WEBVTT - How Charli D’Amelio Is Building a TikTok Empire 0:00:03.880 --> 0:00:08.200 I'm Emily Chang, and this is the circuit today. I'm 0:00:08.240 --> 0:00:11.720 taking you to La, home of Hollywood heavyweights, where there 0:00:11.760 --> 0:00:15.880 are some new kids in town. The TikTok stars. One 0:00:15.880 --> 0:00:19.040 of the biggest is Charlie Emilio, who became a sleeper 0:00:19.160 --> 0:00:22.960 social media sensation through the pandemic. She now has over 0:00:23.000 --> 0:00:26.160 one hundred and fifty million followers on TikTok, one of 0:00:26.239 --> 0:00:30.080 the platform's most popular creators. I sat down with Charlie 0:00:30.080 --> 0:00:32.760 and her parents, Heidi and Mark Dmilio to talk about 0:00:32.800 --> 0:00:33.920 life in the spotlight. 0:00:34.479 --> 0:00:37.040 My first day walking into the TikTok office with my 0:00:37.120 --> 0:00:40.760 sister who We're in La for like a few days, 0:00:40.800 --> 0:00:43.879 and we just strolled by the office and everyone kind 0:00:43.880 --> 0:00:47.880 of looked like, who's this girl. Back in a few 0:00:47.880 --> 0:00:50.160 weeks later and they're like, oh my gosh, Charlie. 0:00:51.000 --> 0:00:52.879 We also talk about how they're hoping to turn that 0:00:52.960 --> 0:00:57.320 meteoric rise into a long lasting business empire. They've got 0:00:57.360 --> 0:01:00.240 a reality show, a VC fund, a new shoe line, 0:01:00.280 --> 0:01:05.679 and more. Here's my conversation with the Damelio family, So. 0:01:06.200 --> 0:01:10.560 Dancing with the Stars. Congratulations, by the way, who Nickelodeon 0:01:11.040 --> 0:01:16.000 brand deals endorsements, the VC fund ces south by Southwest, Like, 0:01:16.160 --> 0:01:17.160 how do you even keep track of it? 0:01:17.200 --> 0:01:17.360 All? 0:01:17.760 --> 0:01:20.520 Our calendar is pretty intense and we all have a 0:01:20.560 --> 0:01:24.399 shared calendar so we all know, Like before I call them, like, 0:01:24.600 --> 0:01:27.479 let me make sure they weren't able to sleep till 0:01:27.520 --> 0:01:28.080 noon today. 0:01:28.080 --> 0:01:29.399 I don't want to wake anybody up. 0:01:29.440 --> 0:01:31.759 And we have a team that helps us keep our 0:01:31.800 --> 0:01:34.120 calendar going pretty strong. 0:01:34.360 --> 0:01:34.560 You know. 0:01:34.600 --> 0:01:36.479 I see how much you're all doing, and it's still 0:01:36.480 --> 0:01:39.760 almost shocking how new you still are to this sort 0:01:39.800 --> 0:01:43.959 of being famous thing, Like it happened really fast. Are 0:01:44.000 --> 0:01:45.600 you used to it yet? 0:01:45.920 --> 0:01:47.960 I think Heidi and I are probably more used to 0:01:47.960 --> 0:01:51.200 it because we don't get one one hundred of Charlie, 0:01:51.280 --> 0:01:52.720 Like we went out to dinner last day and they 0:01:52.760 --> 0:01:54.640 took a couple of pictures of us and that was it. 0:01:55.040 --> 0:01:57.160 She gets mobbed in a lot of instance. Yeah. 0:01:57.360 --> 0:02:01.520 Yeah, I kind of stay in a little bubble almost 0:02:02.320 --> 0:02:06.800 of you know, my very very close friends, and I 0:02:06.840 --> 0:02:11.280 think it helps, like having my hometown friends that I 0:02:11.320 --> 0:02:14.320 talk to that can you know, still be like a 0:02:14.520 --> 0:02:18.320 little rough today and like like there's it's just so 0:02:18.480 --> 0:02:22.280 normal to where I don't feel any type of way 0:02:22.760 --> 0:02:25.160 about how people see me. But then when I do, 0:02:25.760 --> 0:02:28.799 you know, go out and there's people there and or 0:02:28.960 --> 0:02:32.600 there's a meet angry and people are like crying. That's 0:02:32.639 --> 0:02:37.000 when sometimes I'm why, like I don't personally understand it, 0:02:37.400 --> 0:02:39.600 and I feel like that's something that either comes with 0:02:39.680 --> 0:02:42.520 time or it's just always going to feel like I'm 0:02:42.560 --> 0:02:46.000 a little out of place, almost because it is. It's 0:02:46.040 --> 0:02:49.639 something very new. There's no rule book for it, and 0:02:49.720 --> 0:02:53.080 how do you ever truly understand the impact that you 0:02:53.120 --> 0:02:54.400 can have on someone's life? 0:02:54.440 --> 0:02:56.920 You know, there's also no parenting guide for how to 0:02:57.000 --> 0:03:00.040 raise two people who are TikTok famous. 0:02:59.760 --> 0:03:01.920 Right, yes, there's not. 0:03:02.520 --> 0:03:05.000 I feel like for Charlie when she does go out, 0:03:05.080 --> 0:03:08.160 it's like a unicorn when she's out of her house. 0:03:08.600 --> 0:03:13.480 So people love, people get extra excited. Like Dixie loves, 0:03:13.520 --> 0:03:16.320 she loves driving, she loves going shopping, she loves going out, 0:03:16.600 --> 0:03:18.760 so people are I feel a little bit more used 0:03:18.760 --> 0:03:22.000 to seeing her out. But when she goes out, it's like, wait, 0:03:22.120 --> 0:03:22.920 she's out. 0:03:22.760 --> 0:03:25.880 And then out in the wild. It's almost like you 0:03:25.960 --> 0:03:29.400 won this TikTok lottery. You were thrust into the spotlight 0:03:29.680 --> 0:03:31.959 so fast. And I've actually heard you say a few 0:03:31.960 --> 0:03:34.560 times you don't even know why you took off? Do 0:03:34.600 --> 0:03:37.160 you get it now? Like, do you think you understand 0:03:37.200 --> 0:03:40.560 why everyone was so obsessed with you? 0:03:40.600 --> 0:03:40.760 No? 0:03:41.320 --> 0:03:44.840 Like, imagine it happens to you and then all of 0:03:44.840 --> 0:03:48.240 a sudden, there's all of these people that are watching 0:03:48.280 --> 0:03:52.920 what you do and taking inspiration from the things you do, 0:03:53.000 --> 0:03:56.080 and everyone always asks like, how do you do it? 0:03:56.920 --> 0:04:00.160 I'm posting the same stuff that I posted before. I 0:04:00.200 --> 0:04:04.080 don't really know. It feels like nothing changed, but all 0:04:04.080 --> 0:04:06.840 of a sudden people took a liking to me and 0:04:07.760 --> 0:04:09.960 it all went a little bit crazy from there. It's 0:04:10.080 --> 0:04:13.280 very hard to pinpoint exactly what it could have been. 0:04:13.440 --> 0:04:17.000 Yeah, so you've got this Damelia family business, and I 0:04:17.000 --> 0:04:19.000 know you all have your own roles, Like Mark, you 0:04:19.040 --> 0:04:20.000 have a business background? 0:04:20.040 --> 0:04:20.120 Hi? 0:04:20.200 --> 0:04:23.320 Do you or a model? Charlie is Charlie? What do 0:04:23.360 --> 0:04:25.560 you want people to know about the business and what 0:04:25.600 --> 0:04:28.600 you're trying to accomplish? And you know, what are your roles? 0:04:28.960 --> 0:04:29.200 Yeah? 0:04:29.240 --> 0:04:31.400 I mean we we came up with the concept of 0:04:31.440 --> 0:04:34.720 the Melia brands, not anything unique to our to what 0:04:35.000 --> 0:04:38.960 other people with notoriety or celebrities have done. We just 0:04:39.360 --> 0:04:43.159 there were times that we would partner with with certain 0:04:43.279 --> 0:04:48.120 certain companies and there was someone else's creative direction. And 0:04:48.160 --> 0:04:51.359 I think both Dixie and Charlie have their finger on 0:04:51.400 --> 0:04:55.240 the pulse of what's happening. And we were still doing 0:04:55.279 --> 0:04:58.680 endorsement deals. Charlie's still doing endorsement deals. But we've always 0:04:58.680 --> 0:05:02.560 been very particular on the endorsement deals we're doing. And 0:05:02.600 --> 0:05:06.080 now we're going to have more control over the products 0:05:06.279 --> 0:05:06.719 we make. 0:05:07.040 --> 0:05:08.400 And that's what's that's what I. 0:05:08.360 --> 0:05:11.479 Love and you you've got like the creative stuff going. 0:05:11.640 --> 0:05:16.080 I've been really involved in the creative side of the 0:05:16.120 --> 0:05:19.839 shoe brand. I always check in with the girls because 0:05:19.880 --> 0:05:22.640 they're really smart with knowing like, oh, this isn't gonna work, 0:05:22.640 --> 0:05:25.000 this is going to work. That coupled with things that 0:05:25.200 --> 0:05:27.360 I know without a doubt when it comes to that. 0:05:27.800 --> 0:05:30.080 So between the four of us, like I feel like 0:05:30.160 --> 0:05:33.160 we'll have we all have like our input that's going 0:05:33.200 --> 0:05:35.320 to make it launch really well. 0:05:35.400 --> 0:05:35.719 Yeah. 0:05:35.880 --> 0:05:38.839 Mark, I heard you say on your podcast that people 0:05:38.839 --> 0:05:42.680 think you're calculated, that you have some sort of master plan, right. 0:05:42.920 --> 0:05:43.919 Is that a misperception? 0:05:44.240 --> 0:05:44.440 Yeah? 0:05:44.440 --> 0:05:47.720 Absolutely, Like we always just lie by the seat of 0:05:47.720 --> 0:05:50.240 our pants. The brand stuff is probably more the most 0:05:50.240 --> 0:05:53.040 calculated thing we've done and It's something that I feel 0:05:53.040 --> 0:05:55.760 most comfortable doing because I have a background, and I 0:05:55.760 --> 0:05:58.520 have my clothing brand. I've worked with the Didis Mitchell 0:05:58.520 --> 0:06:01.080 and Nas and other companies, So this is something that 0:06:01.160 --> 0:06:04.240 you have to calculate other things. It was just like 0:06:04.600 --> 0:06:06.680 sometimes we'd post, sometimes we wouldn't. 0:06:07.080 --> 0:06:08.400 It was all over the place. 0:06:08.400 --> 0:06:10.279 And I think that's just back to the thing you 0:06:10.279 --> 0:06:13.040 were saying before, like why, Charlie. I think it was 0:06:13.080 --> 0:06:15.120 a right place, right time, And I think that it 0:06:15.440 --> 0:06:17.960 just was past a time where everybody's trying to take 0:06:18.000 --> 0:06:20.600 the perfect picture and show this perfect self. 0:06:20.640 --> 0:06:23.039 And I think what TikTok showed is. 0:06:22.960 --> 0:06:25.640 A girl of fifteen year old girl in her room, 0:06:26.120 --> 0:06:28.919 just hanging out with her bed unmade and close on 0:06:28.960 --> 0:06:32.440 the floor and just doing dances and really shed a 0:06:32.520 --> 0:06:33.520 light to what. 0:06:34.240 --> 0:06:38.800 A young girl's doing. And I think it resonated with everybody. 0:06:39.080 --> 0:06:40.400 But none of that was calculated. 0:06:40.839 --> 0:06:45.360 The scrutiny is unrelenting. Fans like your fans are fickle 0:06:45.880 --> 0:06:48.360 at this point, now a few years into this, how 0:06:48.400 --> 0:06:49.320 do you deal with that? 0:06:49.440 --> 0:06:54.240 Still? I think that that's something that I don't know 0:06:54.240 --> 0:06:58.640 if you can ever just completely ignore, because it's always 0:06:58.640 --> 0:07:01.200 going to be there. No matter what. But I think 0:07:01.240 --> 0:07:05.240 it definitely gets a little bit easier to not let 0:07:05.279 --> 0:07:09.800 it be, you know, so damaging to use a person. 0:07:10.360 --> 0:07:15.440 There's definitely days where I see something and I like 0:07:15.560 --> 0:07:18.480 can't what was it? What was it this time? And 0:07:18.520 --> 0:07:21.320 there's sometimes that I'm like, that's not even real. And 0:07:21.360 --> 0:07:26.800 there's so many rumors that circulate that get people so 0:07:26.920 --> 0:07:33.600 much negative attention that you know, you can't set everything straight. 0:07:33.680 --> 0:07:36.480 You can't make sure everyone knows the truth in every 0:07:36.520 --> 0:07:40.360 single situation, and you've never stop arguing with people, so 0:07:40.400 --> 0:07:43.880 you eventually just you know, they if they think that 0:07:44.400 --> 0:07:46.120 this is how I am, no matter what I say, 0:07:46.160 --> 0:07:48.280 it's not really going to change their mind because they 0:07:48.320 --> 0:07:51.560 have this narrative that they believe. Stick to the people 0:07:51.600 --> 0:07:52.520 that actually like you. 0:07:52.760 --> 0:07:55.720 Yeah, so it was twenty nineteen that things really took off. Like, 0:07:55.800 --> 0:07:58.400 if you could give advice to your twenty nineteen self, 0:07:59.240 --> 0:07:59.960 what would that be. 0:08:00.480 --> 0:08:04.320 I think the only advice that I could really give 0:08:04.520 --> 0:08:08.480 would be a version of the figure it out, Like 0:08:08.800 --> 0:08:12.720 there's no there's no need to always be so worried 0:08:12.760 --> 0:08:15.320 about what's next, because it is going to work out. 0:08:15.400 --> 0:08:18.880 It's all going to be fine, And even if this 0:08:19.040 --> 0:08:22.080 all goes away, It's going to be fine, you know, 0:08:22.440 --> 0:08:25.680 because there's always yourself that you have to you know, 0:08:25.720 --> 0:08:29.000 be confident enoughing that you're going to have people around 0:08:29.040 --> 0:08:32.720 you that like you as a person, and you kind 0:08:32.720 --> 0:08:34.480 of just have to take it one step at a time. 0:08:34.679 --> 0:08:36.600 How about advice to the parents. I mean, you've got 0:08:36.800 --> 0:08:40.440 like new teenagers, kids going on social media every day, 0:08:40.559 --> 0:08:42.959 I mean in general in the world right and all 0:08:43.040 --> 0:08:45.800 parents trying to figure out how to deal with that. 0:08:46.080 --> 0:08:48.640 Heidi and I always talked about early on, like both 0:08:48.679 --> 0:08:52.080 Tixi and Charlie have their own personal brand before all 0:08:52.120 --> 0:08:53.000 of this, and that. 0:08:52.880 --> 0:08:54.000 They need to protect that. 0:08:54.760 --> 0:08:57.200 And with that we gained a lot of trust in 0:08:57.240 --> 0:09:00.320 them because they proved to us that they were so 0:09:00.840 --> 0:09:03.520 we never checked text we never checked posts. 0:09:04.040 --> 0:09:05.800 And I would tell parents out. 0:09:05.679 --> 0:09:08.240 There to keep your eye on them, but give them 0:09:08.280 --> 0:09:12.600 the freedom to instill in them what you think is 0:09:12.880 --> 0:09:15.600 right and wrong and the kids will follow that and 0:09:16.080 --> 0:09:17.280 don't be too overbearing. 0:09:17.280 --> 0:09:19.679 And I think that was what we did. 0:09:19.960 --> 0:09:21.600 All right, Well, mine are ten and under, so I'm 0:09:21.600 --> 0:09:25.400 going to try to ingest that. I'm sure you've been 0:09:25.400 --> 0:09:27.840 following a little bit, you know, the TikTok controversy in 0:09:27.920 --> 0:09:31.199 China and are there security concerns and should it be banned? 0:09:31.600 --> 0:09:32.720 What do you think about all that. 0:09:33.000 --> 0:09:34.880 I don't think it should be banned. I think that 0:09:35.480 --> 0:09:39.480 if you're worried about the information that social media apps 0:09:39.480 --> 0:09:41.440 are taking, you should worry about them all, and if 0:09:41.480 --> 0:09:43.000 you're not going to worry about them all, you shouldn't 0:09:43.000 --> 0:09:44.439 worry about any of them. 0:09:44.520 --> 0:09:45.280 Charlie, what do you think? 0:09:45.960 --> 0:09:49.200 I think that's a question that people ask me a lot, 0:09:49.520 --> 0:09:54.520 and I, you know, as a eighteen year old girl 0:09:54.520 --> 0:09:57.000 who makes videos on the Internet, I don't think that 0:09:57.000 --> 0:10:01.240 that's a decision that I'm educated enough to be understand 0:10:01.440 --> 0:10:03.559 or have a real opinion on. 0:10:03.800 --> 0:10:06.520 Yeah, I didn't have TikTok Stars launching a venture capital 0:10:06.600 --> 0:10:10.000 fund in my crystal ball a few years ago, but 0:10:10.120 --> 0:10:13.040 here you are four four four capital. Talk to us 0:10:13.080 --> 0:10:16.400 about the mission and what you're trying. 0:10:16.200 --> 0:10:16.720 To do here. 0:10:16.840 --> 0:10:17.080 Yeah. 0:10:17.080 --> 0:10:20.959 So we partnered with a group of really smart investors 0:10:21.000 --> 0:10:26.320 and they're going out there basically partnering with mid to 0:10:26.400 --> 0:10:30.040 late stage companies that take an investment, and they're putting 0:10:30.280 --> 0:10:33.480 money into really cool companies that all have a great story, 0:10:33.679 --> 0:10:39.199 companies that are minority driven or female CEOs and and 0:10:39.320 --> 0:10:43.120 stuff that relates back to what we think. I think 0:10:43.120 --> 0:10:46.360 we feel that and it's not just lip service. We 0:10:46.360 --> 0:10:49.200 have an obligation to do to do good things with 0:10:49.280 --> 0:10:52.080 this platform, and we know we're not going to be 0:10:52.720 --> 0:10:56.560 in this position necessarily forever and need to do good 0:10:56.600 --> 0:10:57.079 while we have. 0:10:57.040 --> 0:11:00.200 The opportunity to a number of female founders, Right, why 0:11:00.240 --> 0:11:02.000 is that important. 0:11:02.280 --> 0:11:05.560 Just in our family alone to have I think there's 0:11:05.679 --> 0:11:09.199 three of us that as females feel like we can 0:11:09.240 --> 0:11:12.960 do anything. And then in our company here, there's a 0:11:13.000 --> 0:11:15.480 lot of women that work here, and it's just they 0:11:15.480 --> 0:11:18.160 were the best for their position they were applying for. 0:11:18.200 --> 0:11:19.280 It's just the way it was. 0:11:19.440 --> 0:11:20.720 And I think. 0:11:20.559 --> 0:11:25.120 Sometimes with that we forget how hard it is out 0:11:25.120 --> 0:11:28.480 there for women to take it to the next step. 0:11:28.760 --> 0:11:31.000 And so to be able to be a part of 0:11:31.040 --> 0:11:35.440 that and to give them that opportunity to bring their 0:11:35.559 --> 0:11:38.760 passion to the next level is something that was It 0:11:38.800 --> 0:11:39.760 was just a no brainer. 0:11:39.960 --> 0:11:42.720 The economy is changing, Like we're in a different environment 0:11:42.760 --> 0:11:45.559 now than maybe when even you launch this, Like how 0:11:45.559 --> 0:11:47.960 do you think about that when you're thinking about where 0:11:47.960 --> 0:11:49.200 to deploy capital into who? 0:11:50.120 --> 0:11:53.000 I think the good thing about what we did is 0:11:53.040 --> 0:11:54.960 we actually are creating tangible products. 0:11:54.960 --> 0:11:57.920 Where a lot of people invested in. 0:11:57.280 --> 0:12:01.480 In apps or software or things that had an immense 0:12:01.520 --> 0:12:03.680 amount of capital that. 0:12:03.559 --> 0:12:04.560 They needed to deploy. 0:12:04.840 --> 0:12:07.920 We make a shoe and we sell it and investors 0:12:07.920 --> 0:12:11.040 can hold it, and with our name behind it, we've 0:12:11.080 --> 0:12:13.520 been able to create a lot of excitement, Like we 0:12:14.040 --> 0:12:17.240 raise money during a time that no one was raising money, 0:12:17.280 --> 0:12:21.040 and I owe it to my partner, rich Rosenblatt, who navigated. 0:12:20.559 --> 0:12:21.440 Me through all of this. 0:12:21.880 --> 0:12:23.360 Now there's a lot of creators out there that are 0:12:23.360 --> 0:12:25.719 trying to launch their own brands. Not everyone has his 0:12:25.800 --> 0:12:28.880 money followers as Charlie, I'll give you that, But what's 0:12:28.920 --> 0:12:30.800 going to make your stand out? What's going to be 0:12:30.800 --> 0:12:32.000 the cut above the rest. 0:12:32.280 --> 0:12:33.040 A couple of things. 0:12:33.040 --> 0:12:36.160 One is the fact that we have Dixie and Charlie 0:12:36.320 --> 0:12:40.920 on the pulse of what's happening with their generation, and 0:12:40.960 --> 0:12:44.800 I think Heidi with her experience, And we have hired 0:12:44.920 --> 0:12:48.520 really talented people. I mean, our head of design, Lauren 0:12:48.600 --> 0:12:50.920 came from Comudo Group worked was that one of the 0:12:50.960 --> 0:12:54.200 top designers of Jessica Simson Footwear. We've hired one of 0:12:54.240 --> 0:12:57.719 the top directors of production to actually help us manufacture 0:12:57.760 --> 0:13:01.600 the shoes. So part knowledge and I think part quality 0:13:01.640 --> 0:13:05.199 of the people we've hired is going to separate us. 0:13:05.320 --> 0:13:07.520 There's so many creators that are looking at you all 0:13:07.559 --> 0:13:09.760 for inspiration, and I'm just so curious, Like, you know, 0:13:09.760 --> 0:13:12.240 it's like, well, can you tell us about the secret sauce? 0:13:12.320 --> 0:13:14.960 Like in those early days, how much did TikTok support you? 0:13:15.000 --> 0:13:17.280 Did they work with you, did they help you? Or 0:13:17.400 --> 0:13:18.760 was it really all you? 0:13:19.440 --> 0:13:22.520 I just hopped on it one day and started posting 0:13:22.800 --> 0:13:26.360 I do give sixteen year old knee a pat on 0:13:26.400 --> 0:13:30.640 the back. And I think there was lots of decisions 0:13:30.679 --> 0:13:33.120 that we made as a family that helped us get 0:13:33.120 --> 0:13:36.120 to where we are now. It was so out of nowhere. 0:13:36.200 --> 0:13:40.960 How could I ask TikTok for support when I didn't 0:13:40.960 --> 0:13:43.800 even know that there was, Like people like, I don't 0:13:43.800 --> 0:13:46.960 know what's going I don't know who these people are. Now, 0:13:47.000 --> 0:13:49.480 obviously we've developed more of a relationship with the apps, 0:13:49.480 --> 0:13:52.400 and that's just kind of a part of the journey 0:13:52.400 --> 0:13:56.000 where you have to figure out how to best support 0:13:56.040 --> 0:13:57.120 yourself as a creator. 0:13:57.480 --> 0:13:59.720 They were so new that they really didn't know what 0:13:59.760 --> 0:14:00.240 they were doing. 0:14:00.600 --> 0:14:02.320 They would just call to say, hey, do you guys, 0:14:02.440 --> 0:14:04.920 everybody's home, you want to do taco Tuesdays and put 0:14:04.960 --> 0:14:06.800 up a camera and they would run it live on 0:14:06.840 --> 0:14:09.240 TikTok like there was and we were just like, sure, yeah, 0:14:09.240 --> 0:14:09.760 that sounds fun. 0:14:09.760 --> 0:14:11.440 We're sitting home. Everyone else is sitting home. 0:14:11.720 --> 0:14:14.120 As much as we didn't have a master plan or 0:14:14.120 --> 0:14:17.040 a roadmap, they didn't have a plan or a roadmap either. 0:14:17.200 --> 0:14:19.440 They didn't know what was going on either, and it 0:14:19.560 --> 0:14:22.080 kind of took everyone by surprise. And I think that's 0:14:22.120 --> 0:14:24.120 also kind of a fun part was we all got 0:14:24.160 --> 0:14:27.240 to you know, they grew as an app. I grew 0:14:27.280 --> 0:14:29.760 as a creator and as a person, and we grew 0:14:29.760 --> 0:14:32.400 as a family kind of all at the same time. 0:14:32.520 --> 0:14:34.400 Yeah, how much do you think it was the algorithm? 0:14:34.560 --> 0:14:36.960 I think that that is probably one of the questions 0:14:37.000 --> 0:14:43.480 I could ask the most. And genuinely, I have no idea, 0:14:43.560 --> 0:14:47.280 because truly, I don't even think the people at TikTok 0:14:47.600 --> 0:14:52.160 understand the algorithm. So I mean, I know what works 0:14:52.200 --> 0:14:55.200 for me and what doesn't, and I can make those 0:14:55.240 --> 0:14:59.240 decisions either based on what works for the algorithm or 0:14:59.280 --> 0:15:01.400 what I want to put, and I normally pick what 0:15:01.440 --> 0:15:01.840 I want to. 0:15:01.800 --> 0:15:04.800 Guess there's some controversy around how much creators should get paid. 0:15:04.840 --> 0:15:06.480 And you know, there's a lot of creators out there 0:15:06.520 --> 0:15:09.840 who think they don't get enough love from the platforms 0:15:09.880 --> 0:15:12.840 that they're on and helping generate all these using content. 0:15:13.320 --> 0:15:16.640 Actually at south By Southwest, this former TikTok product guy 0:15:16.880 --> 0:15:19.840 said they launched this two billion dollar creator fund that 0:15:19.840 --> 0:15:22.240 they were going to pay on all these creators just 0:15:22.280 --> 0:15:24.320 because of the competition they didn't want you for example, 0:15:24.400 --> 0:15:28.680 like going to Instagram, going to YouTube, and that no 0:15:28.720 --> 0:15:30.240 one would ever know if they actually paid it. 0:15:30.760 --> 0:15:31.960 What's your reaction to that. 0:15:32.240 --> 0:15:35.760 I learned early on that I think different than movie 0:15:35.800 --> 0:15:40.040 studios and television studios, where the talent is the most important, 0:15:40.240 --> 0:15:45.080 with companies like TikTok and Instagram, the software that's the 0:15:45.200 --> 0:15:49.440 driving force. So they look at it as you're interchangeable, 0:15:49.880 --> 0:15:52.840 and we never looked at it like you owe us something. 0:15:52.880 --> 0:15:55.280 But I do think they could do more based on 0:15:55.400 --> 0:16:00.960 the valuation of TikTok being potentially a forty billion dollar company. 0:16:01.480 --> 0:16:04.440 I think the creators should share in that more than 0:16:04.440 --> 0:16:04.720 they do. 0:16:05.000 --> 0:16:06.800 What was the jump from TikTok to TV? 0:16:07.400 --> 0:16:10.360 Like, the biggest thing for me has always been the 0:16:10.560 --> 0:16:14.640 talking part on TikTok. I don't talk. Most people don't 0:16:14.640 --> 0:16:17.600 know what my voice sounds like. They've never really heard 0:16:17.640 --> 0:16:21.320 me say much. Yeah, and I'm fine with that. But 0:16:21.400 --> 0:16:25.640 you know, when you have a show that's documenting your life, 0:16:25.960 --> 0:16:28.920 you want to tell your story because you have a 0:16:29.000 --> 0:16:33.080 chance to really explain all sides rather than you have 0:16:33.520 --> 0:16:38.520 fifteen seconds to what three minutes? It's so different, and 0:16:39.000 --> 0:16:41.760 you know you also you have these interviews where you 0:16:41.800 --> 0:16:44.640 can kind of look back and you know they'll ask 0:16:44.680 --> 0:16:47.200 you a question in your life. For god, I did that, 0:16:47.560 --> 0:16:48.920 So now I'm like, well, let me tell you how 0:16:49.000 --> 0:16:52.160 I was really feeling. And it's kind of a nice 0:16:52.160 --> 0:16:55.200 place to, you know, open up and be able to 0:16:55.240 --> 0:16:57.520 share those stories that no one else would hear without it. 0:16:57.680 --> 0:17:00.000 Yeah, do you feel a sense of urgency in this moment? 0:17:00.320 --> 0:17:03.360 Like this fame could be fleeting, we should capitalize on 0:17:03.400 --> 0:17:05.080 it now, Like how do we make the most of 0:17:05.119 --> 0:17:07.200 this opportunity or no, hy do? 0:17:07.240 --> 0:17:10.639 Yes, We've always talked about that, We've seen platforms coming 0:17:10.640 --> 0:17:13.639 go we know this, and so we always try to 0:17:14.320 --> 0:17:17.719 do content on all the platforms, but also fine for 0:17:17.920 --> 0:17:20.119 especially for the girls, but even for market on like 0:17:20.160 --> 0:17:24.359 our passion projects, things that we enjoy doing but could 0:17:24.640 --> 0:17:26.680 make a living at if all of this goes away, 0:17:26.800 --> 0:17:30.520 and you know, yeah, the girls are very aware of 0:17:30.520 --> 0:17:33.840 this could all end, and so that's why it's important 0:17:33.880 --> 0:17:36.920 to take these opportunities and make the most of them, 0:17:36.920 --> 0:17:39.080 but also have fun while you're doing it. I think 0:17:39.119 --> 0:17:41.960 that's been the They're probably sick of hearing Mark and I. 0:17:41.880 --> 0:17:43.440 Say, like, you have to enjoy it. You're going to 0:17:43.480 --> 0:17:45.600 look back at this time and think what was I 0:17:45.680 --> 0:17:48.080 worrying about so much? Like I should have just enjoyed it. 0:17:48.160 --> 0:17:50.639 So, yeah, do you worry it could all the poof 0:17:51.560 --> 0:17:53.800 or you just don't don't think that far ahead. 0:17:54.000 --> 0:17:56.800 I think everyone else probably wishes that I worry more 0:17:56.840 --> 0:18:02.119 about it, because when the time comes to make a 0:18:02.200 --> 0:18:06.719 video or or speak or whatever it is, you know, 0:18:07.040 --> 0:18:11.280 I always look at it as what do I feel 0:18:11.320 --> 0:18:15.160 like saying? What do I feel like making? Rather than well, 0:18:15.240 --> 0:18:18.440 i've heard that this performs best, Let me do exactly that. 0:18:18.520 --> 0:18:22.520 There's way there's ways to definitely further grow your audience. 0:18:22.600 --> 0:18:25.080 But at the same time, those core people that watch you, 0:18:26.119 --> 0:18:28.719 they're going to follow you to whatever makes you happy. 0:18:29.040 --> 0:18:34.159 And I feel like those the people that care almost unconditionally. 0:18:34.520 --> 0:18:40.359 They're going to support every new exciting venture that you take. 0:18:41.080 --> 0:18:44.280 But it's definitely sometimes like, well this could all go 0:18:44.359 --> 0:18:46.080 in tomorrow. What are we gonna do? And I make 0:18:46.160 --> 0:18:49.240 jokes like maybe I could do like social media marketings. 0:18:50.920 --> 0:18:54.159 But that's why it's fun to do new things like 0:18:54.720 --> 0:19:00.080 footwear or fragrance or you know fashion. It's there's so 0:19:00.119 --> 0:19:03.040 many different outlets that you can have or dance like. 0:19:03.600 --> 0:19:06.960 The show was incredible. It took a lot of time, 0:19:07.440 --> 0:19:11.080 but it was probably one of the most fun experiences 0:19:11.440 --> 0:19:13.000 I've had since starting this. 0:19:13.400 --> 0:19:15.640 Also, I think if you ever have to do social 0:19:15.720 --> 0:19:17.879 media marketing, you can probably make a pretty. 0:19:17.680 --> 0:19:21.320 She'll be okay. 0:19:23.119 --> 0:19:25.720 As the empire gets bigger and you're on all of 0:19:25.720 --> 0:19:28.200 these different platforms, how are you thinking about. 0:19:27.920 --> 0:19:30.240 Like how much you want to put yourselves out there? 0:19:30.400 --> 0:19:33.080 Like keep putting yourselves out there? Will that always be 0:19:33.160 --> 0:19:33.960 part of your brand? 0:19:34.440 --> 0:19:36.960 I think one of the reasons why we started Damelio 0:19:37.040 --> 0:19:40.680 Brands is that kind of will help us whether we 0:19:40.760 --> 0:19:43.800 want to. If we have a thriving footwear company that's 0:19:43.840 --> 0:19:46.439 doing extremely well, then Charlie has the opportunity and I 0:19:46.440 --> 0:19:49.040 have the opportunity, and Heidi has the opportunity to be as. 0:19:48.920 --> 0:19:51.679 Involved or is not as involved as we'd like to be. 0:19:51.880 --> 0:19:54.240 But right now this is fun for me. 0:19:54.680 --> 0:19:57.520 I think Heidi had a blast with Dancing with the Stars, 0:19:57.800 --> 0:20:00.520