Content Creator/Comedian on Tiktok Ever felt like you had some really odd dreams, that you just needed to tell your friends, your partner, or your kids when you woke up? Have you thought about lambs jumping overhead, landing on the moon, or marrying a couple of cacti? No dream is ever too obscure because after all, it’s just a dream. Sometimes our dreams can become reality and when shared, it’s like,...HUH?!! What did you say? Nothing seems to surprise me anymore with the magnitude of outlets we have for expressive freedom. Our reach has become pretty wide and our creativity is constantly being surpassed by new waves of communication. Take the platform TikTok for instance. A social media app that people use to create a variety of short-form videos, all of which have to be under one minute. It’s basically a free for all, for everything and anything. People share their successes and failures, from dancing to eating, singing, comedy, and tutorials on basically anything you can think of. Since the pandemic, it’s skyrocketed making a huge impact on the way we both use and look at social media and the world.
Having been an inspiring comedian and tv/film writer since high school, she always dabbled in short film and comedy skits. Her public video journey began with the app called Snap Chat some years ago. At the time she just shared with her social media circles; family, friends, and some random people likely twice removed. It was a fun hobby for her. In November of 2019 she signed up for a TikTok account and started exploring. (Nothing too crazy, just uploading some comedy videos and trying to read the algorithms of people’s interest.) After a few months, more and more people started to follow her, and then there was the day she brought home Alloy, a cactus. Little did she know that her life would change forever. You never know who is going to come along and just flip your world upside down! Snapps posted a comedy skit of Alloy and herself on their initial day together.
It is hilarious and, well you just need to watch it yourselves...but it shows Snapps talking with the audience, saying she went to Walmart and got a cactus, then conversing with the cactus trying to come up with it’s first name. You can’t not laugh. Within a week her video went viral with over 1 million views. Yes, I did say that….within days, she had one million views and now that same video is nearing 7 million.
Snapps was a bit in shock, as any of us would be. She recalls thinking, Is this really happening, am I in the big leagues now? One day you’re just clicking away on social media, posting some of your skits, aspiring to be a comedian, and then suddenly you are recognized, by millions around the world. It’s hard not to question this and try to figure out what it is that people are attracted to about your work. Snapps quickly started producing more videos as she recognized it as a way to grow her career. A friend of hers gave some advice, “If everyone is going to be home on their phones, you need to grab their attention.” Her approach to breaking into the comedy industry was a bit more traditional before Alloy came into the picture. She was given this platform that had the ability to reach so many people, how could she not utilize it. Snapps said, “It’s almost like you want to strike while the iron is hot.” Social media is so tricky and finicky.
Snapps recognizes she deserves the attention she is getting and wants to make sure people know she is more than just one video; more than just a cactus lady. Snapps told us,
Snapps says she is one person more her biggest fan than her biggest critic because if it was the other way around, she would never post. Noone else criticizes the videos like she does. This is what gives her confidence. If she isn’t happy with something, she will make it better. Her own judgements push her to better understand and comprehend her creativity. This genuine approach and her charismatic personality is inspiring. It’s so honest. Not everyone is this open with themselves and others. She says you have to like what you’re projecting. You can’t expect other people to like it if you don’t.
In December of 2017, Snapps graduated from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh with a degree in Radio, TV and Film while aspiring to be a comedy scriptwriter. While excelling both in her education and in extracurricular activities, she was especially active in radio and was the campus TV promotions director creating and hosting several short films. After graduating she made the move back to her hometown, in the Chicago suburbs while most of the alum fled to Los Angeles. Always being inspired by the Chicagoan hard work ethic and having a heart full of pride for the midwest she went to pursue her career in Chicago. For the past three years, she has been working at a dog daycare facility and although she likes and appreciates the job she has experienced feelings of defeat. Snapps had stopped producing videos and wasn’t happy. She was stuck in a routine. The 9-5 cycle was weighing her down and although she is grateful, living at her parent’s house comes with its own set of challenges. She is a very independent person. It has been a hard few years. Money was tight and she felt stuck, like she had nowhere to go. Life became mundane and so did her creativity, it had become stagnant. She had no desire to create anymore.
This is a hard time for anyone. Your whole life up until graduation was focused on school, whether it be high school or college. It’s all you know. Then to go out in the world and translate your skills... it can be very taxing and a total mind twist. When she started following others on TikTok, she began to feel inspired. Snapps watched so many people start with nothing and use it as a platform to start businesses, become noticed, and even famous for that matter. Anyone can go on TikTok, with no money and put themselves on to the world. In ways it made her wake up, she could familiarize herself with these people, they were just like her, living typical civilian lives. It gave her confidence, it was mentally stimulating.
Now Snapps is figuring out ways to have a consistent income as a content creator. The industry is unstable, making it hard to make a living. For an outsider looking in, it’s easy to think that influencers and content creators make a lot of money but in reality, it’s not true. One week you could make a bunch, and then it’s completely dry for a month. Hopefully her merch line and branding will help bring stability. Snapps says first and foremost she just needs to keep putting herself out there with new creative content. Companies have reached out with some ideas and there may be a few collaborative projects in the books. She is always working towards her dream of being a scriptwriter. With all the content she already has, she is thinking about starting a Podcast and would love to have a TV series. For now, she is keeping all options open and making sure to move in a forward direction.
We look forward to following Snapps’s career, as it is just the beginning. If she has made us, amongst many other millions, laugh this hard already, we can’t imagine what else she is going to create.
Q + A with Christine SnappsQ: What does the word Moxxi mean to you? A: “I feel like no one uses that word enough. Tenacity...and it’s also a presence. I would describe Moxxi as someone who has never been bored in their life.” “Someone you don’t want to step in front of because they’re willing to step around you. They have priorities.” Q: What is one of your favorite quotes? A: “While you’re over here doubting yourself, meanwhile other people are afraid of your potential.” - Unknown Q: People must give you cactus everything. What do you think about cacti now? A: She loves it. "It reminds me of where it all started. I’m not gonna hate the thing that helped me launch my career. I don’t need 95 cactus mugs but...” Q: Any advice? A: "Every day you should try and find something that makes you laugh. You know, they say, laughter is the best medicine, but it is, it’s just such a good feeling to find something funny." Q: What are your views on gender inequality in the comedy industry? A: "As much as we need women empowerment, we need to present it in a way that gender shouldn’t be a question.” For her, she makes good content because she makes good content, it’s not that she is a woman comedian. “You have to walk in a room and put off that aura, it shouldn’t be about gender bit if it is I’m gonna make it known that I can bat with the big dogs.” Q: Any mentors in your personal life? A: "Blue-collar workers - For their relentless work ethic. Family - Her dad, mom and brother. They are all such hard workers and good honest people." Q: What’s something you do when you have self-doubt? A: "I love dancing, not choreographed dancing, more like flailing around.” Q: How do you drink your coffee? A: "Today I got an iced coffee with caramel and mocha, cream and sugar. I like 49% like the coffee but 51% like the sugar because I have a sweet tooth.” Q: What does coffee mean to you? A: "If I don’t have a cup of coffee in my hand and my hair’s not in a bun there must be something special going on.” “When I tell my friends hey let's go get a cup of coffee, I want to talk about life with you. It is a very relatable thing, it’s a thing that connects a lot of people. It’s comfortability too.” It’s a connector. Written & Curated By | Krysta Kearney, Moxxi Coffee Co. MENTORS IN COMEDY:(From Snapps herself. She really likes physicality. Comedians that can really sell it not just with their voice but how they act and present themselves.) Melissa McCarthy - For her accomplishments in her comedy/entertainment career starting from a Midwest upbringing. I think she's an inspiration to women and to comedians alike in the industry. Wayne Brady - For his hustle and for his comedic skills and timing. He is an amazing improviser among other talents and his mind works so fast to find the jokes. I hope my comedy skills are that quick and sharp one day. Rob McElhenney - For his work as a writer. He's one of the creators and writers of the show "Always Sunny". He really built the show from the ground up and broke his own way into the entertainment business creating a long-lasting, great show, while holding onto the roots of creativity and originality. Want to get involved? Donate to the Moxxi Women's Foundation below! Keep updated on Christine! Follow her at the links below. INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/christines_snapss/?hl=en TIKTOK: www.tiktok.com/@christines_snaps?lang=en FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/ChristinesSnaps/ TWITTER: https://twitter.com/christinessnaps?lang=en
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