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Tolú Ekundare on Landing Netflix, Podcasting, and Building Your Own Voice
00:39:04
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- [00:00]
A
Comes back and she's like, tolu. I said, jillian. She goes, uh, oh, what's the worst possible thing that can happen? No, I said, jillian, don't ever start. Don't ever start a sentence with me like that. What. What are. What are we talking about? And she goes, yeah, the audio. The. It. It didn't. It didn't pick us up. I said, what are you talking about? She said, the audio didn't pick us up. I said, no. I said, all three and a half hours.
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B
I would have been like, we're done. That's a wrap. Goodbye.
- [00:28]
A
And honestly, I'm not gonna lie. I was like, God, is this. Because I'll take it. I'll take it as a sign. I don't.
- [00:35]
B
Hi, and welcome back to the B and H Creators Green Room, a podcast where your favorite creators sit down and spill the tea just like a real green room. Today, we are so lucky, so honored, so excited to have the one, the only Netflix's favorite star, Tolu Ekandare. Hi, Tolu.
- [00:51]
A
Hi, Dee. I'm so excited to be here.
- [00:54]
B
I've been waiting for this episode. You don't even know for, like, weeks and weeks and weeks. Cause I feel like you are the epitome of, like, the creator to star, star to creator journey. I don't know how we want to describe it, but I've been following you since the beginning, and I'm so proud of you, and I just can't wait to, like, get into this.
- [01:11]
A
Oh, my gosh, girl, we have so much to get into. So let's get started.
- [01:15]
B
Okay. Okay. So, I mean, I'm sure some of our viewers recognize you because obviously you've been on two Netflix shows now, but how did this get started? Like, did you always know you wanted to go the reality route or to that kind of fall into your. Not fall into your lap, but did you kind of. Did they find you?
- [01:30]
A
Actually, it kind of fell into my lap. So you were right. The first time I. So pre. Like, before reality tv, I was just like a corporate girly, you know, Went to college, got my degree, and I was working in marketing. So I was a marketing manager before, like, any of that. So right before or. No, right during COVID I was like, okay, well, everybody's in the house. We're not really doing anything. So I kind of board in the house. Exactly. We're bored in the house and in the house, board. So I took that as an opportunity to just explore all my other passions that I kind of, like, pushed to the wayside a Little bit. And one of them was modeling. So during COVID I really got into my modeling bag. So I was looking for more modeling opportunities. And then I stumbled upon an advertisement that was like, hey, brand new reality TV show on major streaming platform. Opportunity to win life changing amount of money. Applied now. And I was like, this sounds kind of spammy and scammy, but what's the worst that could happen? And so I applied and it turned out to be legit. And it was a real reality show for Netflix. Went through the entire casting process and honey, the rest is history.
- [02:46]
B
Oh my gosh. Because that's so interesting because usually people, I think I know a few friends in casting and usually now, especially the more dating esque type shows. Cause I know yours was more like strategy and there was a little more like scheming behind it, but usually the dating ones, they'll go and they'll actually poach like influencers who are maybe like micro or like on the rise because they already know those people are like outgoing and bubbly and fun. So it's interesting that you didn't necessarily have that platform, but still major way. They just knew, they just felt your energy.
- [03:16]
A
They did because I had less than 2,000 followers when I started the Trust. And I was actually the only one who got casted that way. Like, it's, it's not the. Even the person who cast me, he was like, don't tell anybody. This is not the way we're supposed to do it. I was like, okay, but shoot, now three or two years later, I'm gonna tell people. So I was the only one who was casted like that. And everybody else had gotten like approached directly via DM or whatever. So I honestly think that it was like just divine. God knew that girl, this, this is for you. And some way, somehow I'm gonna. I was gonna get on the screen. So after I applied, I sent in a couple of audition videos and a casting producer like called me. He was like, you seem perfect. We wanna get you through to the next round of interviews. And like 10 interviews later, they were like, congratulations, we want you on the show. And I was on a flight to Dominican Republic.
- [04:06]
B
Oh my gosh. And did you know, like, when it was happening, you were like, okay, this is the whole next chapter of my life. Like, did it feel like a precipice?
- [04:16]
A
It. To me, it was like, it was more like, this is an opportunity I never could have even dreamed big enough of having because I'm very much. I've always been a very pragmatic person. Like, you know, like, reach for the stars, but also keep. Keep things realistic. Right? So I was like, I don't want to. I don't want to dream too big because I don't want to disappoint myself. So that's why when this opportunity literally fell in my lap, I was just like, oh, my gosh, is. Is this really happening? And they didn't tell me it was Netflix. They just said, major streaming platform. So I'm thinking, again, I'm a pragmatist. I'm like, oh, it's not gonna be. It's probably, like, tubi or, like, I
- [04:57]
B
knew you were gonna take 2B.
- [04:58]
A
Literally, I was thinking of, like, tubi or something. I was like, whatever. I'm gonna tell people I was on a tubi show. Cool. Yeah. And then when I got to doctor, I was standing on the cliff about, like, we just started filming the Trust, and then the host says, congratulations. And you guys do know that this is Netflix, right? And I said, big red Netflix. And she was like, yeah, Netflix. I said, I made it big time. Yeah.
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B
Yeah.
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A
From there, I was like, I'm going to win this game by fire, by force. And did crazy.
- [05:29]
B
And then now I feel like you're in the Netflix ecosystem, and that's beautiful, because then now you can kind of go around. And as you've been on Perfect Match, did you love that too? Did you kind of know you wanted to go in the dating route? Or now you're just like, any show could be another kind of platform booster. Like, what was the decision behind that?
- [05:48]
A
So that one, they. Netflix, reached out to me for Perfect Match. So I had filmed the Trust in, like, I think we filmed it in February of 23, and then by, like, April. Like, by the time we were done filming by, like, April or May, then Netflix reached out to me, and they were like, hey, Tolu, just want to chat. I was like, hey, girl, what's up? And they were just like, oh, so how are you doing? How are you feeling? I was like, cool. And they're like, what's your relationship status? I was like, you got a husband for me? And they said, well, we're casting for season two of Perfect Match, and we wanted to see if you were interested in my mind. I was like, well, obviously, you know, I did the Trust. And again, the Trust hadn't come out yet when they reached out to me to do Perfect Match. So I was like, okay, I did the Trust unless I did well on that. And, like, you know, it's not a Big show. I'm not out yet. So the best thing I could hope for is that if they cast me for Perfect Match, I'm probably gonna be a bombshell. I was like, okay, that's cool. I'm gonna bomb some shells. And then by the time we go through the casting process, they were like, okay. So the people, the original cast, like, the first 10 who come into the house, they're supposed to fly on this date. And then the bombshells, they're supposed to fly on this date. And then they're at the end, they're like, all right, Tolu, so, yeah, we need you to be ready by this day. And I was like, this day? Wait, isn't that the day that the OG cast members go into the house? And they were like, yeah. And I said, I'm an og. They were like, yeah. I said, oh, my God. And then come to find out I was the very first person to walk into the house for Perfect Match season two. So it was just, like, surreal.
- [07:25]
B
How did you not know you'd be og? Like, obviously, like, you're such good television. Like, that's like the best compliment, you know? Like, you're so fun and relatable, and I feel like people watch you and love you. So how. How could they save you to sprinkle in and just come in and stir it up like, no, like, you had to be there the whole time.
- [07:41]
A
I'm so happy you say that because it's so funny. Kind of like, you know, when you look at yourself, you're like, I'm just like, I'm just tolu. It's like, I'm just tolu. And then like, other people saying, like, no, it's your toe, Lou.
- [07:52]
B
I'm just like, yeah, literally, like, also starting a podcast. I know a couple episodes have been out. Pretty unhinged with your co star. Remind me her name too.
- [08:03]
A
Her name is Jillian Lena. And it's so like, this is again. I feel like this is just a year of firsts. Like, I am. It's the first time I've moved out of my parents home. I'm in a new city, I have a new podcast. I'm entering into this, like, new field of being like a content creator, influencer type. So this has been my year first and the podcast, honestly, it's so exciting being in this endeavor. But a lot of people don't also realize that there's just. There's so much that goes into it. It's not like, pick up a mic and just start talking like, oh, yeah. I'm gonna tell you what I have to say and you're gonna love it. There's so much that goes into it, like making sure that the audio is crispity, crunchy. Making sure that now, you know, we're in the era of video. Like, video podcasts are what's up now. Right. So it's not just talking. You also have to, like, have the esthetic and look the part. And you know, as you can see, your background is absolutely gorgeous. So you know exactly what I'm talking about.
- [09:01]
B
Whole team.
- [09:02]
A
Exactly. A team. And then so for. There are a lot of creators, like myself and Jillian, who we started our podcast where we're the team, we, we are the producers, we are the av, we are the editors, we are, we are literally everything. So I do want creators to recognize that, like, when you're going into these new ventures, especially into like a podcast space, don't look at it as like, yeah, it's just, whatever, it's just going to be an easy peasy thing. Know that there is a lot of work that goes into it, but there's so much more reward that can be gained from it if you're willing to put the work in.
- [09:37]
B
Yeah, but it's also such a good point about how much work goes into it. I can't even believe you guys are editing it too. Like, that's like, that's a little crazy. We got to get you an assistant or something.
- [09:48]
A
That's what I'm saying. Now we're trying to build a team, but we've literally been a two woman army, like, just doing everything. And like, it's, it's like I said, it's so much work, but honestly, I feel like it's so rewarding because, like, I can look at, like, even if you look at. From our first episode to now we've released our seventh episode. From our first to our seventh, like, you can see the growth of each episode that I watch. You can see the growth that goes into it. So now when we get a team, we're gonna, you know, we're gonna be super well rounded because we've worn every single hat that there is to, to wear and made it great, right?
- [10:22]
B
Yep. Period. Literally. And then. Okay, so I know it's like obviously just kind of the girls yapping about, like life in general, but what is the direction of it? And then do you see it going like, I guess evolving or scaling when you are at that level, like, or the conversations, I guess, tell us what the podcast is about for the people that don't know.
- [10:41]
A
Okay, so the podcast is called Pretty Unhinged, and basically it's two millennial late Gen Z girlies just, like, yapping. We cover everything. Well, we cover everything from like. Or.
- [10:59]
B
Sorry.
- [10:59]
A
Oh, let me say this again. So basically it's like two millennial late Gen Z girlies just yapping. We kind of want. We frame this podcast as, like, a group chat. So you know how every girl. Every girly has their group chat with, like, their three to five, like, closest friends. And it's the chat where you say, like, the most raw, unhinged, just off the. Off the, off the cuff type of things. So we. That's what we want our podcast to feel like. This is a space where you can just be wholly yourself without feeling like you have to be filtered. And our listeners or viewers, y', all are the third to our little group chat. So we cover everything that. Just everything from. From marriage to dating to friendships. Yeah, just everything. And we just make it. We want it to be like a. This is a place where women and, you know, people who are coming of age can go and we share our experiences. We share what we've learned. We share the crazy, unhinged moments of life so that other people can know that you're not alone. Like, because, you know, sometimes there are, like, some crazy things that happen. And you really think that, like, oh, this must be a unique experience. And then somebody talks about it. You're like, oh, so I'm not the. I'm not the only one. I'm not the only one that's dealing with this. And so I just feel like it's. And that's why I love the community that we've created because, like, we have other people and our viewers span from high schoolers to, like, people in their 60s. That's how crazy our. Yeah, yeah. So we'll have, like, high schoolers saying, oh, my gosh, Tolu, I love this. Like, I too, was struggling with this, that and the third, and I really related to that. And I'll have a woman in her 60s who's like, you know what? I. You're so right when you said that we need to be cutting off some friends who don't serve us. Like, even in my age, I realized that a friend that I've had for, like, 20 some odd years, you can outgrow them. And I'm just like, it's beautiful to be able to kind of have these conversations with all these different generations and demographic and know that at the end of the day, we all Share the commonness that is just being a woman.
- [13:01]
B
Yeah, this is so good. I. I used to work for. I don't know if you know, the Instagram account. Yeah, Very, very similar. Whole kind of conglomerate kind of doing the same thing. And it's so nice to see other people kind of pick up that torch now because, like, people are. There's still another new batch of, like, young women who kind of need inspiration. And that's so cool. Yeah. So now, obviously, like, you're on episode seven already, so I feel like you're a pro. But have you learned anything in those first couple episodes for the new creators out there who maybe haven't started their podcast yet or just starting, so things that, like, went wrong that you wish you maybe would have streamlined a little more.
- [13:38]
A
Girl. First off, let me tell you about the very first episode. So the first episode, we, again, we had our three camera set up, right? And we had our mics. It wasn't the mics that BH gave us, it was the ones before them. So we had our mics, and it was our very first episode. So we're like, we want to make this the best one possible. Let's cover every avenue, every topic. Like, let's really make sure that we get some really great points. So we ended up recording for three and a half. Half hours. Three and a half hours. And at the end of it, like, I'm telling you, we put. We poured our blood, sweat, and tears into this episode. My mouth was so dry, I didn't even have, like. Like a drip of saliva left on my tongue, but I was like, it's okay. I left it all on the. All on the audio, all on the mic. This is going to be great. So Jill takes the. Takes a little card, the memory card out, and she goes to go check the audio, right? To go upload it. And then she comes back, and I'm sitting on the couch like, oh, today has drained me. And she comes back and she's like, tolu. I said, jillian. She goes, oh, what's the worst possible thing that can happen? No, I said, jillian, don't ever start. Don't ever start a sentence with me like that. What. What are. What are we talking about? And she goes, yeah, the audio. It didn't. It didn't pick us up. I said, what are you talking about? She said, the audio didn't pick us up. I said, no. I said, all three and a half hours. All three and a half hours. She said, all three and a half hours. When I tell you, Dee, I Literally, you know when, like, it's like, you know. You know that meme where, like, the. The world is on fire and then there's a dog just sitting there.
- [15:22]
B
Yeah. Just sitting there with his little cup.
- [15:24]
A
This is fine. That's literally how I felt. I was like. And you know what? Okay.
- [15:30]
B
Oh, my gosh. I can't believe you didn't quit right then and there. I would have been like, we're done. That's a wrap. Goodbye.
- [15:36]
A
And honestly, I'm not gonna lie, I was like, God, is this a sign? Because I'll take it. I'll take it as a sign. I don't ever want to go through this again. But literally, Jill was like, no, totally. We just. We have to do the first episode again. I said, jillian, I poured my blood. And it was so funny. Like, it was so funny. So. So. Well, like, it was blood, sweat, and tears. So literally, she. She. Like, we. We talked it through. We talked it. We were just hyping each other up, like, okay, you know what? Like, obviously, I'm just gonna say that all of this went wrong for a greater good. Right? That's what I had to tell myself to keep my sanity. All of this went wrong for a greater good. So thank God that the studio that we use where we record our podcast is literally Jillian Speakers spare room. So we took one of her spare bedrooms and, like, converted that to the pretty unhinged headquarters. And so, like, the following day, we came back, and mind you, it was even more. Like, it hurt me even more because, like, again, this is a video podcast as well, so it's not just audio. So I did my full face of makeup, had my clothes on, drove to her house, and she lives, like, 40 minutes away, recorded for almost four hours. All of that to just be for nothing. So I was like, okay, you know what? I'm going to chalk that up as a dress rehearsal. I'm just going to say that was a dress rehearsal. So we came back, refilmed it, and honestly, I will say that the next time around was even better. So, yes, it sucked. It sucked ass that we lost three and a half. Three and a half hours of footage for our first episode. But coming back, we were able to do it ten times stronger than. So I will say that. So new creators, especially when you're in the podcast game, I feel like this should go without saying, but let me just say it again. Please make sure that your audio is. Well, it's picking up. Like, make sure you see the little lines when you're going through it because you don't want to like, just be talking and, and having really great content and really great insight and conversation and then go and upload it and realize that all of that was just gone and you were talking to the wind. So that was one tip. And then the second tip, the second big tip I will give for creators is again, we used to think that like, more is more. So if we do what all the really big podcasts are doing, like, that's really what's gonna, what's gonna elevate us. So we had like the three cameras set up. We had the main cam, Jill cam, tolu cam, right? And we found out honestly that, that again, because we're a two person team, there's only two of us, we don't have an army behind us. That was just so, just taxing. It was just so much like, you know, filming three times and then we were using one camera and two phones. So each of the side cams was literally our cell phones that we were using, which the video quality was great because iPhone did their thing. But like one, we would run out of memory so often to where I
- [18:26]
B
was gonna say that, like, girl, it
- [18:28]
A
got to a point where I deleted every single app except for like maybe, maybe, maybe maps, because I can't drive through LA by myself.
- [18:38]
B
Yeah, you can't survive without a map.
- [18:40]
A
Cannot.
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B
Come on.
- [18:41]
A
Cannot. I deleted every single app just to make, just to make space. And then doing that every single week. At the end of the day, we're like, okay, this is too much. We're putting too much time and energy into making sure that all three cameras are operating at the same time, getting everything set, synced, and that's a lot. So let's kind of pivot and see how can we streamline and make this more efficient for ourselves, easier for ourselves, while also still giving out great quality. So we looked back and we like, looked at some other podcasts. We're like, okay, so we see this podcast, it's clear that they're using one camera. But then whenever, like. And they were a two, a two person podcast, so they're using one camera, but whenever person A was speaking, they'll just punch into person A. And then when person B is speaking, they'll punch into person B. So we're like, why don't we just try this setup? This will be a lot easier. It's just one, one camera that we have to worry about. And syncing, you don't have to sync three different audios together. So let's try this and then honestly we did the one camera setup with the, the punching into the speakers and one, not only did it make our video quality look like, like more clean, but it saved us so much time and energy when it came to recording and when it came to editing. Because like the three camera setup chat, I will tell you it is not for the week. When you have an army and a team, sure go for that. But honestly creators, like especially when you're first starting out, you want to make it in a way to where this is, it's efficient for you. It doesn't feel like it's so, so soul consuming and like you really have to put in your blood, sweat, tears, marrow, first born child into this because the easier you make it for yourself, the more you're able to be consistent because you can't be consistent with something that is super difficult. So now that we like streamlined it and made it more efficient for ourselves, like we're able to crank out episodes a lot better and faster and easier.
- [20:39]
B
Oh my God. So smart. Because I feel like it's, it's not sustainable if you don't know how to produce. I mean nothing multicam at that level is two people, you know, I mean like period, end of story. Like nothing that big can be done by that few and you're on camera so you're not even monitoring. Like if camera dies and we have that issue auto shut off.
- [20:59]
A
Yes. Like or, or the memory runs out because we're using our iPhone. So like there'll be a lot of times where the, like the storage just has expired and we don't know and we're gapping for God knows how long and then we come back and realize that this has an hour and a half of footage but this has 30 minutes. So it was just. Yeah, it was a lot. And honestly for creators, like the easier you can make it for yourself, the more, the more consistent you're going to be because if it's easy, you're more able to keep, keep, keep. Jesus. When it's easy you're able to like, you know, keep it going. So yeah, just. Yeah, yeah.
- [21:36]
B
We had one guest on a few weeks ago, Dylan, who I love. He's like an ice cream creator who does like food daily like day in the life. And he said someone at YouTube once told him, do whatever will keep you in the game the longest. And I thought I was like that's so smart. Like it's not about like, I mean I'm going to ask you this next, but it's not usually about like let's chase the algorithm or let's do this or let's do this because you will burn out one or you just lose that passion, right? Or that drive that kind of started it in the first place. And your community is going to know that right away. They're going to be like, something's changed or it's not giving the same level you were giving before. So it's better to find yourself and stay authentic from the get go and then grow from there.
- [22:22]
A
That's the main thing. I find that in this game authenticity is key. Like when you're able to just come fully as. Like I just come as tolu now because I will say the first there and it's so funny. Like when I go through the evolution of our, of our show, like there were times where we were chasing the algorithm. We're like, okay, so like this seems to like, how can we make as many clickable oh Jesus. How can we make as many like viral clips as possible? Like let's, let's, let's just. We were making the podcast in a way where we were trying to like clip farm. Like, okay, this, this will be a good clip. This will be a good clip. This will be a good clip. And then we found that in doing that it just felt super inauthentic. Like, yeah, we were trying to make good clippable, clickable moments, but we weren't, we weren't being true to ourselves. We weren't talking about the things that, that interested us that we were passionate about. And it was very clear that our audience could read that because one thing about me, I'm very like, when I'm passionate about something, you can hear it in my voice and everything within me. And then when I kind of have to like, like fake passion about something that I'm talking about, it just does not read the same at all. And I'm not a good faker, so it does not read the same at all. So we pivoted. We were like, okay, well the, the, like we were trying to do like celebrity talk or whatever. Like honestly, we don't even really give a. About celebrities like that. Like that. There's other podcasts that can be for like celeb gossip with celeb talk. Like, let them have that. We just want to talk about like just, just ever. We, we just wanted to make evergreen content. Like the stuff that if we talk about it today and somebody's listening to this episode two years from now, it's still, it's still relevant. They can still relate to it. And honestly those things, like just we, we share a lot of like personal stories, make a lot of like personal anecdotes. Those things, I feel like those resonate ten times more with our audience because they feel that like one to one in like inter connection and then two, it's just like, you know, when you're just, just coming as yourself, it's, that's an easier thing to maintain than trying to put on a show or trying to play for the audience because at the end of the day, if you come authentically as yourself, your people are going to find you. And then the people that find you, you know that those are your people. And it's so easy to continue being yourself because baby, it's you as opposed to now you have to continue to play this role and play this role because this is the person that you've told the world that you are even though you're not. So yeah, like I completely 1000% agree with you. I feel like authenticity is so key when it comes to these podcasts and it's so easy to kind of like be pulled in all these different directions when you see what other people are doing. But at the end of the day, other people are doing it because that's them. There is no you. So at the end of the day, like you have to make the stuff that's, that's missing and what's missing is you because nobody's going to do you like you. So once we recognize that, we're like, all right, now we found the secret sauce and now, now we can keep it going.
- [25:26]
B
Yeah. Yeah. Oh, I love this. So I guess, I guess the questions are like, which way do you promote the podcast? Like are you changing your social content in general on other platforms to kind of feed into the podcast or is podcast separate? Or I guess what is the content strategy now that you have the podcast in addition to the platform? So, so because that can get people hung up.
- [25:48]
A
Yeah, no, that honestly. And I'll even, I'll be very plain with it. We're still figuring it out ourselves, right? We're still doing our a B testing like what, what works? Well, what doesn't? And as far as like, so we have our own like Pretty unhinged has her own socials on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, everywhere, right? And so right now the content strategy is like we pick the most like clippable moments obviously within the full length episode, create some clips and like add some like, you know, little pops in there. So throw that on socials and Then we'll collab it with our personal feed so that our. My personal audience, Jillian's personal audience can also see it. And then we just do the cross promoting that way. But, like, yeah, so that's. That. That's the main thing for the most part. And then we also. And I also, like, I'm like, okay, so I am. I'm in order, right? Like, people love me for my commentary. That's what they loved about me on the Trust. That's what they loved about me on Perfect Match. They loved me for my commentary. And I even noticed that when I first kind of started going, like, the influencer route, I was like, again, kind of like, how we talked about the podcast. It's so easy to see what other people are doing and, like, be pulled every which way. I was even doing that with my social content. I was like, okay, I got to do the fashion stuff. I got to do the makeup. I got to do. I got to do all the influencer things. Forgetting that people didn't fall in love with me for that. They fell in love with me for my personality, for my voice. Like, it's great that it's in a pretty opinion. Yes. My opinion.
- [27:21]
B
Yeah.
- [27:21]
A
So I was like, all right, let me get back to my roots. Let me start going back into that. And once I started going back into that and just being, like, face to camera, voice to mic, and just start talking, that was the content that was popping off the most for me. So. So anyway, going back to what you said, part of our social media. Part of the social media strategy, too, is like, okay, let me continue building my own voice authority, and let me continue like. Like building that authority in my voice within my personal brand. So that when it comes to the podcast, because the podcast is an extension of my personal brand as well, when it comes to the podcast, they're like, I already love what Tolu says on her personal feed. She's got a podcast. I can hear her talk for an hour and a half. Let me tune in.
- [28:04]
B
It actually feels like the perfect evolution for, like, who you are and what your content was, because it's like, yeah, I did love to listen to you yap in, like, short little snippets on stories or on the shows. And now it's like, of course. Of course your audience would want a podcast. You know what I mean? Like, that feels like such an organic step. And I feel like a lot of creators maybe have a hard time seeing the next step in their career. You know, like, they get caught up, and I don't know, I guess keeping up with everyone else or doing what they're supposed to do or maybe chasing money, like, maybe brand deals versus, like, yeah, how do you, I guess, keep out all that noise? I mean, you're doing a great job, obviously, you know, like that organic step for you. But in general, how do creators find that if they don't know it as much as you knew it?
- [28:51]
A
You know, I think honestly, it just comes from. You have to. You have to make that conscious decision. Like, because being in the space, it's. It, like I always say, it's so easy to just, like, be. Be pulled in every direction trying to keep up with the Joneses or saying, like, seeing, like, oh, this worked for this person. So let me try to like, re. Redo that formula and hopefully it could work for me. But if you're not, if you don't just, oh, sorry. Like, even when I first started making content, like, I was trying to do, like, the. Okay, what will appeal the most to brands? What will. What kind of content will make brands want to reach out to me and do a collab? X, Y, Z. And then I found, as I was doing that, I was catering my page to brands and not to my audience, to my followers, to my fans. I was like, how dare I do that? Like, I'm doing myself a disservice, and I'm doing my community a disservice because I'm not a walking, talking billboard. I'm tolu. Yeah. You know, so once I recognize that, and thank God I recognize that about myself, and I was able to pivot and. And I was like, you know what? Love the brands. But I'm myself, and this platform is for me and for the people that follow me, and the people that follow me want to see me authentically as myself. So let me just, like, continue showing up as tolu and then continue building that community. And then the brands are going to see that my community loves me and they're going to want to align themselves because I have that. That amazing fan base and community within my audience. So a lot of people, they, they chase, they. They curate their content for the attention of brands, not recognizing that, honestly, it's best to curate your content to yourself and to your followers so that when you. When you foster that community, the brands are going to want to be aligned with you regardless, because you have a community around you. Like, people don't understand that. Honestly, your power comes from your community. It doesn't come from, can brands see themselves in my content? Does your community see Themselves in your content. And, yeah, so learning that, I was like, okay, yeah. And once I've done that, honestly, everything has shifted 180 for me. Like, now I get the brand deals easy peasy, without having to sit there and make content that's inauthentic to myself because, oh, I want to deal with this tech company. So let me just make some fake tech content. Like, girl, that's not even you. Right, Right.
- [31:18]
B
Yeah, Yeah. I love this. Oh, my God. I would listen to you do a master class and where's TED Talk? Like, where are they? Because these are good gems. Yeah. Okay, let's play a little game we play with all of our guests. Essentially, we ask the last guest a question to ask you, and I'll read you that question, you'll answer it, and then you're going to think of a question for our next guest.
- [31:39]
A
Okay.
- [31:39]
B
Does that sound good? So Brandon Wofel, first of all, iconic Tiktoker. If you're not following him already, check him out. He's really cool, but he asked, which light could you not live without? And he's obviously a photographer. He likes gear, so there's skewed that way a little bit. It wasn't sponsored by B and H.
- [31:58]
A
Oh, actually, do I have it with me right now?
- [32:03]
B
Oh, I love a little show and tell.
- [32:05]
A
I actually do have it. Can I go? Can I go grab it?
- [32:08]
B
Yeah, yeah.
- [32:08]
A
Okay.
- [32:09]
B
That was so cool.
- [32:09]
A
Brb, you guys. Holds on. Hold on. Okay, so I'm not, like, a huge gearhead. Nobody judged me. But, you know, just being a girly who loves content. My most important thing, especially being a woman of color, lighting is the most important thing for me. If the lighting is not good, I'm not good. All right? And if I'm not good, y' all are not happy. So my favorite thing is this little portable selfie light. Like, I cannot create content without it, especially when I'm out and about one thing about me. I'm gonna have my light on and bright in your face. No shame about it, because it just, like, even right now, she just gives, like, a glow. And then I love it because it's completely customizable. So I can change the brightness. Oh, my gosh. I can change the warmth if I want it to be warmer, if I want it to be cooler, if I want it to be less bright. More bright. This she is my holy grail. She goes with me everywhere. I'm so serious. Everywhere. If I'm packing, the first thing I'm going to pack, I'm Going to pack my underwear, my toothbrush, and my selfie,
- [33:12]
B
like, and you know, do you know what brand it is? Let's shout them out.
- [33:17]
A
Oh, maybe China.
- [33:23]
B
Honestly.
- [33:23]
A
Honestly.
- [33:24]
B
Facts.
- [33:25]
A
I got it from China.
- [33:28]
B
Listen, as everything. Honestly, that's so funny. Okay, I'm sure we sell a lot of those on B and H, so go check out those B and H. Little selfie light department, please. Okay, so now you have to ask our next guest a question. The next guest is. Surprise. So something that can be deep, it can be insightful, it can be gear related, it can be funny. The world is your oyster.
- [33:52]
A
All right, so what is the hardest part about being a content creator that some people don't see and what are your tips to navigating it?
- [34:03]
B
Oh, I love that. I love that so much. Because there's so many things you do not see or people don't see until they're in it. And then like you said before, you feel like you're the only person to ever face this. And the minute you're in a room full of other creators, you're like, oh, living the same life.
- [34:19]
A
Oh, it wasn't a unique experience.
- [34:22]
B
Yeah, yeah, okay. And then we always ask you to answer it, too, before we have them answer it.
- [34:28]
A
Oh, okay. My hardest thing about being a content creator, I think for me, and we did touch on this, was once you. Once you have that audience that, like, once you've built that platform and you have that audience, it's so easy to kind of, like, lose yourself a little bit because you start thinking, like, okay, who. Who am I catering myself to? Am I catering myself to my audience? Am I catering myself to the brands? Like, who am I trying to reach? Who am I trying to reach the most? But honestly, I found that, like, my tip to navigating that is at the end of the day, you're reaching yourself. Like, I kind of look at my content as if I were tolu, and I am. If I were tolu, what are the kind of things that I would want to hear? What are the kind of things that I would want to see or even pivot it? Like, what are some things that you wish you could have. You could have saw or heard 10 years from now? So I create content for myself 10 years ago. Like, all right, this is the stuff. This is the, like, because I create a lot of, like, confidence, so, like, you are a boss, never forget it type of content. And honestly, 99% of those videos, it's me talking to Baby Tolu because this is the stuff that she needed to hear. And I wish I had, like, a big sister or just like, like, like a woman who was so confident in herself that could remind me of who the I am in case I ever forget it. So that's kind of like how I approach my content game now. And I found that, like, making that content for myself, like, has not only has it related so significantly to my audience, but also it's easier for me because now I'm just being authentic and I don't feel like I have to play a role or anything like that. So. So, yeah, that's. That, that's me.
- [36:21]
B
Honestly, I feel like the podcast should have been named, like, Healing our inner child or something, because it's the way you are doing literally the Lord's work, to be honest. Like, the fact that I feel like all of us can relate, like, all of us had probably, like, things we needed to hear and to have now somewhere that's giving that to the younger people or just like, the people that are just need it still, you know, like, that's so special. So thank you so much for doing that work with Jillian, because I can't wait for people to listen to that podcast.
- [36:50]
A
Yes.
- [36:50]
B
I hope they enjoyed this podcast. And where can everyone find you so
- [36:54]
A
you can find me on all social platforms? I kept it real cute and easy for you guys. It's toluekundare. T o l u e k u n d a r e on all platforms, on Instagram, on TikTok, on Facebook, if people are still on there, on Twitter, everywhere. And our podcast is called Pretty Unhinged. And our socials are. It's pretty unhinged. Like just one. It's pretty unhinged on all social platforms. And make sure you guys check us out on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube and our Instagram and TikTok.
- [37:32]
B
I love when people keep it nice and easy because if you're about to hear mine, you're like, what were they thinking? Because you can find us. You can find us on Instagram @bhdogcreators, or you can find us at. On Tik Tok at bhcreators. So sometimes there's a dot, sometimes there's not, but follow us everywhere and totally. Lou, thank you so much. This was so good. And I can't wait to see your next chapter because this chapter was magical.
- [37:54]
A
Amen. Amen. Thank you so much. I'm so excited. And thank you for having me. Thank you, B and H, for all the amazing things that you guys do for creators. Fun fact, because I. I just have to say this. I love you guys so much. Yeah. Fun fact. B and H, give me. Oh, my God. Can I. Can I pick one? Give me one second, one second. Okay, so B and H actually gave me my first piece of, like, real creator content last year when I went to the V and H creator fest that y' all had in la. And it is this short mini mic, this lab mic. And when I tell you, she is my content. Holy grail, these two. Oh, baby, you can't tell me anything. So, B and H, thank you guys so much. You don't even understand, like, the impact that you've had on my own content creating journey and just having, like, this community where whenever I have questions, I am so quick to reach out to Deanna. I'm like, hey, girl, so what do you think about this equipment? Or what do you think I need to do this? And you're always so helpful, so I love you guys so much.
- [38:53]
B
We love you and thank you so much for doing this. And, guys, follow her, follow us, and we will see you in the next one. Tune in.
- [39:00]
A
Bye.