Creators Network

 EPISODE SUMMARY 

Madi Kahn is from New York City. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2019. She has always been a creative person, and she loves expressing herself through different creative outlets. She recently started her fashion blog last year. Madi considers herself a content creator, and she focuses on fashion, beauty, and lifestyle. 

Madi discusses how she started her fashion page. She started playing around with fashion blogging and taking pictures of different outfits before the quarantine started. She worked as an assistant buyer at Macy’s. Being at Macy’s and being around people who care about fashion every day inspired her to explore her own style. 

She likes to create content in advance so she can absorb all the information and look at all the pictures and figure out how she can tell a story and create flow. 

Many times, she draws inspiration from other people. She comes up with ideas for content based on looking at other bloggers and creative people on social media. Also, depending on where she is, the location has a huge influence on the colors and aesthetics that she goes for. 

A simple background is what draws Madi. She likes very clean aesthetics and tries to highlight whatever piece that she is trying to imply, like her outfit, jewelry, or even the skincare product that she is using.  

Fashion for her is stepping back from the actual outfits that she wears, which is a source of confidence. When she wears an outfit that she is proud of, it makes her a lot more confident. Fashion makes her confident and is herself. 

When she was starting her Fashion Blog, she had around 4000 followers who didn’t have the same passion or were not interested as her. They didn’t have the mutual passion and understanding as to the community that she’s created. 

What people don’t know about the fashion industry in terms of job requirements is that many people do content creation for fashion as a full-time job.  

When starting a Fashion Page, you have to forget about what people are going to think about you and let go of that anxiety and fear of judgment by your peers and think about what is going to benefit you in the long run, how you can advance in your career, and what your goals are. 

She was very anxious about asking for help from other people because she knows that they don’t have the same passion that she has and that makes her feel bad. After the pandemic, she’s looking forward to meeting up with other content creators and shooting with them because they have the same interests. 

Madi has worked with multiple brands inside and outside of the fashion space. She has worked with skincare brands and clothing brands, but she hasn’t had any partnership with non-consumer products. 

People want to see your genuine personality and self shine through more than they want to see these curated moments that are isolated in time. Madi was able to grow as a Fashion content creator using Reels and TikTok content.  

If you are trying to grow, video content is the way to go for any industry. But in fashion, you could do unboxing videos, styling videos, make a video of different outfits, or videos about your favorite bathing suits for summer. You could make a Reel video about that. 

It always feels like a risk to start something new in the beginning because you don’t know what it’s going to be like. There’s this whole learning process, and it can seem like a lot to invest. But creating a Reel each day and being so consistent with it will open so many doors for you. 

If you’d like to join Trend and our influencer marketing platform, visit trend.io. If you are interested in becoming a guest on our show, email [email protected] for more information. 

Madi Kahn on: 

Website: https://www.madikahn.com/ 

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/madiizk 

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/madisonikahn 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/madison-kahn-624333135/ 

Subscribe to her Podcast:  

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0WFdmWz7RDstnP8l4Lje5H?si=agn72neRSGWas9L9Qtl-sA 

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/haute-takes/id1513401272 

We Speak About: 

[0:20] Madi Kahn Introduction 

[1:23] Getting Started on Fashion Blogging 

[3:43] Creative Process and Planning Things in Advance 

[5:42] Coming Up with Ideas and Inspiration 

[7:46] Adapting to the Environment that you are in 

[9:20] Highlighting Aesthetics 

[9:53] The Meaning of Fashion 

[12:51] The Aesthetic in New York 

[13:36] The Similarities of Fashion and Social Media 

[14:51] The Positive Side of Social Media 

[16:12] The Impact of an Audience and Community 

[18:05] Emerging Passions 

[19:24] What most people don’t know about the Fashion Industry 

[23:35] Challenges of Starting Fashion Page 

[25:54] Asking people for help 

[28:10] The Benefits of Personal Connection 

[28:56] Working with Brand in the Fashion Industry 

[29:38] Growing as a Fashion-based Content Creator 

[31:20] How to Grow in Content Creation 

[33:19] How to Make the Most out of Reels 

[36:39] How to Connect With Madi  

[37:44] Closing

 EPISODE SUMMARY 

Shelby is a Florida-based content creator producing
lifestyle, fashion, and travel content. She has over 57.4 k followers on
Instagram and is on a mission to connect and share her life with her community. 

Shelby discusses how she got started in content creation, began
a journey with her high school sweetheart, and created content. Throughout her
career, she made a community of followers and managed to recover from burnout.
By focusing on what she loves and staying true to herself, her community grew,
and she has made a name for herself on various social media platforms. 

We covered topics such as building your community,
creating content that resonates with who you are, and connecting with your
followers. We learn how she creates content, organizes herself, and advises
fellow content creators looking to build their own community. 

In the beginning, incorporating their ideologies,
personalities, and habits has never been easy. Shelby’s husband, Jake, is a
person who has no inkling about social media. What does this entail? It
resulted in him adapting and pivoting to know the ins and outs – essentially
working outside his comfort zone. 

Despite their varying styles and personalities, they could
generate and create different content by leveraging their differences and
leaning on their strengths and perseverance. 

Did their perseverance reward them? It did, spectacularly!
But, it did not come like a pie falling down from the sky. They had to think
outside the box and deal with burnout. Otherwise, inspiration will be nowhere
to be seen. You are not only battling yourself but also other content creators
and even your target audience. 

If the things you put out will not resonate, then they
will look for others that does. And that’s an opportunity in the eyes of your
opponents. But how do you keep yourself inspired throughout the process? What
you need is a superb message that your community can relate to and build
themselves with. 

What can you get through all of these? Social media is now
the bridge of human connection, which spans globally and transcends race and
culture. You will never know that the most important people in your life can be
found through that bridge. And when it comes to your platform as a creator,
being authentic is the most foolproof solution. 

Nothing beats the truth and trust when you build your
community. Don’t be intimidated by numbers because regardless of how big that
number is, the real treasure comes from the fraction that genuinely cares for
you and what you put out. Even if your content only reached a single person,
the point is you made an impact and inspired them at their lowest point in
life.  

If you’d like to join Trend and our influencer marketing
platform, visit trend.io. If you are interested in becoming a guest on our
show, email [email protected] for more information. 

Shelby Barnes on: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shelby__barnes 

Website: https://www.stylesbyshelbs.com/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Shelby-Barnes-2164772363763048/ 

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@shelby__barnes 

We Speak About: 

[0:19] Shelby Barnes Introduction 

[0:57] Getting started in Content Creation 

[3:01] Doing something different and starting a career in social
media 

[6:03] Going against the doubts and skeptics 

[8:06] Organizing yourself to achieve your goals 

[10:03] Starting a journey with your significant other 

[15:15] A little tip when looking to work with a
Photographer 

[15:51] How much content are you shooting, and how often
are you posting? 

[18:08] Advice for fellow content creators 

[19:12] Recovering from Burnout 

[22:08] Creating content through your interpretation and
inspiration 

[25:42] Making the most out of your content in different
platforms 

[28:34] A much cheaper and convenient way to edit photos 

[30:16] Building your community in different social media
platforms 

[33:40] Keeping up with social media trends 

[36:19] Connecting with the people within your community 

[40:47] How to start and approach building your community 

[44:41] Closing  

EPISODE SUMMARY

Karya Schanilec is a professionally trained photographer based in NYC who works with bloggers, brands, and fashion all over the city.

Karya discusses how she started becoming a professional photographer and goals for her photography business. After working in Seattle for a few years, she moved to NYC for more opportunities working with larger and established clients. From her varied and full experience in photography, she shares tips for becoming a better photographer!

We cover topics like the basics of photography: composition, lighting, and camera settings, learning these skills, the equipment needed to start becoming a better photographer, when to upgrade your equipment, what equipment to upgrade to, the best image editing tools to use. Finally, we talk about outsourcing photography and how to find + work with an outsourced photographer.

Karya Schanilec on Instagram & TikTok.

If you’d like to join Trend and our influencer marketing platform, visit trend.io. If you are interested in becoming a guest on our show, email [email protected] for more information.

We Speak About:

[00:18] Intro, brief summary of how she got started

[02:47] Moving to NYC for new professional opportunities

[04:44] Her goals for photography and content creation: growing business and teaching new creators

[06:07] Working behind the scenes, what doesn’t show on social media

[08:57] Basics of photography: composition, lighting, camera settings

[10:58] Learning photography skills & practicing

[18:54] Equipment to start with photography

[20:11] When to upgrade equipment & what to get

[21:06] Upgrade to mirrorless cameras

[24:14] Best image editing tools to use

[28:45] When to outsource photography

[29:57] How to pick & work with an outsourced photographer

[32:31] Closing

EPISODE SUMMARY

Tori Webb is a groovy 70’s content creator producing colorful and expressive content that reflects her positive, carefree attitude to the world.

Tori discusses how she started on her creative journey, learning from other content creators at first. She later realized that copying from other creators no longer felt fun or interesting, and decided to discover her own brand at the beginning of quarantine. By focusing on what she enjoyed and what made her unique from others, Tori created a new and inspired version of herself creating content she loved. The result? Her content, following, and partnerships have grown immensely so she can take her creation full-time.

We cover topics like her goals for content creation at first, why she decided to reinvent her content creation and how she created her own personal brand, how she found new inspiration by focusing on what she enjoyed, how her personal brand changed her page following and her interactions with her community. We learn how she adds unique elements to her images, becomes a trendsetter, and trusts her own judgements to find new ways to set herself apart.

If you’d like to join Trend and our influencer marketing platform, visit trend.io. If you are interested in becoming a guest on our show, email [email protected] for more information.

Tori Webb on Instagram.

We Speak About:

[00:18] Intro, brief summary of how she got started

[02:55] Starting content creation by learning from others

[04:23] Discovering your own brand and what you enjoy creating

[08:24] Setting yourself apart from others with a new mindset

[09:50] Finding inspiration through what you love

[11:57] Organic growth after figuring out her brand and audience

[14:57] Advice for new/growing creators on setting yourself apart from

[17:07] Knowing your own uniqueness and acting authentically

[18:11] Making your content different with graphic design

[20:38] Having a unique brand leads to working with more/better brands

[23:46] Becoming a trendsetter instead of following trends

[26:51] Was it a risk to reinvent yourself/your brand or try new things?

[29:03] Closing
 

EPISODE SUMMARY

Brittany Lyons is a creator producing content that reflects a creative lifestyle. She brings her varying interests in fashion, photography, writing, and art together for stunning visuals.

Britt discusses how she started on her creative journey, despite thinking it was not for her at first. Discovering her own creative process has helped her stick with it and develop a creative mindset that now finds inspiration wherever she looks. She shares this process with us to show how she turns ideas into reality. Her content and creative ideas are so good, even other creators are learning and copying from her! If you learn from her, make sure you tag her or use her community hashtag.

We cover topics like how she comes up with ideas, what her steps are to shoot content for the idea, what the editing process is like, and a peek behind the curtain of content creation to see some challenges like reshoots or how many ideas don’t get completed. She shares a story about others using her content ideas and the importance of community, including how she has worked with her community to be more creative. Links to the content we talk about, her bouquet and playground shoots.

If you’d like to join Trend and our influencer marketing platform, visit trend.io. If you are interested in becoming a guest on our show, email [email protected] for more information.

Brittany Lyons on Instagram and Tik Tok.

We Speak About:

[00:21] Intro, brief summary of how she got started

[02:42] Describing her creative lifestyle content & identity online

[03:44] Learning the importance of community

[05:47] Her full creative process, brainstorming > shooting > editing > posting

[08:43] Discovering her own creative process

[11:16] Breaking down the shooting and editing process

[15:34] Challenges as a content creator, growth, comparison, living in the moment

[17:22] Content so good, people plagiarize it

[20:10] How she created that specific content with a bouquet

[21:37] When a shoot doesn’t go according to plan

[22:40] How to deal with creative blocks, sourcing ideas from community, her playground shoot

[25:33] Advice to other creators

[26:49] Closing

EPISODE SUMMARY

Tom Windeknecht is a photographer and content creator with a minimalist and colorful style producing blue and pink images and stop-motions.

Tom discusses how his interest in art and photography brought him to Instagram and he started developing his own eye catching and memorable style. While it has not always been easy to stay consistent, he finds ways to become even more creative through the challenges. Committing to his type of content has placed him in a wonderful position to work with some very large brands, including joining Google's Pixel phone team (#teampixel), and he shares examples of his partnerships with brands.

We cover topics like how he developed his style, the challenges of sticking with it, using the desire for new and exciting things to be more creative, wins from staying consistent to build your personal brand, the mindset needed to become a great creator, and what his process of working with brands is. Tom has taken his creative perspective much farther than most, testing and tempering to carve up a space for himself.

If you’d like to join Trend and our influencer marketing platform, visit trend.io. If you are interested in becoming a guest on our show, email [email protected] for more information.

Tom Windeknecht on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, and his own site. Check out his for-fun Instagram @nothingsunknown too!

We Speak About:

[00:22] Intro, how he became a creator and found his style

[03:32] Developing your style and staying consistent with it

[07:06] Using the drive for novelty to be more creative, looking at old work for new ideas

[11:15] Wins from staying consistent with your style

[13:45] How Tom joined the Google Pixel team

[16:58] The mindset needed to become a great creator

[19:11] Testing new techniques and styles

[20:43] The creative process when working with brands, his preferred partnerships

[26:08] Creativity comes when you are in unknown territory

[27:11] What's next for Tom Windeknecht

[28:58] Closing
 

EPISODE SUMMARY

Giulia Dugo is the blogger and content creator behind Palm Trees & Pellegrino, producing content on travel, lifestyle, and the beautiful city of San Diego where she lives.

Giulia discusses the inception of her blog through her own interests and the community of other bloggers. Her platform has grown dramatically since then, branching out into many media channels. She shares how her degree in business became invaluable through that process, helping her balance blogging with her full-time job and grad school through treating her blog like a business to create the best content she can.

We cover topics like what it means to treat your blog as a business to grow it effectively, understanding your own operations as a content creator, how and what to outsource, what not to outsource, and the most important skill that she believes content creators are missing. Giulia is a wonderful creator to learn from and follow, knowing that art and content are not the only parts of a successful blog.

If you’d like to join Trend and our influencer marketing platform, visit trend.io. If you are interested in becoming a guest on our show, email [email protected] for more information. To join our content creator Discord community and meet other awesome content creators, apply here.

Giulia Dugo on Palm Trees & Pellegrino, Instagram, and Tik Tok. Her book recommendations for negotiation are The Truth About Negotiations and Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office.

We Speak About:

[00:55] Starting her blog, meeting other bloggers

[04:04] Diversifying her media platforms, working on new platforms

[05:21] Teaching others about treating your platform like a business

[07:10] Treating her own platform like a business with her business background

[08:50] Importance of organization and outsourcing to balance her blog with the rest of life

[10:31] What to outsource and why, photography and content management

[15:02] What not to outsource, authenticity and connection to community

[17:40] Her role and her community’s role in her blog

[19:39] Importance of negotiation, one skill every creator should have

[23:23] Understanding your own creativity

[25:00] What’s next for Palm Trees & Pellegrino

[28:01] Closing

EPISODE SUMMARY

Lingyu, Customer Success specialist on the Trend team working with creators and brands, talks about the difference between influencers vs content creators and why we like to work with content creators on Trend.

We discuss the challenges with becoming an influencer in 2021, the benefits of becoming a content creator, and why content creators are valuable to brands. We share tips for building your foundation as a content creator and working towards your first partnerships with brands.

If you’d like to join Trend and our influencer marketing platform, visit trend.io. If you are interested in becoming a guest on our show, email [email protected] for more information. To join our content creator Discord community and meet other awesome content creators, apply here.

We Speak About:

[00:47] What is an influencer 

[02:03] Challenges in becoming an influencer

[03:40] What is a content creator?

[04:55] Benefits of becoming a content creator

[05:38] Value of content creation to brands

[08:23] Building your foundation as a content creator

[09:33] How to land partnerships with brands

EPISODE SUMMARY

Bryan Papazov is a talented photographer who grew up in Richmond, Virginia and moved to sunny Los Angeles, California.

Bryan discusses how important relationship building is in creative fields, noticing early in his journey that skill was only part of a success story. Since then, he has practiced and built a foundation for connecting with others, one that has helped him find meet of his closest friends and mentors who he continues to learn from. He takes a very human-focused approach to pursuing genuine relationships that are valuable for far more than his work, extending deeply into his personal life.

We cover topics like Bryan's most valued mentors, his most surprising connection to date, the mindset and conceptual understanding you need to build great relationships, and practical tips for learning this skill yourself. Bryan knows that people and the connections you build are what make life valuable. Through his personal experiences, he sets a great example of what that looks like in his own life.

If you’d like to join Trend and our influencer marketing platform, visit trend.io. If you are interested in becoming a guest on our show, email [email protected] for more information. To join our content creator Discord community and meet other awesome content creators, apply here.

Bryan Papazov on Instagram and his website.

We Speak About:

[01:02] Bryan's story jumping into photography

[03:08] Initial understanding of connections and relationships in work

[06:15] Importance of connections in creative fields

[08:26] Bryan's 3 most important mentors

[15:00] His most important connection thus far, Alex Costa

[18:50] Practical tips for building relationships, Bryan's book recommendations

[24:13] Day to day activities to practice & try, the "dad?" incident

[27:45] What's next for Bryan?

[30:30] Closing

EPISODE SUMMARY

Adriana Camareno is a micro-influencer, dancer, student, and singer based in Dallas, Texas.

Adriana is a bright and very driven content creator. Between balancing her many activities and working towards becoming a full-time content creator, her focus on her own community and brand are a refreshing take on growing with social media. She trusts the process, knowing that her hard work will pay off by moving forward and setting an example for her followers.

We discuss what it means to become a full-time content creator, how to plan your week for content creation, how to better connect with your followers, how to grow with your community, and the mindset she has to turn her passion into a career. Adriana is a wonderful creator to keep your eyes on as she continues on her journey.

If you’d like to join Trend and our influencer marketing platform, visit trend.io. If you are interested in becoming a guest on our show, email [email protected] for more information. To join our content creator Discord community and meet other awesome content creators, apply here.

Adriana Camareno on Instagram, Tik Tok .

We Speak About:

[01:10] Starting as a content creator and building a community on social media

[04:02] Instagram content vs. Tik Tok content

[07:09] Connecting with followers through authenticity & showing your journey

[10:00] Difference between micro & macro influencers

[13:30] Working with brands as a micro-influencer

[14:54] What it takes to be a full-time content creator

[18:00] Dealing with rejection & enjoying the process

[23:08] Planning ahead for content creation

[24:54] Connecting with community using Instagram Live

[26:06] Most & least fun parts of being a content creator

[29:25] Focus on your own growth

[35:32] Closing