Transcript
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Kwame:
Hello, everybody. Welcome to today's episode of Beyond Influence. I am Kwame, and I'm here with my co-host, Scott. And we have a very special guest with us today. Someone who is very, very transparent, open, and honest in all their content. We have Louis Levanti with us. How are you doing, Louis?
Louis:
I'm doing well. Thanks for having me, guys. I'm super excited and looking forward to it.
Scott:
Yeah, so we're super excited to have you on. Love your content. You know, as we were getting ready for the episode, I, you know, often go through and scroll through various posts. I think I got lost in like a 45-minute cycle. And I'm like, there's so much going on in the world that I just simply don't know. And I'm like, I feel now invested. I like Halloween costumes, like the Kardashian drama. I was like, okay, how do I get these updates? But, for those of our listeners who don't know you or your content, maybe walk us through like a little bit of how you got started. What's your channel all about? Like, you know, how are you putting yourself out there online?
Louis:
Yeah, so I started my channel back in about 2019, towards the end, before the pandemic. My main focus was pop culture because I've always had a fascination, whether it be with movies, TV, or a lot of music. So I love award shows. They were like my Super Bowl. So I started talking about, believe it or not, the first video I did was a celebrity roast. So I used to work for Comedy Central, MTV, and Nickelodeon, and the roast was a huge thing, and I saw that nobody was really doing that online besides posting the clip. So my goal was, how do I do this without getting flagged for community violations? You also make it super lighthearted and fun. So I would pick celebrities, and I would make up things that were just simply not true, but also not harmful. And then I would also throw in a cartoon character or a fictional character too, and I built a 20-part series off of that. I then started doing pop culture news because I felt like people weren't doing that either in short form. Besides, news outlets were doing more writing. So then that built my platform, and from there, I started intermingling lifestyle and food and cocktails. I do a lot of travel. So really with the focus on pop culture, I try to relate it back in some way. But yeah, I love talking about celebrities in a lighthearted way. Now, I like to keep people informed. I think keeping people informed is super important, especially when I do those deep dives and types of things. I want people to kind of be like, "Oh wow, I would have never known that unless I watched his video." So a lot of research, but also a lot of fun, and still branching slowly to other avenues. So it's been really exciting.
Scott:
I love the concept of like, I'm just going to, you know, make up funny, fake news. I'm curious too, like, did any of that come back? Or was there like a particular video where you're like, "Oh, this was, like, it just hit and like, you nailed it?"
Louis:
There was one. I always said when I first started doing content, the way I knew I was nailing those videos was when I would go to say something, and I would start laughing to myself and had to stop because I was like, "Oh my God, if I'm laughing at it, either it's too harsh or it's just perfect." And I remember the most viral one that I did involved Adam Sandler. I didn't realize he had such, like, this hardcore fandom behind him. And we all know he likes dresses kind of like a middle schooler who runs to class. So I made that joke, and everyone was making fun of my fashion in the video because clearly I was wearing a sweatshirt. And I was just like, you know, I deserve that, whatever. But that one hit so hard. And I just remember saying that and I was like, "Oh, this is going to do really well. Like, this is going to be a good one." Some of them still go viral to this day. Like, I'll get comments on them from, like, I'm like, "Why are you guys looking at a video from 2020?" Like, this is kind of insane. But also, yeah, it's not problematic, so keep looking at it.
Kwame:
Gotta love it. You know it is. I love, as much as people say that, you know, they don't keep up with pop culture. Everybody wants to keep up with pop culture because you go to a party, you go to a hangout, you go to a happy hour, like that is the topic of conversation. And I love that, you know, no bias here, but I love that reality TV has introduced pop culture into more of our lives. It's obviously a big staple of, you know, my life. Have you, you know, have you ever roasted any Love is Blind people?
Louis:
No, and here's a lot of why I never. I think what I've learned is that the roasting was like pre-2021. So I was still kind of doing that back in 2020. And then I started to adapt it to doing more pop culture, and I was getting these opportunities of working with the Netflixes of the world or at the Paramount. I worked for Paramount at the time. I was working with Hulu and all that stuff. So I didn't want to roast the casts of the shows I would eventually maybe have to promote and meet, which luckily we were just talking about this before. I did get to go on that trip to Seattle to meet some of the Love is Blind cast and promote the show. And I was like, thankfully, I didn't talk about any of these people because this would be really awkward. I didn't roast any of them, but I did do a lot of, like, who I think's going to end up with who and that kind of stuff just to, like, play into the fandom a little bit. And I think that's how my content evolved. It went from being very, I don't want to say salacious, but definitely a bit more opinionated and a little, a little rude at times to being more positive, and uplifting with an opinion. I think you're still allowed to have an opinion, and people can disagree with it, but never from a place of pure meanness.
Scott:
Yeah, I gave you full license to start that trend with Kwame. If you liked that mustache, throw it through the end of the month, because I just can't take it. It's too much.
Louis:
I'll take it. I was like, I don't know if I was on the Love is Blind. I was like, I shaved everything off. I hate having facial hair. So it's...
Scott:
So funny. Chelsea posted. It's like, it's okay when you're going to shave and have a mustache. Just give me a heads up. I was like, I feel you. I feel you so deeply. You can't just spring that on me. We're about to record with a freaking mustache. Oh, what are you doing?
Kwame:
Like a month in advance?
Hey, personally, I, like I said it, I said it in the story, I love it. I think it gives me a very, I feel like Sean Connery. I call it Sean Connery. I feel very in tune. You know, it's funny when you talk about roasting people and then ending up walking into them. Oh, my goodness. I was actually at the Capitol Hill Black Party, which is a big party, a one-day festival that happens here. And Marshall and I went out. We just, you know, hang out for the boys. And we're sitting there, we're eating a sandwich, and we like to look across our table, and this girl's just staring at us for a little bit, and we're like, who is this person? Why does she look so familiar? You know, and then she walks up to us, and as soon as she says something, it clicks, and I'm like, oh my goodness. This girl roasted me for a solid month.
Louis:
That's what that's like, not a fear of mine. But I think a good example is, so when I was at Paramount, I did a lot of carpets and press junkets. So I was already put in that position where these people wanted to know who they were. Two, made sure I treated them properly and with respect. But three, make sure they didn't know who I was because I said anything negative. And I just did a carpet actually for a reality TV show, and I, and I was interviewing a lot of the Dancing with the Stars cast. I used to make a ton of Dancing with the Stars content, but all, like, who I was rooting for and, like, rating their dances and all that stuff. And Ezra, who was on this most recent season, came up to me, and I had just done a ton of stories on his partner, Anna Delvey, that went super viral. And he looked at me and, like, the interview was happening. He was coming up to me. His PR team was like, you want, you want Ezra? I'm like, I'll take out your app. And he looks at me, he's like, I know you. And I was like, oh, you're aware. And he was like, and I was like, TikTok. And he goes, yes. He was like, absolutely. And then the conversation flew off. It went so nicely because he was familiar with what I do. And then I posted the video and it did so well. There was that understanding rather than if he was like, oh, you talked negatively about me. I'm going to get you two answers.
Scott:
I love that when, like, you know, folks are cool about it. They understand that you're out there trying to put yourself out there, make content, and not doing it in, like, a crazy, disrespectful way. I think if you're just slandering or, like, taking shots at folks, but you know, if you're in the public eye, to an extent, you should expect you're going to, you know, you're on Dancing with the Stars, you're you're going to get some commentary. So yeah, I don't know either. I'm glad you took that approach with it.
Louis:
I also don't think I'm making, like, theories to like, destroy people's lives. Like there are people, there are viewers that are in that space, and like, they will make these really huge, fabricated stories to get the views. And yes, it works 100%. But at the same time, my thing is, I want to know that if I step into the same room as these people, when I step into the same room as these people, because that's my goal, is to be a part of this and to amplify them and amplify their work. I want to make sure I never made them feel negatively or bad about themselves or whatever it may be in another sense. And other people don't really care. They care more about the numbers. And I think longevity is very important.
Scott:
Yeah, it's interesting. Like, it's funny reflecting on you and your content. I think there are certain people in life who have this ability to say both really positive things and, you know, show a negative side of something, but it's in a way that's, like, honest, kind of endearing, funny, lighthearted. And I but whereas, like, you know, me personally, I don't have that gift. If I say something, they're like, wow, that guy's a jerk. And so it's interesting, like, I love how you're able to tread, you know, because you give a lot of love on your channel with your content. You know, you're celebrating this piece of fashion or this, you know, a red carpet look or whatever, but then also being like, you know, our biggest bombs or whatever. And I think it's I think the way you navigate it is tasteful and leads to probably good relationships. Do you have advice for creators on, like, how to navigate that in a way that doesn't lead to them just, like, you know, losing followers, losing, you know, the folks that they're roasting at the same time?
Louis:
I think for me, what I started to learn was I didn't enjoy some of the negative criticism I would get from being so harsh because it's like if you dish it out, you have fuel to take it. And I was able to take it. At the same time, it was taking away energy from the story at hand, where it's like when I do these stories so I think a good example was when Kim Kardashian wore Princess Diana's necklace. Like, to me, that's such an interesting story to be like, she's the first person to have worn this and she bought it at an auction. But at the same time, like, I can still resonate with this side of, yes, this woman has worn other people's fashion so many other times and received backlash. But in my opinion, she looks beautiful. Like there's like a way to say like, well, she does this time and time again, and people don't like it, but she looks great. So it's a way to almost protect myself from the Kardashian fandom but also show them, like, hey, I am also on your side. I totally get it. I think she looks great, but maybe we should unpack why people are pissed off about it. Same with, like, Olivia Rodrigo. She had that whole red flag thing. I'm getting a little bit more backlash because I did say I was like, she's just describing Elon Musk. And yeah, that is a red flag. But I'm willing to welcome that negativity because I truly don't care. Whereas I'd rather her fandom be on my side than his fandom.
Scott:
Yeah, let's say I'm already married because I would definitely go to space.
Louis:
She worded it a little bit better. But I think the advice part of it, it's like, if you wouldn't say something to your friends or to that person's face, you probably shouldn't say it online because it's amplified 100 times more. And I think that's just common sense. But if it's not, it should be. But yeah, it's like if you would never say it to someone's face, don't say it online. And also, if that is not how you speak or how you interact online, then don't do it. Because I feel like people see through when people are lying or trying to put on this persona. It's very obvious when someone is scripted or not passionate about something and just saying it for, like, the wow factor.
Kwame:
That's true. Yeah, I think I really, really love that belief that like, you won't say anything if you think it's really going to, like, deeply impact someone because I feel like what a lot of people don't realize, I mean, they might realize it might not, but people will sometimes put it to the side because they care about the engagement and that possibility to be famous or get kind of that, that little 15 seconds or whatever the case may be, you get that viral video. When people are going through Love is Blind, and it's being shown to the entire world, I feel like every part of your life is being deeply dissected. And your families have to see every negative moment that is amplified, right? Because it is dramatized for reality TV. They put that slow, scary music behind it, the pauses, the faces, the looks, and then people dissect those moments so deeply, and then they become internet psychologists or therapists, and then they dive in even deeper on what they think is wrong with you. Right? And that was one of the hardest things for me to overcome. And I'm actually, you know, it has given me significantly tougher skin. Right? But when I was going through it, I remember there were maybe two or three days in my life when Love is Blind was going on, where I didn't leave the house because I didn't want to be seen by anyone. I didn't want to have to, you know, explain myself to anyone. I just thought to myself, if I can just stay at home, put my headphones on, and sleep as much as possible, this will be over soon enough. So I think that is definitely a note that I wish more of the world would listen to, that people are out there and they can see these things. And even if they're, you know, they have a million followers, 10 million followers, they're still human beings. And it will in some way sit with them. And if it sits with them in a really harsh way, and if you are amplifying it to the world, and the world is agreeing with you so much that they're also reproducing content on the same alignment, man, you can break somebody.
Louis:
Yeah. And I think to that point too, I think also just maintaining your authenticity in the sense of if you're wrong about something or you do something wrong, don't beat around the bush, like own it. Like I've said things wrong in my videos, like nothing wrong about a person, but I've gotten a fact right, or I got something wrong about their favorite person. That welcomes a lot of negativity. But if I don't acknowledge that I was wrong or that I did something wrong, people will come out even ten times harder, and then there's really no way to hide from it. You have to do your due diligence. Whether it's researching something, or just talking about a person in general. If I'm watching this back and I feel like this would hurt somebody's feelings or make them feel the way you were just describing, maybe I should delete the clip. Like, maybe it doesn't need to go in there. It might not be worth it if you get a million views. And yeah, you're like, that's worth it to you. But at the end of the day, everybody's gonna remember that you did that to someone, and that takes away any credibility that you ever had.
Scott:
You know, one thing you hit on a little bit, you know, in the transition of your content over time. And I really like it is, you know, you share a lot of your kind of personal story, you show your relationship. And I'm curious, like, was that a difficult decision to share that with your audience? You know, do you feel like there are, like, a lot of positives that come from it, or are there negatives? Like, I think that is a universal challenge we hear from creators is, how do I open up and let people in and decide my level of vulnerability and my comfort level with how far I let them into my life?
Louis:
Yeah, I had that struggle actually when I first moved to LA back in 2021 because I wasn't out yet. Like publicly, I was out to a few friends and, like, family members. But I was never out on the internet. I just didn't feel my time was there. And I also didn't know why I was doing it. Like, why would I be coming out on the internet? Like, what does this offer anybody? But a lot of my audience felt kind of ownership over me and knew things before I did, in a sense, quote-unquote, which isn't a real thing. If I don't know it, you don't know, but I digress. And I felt a lot of pressure from people being like, if I was talking about like women or if I was talking about dating, they'd be like, well, I'm confused, whatever. And then when I decided to actually come out, it was easier to do when I was doing it. Like the thought of it beforehand, I was like, this is so stressful. I don't know if I'm going to do this. But then when I like, made a post just like coming out and like telling my coming out story and posting actually clips of my brothers hearing me come out, it made me realize that the positives were that there were so many people that followed me that were waiting for help, almost like, almost like they needed a push. I remember I was at VidCon like two years ago, and someone came up to me and asked me for a picture and basically was just like, you helped me decide to come out to my family because I didn't have anybody who liked celebrities as much as me in my family and someone publicly out as bisexual or gay or whatever, as you may be. And he's like, I really wanted to thank you. And I was like, oh. And I didn't understand the severity of that at the moment. And then I told my boyfriend and he was like, that's, that's why you do it. You have to remember like, what's the why? And those people are why you do what you do because now you're openly out, and now you're making content that they might like to make or like to talk about. And now they feel like it's okay and they feel normal. So the positives outweigh any negatives I ever received. I don't even know what the negatives are because I don't even pay attention to them.
Scott:
Yeah, I love that. You know, there's so many different ways to connect with your audience too, whether it's sharing a really lighthearted clip, to make them laugh, when something serious happens and you want to share a message when it's a really important and impactful time, and you want to have a call to action, or you just want to be there and support them and make them feel seen and heard. And we talk about this: social media provides the most compelling way to find people like you and who share your unique experience than I think has ever existed. Because, you know, I think there are so many creators from so many different walks of life that for most people, there's some representation of you or what you identify with, whether it's an activity you're into, a sport you follow, something you're passionate about, a lifestyle, you know, whatever it might be. So I love that kind of multiple dimensionality and also the inspiration and kind of connectedness that you can create with an audience. Really powerful.
Louis:
Yeah. It's been really rewarding. I can't even remember, like, even when I was at my, my full-time job, like, it didn't feel as rewarding because the job that I was doing was for the overall growth of a company versus for the building of an audience of a community. Whereas I feel like with my page, I've been able to build this community of pop culture lovers. But then there are also people who, like, are obsessed with me and my boyfriend. Like, we go to concerts and people are like, "You guys are that, you're the couple that does, that gets the celebrity." And we're like, yeah, that's us. Like, they're like, "We love playing with you guys." Like us, it's like, we're really building something that's important and people can use it as an escape. Whereas when you're working in a corporate job, the goal is for the company to make money or to make ends meet. For us, it's like, how many people can we reach in the most positive way and have the most impact?
Kwame:
You know, it's actually really cool because I think about my, you know, journey in my career here as well. And I think one thing that's been really cool about my integration into Later and what I do here is that as someone who, obviously, has been trying to build my brand and become somebody further than, you know, what I was just displayed on on TV, it has been really important for me to spend some time there and grow as an individual and as a creator, as an influencer, whichever way you want to categorize it. And I'm very grateful that my surroundings and my leadership here have been pushing that in a positive way and encouraging that. I think that's been such a big relief, you know, and it's really helped me to just, like, be able to hone in on these things because it helps me, yes, in my life, but it also helps me at work. Helps me better understand who I am as a creator, and helps me to be able to help the people around me, my company, and my organization, understand creators because that is what we're all about. You know, we want to build that entire bridge. We want to build that ecosystem. We want to create that sense of togetherness and make sure that everyone's advancing together. So I think that's really cool. And I know you just recently, I mean, I guess not recently anymore, but to a sense, this year you left your full-time job. You know, I'd love to know what finally pushed that step.
Louis:
Yeah, I mean, I also, I've been working there since 2019. I have been working since probably 2016 as an intern at all different companies, such as Good Morning America, and Live with Kelly and Ryan. And then I was at Viacom, which then obviously ultimately became Paramount, and had been there full time since 2019 up until this year. And the thing that really pushed me was that not only was I building my platform with the job, but when I was doing all of these things, I was getting opportunities on carpets, I was getting opportunities to work with some of the biggest movies that were coming out. Press junkets were so new to me, but I was getting to go and sit in these hotel rooms and interview people that I never would have that face time with. And I was really able to make it my own and be like, "I'm not just going to ask you the generic question. I'm going to make this funny for the both of us." In the back of my mind, knowing this wasn't my forever. It wasn't going to be me getting told by my boss to go do these things for the purpose of growing their following. It was going to be for me to do mine. And it got to a point where my business really started to pick up, and I was getting more opportunities. I was getting to travel more. I was getting to do more carpets on my own, and I could tell it was interfering with my job and also with myself mentally, that it was just that breaking point. I was like, it's time for me to take this leap because if I don't close one door, the rest of the doors are going to remain shut on the other end. And as soon as I left, it was definitely tough for me. There's stability and paychecks and all that stuff that you want to be safe and secure. Once I took that leap, it just reaffirmed what I had been hoping was that I was going to get so much more opportunity, and I did. Now I'm going to make carpets by myself. As for me, brands are asking me to go do reality TV carpets. I'm getting to travel, promote shows, and do all that. And I even got to go to Australia. I got to go to Malta to do, like, a bunch of stuff for that. And it's really, I just needed the push. I think I need the confidence in myself to know that, like, I've built this from scratch and that it will last as long as I want it to. And I think I'm not a quitter. So I think that's that. I also think I was just re-establishing that with myself and then being like, all right, time to go.
Scott:
I love that about, you know, building something for yourself. I also love the point you made about creating an audience and, you know, Kwame hit on it. It's interesting. You know, I've worked for a lot of different companies. I, you know, I worked for Mercedes, and it's like the most, you know, factory car company, like, you know, branded marketing kind of stuff. And I think what's what I found is, like, special and unique about being in a creator economy is we just have a fundamentally different view on the way that companies should interact with consumers. And I think it's too. It's so cool to see these kinds of creator-first brands like Kylie creating her entire line. She builds an audience, and then she goes out and builds a product for them that resonates deeply with them. Rather than creating a widget and then trying to get everyone excited about it. And I think it's really fun to watch creators build this community and then find really unique value for them. The tough thing is, you know, companies already exist. And so how do you now hook them into this kind of creator economy ecosystem? And I just think it's cool to see how certain brands have really adapted to this and gone creator first and found really amazing people to connect these audiences. And I just I've had so many bad marketing experiences in my life that when I see it done right, it's just it's like, and also being part of it done right, you know, makes me feel like I'm somehow saving consumers from terrible life experiences, you know, one interaction at a time.
Kwame:
Yeah. You know, so when we think about your transition into being a full-time creator, obviously there has to be something along the path that makes you think, "Okay, you know, I'm doing well enough now, right?" So to start things off with, I'd love to know about your first brand deal. And then, you know, as we speed along, I'd love to know a bit about, I think, I guess you don't have to give us numbers specifically, but maybe your most lucrative brand deal.
Louis:
Totally. Well, my first-ever brand deal was actually back in 2020. It was before I was even managed by anybody before I had a manager to negotiate my deals for me. And I was actually reached out to by Bumble. So they were doing, like, virtual dating, and I did that, and it actually was the first brand deal I did and was the one brand deal I did that made me realize I should not promote things that I do not resonate with. And I don't use dating apps. I never use dating apps. Also, they were operating as if I was a straight male dating a woman, and I was like, this just isn't making sense. But it was the first brand deal I did, so I took it. And I remember talking about this online and being like, "Hey, guys, remember that deal I did? Yeah, I'm out now, so clearly it was a lie." But it did well. People loved it. It was great. But that was my first intro to realizing, okay, when I do these things, they need to be things that I resonate with. And I think in terms of most lucrative, it had to have been, I want to say I just did a DIRECTV brand deal. I think it was lucrative in more ways than one. I think the team was so great to work with, and I think that's something a lot of people don't realize makes a deal lucrative, is that the team you're working with really believes in you and believes in the content that you do. And that was one of the few times where I really felt like the brand knew me, where they knew my content, they knew what I was good at. They gave me full rein on the questions I was asking. They provided me with an opportunity that I needed to sell after leaving my job. Like, "We want you on the carpet." And I made so much content for them that not only was I paid a fee for it, but the content then transcended from their platforms onto mine, made me money on my platforms, and had more carpet people look at me. And I think that truly was the most exciting, the most fun, the most creative I was able to be because it made me realize that I can lean into trends without the trends being a sound or a dance, which a lot of people don't realize. So I got to do that trend where I was, like, giving celebrities a picture of themselves from, like, high school or something and asking them for a signature. And it went so well on the view side, but also on the relationship-building side with them. Like, I know those reality stars laughed, remembering that moment because they literally signed an autograph of their high school photo. So that was very, very lucrative for me.
Scott:
That's awesome. I love the point about, you know, just the team and the trust and getting to know your content was interesting. We met with a couple of creators last week who have, like, pretty large followings and are doing brand deals, and they gave very similar feedback. And it was like, understand my content, understand my audience, understand how we would work together. And one thing that he said, which was super interesting, was "I never do a deal unless I sit down with the team and we have a discussion about what do you want from me? What do I want from you? How is this kind of better for us, plus the audience?" And I thought that was, you know, it's a really mature perspective. And you could argue some people don't have the luxury of going through all of that discussion ahead of time. But I think the more that you can be very clear about what we are trying to accomplish, how we accomplish it together, how we leverage the creativity of both groups, the resources of both groups, to really showcase the product in a unique way and have some personality behind it and connection. Because I think you probably have seen it. If you can attach a product to, like, a really fun thing or a really memorable moment or something beyond just the generic, here's the thing, love it, use it, cool, next. Where it's like, "Oh my God, I'm going to Coachella and I'm taking all of this, you know, with me. See fit one, see fit two. Here's all the memories and experiences." Here's that, like me having the best time of my life, they're gonna be like, "Oh my God, remember when Louis was at Coachella and X, Z brand?" And I just think that those are the kinds of things where you can't replace that relationship and, and trust and, just the lack of transactional nature.
Louis:
Yeah. Exactly like you said, it's more of like the plug-and-play approach. I think Coachella is the perfect example because I got to work with one of my dream brands, such as Coca-Cola. They sent me to Coachella, and basically they were like, "We have a Coke Studio activation, and you have one hour that you need to be there and make content, and then you're good to go. You get to enjoy the entire festival." And that for me, I was like, "Oh, I need to make the best content, like, ever." I have an hour to get this done. I had two deliverables. One was a vlog, which I don't typically do, but I know, like, when I do them, I make sure they are very, like, me-oriented. And I did interviews. This is like, hey, what can I get out of this as well? Besides the tickets, it's to give them a good piece of content that also fits with my niche, but then also give them what they want. And I think it came across so authentically because I love Coachella. I'm planning on going every year as long as I can because I love music festivals. And it just performed so well. The team was so great to work with. And I think with that, beforehand, we had a briefing call. And I think a lot of people like to take for granted those briefing calls where I love it when an agency or the brand director will show me a PowerPoint of what I need to be doing because it'll answer questions that I probably have, but also then I move forward and I'm making the best piece of content possible because I have all the information I need in the call and then hopefully emailed to me after. So I think those things are super valuable, and they make the deals more lucrative long-term and also in the short-term if it is just, like, a one-off deal.
Scott:
I think every brand and influencer marketing team is like, "Oh my God, you're our dream creator to work with. You read the brief, you want to engage and understand it. And if you actively want to go out and create amazing content, it speaks to my heart."
Louis:
So it's the corporate in me. Like I get there, give me pictures, give me a written, give me the brief, give me exactly what you want. It's just so much more helpful. Like even I did Hulu and Lollapalooza, like they did the same thing. They had a call. Here's what we need. Here's what we want. Go enjoy the festival. I was like, this is my dream. Like, this is incredible.
Kwame:
Yeah, you know, I think you've definitely had a bit of, you know, a plus from being in the entertainment and television space. I feel like it's probably really helped your ability to create and create content that's within your niche and relatable because you're in that world, you know, you grew up in it. It almost feels like. So I agree with you on the activation aspect of things, right? I love it when my brand deal is that we're going to send you to this place. You're going to get to enjoy what's going on, partake in it, and then what you can come up with out of there is what your final product is going to be. And I also think another thing that you mentioned that I really, really agree with is it's really important for brands to want to take time to talk to creators and tell them like, this is what we want from you. Let me show you what we need. Let's have that conversation and do the head nodding or the head shaking, whichever one it is. Because I think I've said this before. I had a very horrid experience with a brand where they said, "Hey, we want to have a call at this time." And I'm like, okay, cool. I hope on the call. The person hops on for. I think it was like, the whole thing was like, 30 seconds. They were like, they hopped on, they were like, "Hey, I just want to let you know, this is like what we want to avoid. Maybe you want to do this. Does that sound good? Cool." And they were like, "I gotta go pick up my kids."
Louis:
A ton of their questions, but we'll talk later.
Kwame:
You know, completely in support of you being on time to pick up your kids. But like, if we have a meeting, please set aside the time. Please give me the opportunity to go back and forth because I want to make sure that whatever I end up giving you, it's going to be a worthwhile product for you in the organization and like it later. So like I did end up doing and having a good product at the end of it, but it took me a much longer time to get there. You know, we're saving everybody time when we give them an opportunity to actually have a bit of back and forth in that space. Not everything can become an email. Sometimes. It should actually be a meeting.
Louis:
Yeah, I totally believe in the same thing for maybe an email, but I think when it's something super important like this, I need to hear someone saying SharePoint. It's not like I need to put a face to the brand or to the agency. Like I want to know who these people are. Sometimes I look at their emails. I'm like, everybody sounds corporate in an email and it's not super inviting. But then I get on a call with these people. I'm like, wait, they're so nice and so funny. Like, they're just like me, where I feel like that is more inviting than me just being over email with them all the time.
Scott:
ChatGPT has made that far worse too. It's like everyone sounds like a corporate robot, and it's the best for me.
Louis:
I like leaning over email. That's like a video for that in the head.
Kwame:
Gotta love that. So I mean, I think we, you know, we have a few more questions here. But we'll take a quick breather in here to do a quick lightning round about you and your creator side of things. So I'll just give you two options. You pick one, give me a one-sentence reason as to why. Sounds good?
Louis:
Sounds good.
Kwame:
All right, so first question. Instagram or TikTok?
Louis:
TikTok. Because it's been my most lucrative. It was my first and it's like the biggest. And I do find it the most fun.
Kwame:
Okay, I like that. Short-form or long-form content?
Louis:
Short form in the hopes of doing long form, but I can edit short form way faster than my brain lets me edit long form. But I have so many ideas for long-form, my short-form is champion verse.
Kwame:
Okay, I can dig it. Now, short-term or long-term in terms of partnerships with brands?
Louis:
Long-term partnership, because especially with the brands that I've worked with in the past, I want them to be their go-to person. I want them to be like, "Oh, we have the person for this. We have Louis." I'll do great carpet content, great concert coverage, or whatever. I just want to be that person. And that's also almost like a steady income for me, which is also a plus.
Kwame:
Okay, I think I know the answer to this one, but video or static?
Louis:
Video. I'll say I do static for stories because I know people have shorter attention spans on stories. I take pictures.
Kwame:
Okay. I like that one. I'm usually the opposite, but I really like that a lot. And then the very last one is, would you rather do something in your story or put it on your grid?
Louis:
So that's dependent too. I would say, like if it's a video, like one of my celebrities or, like, even just like me ranting, that's going on my grid, that's going that's getting as many eyeballs as possible, whereas I know my stories probably won't get the same reception on that. People like to just tap away. Same with me. So I would say grid.
Scott:
Okay, I got a lesson for you. Red carpet shot or glam cam?
Louis:
I had the worst experience with both. I would say I could get my redemption on my next glam bot one because now I this is, I want to say glam bot.
Scott:
It's so funny when I see something that I like. I think maybe we've all done it, or maybe it's just me and my algorithm, but I've gone down the hour-long glam bot rabbit hole I've just liked. But the sad thing is, I'm like a nerd, and I'm like, what is this robot arm and how is he programming the different moves and the different cameras? It's pretty amazing.
Louis:
Meanwhile, I'm sitting there about to cry, and I'm like, I don't know where it's going to end up. I'm not a celebrity. So he's only going to give me one try. The alpha. Was that like it was just. It was. I had the recipe for disaster, and it's rock.
Scott:
It's so funny. I think about like, there are celebs who, no matter what angle you catch them from, it's just like the perfect picture. Always. I was laughing because, I mean, I had to do like our promo pics for this and I was like, we have like 500 pictures. I find three that I like, and I'm like, over here, like, you know, Jennifer Lawrence from like 400 yards away through trees, like wearing sweat pants looks amazing walking down the street. And I'm like, what the hell? Come on, guys, it's just.
Louis:
Easier for that. Do you know why?
Scott:
It's God's gift. I have one question that we ask everyone. And if you were to buy some amazing brands, you know, we dropped, you know, DIRECTV, Coca-Cola, you know, all these different brands. What is a brand that if they were to come up to you tomorrow, would be the number one brand that you would hope to work with?
Louis:
Oh, that's okay. So this is hard because I actually had the two that I had in mind when I didn't work with them: Coca-Cola and Taco Bell. And I've recently worked with both of them out of nowhere, which I was like, I can't believe, like, this is happening because I grew up eating Taco Bell, like it was me and my boyfriend. I love it. Coca-Cola. I've always loved Coca-Cola, but if it had to be someone else, I would want to say right now, I would love to somehow last minute get involved with the Wicked movie. Just because I think one thing I really loved was I did the Barbie movie premiere. Me and my boyfriend got to go, and it just felt so unreal. Like, we were there, and I was like, wow, I can't believe what I've done so far has got me here. And I'm a part of such a huge moment in movie history. And then when I with the Wicked, I think all of the marketing that's going on behind it, whether it's even not directly with the film, if, like, Baze luggage wanted to send me and Justin the pink and green luggage, like, I just think there's so many brands that are working within that sphere that anything Wicked related right now, I think would be a win.
Well, if you need another one, I would say I love the halftime show for the Super Bowl. So Apple Music, if you want to do anything, I do concerts, I do interviews, I do music. So that would be another one.
Scott:
Were you part of the giant AI Taco Bell creator activation?
Louis:
Yeah, so I was one of the creators who did the breaking the AI story of how they generated it using AI. And then I was a part of the Big Cheez-It launch. And then I also was a part of a teaser campaign for them, they did this Cheez-It stand in the middle of Palm Springs that I drove to and got to do that. So it was like the meshing of two brands that I worked really closely at. So it was sick.
Scott:
Awesome. Yeah, that was a fun one. Those guys are infinitely creative on both the marketing and the product development side.
Louis:
Yeah, I'm like, I eat that stuff every night when I come home. I'm like, yeah, you know what? I want Taco Bell.
Kwame:
How do you know? Y'all are both kind of in a similar space. Do you know Kay Brown, by any chance?
Louis:
I know the name, but I don't. Yeah, and I can't place it, though.
Kwame:
Yeah. Her name, her handle is Kay York City. And I remember asking...
Louis:
Oh yes! Kay York City.
Kwame:
Exactly. I know that was what I remember when we interviewed her. I was like, "Welcome Kay Brown." And she was like, nobody calls me that.
Scott:
Did she do that? Did she do Taco Bell?
Kwame:
She did the Taco Bell campaign. Yeah. That's why I was gonna bring it up. She said that was her favorite campaign to work with.
Louis:
To the testament of that. They were just so fun to work with. Like, it was just. Everything was so smooth and simple and even, like, feedback. I think that's like people dread getting feedback from brands. But I was like, tell me what you need, because I love this.
Kwame:
Yeah, that's awesome. You know, what's really funny? I might need to take some more tips from your content. I'm trying to transition. I'm not a big TikTok guy. I have like, you know, 23K on TikTok. So I'm like, I'm a very everyday person on TikTok. And what I'm trying to get into is more of just like the camera phone dialog, like just talk to people because I feel like that's when you get the most interaction because people love. And this is one thing I really love and attribute to, like, the greatness of how TikTok has succeeded is people love the rawness and realness of TikTok, right? So I'm definitely trying to steer more of my content in that direction. So as we get close to wrapping this up, thank you so much for spending your time with us. I wanted to give you our general version of our lightning round, and we'll see kind of where your head is at on these points. I think this is a cooler one. This is something like I said, I took from someone else. And I really love the idea. So are you ready for our general non-creator-oriented lightning round?
Louis:
I'm so ready.
Kwame:
All right. My favorite movie?
Louis:
Okay. It depends. I have three. Two of them are airplane movies. So Crazy Rich Asians, I will watch every single time. I don't know why it's an airplane movie.
Kwame:
So good, so good.
Louis:
During the wedding scene, it was so good. I love that movie. Bridesmaids, I always love Bridesmaids. I think it's one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. I used to go and quote it word for word. And my most recent, like, Pixar love is Coco. I cried during that. That's a great movie. If you can make me cry, it's great. So I think those are like my three that come to mind right off the bat.
Scott:
It's funny you say the hit on Crazy Rich Asians. There are these moments, and it's like comedians or creators through it where it's like they find a human experience that you don't know is common across everyone. And it's like you watch Crazy Rich Asians on an airplane. And I was like, that's the only place I wanted it. I watched it three different times on an airplane.
Louis:
And there was a ton of outrage when they took it off some airplanes, like, people were like, "Why did you take it off?" And I mean, people were...
Scott:
I'm like, it's the perfect nexus of like in the zone where most people are like, it's like early in the alphabet. It's like, I just leave it in all my search order.
Louis:
It's such a simple story to follow. It just started.
Kwame:
Yeah, yeah. Well, you know what? Funny. Now that we are on the topic of airplanes, the next one is what's your ideal travel destination?
Louis:
Right now my goal is to either go to Bali or Thailand. It's because me and my boyfriend got to travel to Australia and everybody was like, oh, if you have, like, the opportunity, you should go and head off to those areas because they're close enough. Unfortunately, we were there with a brand, and they only put us up for that time. And we were just like, not prepared. So it was really cool to do that. But it opened my eyes to being like, okay, Bali is the next one I want to do in Thailand. So definitely those.
Kwame:
All right. I like those vibes. Both of those choices. Bali's in my top five. Yeah. Favorite reality TV show?
Louis:
Sorry, it's not Love is Blind. The Traitors. I'm a Q okay, so the reason I love The Traitors so much is because I've grown up watching Survivor, Big Brother, The Challenge, and Love is Blind. I've watched, like, every reality show possible. I like it when there's a crossover. I want all these people, the worst or nastiest or best game players. To me, because to me, that is the most exciting. And I think the best thing is when I sit with my boyfriend and he doesn't watch those shows, and I get to explain the lore of these people to him. He's like, "Who's Janelle?" And I'm like, "Oh, Janelle." I think about Janelle and her reasoning for being on Big Brother four times and never winning. Like, it's just, it's so exciting to see people evolve later and play a game again.
Scott:
Yeah. It's so funny you say that with The Traitors, my wife and I watched that and I knew like Pilot Pete, I knew like when CJ and her showrunner, they took me so far back to the MTV Road Rules. I didn't watch The Challenge, so I watched the original.
Louis:
Whatever Road Rules, real world, whenever they got on the van, right?
Scott:
Yeah, yeah. But then like, they're like, "Oh, do you know Kate from Below Deck?" Let me fill you in. It's like that exact thing. It's like all the crossovers. It's. I was like, telling Joe Trishelle.
Louis:
I was like, he's like, "Who's Trishelle?" I'm like, it's just insane because Trishelle got kicked off for fighting on The Challenge and never came back. And like, now she's here, like, it's just so...
Kwame:
God, I love that. You know, I speak. It's actually the last I'm speaking about. I think it was like three or four months ago, I found one of the casting directors for Traitors, and I just damned her. And I said the next time y'all are casting, I want in.
Louis:
They saw an email from season one when they were casting like regular people, and my agent had sent me the email saying like, you should apply to this. And I said, no, I was, I'm good because, like, I have a job, and like, I don't want money. And then it came out, and I was like...
Kwame:
Why?
Louis:
And my inbox is just like a real reminder to never say no to things.
Kwame:
That is one of my biggest golden rules. It's like, saying yes to everything you can.
Louis:
Say all.
Kwame:
Right, but the very last one is a beach or snowy mountains.
Louis:
Why do you think I moved to LA? I need to say I'm originally from Long Island, New York, and we would get to the beach three months out of the year, and that was not for me. So I moved to LA where it's always warm, and if it's cold, it's like 60 degrees, like, oh the hell, I couldn't handle the snow. I would just want upstate New York. Couldn't deal with that state. All four years were miserable. So beach all the way.
Scott:
As we wrap things up, one question we ask everyone is, you know, what piece of advice would you give to a creator who is getting started on their journey, trying to figure things out? The 2019 Louis who I like, I think I'm going to give this a go. Maybe a different context, not a global pandemic, but nonetheless, what advice would you have for them as they get started on their creative journey?
Louis:
One thing I hear a lot of people say when they, especially when they're like, "Oh, I want to post like, how do you get up on camera every day? Like, aren't you worried about what people think?" I feel like so many people are worried about what their high school peers would say about them, or people from their life that are no longer in it. And to me, it's like these people will never play a part in your career moving forward. They might be, if you're still friends from high school, it's just that these people and their thoughts really don't really have an effect on you, especially after a global pandemic. Like anything, everyone wants to be an influencer. Everybody wants to do social media because what we've heard is that it's fun. It provides an income. You get to be your own boss and do those things. And if that's what you want and you have a story to tell or a talent or a skill, just post. You don't need the equipment. You don't need lights. You don't need a professional microphone to start. You just need your phone. And that's what I was always taught, even in college. That was their thing. They were like, you're going to go out on film. I have, like, a ten-minute short with your phone. And it was because sometimes that's all you have. So the only excuse you have is what the roadblocks are putting in front of you. If you don't put those roadblocks up the boards you could do whatever you want. My other thing is too, I think once you get into it, a lot of people will look at it as a competitive thing. And I believe that competition doesn't exist if you don't want it to. I think there's room for everybody. And also, if you're looking at other people's competition, you're not focusing on yourself. And that's what makes it harder. So if you just take out any idea of competition or comparison, you'll have so much more fun and you'll come up with your best ideas. That just happened to me right now. Like, I don't listen to anybody else. I trust my gut. I do what I think is going to work, and nine times out of ten, it's the best decision I've made.
Scott:
I love that so much. I firmly believe that there is so much space for folks to go out and create and, you know, create community too. Like, I think it's way more fun when people create community amongst each other and share ideas and collaborate. And, you know, we talked a lot about, like, creator collabs and, and that being one of the most fun and entertaining because it's like communities colliding and it's like, "Oh my God, Louis is with like I didn't even think that would ever happen. And this is the most exciting day." Like, these two people who I follow now are, like, in one place. And, if you're competitive, that's never going to happen. And it just doesn't need to exist, especially in the creator space. So I love that message.
Louis:
Yeah. And that's the most fun. Like, I did a trip with Hulu and they had a bunch of us. We all made content together. Like, people were like, "Oh, why are you all together?" Like, we would never expect you, this group of people, to be together. And I'm like, that to me is so exciting to see. So to have been a part of something like that, I was like, "Oh, I need another track with these people. Like, we need to do more content."
Kwame:
You know what? That is a quick note to everyone. That collaboration, and being together and looking out for each other is always going to further your growth way faster than competition.
Louis:
Exactly. That's the best way to say it. You said it harder than I did.
Scott:
Awesome. Well, it's been amazing to connect with you. I feel like I learned so much, and had a lot of fun. And, you know, I hope our audience walks away with a little bit of fun inspiration and some useful tips to go out and crush their creator journey, make some money, and do great brand deals. And brand marketers, you know, collaborate with your creators, get on a call, involve them in the process. By Louis. Thank you so much for spending time with us. And yeah, I look forward to watching all that you accomplish and all the positivity you're out there spreading.
Louis:
Yeah. So thank you guys so much. It was so much fun.
Kwame:
Yeah for sure. Thank you, Louis. Bye, everybody. See you next time.
Scott:
Yea yea.