The digital revolution is well upon us. While work, school, and essential services recently went virtual, the entertainment industry has been shifting for years. Today, industry executives and million dollar studios still have their influence, but self-started influencers are transforming, diversifying, and democratizing Hollywood (without even having to physically be there). The ever-changing online world offers endless opportunities for fame, money, and power, which is probably why “content creator” is an increasingly popular job title.
Erica Barry, 24-year-old media strategist and author of Don’t Wait, Create, wants to empower and encourage those interested in an online following to put themselves out there and get started. There’s no point in dwelling on what other people might think or calculating the seemingly impossible odds of going viral — if you have something to say and a story to tell, the right audience will find you. Don’t believe us? Well, luckily Erica’s debut book is full of insight from interviews with dozens of successful online creators, like Tiffany Haddish, Taryn Southern, Kat Stickler, and more.
Below, Erica gives us the inside scoop on all things internet related and an exclusive excerpt from her book that tells the inspiring story of Sydney Heller and Olivia DeLaurentis.
Compared to when you were growing up, how do you feel the idea of fame has changed?
ERICA BARRY: It’s changed a lot. There’s this whole new concept of the microcelebrity. Growing up, I feel like there was this one arc of celebrity and pop culture, which involved the widely distributed movies and TV shows that everyone was watching. But overtime that has become more and more diffused. If you think back this has been happening for a while — in the 60s there were only like three TV channels, and then we got cable which became more niche, but now social media is the new TV. There are so many tiny little niches and microinfluencers that small communities of people really care about and that’s such a different concept of fame. It’s made fame so much more accessible. I think this really exploded during the pandemic because it exposed how traditional celebrities were pretty out of touch with most people’s reality. This definitely spurred a desire for more a relatable and authentic “anti-celebrity” celebrity and I don’t think it is ever going to go back.
Do you think the newfound accessibility and niche-ification is good, bad, or both?
ERICA BARRY: Totally. I think there’s pros and cons to everything. The pros of the nichification of media is that there really is something for everyone. And from a representation perspective, the odds are much higher now that you’ll find a microceleb or influencer with a story or background similar to yours — you’re not just stuck with whoever mainstream media deems worthy of investing in. However, I do think the con to accessibility is that a lot of people forget that content creation, videos, and vlogs are still a form of performance art and entertainment, and followers can easily get caught up in a fake reality. There’s also just a lot less separation between the audience and celebrity now. If you are a classic Hollywood actor, people know that you are not the character you play on TV. Of course, you still might have some crazy experiences with fans and fame, but there’s less of that personal identity attached to your fame and career. But now with social media, that separation has pretty much dissolved.
Is there any specific person or experience that inspired your interest in entertainment and media?
ERICA BARRY: Yes, I was obsessed with the show iCarly as a kid, which is kinda funny now with the show being revived recently. My dog’s name is literally Carly because of the show! I think that show was definitely a precursor to my interest in the whole “do it yourself” content creation world because that show was very early and ahead of its time.
Who are your personal favorite online creators? Why do you think you and other fans are gravitated towards them?
ERICA BARRY: Two creators that I really like are Kelly Stamps on YouTube and Victoria Paris on TikTok. I really like the transparency these two give into their content creation process because a lot of people only show the very glamorous and seemingly effortless side of being a creator. I think it’s very helpful when creators show the hours it takes for them to edit videos, the way they plan their content, what their growth strategy was, etc., but that often goes unseen. And when they don’t show the behind the scenes or the how to, then viewers watching might think “oh, I could never do this job. I could never just blow up like that” and are left wondering how people grew their following so fast. I like how Kelly especially gives that 360 degree view, she creates content about creating content. I also love that Victoria Paris is so transparent with her processes, like about her posting 40 videos a day and deleting everything that didn’t get enough views. Something a lot of people don’t realize is that real strategy and effort went into her blowing up. Which is good to show because there is definitely this pressure to make building an audience online seem effortless, when it really isn’t. After interviewing over fifty creators for Don’t Wait, Create, I was surprised that none of them really experienced that viral overnight success — which is probably contrary to what most people believe. I appreciate when people are real about the BTS and what goes into it.
What was the most surprising thing you learned while interviewing people and writing this book?
ERICA BARRY: Continuing with the same idea, I think the most surprising thing I learned was that the instant viral success phenomenon is mostly a myth. Back in 2010, you probably could just casually post something online and have it blow up out of nowhere but getting confirmation that that’s no longer really true was something I was really excited to share with readers. I think that’s something that prevents a lot of people from starting because they think it’s just a shot in the dark. But no, if you consistently show up for your audience then people who need that content will find you. Also, one issue that I liked talking about was burnout and internet hate and the nastier side of content creation. One thing I was excited to tell readers about is to remember that these likes, followers, and comments are all real people and individuals. And it’s so easy to be like “I only have 1000 followers” but if you actually imagine sitting in a room with 1000 people listening to you — that’s serious and would probably make you nervous! We take these online audiences for granted, but even if you have 10 people that regularly show up for your content and are engaged and ask you questions, that’s huge! Imagine if 10 people came up to you everyday and asked about your outfits in real life, that’d be crazy.
Most fun or exciting part about writing and publishing this book?
ERICA BARRY: Interviewing people was super cool. All of the people that I was able to talk to were super amazing and I appreciated all the thought they put into their answers. It was just a really humanizing experience to talk one on one with people I’ve watched online for so long.
What do you hope readers are able to do with the info in this book?
ERICA BARRY: My hope is that everyone with a story or message to tell, whether they want to film their life story, cooking videos, or fashion content, feels empowered to do so. There is so much vulnerability involved in putting yourself out there, since most people have a little anxiety about being judged, but seeing how these large and small scale creators have positively impacted peoples lives makes it a worthwhile pursuit. And this pursuit can be accomplished by consistently showing up and experimenting with content. You just have to remember to find approval within yourself regardless of what others say. If there is even one person out there that reads Don’t Wait, Create and actually stops waiting and starts creating, that would be so cool!
Now that we’ve heard from Erica, let’s take a look at how creator-comedians Sydney Heller and Olivia DeLaurentis were able to leverage digital media to their advantage. The following is an excerpt from Don’t Wait, Create — full version available for purchase here.
Platforms like Snapchat are also creating spaces for actors and writers to share their work. In 2019, Snapchat launched the Scripted Comedy Creator Initiative, which is a program designed to give up-and-coming comedy writers, performers, and directors a platform to create scripted comedy for a mobile audience (Hayes, 2019). Sydney Heller and Olivia DeLaurentis created their original comedy series, Apocalypse Goals, through this initiative. The multi-season original comedy series about surviving an alien apocalypse with a basic millennial skillset was renewed for a second season and opened the door to even more opportunities. Although DeLaurentis originally didn’t want to do digital media and wanted to go directly to TV, she changed course when she realized that the traditional route would sacrifice her creative voice as a writer. When I spoke to DeLaurentis, she elaborated that if you go the traditional route, “It’s most likely not going to be your show—you’ll be an actor on some show,” which was not as appealing to her as being a creator.
After Apocalypse Goals, Heller and DeLaurentis sold the first season of Stir Crazy, a ten-episode short-form “social distancing” comedy produced remotely during quarantine that premiered in April of 2020. During quarantine, they also leveraged TikTok and collected over one million views. Instead of the POVs and dances, they created a series centering around two best friends who confront difficult social issues in everyday conversation, producing videos with interesting titles like How Toys Are Marketed to Girls and Women in Guy Comedies. Watching Heller and DeLaurentis will not only make you laugh, but it will help you think critically about the world around you.
Before achieving massive success on the digital platform, they were childhood friends who started their own sketch comedy YouTube channel, Barely Legal Comedy, while studying at UCLA. They created an original web series on their channel called Sugar Babies in which they play two non-sexual, platonic sugar babies making their way through college by going on dates with rich and lonely men. DeLaurentis told me, “When we first made Sugar Babies, we were both doing auditions and stuff. Sydney had a conversation with her agent where he told her ‘Well, you’re not ugly, but you’re not pretty, so I don’t really know what to do with you. You should get a bowl haircut.’”
After consulting with a handful of casting directors on whether she should chop her hair or not, Heller spoke with a Nickelodeon casting director who ended up connecting her with her future talent representative. He loved Sugar Babies so much that he represented the duo and helped submit their idea to Snapchat’s Scripted Comedy Creator Initiative. After the first season of Apocalypse Goals, they were represented by Gersh, one of the biggest talent agencies in Hollywood, and are currently pitching a pilot to production companies and networks. Lesson learned? Don’t get a bowl haircut; create your own content!
For more insight from Erica Barry, check out Don’t Wait, Create and keep up with Erica on Instagram. If you have questions or wish to chat with Erica about world of content creation, she welcomes DMs and emails to erica@ericabarry.com.
