Key Concepts
Content creation, Vine, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, short-form video, physical comedy, brand deals, equity deals, acting, consistency, authenticity, collaboration, team building, avoiding burnout, bridging digital and traditional media, audience engagement, creative freedom.
Early Life and Transition to Content Creation
Hannah Stocking grew up in Ashland, Oregon, a "hippie town." She initially aimed to become a doctor, securing an athletic and academic scholarship to study biology and chemistry in Marin County, California. During breaks, she visited her parents in Los Angeles, where she met Viners and began creating content as a creative outlet. Despite double majoring and doing embryonic stem cell research, she enjoyed content creation more than studying for the MCAT.
The Vine Era and Evolution of Content
Vine, a platform for six-second videos, was Stocking's starting point. She emphasizes the challenge of creating humor in such a short time frame. She then transitioned to Instagram (15-second videos) and YouTube (3-8 minute sketches). Now, she's adapting to YouTube Shorts, TikTok, and Instagram Reels (one minute or less). Having been in the space for 13 years, she's considered an "OG."
From Pre-Med to Full-Time Creator
Stocking initially saw content creation as a way to save money for medical school. However, she enjoyed it so much that she couldn't give it up. Even if she became a doctor, she would still make videos.
Business Development and Brand Deals
In college, Stocking struggled financially, even collecting cans for recycling money. Early Vine brand deals paid around $100, which seemed significant at the time. A turning point was a $15,000 deal for posing with a protein shaker. Getting a manager was a pivotal moment, adding structure and expectations to her content creation.
Content Style and Idea Generation
Stocking aims for minimal dialogue in her content to make it accessible to a global audience, incorporating physical comedy and "fever dreamy weird concepts." She posts every other day, or every two days when preparing for a movie. Ideas come from walks, conversations, and the pre-sleep state. She emphasizes that content creation is always on her mind.
Production Process and Team
Stocking is a perfectionist and handles many aspects of production herself, including finding props, booking locations and cast, and directing. Her core team consists of herself and a videographer, but she also collaborates with prop makers, special effects makeup artists, and VFX artists.
A Day in the Life of a Shoot
A shoot day involves prosthetics application (if needed), outfit preparation, ensuring cast punctuality, and a creative environment with on-and-off-camera joking. She emphasizes the importance of having fun during content creation. Editing is often done after the shoot or the next morning.
Time Investment in Short-Form Videos
The time to create a one-minute video varies. A one-taker might take an hour or three with rehearsals. More complex videos, like the one with big legs and little legs, can take months due to multiple sets, locations, and scheduling constraints. The "big legs" video took three days of shooting over three months and involved three different hair colors.
Learning Comedy and Finding Her Voice
Stocking learned comedy through trial and error and studying trends and numbers. She emphasizes making content her own rather than copying others. She's experienced both successes and failures, with some videos she's proud of performing poorly and vice versa.
Balancing Studying Trends with Originality
She studies trends and numbers but balances this with creating original content. She often shows her ideas to friends for feedback.
Viral Moments and Career Impact
One skit involving VFX, where her eye moved independently, went viral and led to people asking her to recreate it for three years. Some even believed it was real.
Audience and Impact
Stocking has 75 million followers across platforms. She doesn't let this number affect her posting, prioritizing authentic content. Her audience is evenly split between male and female, primarily Gen Z and Millennials, with a strong presence in Latin America, Brazil, India, Russia, and the United States.
Business Model and Revenue Streams
Stocking's revenue comes from posting on various platforms, brand deals, sponsorships, acting checks, equity deals, panels, and partnerships. She emphasizes the importance of creating and letting the money follow.
Brand Deal Strategies
She values long-term partnerships and creative freedom in brand deals. She prefers when brands allow her to use her expertise to create engaging content.
Equity Deals
She is working on exciting equity deals that she will announce in the future.
Acting Career and Bridging Digital and Traditional Media
Stocking is bridging the gap between digital and traditional media through acting roles. She has a Netflix rom-com coming out in September called "The Wrong Paris," as well as other Netflix movies and the iCarly reboot. She notes the difference in acting styles between social media (animated) and traditional media (grounded).
"The Wrong Paris" Rom-Com
The movie is about a group of contestants who think they're going to Paris, France, but end up in Paris, Texas. Stocking plays a contestant who is "ovulating all the time." Her social media background helped her improvise dialogue and physical comedy on set.
Creator Influence in Hollywood
Stocking believes that creators are now considered "Hollywood" and that the lines between the two worlds are blurring. She notes that being a creator is now a popular career choice among children.
Advice for Aspiring Content Creators
Stocking advises aspiring creators to "eat, sleep, and breathe content creation," accept the long hours and "rat race," and learn to love it. She emphasizes consistency, authenticity, and being a good person.
Avoiding Burnout and Building a Team
She stresses the importance of building a good team and surrounding yourself with positive, like-minded individuals. She also emphasizes listening to your intuition and seeking positivity.
Collaboration Strategies
She enjoys collaborating with other creators like Adam W and Anoir, building on each other's ideas and creating something greater together.
Future Plans
Stocking plans to continue filming movies, pursuing equity deals, and fostering cats. She describes herself as an introverted person who needs time alone with her cats to recharge after periods of intense filming.
Conclusion
Hannah Stocking's journey highlights the evolution of content creation, from the early days of Vine to her current success across multiple platforms and in traditional media. Her emphasis on consistency, authenticity, collaboration, and a strong work ethic provides valuable insights for aspiring creators. Her ability to adapt to changing trends while maintaining her unique style has allowed her to thrive in the ever-evolving digital landscape.
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