Pelpina lives and breathes multimedia. She has a strong background in both traditional broadcast media, online video, and social media, with 10+ years of experience in (live) TV/video hosting, reporting, and producing.
1. Tell us about your background and journey.
I started when I was really young. I started in creating content that is really what I always do, I started with a little cassette recorder, I created my own shows when I think I was 6 years old.
When I was 11 I started working for a local radio station then when I was 16 I steadied media and entertainment management and moved to the United States when I was 19 and studied journalism. So that's my background is really about telling stories.
As a little girl, I guess I have always understood the paper of stories and being able to tell stories and that always intrigued me to do it in a visual way and artificial way. When I was around 20 years old and I was studying a film at that time, I felt that I wasn't really in the right place.
I had a great conversation with a mentor her name is men corporate she is a professional at the University of North Texas. She looked me in the eyes and she said I think you should study journalism.
I remember this conversation so vividly because I remember it pushed me in the right direction because I was really insecure and not sure what to do then. I knew I wasn't quite in a good place with the film but I knew I liked the visual aspect of your story selling and the human aspect of journalism really appealed to me.
I was just really scared to study journalism in a language that is not native to me English. In that conversation she told me I think this is a really good fit for you and she was right, she pushed me to be in front of the cameras well, and I was so terrified and scared but loved it eventually.
Now, I love the Netherlands in the state after I studied electronic news, journalism. I started working for television and news show. I did that couple of years at CW in Dallas and eventually for a National morning show and learned a lot about how to convey a message in just a few minutes.
Then, I moved to video podcasting, I was invited by a local podcaster her name is Laura …. I did video podcasting for a year and I had my own show. It was a daily show so I learned a lot about video marketing, producing what you're selling, and doing that online. Which is very different from television.
I'm back in my country with my husband and my one child at the time, now we have three children and we live in a small town in the Netherlands and for now, I help people, organizations, and companies with being more visible and reaching their goal through videos.
I do that in a very simple way because I believe in keeping things simple so perhaps using your phone or the things you have in the house. I do a lot of company training and a lot of virtual workshops that would help anyone to be visible online, to tell a story through video, and to be human in front of the camera.
I wrote three books, my third book is out called video smart and it's basically a collection of everything I learned for the last couple of years and how to be smart about video production.
2. What led you to start your page on LinkedIn/blog and what is it about?
When I started my page, on LinkedIn, I wasn't something that I thought about or had a vision. I simply do now, but when I started I didn't. Basically, I was posting a lot Of things on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook tips for video creators of for anyone who wanted to become a video creator.
Then LinkedIn came with native video this, is probably two and a half years ago. I posted a video that I had originally created for Facebook about a video application and I didn't have a big network on my LinkedIn back then I maybe had a hundred or two hundred people in my network.
I just posted like a kind of experiment and that video blew up, it had maybe 35 thousand views in the first two days and give a hundred comments and I had received messages and connections invited.
A lot of messages were asking me about the application, I was astonished because this is the first time I had a big reaction anywhere. That's really what I have been continuing to do.
Now with my vision to help people and organizations to become more visible and reach their goals through video while keeping that process very simple. So I do that through sharing some video tips, written books, several courses online and academies, and a lot of training.
3. How would you distinguish the term blogger from an influencer?
I think you can the two terms for the same brand or person. But I guess as an influencer you really need to have an audience, regardless of their number but still interested in your thoughts, opinions, and experiences.
A blogger is a person who can do the same thing but maybe who don't have the same audience.
4. Tell us more about your recent book that will be posted?
My recent book is called video smart: how to create a smart and so I believe that anyone should be able to make videos with impact and that is shall all about.
It's a five-step video that can show you how to start a video. From the video plan for social videos to video plan for business videos to filming tips, how to touch the front camera to how to be human in front of a camera. How to Create great shots with just your phone that look professional.
Also, great editing apps that make the process of editing videos super fast and fun. And blow tips for social media on how to optimize your tips when you upload your videos for Facebook, LinkedIn, or Instagram. I really wanted to create a guide to show anyone that creating videos had never simple you just need a good plan. And this book is a plan
5. What do you think influences consumer behavior?
The key factor here is trust and it's something that video is really good at reflecting. It is such a human way of sharing things and so. The number one thing that you need when you want to influence behavior is trust. If people trust you, they trust what you're talking about, they trust you with their money.
6. What is your idea of success or your mantra in life?
I think this had changed over the last couple of years. I had always been looking for exploring and understanding myself and the world. Lately, I have come to understand that success had nothing to do with the number at your bank account or how great you look or the clothes you were. It all had to do with the way you perceive yourself and the situation you are in.
I think there's a quote that really resonates with me from my professor Goplerud. That went something like you can't control a lot of things in life, whether there are ruins, thunder. What you can control is your attitude within the weather. Whether you can go with the flow or not.
So when your life changes in an instant, it is really about your attitudes, your thoughts, and your actions. It is all about coming back to yourself and then to people. To see what you have instead of what you should have. Be more thankful for what you have at the moment and appreciate it.
7. How can someone become a successful social media influencer?
It's mainly about knowing yourself, who you are, and what makes you happy. What gives you energy also. If you focus on yourself and stay close to these things I think you'll be a successful influencer. So, persistence is another key element.
I was creating videos for 12 years. I was creating videos when everyone was doing that just for fun and I helped to push people to create videos and post them on YouTube.
I'm still here because I persisted and because I believed in the power of a video, I was here when I wasn't paid for it, and even when I was paid for it a lot. And it's all about you believing in what you're doing it. So being an influencer or becoming an influencer is really not about picking hard topics but rather about knowing what you want and what you can help with.
8. How and when did you realize your passion for making videos? And what are some tips you would like to share with us?
This started when I was 16 when I studied media management. I was able to borrow these cameras from school and loved it. I learned to edit videos on my own. As for the tips, I would Like to say just start, start small but really start. It's a process and like I said if you persist then you too can create videos with impact.
Pelpina lives and breathes multimedia. She has a strong background in both traditional broadcast media, online video, and social media, with 10+ years of experience in (live) TV/video hosting, reporting, and producing.
Video communication coach and trainer. Bestselling author.
Interviewed By - Syrine Landolsi
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