speaker 1: who can kind of, you know, be by. So it's

348
00:19:40,840 --> 00:19:44,840
Speaker 1: one of your thoughts on how people translate to adding

349
00:19:44,880 --> 00:19:47,160
Speaker 1: more time on like what kind of things people are

350
00:19:47,200 --> 00:19:50,280
Speaker 1: doing to help people be able to get that time

351
00:19:50,320 --> 00:19:52,320
Speaker 1: and not just because you can't just feel the time

352
00:19:52,520 --> 00:19:56,160
Speaker 1: and be good. It has to be moving the conversation

353
00:19:56,240 --> 00:19:58,800
Speaker 1: forward or it has to be more funny. And so

354
00:19:59,200 --> 00:20:00,840
Speaker 1: talk to me about your thoughts there.

355
00:20:01,760 --> 00:20:04,480
Speaker 2: So if you're doing let's just say skits like me,

356
00:20:04,920 --> 00:20:07,040
Speaker 2: you know what I'm saying. And even then too, even

357
00:20:07,119 --> 00:20:09,800
Speaker 2: like myself, I still have trouble trying to add on

358
00:20:09,840 --> 00:20:13,680
Speaker 2: that extra few seconds on there. But it's just knowing

359
00:20:13,800 --> 00:20:18,040
Speaker 2: you're stopping points, knowing if okay, if it's an extra

360
00:20:18,960 --> 00:20:21,080
Speaker 2: six seconds that I have to add on, well, in

361
00:20:21,119 --> 00:20:25,719
Speaker 2: these parts, I'm gonna add a pause and maybe just

362
00:20:25,800 --> 00:20:30,320
Speaker 2: like a looking glare between these two spots just to

363
00:20:30,640 --> 00:20:32,840
Speaker 2: fill up the time. But you just got to make

364
00:20:32,840 --> 00:20:37,560
Speaker 2: sure it comes across organically and natural on screen. So

365
00:20:37,640 --> 00:20:41,040
Speaker 2: then like nobody really notices, like why did he pause?

366
00:20:41,280 --> 00:20:43,600
Speaker 2: So weird it's just in a random spot. You just

367
00:20:43,640 --> 00:20:48,600
Speaker 2: got to know where you need to put it at. Also,

368
00:20:48,720 --> 00:20:52,640
Speaker 2: if you're doing let's just say I don't know beauty content,

369
00:20:53,000 --> 00:20:57,280
Speaker 2: you know, and you're really good at clipping the videos,

370
00:20:57,560 --> 00:21:01,800
Speaker 2: I would say maybe on a couple talk talk talk

371
00:21:01,840 --> 00:21:05,280
Speaker 2: on a couple walk people through, So then you would

372
00:21:05,680 --> 00:21:09,639
Speaker 2: very easily fill up that timeframe. So it's just knowing

373
00:21:10,200 --> 00:21:15,280
Speaker 2: how you can just like expand that time so then

374
00:21:15,880 --> 00:21:19,680
Speaker 2: you're not wasting time in a sense, wasting other people's

375
00:21:19,720 --> 00:21:22,640
Speaker 2: time with adding the extra time on to that.

376
00:21:23,280 --> 00:21:25,440
Speaker 1: Yeah, how did you know it was time to leave

377
00:21:25,480 --> 00:21:27,959
Speaker 1: you nine to five your regular job, you know, and

378
00:21:28,040 --> 00:21:31,280
Speaker 1: just go full in on content and photography.

379
00:21:31,200 --> 00:21:32,400
Speaker 3: Making that money.

380
00:21:32,000 --> 00:21:41,720
Speaker 2: No real But I would say, in all honestly, when

381
00:21:41,720 --> 00:21:45,600
Speaker 2: I quit Starbucks, it was I already have like money

382
00:21:45,640 --> 00:21:46,320
Speaker 2: saved up again.

383
00:21:46,359 --> 00:21:46,680
Speaker 3: It was.

384
00:21:48,920 --> 00:21:52,399
Speaker 2: So I have money saved up just from me, just

385
00:21:52,440 --> 00:21:55,400
Speaker 2: saving up from Starbucks, also from TikTok a little bit.

386
00:21:56,080 --> 00:21:58,080
Speaker 2: So I was like, you know what, I'm cool, I'll

387
00:21:58,320 --> 00:22:00,640
Speaker 2: give it. Like I wanted to take a break from

388
00:22:00,640 --> 00:22:03,040
Speaker 2: working because I was a shift lead and I was

389
00:22:03,080 --> 00:22:06,479
Speaker 2: working like hard core again. I don't know why I

390
00:22:06,520 --> 00:22:10,560
Speaker 2: was working at hard at Starbucks Starbucks, but I was

391
00:22:10,560 --> 00:22:12,520
Speaker 2: working like hard coreps where I would come in at

392
00:22:12,520 --> 00:22:16,119
Speaker 2: like five o'clock, four o'clock in the morning. Sometime I

393
00:22:16,119 --> 00:22:21,239
Speaker 2: didn't leave until like six seven at night. So I

394
00:22:21,280 --> 00:22:22,480
Speaker 2: was like, you know what, I'm taking a break. I

395
00:22:22,520 --> 00:22:25,240
Speaker 2: don't want to work for at least about a month,

396
00:22:25,320 --> 00:22:27,160
Speaker 2: you know what I'm saying, give myself a month, month

397
00:22:27,200 --> 00:22:30,560
Speaker 2: and a half off. But I seen that I was

398
00:22:30,640 --> 00:22:34,439
Speaker 2: making a little bit more money on TikTok, so I

399
00:22:34,520 --> 00:22:35,280
Speaker 2: was like, okay, I can.

400
00:22:36,240 --> 00:22:37,880
Speaker 3: I ain't got to come back so soon.

401
00:22:38,320 --> 00:22:40,720
Speaker 1: You know, we can wait a little bit.

402
00:22:42,680 --> 00:22:45,240
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, let me just stretch a little bit longer.

403
00:22:45,280 --> 00:22:50,960
Speaker 2: And that I feel like it just kept. You know,

404
00:22:52,200 --> 00:22:55,400
Speaker 2: I just never went back. I thought about it even

405
00:22:55,440 --> 00:22:58,880
Speaker 2: into even now. I'm like because I think as being

406
00:22:58,920 --> 00:23:03,000
Speaker 2: a creator or being in the creative space, you kind

407
00:23:03,000 --> 00:23:07,720
Speaker 2: of gotta be realistic with yourself. And that's for all creatives.

408
00:23:07,760 --> 00:23:12,560
Speaker 2: This field is very wishy washy, so like you may

409
00:23:12,560 --> 00:23:14,960
Speaker 2: be fined one day and the next day, you know

410
00:23:14,960 --> 00:23:17,520
Speaker 2: what I'm saying, you might have to find a regular job.

411
00:23:18,200 --> 00:23:21,919
Speaker 2: You know, you never know. So for me, I was

412
00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:26,159
Speaker 2: just telling my friend the other day, I was like,

413
00:23:26,200 --> 00:23:28,479
Speaker 2: you know, not saying I need a job. I was like,

414
00:23:28,560 --> 00:23:32,679
Speaker 2: I wanted. He works at like a creative studio, and

415
00:23:32,720 --> 00:23:34,800
Speaker 2: I was like, I would do like a day a week,

416
00:23:35,280 --> 00:23:38,920
Speaker 2: one day a week, and I was like, I don't

417
00:23:38,960 --> 00:23:41,080
Speaker 2: need to, but I was like, just like one day

418
00:23:41,119 --> 00:23:43,879
Speaker 2: a week. I feel like if also, if you're used

419
00:23:43,880 --> 00:23:47,400
Speaker 2: to working like a regular job and jumping into this,

420
00:23:47,760 --> 00:23:49,600
Speaker 2: it could feel like you kind of I wouldn't say

421
00:23:49,640 --> 00:23:51,760
Speaker 2: not doing nothing, but not doing nothing.

422
00:23:52,200 --> 00:23:56,320
Speaker 1: That makes sense, Yeah, that makes total sense. Do you

423
00:23:56,320 --> 00:23:59,520
Speaker 1: feel like some of the stability or security that you

424
00:23:59,680 --> 00:24:07,520
Speaker 1: might have felt is has been stripped away? What do

425
00:24:07,520 --> 00:24:10,160
Speaker 1: you mean having having you know, I know a check

426
00:24:10,240 --> 00:24:11,120
Speaker 1: is coming on Friday.

427
00:24:15,560 --> 00:24:20,639
Speaker 2: I would say, in the beginning, yes, it was a

428
00:24:20,640 --> 00:24:23,800
Speaker 2: little bit. I was like, we gotta make a we

429
00:24:23,840 --> 00:24:27,639
Speaker 2: gotta push on some more video. You know, we maybe

430
00:24:27,680 --> 00:24:29,200
Speaker 2: been spending a little bit too much.

431
00:24:29,280 --> 00:24:32,439
Speaker 1: But because it's now, now, it's like it's on you,

432
00:24:32,520 --> 00:24:34,399
Speaker 1: because like you can go to Starbucks. I know I

433
00:24:34,400 --> 00:24:35,280
Speaker 1: can make these drinks.

434
00:24:35,359 --> 00:24:35,840
Speaker 3: You pay me.

435
00:24:35,920 --> 00:24:38,280
Speaker 1: I make more drinks, you pay me. I opened the doors,

436
00:24:38,400 --> 00:24:41,520
Speaker 1: you pay me. Now it's like, okay, I gotta be funny,

437
00:24:42,200 --> 00:24:45,960
Speaker 1: and if I ain't funny, I don't get paid. It's

438
00:24:46,000 --> 00:24:46,520
Speaker 1: on the.

439
00:24:46,520 --> 00:24:49,440
Speaker 3: Markets, exactly, I think.

440
00:24:49,520 --> 00:24:58,080
Speaker 2: For for me it was I think just knowing now

441
00:24:58,280 --> 00:25:02,639
Speaker 2: what I knowing now, what I know about how to

442
00:25:02,720 --> 00:25:07,480
Speaker 2: expend my money or save in the right capacity. I'm

443
00:25:07,520 --> 00:25:11,560
Speaker 2: a little bit more comfortable now in ao sense, like Okay,

444
00:25:11,640 --> 00:25:13,720
Speaker 2: I ain't got to worry as much. You know, even

445
00:25:13,720 --> 00:25:15,120
Speaker 2: if I want to take a little bit of a break,

446
00:25:15,119 --> 00:25:17,560
Speaker 2: I don't have to worry you so much. But when

447
00:25:17,560 --> 00:25:20,360
Speaker 2: I first started, it was more of like I ain't

448
00:25:20,359 --> 00:25:25,000
Speaker 2: never been disliked before. So you know, if you grew

449
00:25:25,080 --> 00:25:26,760
Speaker 2: up a certain type of way, you may look at

450
00:25:26,840 --> 00:25:28,360
Speaker 2: me like, oh, I'm making a little bit of money,

451
00:25:28,359 --> 00:25:31,560
Speaker 2: I'm finished like spending spending, spinding, spending, and then you

452
00:25:31,600 --> 00:25:32,680
Speaker 2: look up, ain't nothing there.

453
00:25:33,440 --> 00:25:35,840
Speaker 3: So now.

454
00:25:37,840 --> 00:25:39,760
Speaker 2: You know I'm a little bit more comfortable on where

455
00:25:39,760 --> 00:25:44,160
Speaker 2: I'm at. And if I you know, if I need

456
00:25:44,200 --> 00:25:46,320
Speaker 2: to make a couple more videos, I'll push them out.

457
00:25:46,560 --> 00:25:49,960
Speaker 2: But for the most part, you know, I'm good right now.

458
00:25:51,640 --> 00:25:56,240
Speaker 1: What surprised you most about the business side of being created?

459
00:25:56,280 --> 00:25:59,000
Speaker 1: Like we always hear, like, you know, there's the music business,

460
00:25:59,040 --> 00:26:01,040
Speaker 1: but the word business is much longer than the word

461
00:26:01,040 --> 00:26:04,400
Speaker 1: in music, Like, this is a business, and so content

462
00:26:04,440 --> 00:26:07,400
Speaker 1: creation when you're doing it like you're doing is a business.

463
00:26:07,840 --> 00:26:11,400
Speaker 1: Like what is what surprised you the most about the

464
00:26:11,440 --> 00:26:14,240
Speaker 1: business side of this, whether it was learning how to

465
00:26:14,280 --> 00:26:16,639
Speaker 1: work with brands, or managing your money kind of what

466
00:26:16,680 --> 00:26:20,560
Speaker 1: you just talked about, or navigating social media algorithms, like

467
00:26:21,000 --> 00:26:23,600
Speaker 1: what surprised you most about this side.

468
00:26:23,359 --> 00:26:28,840
Speaker 2: Of the game that you set your own standards that

469
00:26:30,000 --> 00:26:33,120
Speaker 2: so like and let's just say you work a regular

470
00:26:33,240 --> 00:26:37,399
Speaker 2: nine to five job. You know you have, of course

471
00:26:37,480 --> 00:26:41,040
Speaker 2: all your managers, you have a certain way you need

472
00:26:41,080 --> 00:26:45,920
Speaker 2: to do things, and what time your schedule is laid

473
00:26:45,920 --> 00:26:48,040
Speaker 2: out for you, how you wake up in the morning,

474
00:26:48,119 --> 00:26:50,359
Speaker 2: what time you go to bed, everything is kind of

475
00:26:50,400 --> 00:26:55,960
Speaker 2: already formulated. Whereas now from my own standards, you know,

476
00:26:57,400 --> 00:27:01,800
Speaker 2: and knowing that I said my owner standards. You got

477
00:27:01,800 --> 00:27:05,520
Speaker 2: to know like, okay, I'm my own boss. I have

478
00:27:05,640 --> 00:27:09,640
Speaker 2: to make a schedule for myself when do I want

479
00:27:09,680 --> 00:27:14,000
Speaker 2: to record. Also, okay, if I need to take time

480
00:27:14,160 --> 00:27:17,840
Speaker 2: away from recording, you have to know like okay, when

481
00:27:17,880 --> 00:27:20,639
Speaker 2: I come back, I got to push out the videos

482
00:27:20,640 --> 00:27:24,840
Speaker 2: a little bit more, you know. Or working with brands,

483
00:27:25,400 --> 00:27:30,040
Speaker 2: it can seem at first when I first started, just

484
00:27:30,040 --> 00:27:32,520
Speaker 2: because they're paying me, just because they're paying you, you

485
00:27:32,560 --> 00:27:34,960
Speaker 2: know what I'm saying, you could think like, oh, they're

486
00:27:35,040 --> 00:27:38,280
Speaker 2: kind of over me in a sense because you have

487
00:27:38,359 --> 00:27:41,840
Speaker 2: that mindset because you worked a nine to five, because

488
00:27:41,880 --> 00:27:45,159
Speaker 2: whoever pays you is your manager. Yeah, you know, so

489
00:27:45,680 --> 00:27:48,200
Speaker 2: you'll be thinking like, oh, well, even though I said

490
00:27:48,240 --> 00:27:52,480
Speaker 2: my rates, you know, they'll start being a little bit demanding.

491
00:27:53,240 --> 00:27:55,399
Speaker 2: And then you got to remember and click, you know,

492
00:27:55,440 --> 00:28:01,959
Speaker 2: click back into it, like wait, now, boss, I'm the

493
00:28:02,000 --> 00:28:05,840
Speaker 2: only one I run this, So now you gotta okay, no,

494
00:28:05,960 --> 00:28:08,600
Speaker 2: I'm not gonna after two rounds of videos that I

495
00:28:08,680 --> 00:28:11,959
Speaker 2: done sent you, you're not getting a third or you're

496
00:28:11,960 --> 00:28:13,280
Speaker 2: gonna have to pay a little bit more, you know

497
00:28:13,320 --> 00:28:15,359
Speaker 2: what I'm saying. So you kind of gotta be a

498
00:28:15,400 --> 00:28:19,360
Speaker 2: little bit I wouldn't say rude, but a little bit

499
00:28:19,480 --> 00:28:22,520
Speaker 2: stern with some of the brands and everything, just so

500
00:28:23,960 --> 00:28:27,840
Speaker 2: you aren't being a pushover. They ain't pushing you over,

501
00:28:28,000 --> 00:28:30,760
Speaker 2: you know what I'm saying. They can't really push you

502
00:28:30,840 --> 00:28:33,400
Speaker 2: around to do different things. And some of them will

503
00:28:33,680 --> 00:28:37,320
Speaker 2: some of them try try to stretch that little few

504
00:28:37,400 --> 00:28:40,760
Speaker 2: dollars that they're giving you, and you gotta something, No,

505
00:28:40,880 --> 00:28:42,920
Speaker 2: I want a little bit more if you won't. If

506
00:28:42,920 --> 00:28:48,200
Speaker 2: you want seven videos, I'm man the seven seven video money,

507
00:28:48,480 --> 00:28:48,720
Speaker 2: you know.

508
00:28:51,240 --> 00:28:54,160
Speaker 1: So guess let's say more about that, like are how

509
00:28:54,160 --> 00:28:56,320
Speaker 1: do you decide who you're gonna work with brand wise?

510
00:28:56,440 --> 00:28:59,520
Speaker 1: Or do you or if anybody got a bag the

511
00:28:59,560 --> 00:29:02,560
Speaker 1: Marcus down, like how do you determine who you gonna

512
00:29:02,560 --> 00:29:02,840
Speaker 1: work with?

513
00:29:04,200 --> 00:29:07,160
Speaker 2: It's just pretty much whoever goes good with my brand?

514
00:29:07,200 --> 00:29:11,840
Speaker 2: And I think that's created. You gotta know what what

515
00:29:12,000 --> 00:29:17,240
Speaker 2: companies go good with what you create? So if uh,

516
00:29:17,640 --> 00:29:23,320
Speaker 2: let's just say I don't know, because most of my

517
00:29:23,440 --> 00:29:25,960
Speaker 2: videos I can kind of create a video around anything.

518
00:29:26,400 --> 00:29:28,360
Speaker 2: So let's just say, if you a if you're a

519
00:29:28,400 --> 00:29:37,160
Speaker 2: beauty creator and somebody about planting planting flowers come to

520
00:29:37,200 --> 00:29:38,960
Speaker 2: you and they're like, hey, I would love you to

521
00:29:39,000 --> 00:29:44,120
Speaker 2: promote this, even though it may seem decent, you gotta

522
00:29:44,520 --> 00:29:48,160
Speaker 2: the video won't do good. Maybe you know what I'm saying.

523
00:29:48,240 --> 00:29:51,640
Speaker 2: Somebody may be like, I don't like this video? Why

524
00:29:51,640 --> 00:29:55,240
Speaker 2: did you record this? Or why are you? They're gonna

525
00:29:55,280 --> 00:29:58,400
Speaker 2: know what's that actual promotion deal? So I think the

526
00:29:58,440 --> 00:30:00,520
Speaker 2: best videos that you can create Y eight is the

527
00:30:00,560 --> 00:30:02,640
Speaker 2: ones that people don't really know that it's an AD

528
00:30:03,200 --> 00:30:05,320
Speaker 2: because then they click back on it, they're like, wait,

529
00:30:05,360 --> 00:30:08,200
Speaker 2: it's an AD, what's the product that he's that.

530
00:30:08,280 --> 00:30:10,280
Speaker 3: He's even promoted?

531
00:30:10,560 --> 00:30:16,560
Speaker 2: So knowing what brands works best with you, and also

532
00:30:16,640 --> 00:30:21,320
Speaker 2: having a good team either a manager or agent, somebody

533
00:30:21,360 --> 00:30:27,120
Speaker 2: who can who is able to negotiate, and that know

534
00:30:27,200 --> 00:30:29,880
Speaker 2: how you record, and that knows your content as well.

535
00:30:30,720 --> 00:30:35,280
Speaker 2: That helps a lot as like too. So just knowing

536
00:30:35,760 --> 00:30:37,400
Speaker 2: what really works best for you.

537
00:30:38,280 --> 00:30:43,480
Speaker 1: So so many creators are dependent on these algorithms which

538
00:30:43,480 --> 00:30:47,000
Speaker 1: can switch up tomorrow. You know, how do you future

539
00:30:47,040 --> 00:30:49,920
Speaker 1: proof yourself? How do you make sure that you know,

540
00:30:50,040 --> 00:30:53,400
Speaker 1: no matter what happens to Instagram next week, I'm gonna

541
00:30:53,440 --> 00:30:54,080
Speaker 1: still be good.

542
00:30:56,200 --> 00:30:59,360
Speaker 2: I would say, you know, you never you never honestly

543
00:31:00,480 --> 00:31:04,800
Speaker 2: really know just because I may post a video tomorrow

544
00:31:05,240 --> 00:31:07,480
Speaker 2: and my video do good, and then I may post

545
00:31:07,520 --> 00:31:11,320
Speaker 2: one the next day and it does horrible. The algorithm,

546
00:31:11,520 --> 00:31:16,040
Speaker 2: the algorithm is ever changing online, even on TikTok. But

547
00:31:16,120 --> 00:31:20,240
Speaker 2: I think, my bad if you hear my dog. But

548
00:31:21,520 --> 00:31:26,680
Speaker 2: I would say, just learning how to be adaptable in

549
00:31:26,720 --> 00:31:31,360
Speaker 2: that situation or circumstance, not only with the algorithm, but

550
00:31:31,400 --> 00:31:38,760
Speaker 2: also with your content and how you record. So obviously,

551
00:31:38,800 --> 00:31:43,040
Speaker 2: if you started off doing like me, I started off

552
00:31:43,080 --> 00:31:49,400
Speaker 2: doing dry humor content, and then I switched and started

553
00:31:49,440 --> 00:31:53,880
Speaker 2: doing skits, but my skits was more focused on school

554
00:31:54,680 --> 00:31:58,640
Speaker 2: skits and teachers, and then I went to then I

555
00:31:58,960 --> 00:32:02,120
Speaker 2: pivoted a little little bit, and then I went into

556
00:32:05,320 --> 00:32:08,960
Speaker 2: going to like life nuances inside of school, like looking

557
00:32:09,000 --> 00:32:10,640
Speaker 2: at different people on the side of school.

558
00:32:10,760 --> 00:32:12,480
Speaker 3: And then I pivoted again.

559
00:32:12,960 --> 00:32:17,200
Speaker 2: To what you kind of see now, to the everyday

560
00:32:17,320 --> 00:32:21,400
Speaker 2: life nuances of like different people. And every once in

561
00:32:21,480 --> 00:32:24,120
Speaker 2: a while I throw a little something like a curveball

562
00:32:24,240 --> 00:32:27,280
Speaker 2: or something of like fashion or whatnot, you know, But

563
00:32:28,480 --> 00:32:36,480
Speaker 2: I think learning to change your your content ever so slightly,

564
00:32:36,560 --> 00:32:38,320
Speaker 2: you ain't got to change it a lot. So don't

565
00:32:38,360 --> 00:32:41,120
Speaker 2: start off and with basketball and then all of a

566
00:32:41,160 --> 00:32:43,440
Speaker 2: sudden you singing on the next video.

567
00:32:43,560 --> 00:32:45,200
Speaker 3: And that's the whole It.

568
00:32:45,120 --> 00:32:47,560
Speaker 2: Won't it won't do as good the algorithm, but the

569
00:32:47,600 --> 00:32:51,640
Speaker 2: algorithm is already bad. And you do that, then your

570
00:32:51,680 --> 00:32:54,760
Speaker 2: content won't really fear as good, at least from what

571
00:32:54,840 --> 00:32:58,440
Speaker 2: I've seen. So your best bet is to, Okay, let

572
00:32:58,480 --> 00:33:02,720
Speaker 2: me adapt a little bit. If you see that it

573
00:33:02,920 --> 00:33:05,400
Speaker 2: keeps happening with the algorithm, you just got to learn

574
00:33:05,440 --> 00:33:05,960
Speaker 2: to adapt.

575
00:33:06,040 --> 00:33:07,160
Speaker 3: Switch it up a little bit.

576
00:33:07,520 --> 00:33:10,800
Speaker 2: Maybe that'll push the algorithm a little bit more to

577
00:33:10,880 --> 00:33:11,800
Speaker 2: push you out there.

578
00:33:12,520 --> 00:33:14,680
Speaker 3: And if you need to do it a little bit more,

579
00:33:14,800 --> 00:33:15,720
Speaker 3: do it a little bit more.

580
00:33:15,760 --> 00:33:18,000
Speaker 2: But you never want to steer so far away from

581
00:33:18,080 --> 00:33:22,600
Speaker 2: what you created first, just because the algorithm won't really

582
00:33:22,680 --> 00:33:24,720
Speaker 2: know who you are at that point. No.

583
00:33:24,920 --> 00:33:28,000
Speaker 1: Then, and finally, I think a lot about networking, Like

584
00:33:28,040 --> 00:33:30,200
Speaker 1: you talked about, you've been doing these panels and things

585
00:33:30,240 --> 00:33:34,720
Speaker 1: like that. What role has networking played in your success

586
00:33:34,800 --> 00:33:37,800
Speaker 1: to leads you to deals and collabse and things like that.

587
00:33:39,360 --> 00:33:43,440
Speaker 2: Because you build a partnership, you actually build a friendship

588
00:33:43,640 --> 00:33:46,160
Speaker 2: with some of these brands and some of these people

589
00:33:46,160 --> 00:33:52,360
Speaker 2: that you meet at these different events and or honestly anywhere.

590
00:33:53,920 --> 00:33:57,040
Speaker 2: So if I do meet somebody from I don't know

591
00:33:57,120 --> 00:33:59,000
Speaker 2: from like Dove at like.

592
00:33:59,000 --> 00:34:02,080
Speaker 3: A weird pan that I was out out and about that.

593
00:34:02,600 --> 00:34:08,440
Speaker 2: At the very moment, I'm not really focused on the partnership.

594
00:34:08,520 --> 00:34:10,920
Speaker 2: I'm not really I'm just getting to know that person

595
00:34:11,280 --> 00:34:15,120
Speaker 2: that works for Dove, you know. So building a relationship,

596
00:34:15,200 --> 00:34:20,120
Speaker 2: building a friendship, building a foundation first with the person

597
00:34:20,400 --> 00:34:22,880
Speaker 2: or the brand, I would say is a key component

598
00:34:22,960 --> 00:34:30,000
Speaker 2: to future partnerships with that brand because if you built

599
00:34:30,040 --> 00:34:33,600
Speaker 2: that foundation, let's just say, at the very moment, they won't.

600
00:34:33,800 --> 00:34:36,480
Speaker 2: They don't have the budget that you have. You know

601
00:34:36,480 --> 00:34:40,080
Speaker 2: what I'm saying that you're saying that you want or

602
00:34:40,120 --> 00:34:41,759
Speaker 2: the rate that you're giving them, they don't have the

603
00:34:41,800 --> 00:34:44,960
Speaker 2: budget to pay you. Well, you built that foundation, so

604
00:34:45,120 --> 00:34:47,719
Speaker 2: later on when they have that budget, they're most likely

605
00:34:47,760 --> 00:34:50,480
Speaker 2: gonna pay you double of what you said in that

606
00:34:50,600 --> 00:34:54,120
Speaker 2: rate just because y'all built that foundation. You've always been

607
00:34:54,640 --> 00:34:58,200
Speaker 2: very nice and sweet to them, so they're gonna double

608
00:34:58,280 --> 00:35:01,480
Speaker 2: that just because or they're gonna you're gonna be the

609
00:35:01,520 --> 00:35:02,680
Speaker 2: first person they look for.

610
00:35:03,760 --> 00:35:06,319
Speaker 1: Actually, I want one more so I think about, you know,

611
00:35:06,400 --> 00:35:08,880
Speaker 1: the kind of content you post and how some brands

612
00:35:08,880 --> 00:35:11,680
Speaker 1: may be like, you know, oh, he's talking about politics now,

613
00:35:11,719 --> 00:35:13,759
Speaker 1: so we can't put him on. Like, how do you

614
00:35:13,840 --> 00:35:16,840
Speaker 1: think about or anything? I'm just made up politics, But

615
00:35:17,120 --> 00:35:19,160
Speaker 1: how do you think about or do you think about

616
00:35:19,680 --> 00:35:23,120
Speaker 1: I can't talk about certain things because that will limit

617
00:35:23,160 --> 00:35:25,600
Speaker 1: my opportunities, or I can only talk about these things

618
00:35:25,640 --> 00:35:27,640
Speaker 1: because that will expand my opportunity. How do you think

619
00:35:27,640 --> 00:35:31,200
Speaker 1: about you know, your ability to talk about whatever you

620
00:35:31,200 --> 00:35:31,920
Speaker 1: want to talk about.

621
00:35:33,680 --> 00:35:36,840
Speaker 2: I think for my content, I try to keep it

622
00:35:36,880 --> 00:35:43,120
Speaker 2: as clean as possible, just because there's no hiccups with brands,

623
00:35:43,160 --> 00:35:44,680
Speaker 2: Like if they come back and say, oh, you talk

624
00:35:44,680 --> 00:35:49,640
Speaker 2: about this, they don't. They won't, I guess, like just

625
00:35:49,920 --> 00:35:52,000
Speaker 2: not work with me if that's the right ven, the

626
00:35:52,120 --> 00:35:59,160
Speaker 2: right saying. But but for my content, honestly, I keep

627
00:35:59,200 --> 00:36:05,799
Speaker 2: it very cookie cutter friendly to where like I don't

628
00:36:05,800 --> 00:36:13,480
Speaker 2: even mention no typic like world political or even like

629
00:36:13,600 --> 00:36:19,520
Speaker 2: I don't what sort of stuff. I don't do political religion,

630
00:36:21,360 --> 00:36:24,680
Speaker 2: most holidays honestly because I just tried to. There's a

631
00:36:24,680 --> 00:36:27,280
Speaker 2: lot of people that maybe don't celebrate a certain holiday

632
00:36:27,400 --> 00:36:29,719
Speaker 2: because of this and that, so I leave some of

633
00:36:29,760 --> 00:36:36,560
Speaker 2: those out. Or even just like world affairs as far

634
00:36:36,600 --> 00:36:39,680
Speaker 2: as like wars and stuff like that, I keep all

635
00:36:39,719 --> 00:36:45,919
Speaker 2: that kind of out of my videos just because number one,

636
00:36:46,360 --> 00:36:49,120
Speaker 2: if there is a war, there's people come to the

637
00:36:49,120 --> 00:36:53,200
Speaker 2: internet number one to kind of escape that and to

638
00:36:53,360 --> 00:36:55,200
Speaker 2: kind of look at other people and to kind of

639
00:36:55,920 --> 00:36:58,920
Speaker 2: laugh and get away from that. So they don't want

640
00:36:58,920 --> 00:37:03,520
Speaker 2: to come directly on it and see like, oh dang it,

641
00:37:04,440 --> 00:37:07,680
Speaker 2: another creator talking about the war, because there's billions of

642
00:37:07,719 --> 00:37:09,120
Speaker 2: them that's going to be talking about it.

643
00:37:09,360 --> 00:37:10,040
Speaker 3: Yeah, so.

644
00:37:11,719 --> 00:37:15,200
Speaker 2: Me not talking about that's giving them a way out

645
00:37:15,360 --> 00:37:18,360
Speaker 2: to just like, Okay, finally I can take a breather.

646
00:37:18,719 --> 00:37:20,920
Speaker 2: Or if there's a lot of political stuff going on,

647
00:37:21,080 --> 00:37:22,920
Speaker 2: they can come on there and take a breather. So

648
00:37:23,000 --> 00:37:26,319
Speaker 2: when brands look at my page and they see like, oh,

649
00:37:27,080 --> 00:37:32,600
Speaker 2: he ain't got nothing up there that's controversial, you know,

650
00:37:33,320 --> 00:37:36,359
Speaker 2: he's kind of good for all sides. If they want

651
00:37:36,360 --> 00:37:40,200
Speaker 2: to sell a product, it can reach all wide ranges

652
00:37:40,280 --> 00:37:46,160
Speaker 2: of different areas of the world. There's nothing that can

653
00:37:46,239 --> 00:37:49,759
Speaker 2: like stop it from going out. So that's how I

654
00:37:49,840 --> 00:37:54,640
Speaker 2: do my content. Again, if you do make content on

655
00:37:54,960 --> 00:37:58,280
Speaker 2: some of those matters, I would say limit the other

656
00:37:58,400 --> 00:38:01,520
Speaker 2: portions then so then you know.

657
00:38:01,640 --> 00:38:02,520
Speaker 3: It just ain't hurting.

658
00:38:02,600 --> 00:38:04,919
Speaker 2: But hey, you know, if you talk about all of them,

659
00:38:05,760 --> 00:38:08,960
Speaker 2: more power to you I'm not because I will be

660
00:38:09,200 --> 00:38:10,920
Speaker 2: subscribed so then I can listen.

661
00:38:13,480 --> 00:38:15,880
Speaker 1: Black Tech Green Money is a production of Blavity Afro

662
00:38:16,040 --> 00:38:18,920
Speaker 1: Tech on the Black Effect podcast network in night Heart Media.

663
00:38:19,080 --> 00:38:22,279
Speaker 1: It's produced by Morgan, Debaonne and me Well Lucas, with

664
00:38:22,360 --> 00:38:25,400
Speaker 1: the addigital production support by Kate McDonald, Sarah Ergan and

665
00:38:25,480 --> 00:38:28,480
Speaker 1: Jaden McGee. Special thank you to Michael Davis and Love Beach.

666
00:38:28,760 --> 00:38:30,719
Speaker 1: Learn more about My Guessing Other Technis. Ruff is an

667
00:38:30,760 --> 00:38:33,880
Speaker 1: innovators at afrotech dot com. The video version of this

668
00:38:33,960 --> 00:38:36,400
Speaker 1: episode will drop to Black Tech Green Money on YouTube,

669
00:38:36,440 --> 00:38:39,839
Speaker 1: so tap in, enjoy your Black Tech Green Money, share

670
00:38:39,920 --> 00:38:43,399
Speaker 1: us to somebody, go get your money. Peace in love,