I started my first Instagram meme page back in 2016. At the time, I was just a personal "spam page" that just posted memes for my school friends. No real intentions of growing a following.
One day, I had opened my phone after a long day of school and noticed that one of the posts that I had put up in the morning had amassed over 400 likes by the afternoon, which at the time for me was insane. I continued to post like a regular, and with time, my posts began getting hundreds of thousands of likes each
Tell us about your background and journey.
I currently reside in northern California. I am a junior in high school taking college classes and am majoring in business administration. I started social media when I was 9, but I started my passion (content creating) when I was 7-years-old. I've been a big fan of YouTube since I was 4-years-old.
Interviewed by - Divye Satija
I currently reside in northern California. I am a junior in high school taking college classes and am majoring in business administration. I started social media when I was 9, but I started my passion (content creating) when I was 7-years-old. I've been a big fan of YouTube since I was 4-years-old.
I remember going over to my cousin's house where they had a modern computer (this was 2008). I had always watched YouTube videos with my cousins. When I began creating, it was mainly gaming videos where I'd play various virtual world games like MovieStarPlanet and Club Penguin. I went under the alias "Mellisa" and amassed over 17,000 subscribers at the time.
I shortly fell out of love with the content I was creating because I had shown my real persona, but it unlocked many doors for me. I started making original content on YouTube and posting memes and realized that this would be my job no matter what.
What led you to start your Instagram handles?
I started my first Instagram meme page back in 2016. At the time, I was just a personal "spam page" that just posted memes for my school friends. No real intentions of growing a following. One day, I had opened my phone after a long day of school and noticed that one of the posts that I had put up in the morning had amassed over 400 likes by the afternoon, which at the time for me was insane. I continued to post like a regular, and with time, my posts began getting hundreds of thousands of likes each.
What led you to start your Instagram handles?
I started my first Instagram meme page back in 2016. At the time, I was just a personal "spam page" that just posted memes for my school friends. No real intentions of growing a following. One day, I had opened my phone after a long day of school and noticed that one of the posts that I had put up in the morning had amassed over 400 likes by the afternoon, which at the time for me was insane. I continued to post like a regular, and with time, my posts began getting hundreds of thousands of likes each.
I was growing at rapid speeds and was given a lot of power at 13-years old. I later grew to reach 10,000 followers and got millions of impressions a week on the videos I posted. There was no TikTok at the time. There were no - what we know today as - Twitter memes. To be a spam page, you had to be funny and have entertaining videos. I then decided to rebrand myself to MekhiPostedThat, and grow an "empire."
I had started branching out and making more Instagram pages because I knew the riveting Instagram algorithm everyone talks about and how to get on the explore page quickly. At the beginning of a peak in my "career," I had owned seven meme pages and was profiting off all of them with advertisements.
I had made $10,000 in a year and a half by doing theoretically "nothing," and realized that what I have is special. I'm in the space now, though, where I feel like I'm growing up. I turn 17-years-old this year, and I've been posting memes since I was 12-years-old.
I have recently been selling my Instagram accounts, saving my pages' profits, transitioning into mainstream social media, and becoming a full-time YouTuber and social media mogul. I love my job, and it's relatively easy, but I'm ready to grow up and be myself.
Do you have a few artists that you personally recommend to follow?
There are so many talented and genuinely funny people on all platforms. I do have my go-tos who I know will have good content. Still, I do like to randomize it and showcase small creators first because I know that my platform and ability to get thousands, if not millions of views, will help them. We both grow, which I consider more than a fair trade for reposting their videos.
Do you have a few artists that you personally recommend to follow?
There are so many talented and genuinely funny people on all platforms. I do have my go-tos who I know will have good content. Still, I do like to randomize it and showcase small creators first because I know that my platform and ability to get thousands, if not millions of views, will help them. We both grow, which I consider more than a fair trade for reposting their videos.
My favourite creators at the moment on TikTok have to be @livkayg, @beautyxbell, @sonyanicolee_, and @trishlikefish88. @livkayg is absolutely the funniest creator on the app. Though I don't personally feature her on my Instagram pages, she is my personal go-to when I need to laugh after a long day of school, college, and work (YouTube). @beautyxbell was one of my original followers, who is so relatable to me.
She is also so gorgeous; I admire her beauty every time I see her. She is stunning to me. @sonyanicolee_ was a girl I saw on my for you page when scrolling for videos to post, and her makeup looks and her wigs were beyond top tier. She is a beautiful Black creator who deserves way more attention than she gets. I hope she blossoms into an influencer one day because I would love to see more content. @trishlikefish88, known as Trisha Paytas, might have had a controversial past, but she is entertaining to watch.
Her lifestyle is unimaginable and inspiring, and she knows how to put on a show. I've been watching Trisha before TikTok on YouTube since 2014 when she would do collaboration videos with Shane Dawson and daily vlogs.
Which fellow editor or creator has had the most influence on your content?
Without a doubt, Shane Dawson. A controversial YouTuber with a shaky past, but I've been watching him and felt such a personal connection with him since I was in first grade. His mannerisms have rubbed onto me when I create, like "hey, what's up to you guys" when greeting the viewer, to kissing the camera before I leave. I have grown out of the phase of his content, but he did significantly influence me, which I'm not afraid to admit. Right now, I am heavily inspired by James Charles and Larray.
Without a doubt, Shane Dawson. A controversial YouTuber with a shaky past, but I've been watching him and felt such a personal connection with him since I was in first grade. His mannerisms have rubbed onto me when I create, like "hey, what's up to you guys" when greeting the viewer, to kissing the camera before I leave. I have grown out of the phase of his content, but he did significantly influence me, which I'm not afraid to admit. Right now, I am heavily inspired by James Charles and Larray.
They also affect my content by the way they edit to their set-ups for recording. When it comes to the Instagram content I post, I feel like I am my inspiration. I had no one to look up to on how to run a meme page. Still, now I get people all the time telling me that I'm their inspiration or that I'm the reason why they wanted to start a meme page, which I am more than grateful for.
What are your future aspirations?
Soon, I aspire to be a mainstream actor and a social media star. I'm already putting in the hard work, and without a doubt, I know I'll be there in no time. I would love to be the CEO of a company or own my own company in the very far future.
What are your future aspirations?
Soon, I aspire to be a mainstream actor and a social media star. I'm already putting in the hard work, and without a doubt, I know I'll be there in no time. I would love to be the CEO of a company or own my own company in the very far future.
Interviewed by - Divye Satija
){kind=link}
Social