ISSUE 23: BEING SEEN IN THE CONTENT ECONOMY

Something I'm considering.

CAN WE MAKE VIDEOS FOR FUN ANYMORE?

We live in an over-saturated world when it comes to video content. I know this because my thumb is developing some form of arthritis from scrolling through a cesspool of mind-sucking content on my phone daily.

However, ever since I was a little kid, I have loved making little videos. There was something so fun about making up a dance to Britney Spears and recording it on your parents’ camcorder. Or making up a character sketch like I did in middle school for my first-ever original character, Grandma Witters. And even going out into the wild and interviewing someone in public just because it was fun. It was creative, it was exhilarating.

Now, making a video seems like there will never not be an agenda to it. To get more followers, grow your business, and launch your career. That’s not a bad thing, necessarily, as now people can post their art (or their hot takes) online without gatekeepers. Advertising and commerce have been turned on their heads by the creator economy.

It’s also birthed what we now know as “influencers” which as a collective kind of get shit on (even though they are honestly just using this new world tactfully for their advantage—we all have bills!).

I personally love making videos, and that often results in a comedic sketch because, well, that’s simply what I do!

However, I also just love recording random things, thoughts, or feelings because capturing fleeting moments like that feels like a fun way to bottle up life or take others along for the ride.

I’ve been a bit hesitant to record and post videos as freely, for fear of someone thinking “ummmm do you think I care, Leah?” If you don’t care, I guess I don’t care, but also the reason I started this newsletter stemmed from me wanting to talk about things in a longer format that people on my Instagram might not “get,” therefore diluting what I’m trying to share.

This past weekend, I recorded a ton of little clips to make a vlog of an event I went to, the Frogtown Flea Crawl. I don’t think I’m necessarily going to become a vlogger, but it was an interesting practice.

If you wanna watch, here it is! :)

If you follow tennis at all, you may have heard of Morgan Riddle who is carving an impressive media x sports x fashion career for herself. The girlfriend of a top US tennis player Taylor Fritz, Riddle used to work in corporate comms (shoutout), but ended up becoming a full-blown content creator after her videos of her experience on tour started blowing up. Since then, she’s hosted Wimbledon Threads (a special fashion segment that Wimbledon hired her for), recently did fashion commentating at an Formula 1 Grand Prix in Australia), has a couple notable brand partnerships including Wilson, and was dubbed “The Most Famous Woman in Men’s Tennis” by the New York Times. Talk about an iconic headline.

What I surprisingly (to me) love most about Morgan Riddle’s content universe is her YouTube. I’ve never really been one to watch YouTube, but I pull her almost-weekly vlogs up like it’s the newest episode of my favorite TV show. Her travel content is beautiful and inspiring, and she also happens to be an emotionally intelligent and often wise-beyond-her-years mid-20-something. She’s pretty real. I appreciate it.

Her work has inspired me to think outside the box of what I can do with my career (wow, who knew), so just wanted to shout her out! Also, I won’t be surprised if she hosts her own full-blown TV show in the next two years.

Anyway, if you’re down to watch a vlog I made from this weekend, check it out above!!

Full disclosure, this eclipse this week has me feeling loopy (from an astrological perspective - duh!) so we’ll see where this goes. Maybe you’ll just see me start pushing out a ton more taped sketches. I’m not really sure, but I’m trying to put myself out there more instead of keeping my little ideas bottled up and thrown into the ocean.

Thanks for reading and see you next week <3

LJ

P.S. Happy Birthday to my friend Kelly if she’s reading :)

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