Living The Red Life – Episode Summary

Episode Title: From Model to AI Storyteller: Building a Viral Creative Brand
Host: Rudy Mawer (with guest host Ray Gutierrez)
Guest: Victoria Toplansky aka “Holly Treats”
Release Date: March 30, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode is a lively, wide-ranging conversation between host (and ad king) Rudy Mawer, guest host Ray Gutierrez, and entrepreneurial multi-hyphenate Victoria Toplansky (“Holly Treats”). The trio dives into topics spanning creative brand-building, the evolution from modeling to AI-driven storytelling, content creation for subcultures, and the realities of making (and monetizing) a viral online persona. Victoria shares insights from her journey as a model, cosplayer, gamer, and now tech entrepreneur, opening up about self-acceptance, AI as a creative tool, the power of alter egos, and practical advice for aspiring creators.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Importance of Authenticity & Audience Building

• Beware of Buying Followers

  • Victoria emphasizes never, ever buying social media bots, as it poisons growth and sabotages engagement:
    • "If you're tracking your numbers...never, ever, ever buy even one bot. When you have some bots, it attracts more. It tells the algorithm that accounts like this low-quality account are the accounts that like this account." – Victoria [00:00 / 41:32]
  • The first 10K followers are crucial in determining an account's long-term health.

• Niche Audience Success

  • Different “brands” of geek/nerd culture—cosplay, gaming, Ren Faires, comics—offer unique audience opportunities, but it pays to be precise and own your quirks proudly.
  • "I can smell a Ren Faire nerd from a mile away." – Victoria [12:56]
  • Leaning into what you love attracts the right people and career opportunities.

Navigating Identity: Modeling, Cosplay, and Alter Egos

• Childhood & Pop Culture Influences

  • Victoria’s formative influences included cartoon crushes (Ariel, Jessica Rabbit) and animated storytelling. Animation shapes her creative vision—she sometimes “sees” her stories in cartoon style first [04:07].
  • The hosts reflect on how seeing themselves in characters (e.g., Roger Rabbit, Power Rangers) set the tone for later confidence and performance skills.

• The Power of Alter Egos

  • “Holly Treats” is a persona crafted from both practical (marketability, memorability) and psychological reasons (channeling confidence à la Samantha Jones from Sex and the City).
  • "Every hot blonde woman who's doing hot girl things in the public eye is, like, named Holly at some point." – Victoria [33:10]
  • Building an alter ego allows creative distance and resilience in the face of public scrutiny.
  • “With being a face creator...you have to control this part (the mind) to get this part (your image) to do what you want.” [29:11]

Creativity, Competition, and Embracing Your Lane

• Struggles with Self-Acceptance

  • Competition with artistic family members led to years of denying her creativity:
    "I remember years that I introduced myself as, I'm not that creative. Just as kind of like a shield." [11:58]
  • Making peace with her own art style was a turning point for fulfillment.

• Understanding and Serving Your Community

  • Subcultures often overlap, but nerd, geek, and alternative communities have unique expectations, particularly around authenticity.
  • She advocates for celebrating differences (e.g., Batman fans vs. Spider-Man fans), calling out how nerd culture norms have shifted: "Now it's like...guys can be Princess Peach. Guys can be Kirby. Guys can be all the things, and it doesn't mean anything about you." [14:37]

AI as a Creative Tool

• Integrating AI Into Storytelling

  • Victoria’s “AI journey” started with automating content management (Dropbox scripts), evolving into generative art and IP creation.
  • She warns against reliance on public/consumer AI for IP protection:
    "You have to defend your IP from people saying that these AI...it's not your original content for sure." [18:10]
  • She aims to automate repetitive tasks to allow more human creativity and connection.

• Building for the Future

  • Excitement about investing in a high-end custom gaming PC to expand her AI explorations, emphasizing adaptability and continuous learning [21:05].

Content Creation for Taboo or Alternative Audiences

• Working with “Taboo” Topics

  • Victoria discusses the variety of taboos globally and the need for cultural sensitivity.
  • She emphasizes the responsibility creators have when influencing others on intimate topics: "We are magicians. We can influence people. It's not pretend. And we have to have responsibility with that." [25:25]
  • Open consent and communication are seen as vital tools for healthy audience relationships.

• Volume of Connection: "Crush Matrix" Experiment

  • In her work and dating research, she’s “dated” (met) tens of thousands virtually and in-person, blurring the lines between content research and social experimentation.
  • Delegating and collaborating with her network is key to managing this “data.” [22:20]

Entrepreneurship & Protecting Your Energy

• Defining a Strong “Why”

  • Victoria’s North Star is impacting her clients (mostly content creators under the OFM Tech umbrella) and protecting them from exploitation—a direct response to her own negative experiences.
  • "What makes me so good is I've had a lot of my own traumatic experiences...knowing that all the ways I'm going out of my way for my talent is going to protect them...that's the only way I can kind of make them right." [15:55]

• Operational Wisdom

  • Cautions against overexposing oneself (especially in DMs) and recommends processes, verification, and company emails to minimize scams: "No one's ever scammed me with a company email that kind of follows this process." [37:30]

Social Media, Streaming, and Monetization

• Real vs. Fake Engagement

  • Authentic engagement and consistent quality matter more than raw numbers.
  • The distinction between live streaming and "camming" for monetization and audience-building is key:
    "You're not taking people into private shows when you're streaming...make a point to remember them. These are some of the most engaged people you could ever ask for." [43:36]

• Protecting Mental Health

  • Managing large followings is draining; Victoria has tried but often avoids building teams, due to trust and privacy issues—she largely manages millions of followers herself [41:54].
  • She addresses burnout openly, relating creator fatigue to more mainstream examples (e.g., Justin Bieber, Ninja, PewDiePie) [47:19].

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the dangers of fake followers:

  • "That initial 10k defines how the rest of your journey is going to be." – Victoria [00:24 / 41:36]

• On pop culture’s influence:

  • "Cartoons can say things that humans can't...we have a clean slate because it's fantasy." – Victoria [04:07]

• On labeling yourself (or not):

  • "I don't consider myself a feminist, but I consider myself to be in my divine feminine energy." – Victoria [02:31]

• On subculture authenticity:

  • "Nerds are the folks that make the cool shit that geeks buy." – Ray [07:34]

• On performing and alter egos:

  • "Building an alter ego allows creative distance and resilience." – Victoria [29:11-30:06]

• On responsibility as a creator (especially with taboo content):

  • "We are magicians. We can influence people...and we have to have responsibility with that." – Victoria [25:25]

• On money & energy:

  • "Literally, money is energy. No one understands that like streamers do because you watch the energy [in a stream]." – Victoria [46:04]

Timestamps to Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |------------|---------------------------------------------------------| | 00:00 | Why you should never buy bots/fake followers | | 03:09 | Childhood pop culture crushes & their creative impact | | 07:34 | The power of nerd culture; different “brands” of outsider identities | | 11:58 | Challenges of growing up creative in a talented family | | 15:55 | What drives Victoria daily (her “North Star”) | | 18:10 | How Victoria uses AI in her creative/management process | | 22:20 | The “Crush Matrix” – dating thousands for research | | 24:12 | Taboo audiences, cultural sensitivity & responsibility | | 29:11 | Channeling alter egos & the importance of the inner monologue | | 37:30 | Screening, qualification & protecting oneself online | | 41:54 | Mental toll of running large social accounts solo | | 43:36 | Key differences between streaming vs. camming | | 46:04 | The energy-money connection in live content |

How to Connect with Victoria (“Holly Treats”)

• Instagram: @holly.treats
• X (formerly Twitter): @holly_treats

Closing Remarks

Victoria (“Holly Treats”) offers a masterclass in evolving as a digital creator: blending authenticity, adaptability, technical skills (AI), strong boundaries, and a playful embrace of alter egos and alternative audiences. Her insights are actionable and honest, especially for up-and-coming creators seeking to balance personal passion, commercial success, and mental well-being. As she says, “The world is our oyster”—and she’ll definitely be back for more episodes, bigger ideas, and bolder collaborations.