Join Karla, aka WhatWouldKarlaSay (influencer, self-development vlogger, marketer, incredible person), and me as we talk about how she got started as a Youtuber, how you too can feel empowered to put yourself out there, Chicago vs. NY style pizza, the YouTube comment section, social media marketing, and much more.
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YouTubeKarla’s Podcast Transcription
Leo Morejon: [00:00:02] The beautiful thing about having grandparents. They are like, Mijo, te voy acomprar esto, te voy a compra esto, come home from Home Depot and they have like they bought me lights and they bought me like tape and glue and they’re like well we’re gonna do is we’re going to put the lights from here and from there I’m like No no it’s OK. It’s all good it’s all good. Like they like thank you I’m really grateful but I’m like no no it’s it’s fine like this is perfect, this is perfect, like no no no you need to look professional and they have no idea what I’m doing. Like they just see like a camera and a microphone.
Karla: [00:00:33] That’s so nice, that’s very sweet. My mom actually suggested those phone things in the back and I’m like oh i never thought of it, my voice over situation is I just go to a dark, like a hidden corner and I’ll put a blanket over my head. And I’m like OK. You’ve gotten to the point where you can buy equipment I just have it.
Leo Morejon: [00:00:52] No Well here’s the thing, these are about like twenty dollars, or I think about 15 or 20 on Amazon.
Karla: [00:01:01] Fifty dollars each.
Leo Morejon: [00:01:02] No no. For like 20. OK. But here’s the thing. I ended up buying the cheaper one because I liked the balloon. You could get like much much much better ones that are like if these something dollars and there like this thick like you see these aren’t that thick.
Karla: [00:01:17] Yeah.
Leo Morejon: [00:01:17] The one thing that’s been a game changer though is the mic.
Karla: [00:01:21] What kind of mic is that?
Leo Morejon: [00:01:22] The Yeti nano.
Karla: [00:01:24] OK.
Leo Morejon: [00:01:25] And then this is like a ten dollar arm from Amazon or eBay.
Karla: [00:01:30] Amazon’s worth that all the stores are losing money because of Amazon.
Leo Morejon: [00:01:34] Oh heck yeah. But I also feel like really cool like I want to start giving you the weather. It’s going to be bright and sunny in Southern California right now.
Karla: [00:01:42] Oh yes. Yeah I can totally see, you have a reall good voice just in general.
Leo Morejon: [00:01:47] Really. I. Think.
Leo Morejon: [00:01:51] So I was watching your video on like how to be presentable on camera. And I, and I’m like this is really good because I still I still don’t listen to myself like, I don’t listen to my any interviews. People will send me footage of my speaking gigs and I’m just like cool. I still get nervous. I should not have said this or said that and I should have said this and like I mean I think that’s the word.
Karla: [00:02:14] Like especially now with texting and all just emailing and just stuff like that people avoid talking on the phone and I’m like a normal person. So even when I have like a quick thing I say I don’t want to text I just want to send the voice over for a voice message, like in friends but the people don’t like to do that because they don’t want to hear their voice. And I’m like it’s just so much easier because I’m constantly typing email. So like I might as well like save some time with texting and just send a quick voicemail.
Leo Morejon: [00:02:40] Well yes. When you were in so all my Latin American friends I’m wondering if you saw this when you were down there recently. They all do like a walkie talkie kind of thing like whether they’re using I message or they’re using WhatsApp or whatever like. Hola hijo como esta que te pasa? and then they message me back. That’s how they. At first I’m like I don’t want to do this. And then I’m like This is really cool. And I’m seeing it catch on here. Like a lot of my friends in New York are doing it now like Hey what’s up. I ‘m heading over soon. Alright cool, basically like remember old next styles.
Karla: [00:03:13] Well now they have an app called Marco Polo. I don’t know.
Leo Morejon: [00:03:16] I saw that.
Karla: [00:03:17] And my friend was sending something to his mom and I’m like that’s exactly what I would do, back to like back in the day to you. Like I would just send videos like just to catch up with my friends from back home. And then he’s like Yeah but this is different cause it just like lives on the app. OK whatever. But yeah I feel like more people are catching on. So just like recording. Voice messages or videos and sending them to their loved ones you.
Leo Morejon: [00:03:43] No I love I even tried to house party with my family.
Leo Morejon: [00:03:46] You see that one basically before I message decided to like have multiple people on like one face time. Basically they were doing that and every time you would talk like you’d pop up kind of like Zoom but just for your phone and it worked like 50 percent of the time.
Karla: [00:04:04] And the other times it was just.
Leo Morejon: [00:04:05] Like a complete disaster and then my parents my grandparents would think that it was their cell phone and I’m like oh I don’t know what to do now.
Karla: [00:04:12] Oh my God. Or like you accidently [00:04:13] messaged to one person the video. The video and he said it’s a football game and it’s like oh. [5.8]
Leo Morejon: [00:04:20] My family does understand chats, group chats or group texts or anything. They’re always messaging back and forth like how do I get out of this. Hello. Hello. And then they start talking to me but I’m like everyone else could see this. Not that there’s anything bad but it’s like now you’re annoying everyone else.
Leo Morejon: [00:04:57] It’s like the equivalent in business when people reply all when they mean to just reply. So I never use reply all or reply, I hit forward and then I’ll write the email address of the person I want to message. So if they reply back or anything like that. It’s up to them to go ahead and add in they can’t make a mistake and I won’t make a mistake.
Karla: [00:05:17] That’s smart I never thought about that.
Leo Morejon: [00:05:19] I’m still doing that I’m doing the same thing I would as a reply, only thing is I forward. So I’m like there’s no way unless I type in their email that it’s going to go to the person it’s not supposed to.
Karla: [00:05:30] Yeah that’s a goodto know.
Leo Morejon: [00:05:31] Yeah yeah.
Karla: [00:05:32] You know I’m working with so many like clients. There’s been times where like I’ll review the email but I still get scared and so I like undo really quickly and I’m like I’m sure like even though I know I’m sure and then I put everything that I needed to I like I second guess myself sometimes. To let me just read it again like.
Leo Morejon: [00:05:51] Sure, I still do that I do that all the time to be honest because I’m also very cognizant and I’m concerned about how I come off on email like I don’t want someone just happens on texts to like I don’t want to seem curt or anything like that. So if you don’t know me or like the way I engage or the way I speak you might think I’m being curt and it happens wit literally everyone. So I was read it and then I’m like I put too many smiley faces here.
Karla: [00:06:19] I did that with you this morning because I tend to be very short with text messaging becuase i am not a texter and you were like good morning like you were very friendly and then I was like oh like I was just very direct like here’s the link to that and then I’m like Karla you didn’t even.
Leo Morejon: [00:06:34] With me you absolutely never have to worry. But as I was prepping for this I was just like just watching your videos and everything and think I just I’m like smiling this whole time like. I. That’s. If I had to take one thing away from like all your content in your videos I just watch him I’m like, Okay. I know people can see me but I just like have the big coolaid a smile and I’m like.
Leo Morejon: [00:06:58] This is good. Some I jThat’s what I tweeted right before this I’m like as I’m prep and I’m just smiling like that’s because your content.
Karla: [00:07:06] I’m glad. I mean I just made content to make people happy and l love storytelling so I hope that with that you know it gives different emotions like I don’t know some of my videos have been more like the sensitive side but then I always make sure to leave like with a positive note like I never know if I have something to say about like life or something that I’m going through or that a message that I want people to know about. I always try to like and do it with the bang and be like OK I guess this sucks but in the end like at the end of the day everything’s going to be OK.
Leo Morejon: [00:07:38] Yeah yeah. Yeah. How did you get started? I think one of your videos you said like you’ve been doing this for seven years as a YouTuber. I think that’s maybe I’m wrong.
Karla: [00:07:50] No no no I. Because it was six but like a year has already passed. Like in my head I’m like never doing this for six years but I haven’t even kept track that I think I am going on seven where I am.
Leo Morejon: [00:08:01] I mean what I said I mean three years is a long time.
Karla: [00:08:05] Yeah I mean I think I’m doing this since I was 20 and I’m 27 now. So yes seven. Oh my God. Yeah it’s been a long time but I I barely started kind of seeing the side of YouTube where I’m like oh I could do this full time if I really set my mind to it for about two years it seemed like that’s when I kind of started thinking like Oh wait shouldn’t name my blog like I had fun nobody is searching that like I need to name my video like ten ways to have fun during summer like.
Leo Morejon: [00:08:36] Yeah.
Karla: [00:08:37] It’s like thinking about it more like a marketing standpoint working series two years ago but in terms of like a personal journey kind of like my own diary in a way to connect with others and use my voice. Yeah it’s been seven years so long time.
Leo Morejon: [00:08:52] So seven years since you’ve actually picked up the camera and started recording.
Karla: [00:08:56] Yeah yeah.
Leo Morejon: [00:08:57] Were you doing anything beforehand like did you have a blog, used to write or journal. It was just like you went straight to camera.
Karla: [00:09:04] Yeah yeah I know. Well I mean I always wanted to be on camera. I started off actually because I wanted to be a journalist and I was taking all these on camera classes broadcasting classes and I just hated having to watch myself again and in front of so many people. And I just wasn’t as company when it came down to the assignment like I was also not writing and putting a story together. But when I was on camera I just hated that aspect of it but I really wanted it. So I was like OK if you really want something you to have to you have to put the time and effort into it. And what I was missing was like my oncamera presence open with other people. And I feel like I’m a journalist you have to be kind of raw. Yeah well the only way I’m going to step out of my comfort zone is to like put myself in front of a camera which is super it is already embarrassing and awkward enough. So I just started doing that. And then I enjoyed it because I was connecting with people and I was making friends who were doing the same thing.
Karla: [00:10:04] I think it was a good community to be in.
Leo Morejon: [00:10:07] Well you I mean your community is awesome like some of the most recent videos or even your trip to Guatemala. You brought I don’t know if your friend was a YouTuber too but you have like so many YouTuber concentrator friends and it was the Guatemala video. I loved it when your friend was dancing.
Karla: [00:10:25] What. Jada Yeah I think it was great.
Leo Morejon: [00:10:27] Yeah yeah Jaden he was dancing with someone.
Karla: [00:10:30] Yeah. Yes my aunt that is funny. Yeah. See the thing is I’ve gotten, he’s not a concentrator but I’ve got in my family and my really close friends like to get used to the fact that I’m going to probably pull out a camera at some point when we’re hanging out. And they’re so supportive about it. It took a while. Like at first my family is like this is weird but then they saw how passionate I was and that it wasn’t just like a little hobby for me it was but when they like now like when I was in Guatemala I was creating content I was doing it. So like I made sure that it wouldn’t take away time for my [00:11:07] family because I in a long time. [2.1] So in my head I was like OK if I’m gonna go to this place these are the shots that I need to get. So I was kind of already planning in my head but none of them knew I don’t want to take time away from that. So yeah so casually that they don’t even notice and then they get involved in my content. That’s amazing having to put pressure on it. So it’s it’s really awesome.
Leo Morejon: [00:11:29] So you kind of like training indoctrinating them without them knowing a little by little makes me a little sudden you see your mom with like her own thing and you’re bad in Spanish Yeah.
Karla: [00:11:39] I actually recently made a documentary about my mom. Yeah it is. Oh I missed it. I haven’t. Well it’s it’s only it’s unlisted because I submitted it to a contest. Right yeah. So I’m like waiting to like release it publicly but that was cool because a lot of people that wouldn’t originally be on camera camera for this project is like a personal project for me. It was cool because I kind of got to be like more of the director and I wasn’t on the camera and I always wanted like I wanted to shake him up and be like It’s not that hard to move the camera. And then I had to realize like way out like that was me seven years ago when I. Yeah. So like how am I going to train them to kind of get used to it. That was fun.
Leo Morejon: [00:12:20] Your video though I love everything you were sharing like just practicing standing from the mirror talking positively like just doing it doing it doing it doing it. Actually I even had the idea as you were as I was watching and like someone should take a picture of like their best friend or their mom or something and put it on top of the camera. And pretend they’re talking to them.
Karla: [00:12:41] Yes. Yeah. No that’s like a great tip. Just in general because.
Leo Morejon: [00:12:46] I just thought of it. You inspired me so I had to give you the credit.
Karla: [00:12:50] I mean when I started blogging sometimes I would pretend like I’m talking to my friends. Even now when I get nervous and I don’t get so nervous like in terms of like how I feel in front of the camera but like I recently shot a video for non-profit that I’m working for like I’m a brand ambassador for them. And I didn’t want to say the wrong thing because it [00:13:11] was for me to stay in. [1.5] So it’s a lot of informative stuff. When I first started my friend was helping me films I was just pretending like I was talking to him and I was like hey like I have something exciting to tell you. And then I started with like the script aspect of things. But. Yeah I always try to just pretend like I there’s nobody watching me and then I’m just talking to my friends. I mean at the end of the day my subscribers are very like my friends like they’re really supportive and I have a good oh I hear a lot of content creators you know talking about their audience and sometimes they don’t have the nicest one but I feel like I got pretty lucky. Because of the content that I put out there. Like you said it’s very positive to get very like minded and positive people following me. So that’s good.
Leo Morejon: [00:13:55] That’s amazing. I have to ask because we all know how dreaded the comment section in YouTube could be. I actually, I’ve trained myself to not look at them. So when I was looking at your videos I’ve never looked at them. How is your comment section. ll a little scary.
Karla: [00:14:11] Yeah well the up until two months ago I had the nicest subscribers ever. Like I was saying one of my video ended up on Reddit. d it was a very it wasn’t a personalvideo but it was a video about dating. I’ve been trying to do more self development videos. And last year I was more focused on like doing conversational videos. I did a video called like six reasons why I quit online dating. And of course there’s going to be opinions about that and so forth. So I ended up on like some women hating page.
Leo Morejon: [00:14:46] Oh, really on Reddit already.
Karla: [00:14:49] On Reddit. The comments were so bad. I mean just think of it like the worst thing a woman could be called or is there and everything. It was. Yeah no worries. I mean. I took it like a boss and it honestly didn’t. Bother me like there was some part where I was like Oh my God this person’s like horrible but I think I’ve just built the confidence up especially on camera and I kind of it was I built all these years I guess I was like not waiting but I knew a moment like.
Leo Morejon: [00:15:20] It’s gonna happen. Yeah.
Karla: [00:15:21] And I was already prepared for it. So I just like deleted the comments but first I was reading them I was actually laughing at some of them. They were pretty funny like they were rude but I like I don’t it takes a lot to offend me I was like whatever. But yeah at the end of the day I was like OK it’s over like I’m not getting mean comments anymore. I knew it was bound to happen at least.
Leo Morejon: [00:15:40] No as you become more popular it’s going to have it just happens to everyone or it doesn’t matter who you are. That’s why I never look at you. I don’t make videos really. Until now that I’m recording things like this but I never look at the comment section ever because they just even when I worked on like Oreo or trying to like it there’s no reason to look at youtube comments at all like everyone’s just gonna hate on something.
Karla: [00:16:03] I would be surprised. I would think you would have to judge because you were working in marketing and you want to see like what the audience and everyone is.
Leo Morejon: [00:16:10] So we definitely did. And people saw, what happened actually on Oreo was very interesting. We had a company called I See You See that monitored Oreo all Oreo social media pages 24 hours a day seven days a week holidays doesn’t matter all year round in four or five different local languages around the world everything from Mandarin, English, Spanish and so on and so on. So I technically didn’t always have to look but we would always get reports and then we’d look on Facebook and things like that. But YouTube from the very beginning never gave us anything worth using Facebook amazing content amazing feedback or what people wanted what they liked what they didn’t like all that kind of good stuff. YouTube.
Karla: [00:16:54] Wow.
Leo Morejon: [00:16:55] Nothing like they just hate on you. We just hate like they should have cut this they should have made this shorter. That person whoever is uploading these things doesn’t know what they’re doing or like Oreos taking over the world like.
Karla: [00:17:08] Oh my God or first comment and I’m like.
Leo Morejon: [00:17:11] Yeah Oh [00:17:12] does that see I haven’t because I have a used to [2.3] happen all the time.
Karla: [00:17:16] Yeah. That’s something I’ve actually trained my subscriber not to do that because like in the beginning some of what it wa cute because I had a younger audience at the time and they wouldn’t like they called me like mom or queen and I love my little ones.
Leo Morejon: [00:17:29] I love that. That is awesome.
Karla: [00:17:31] Now. This isn’t going to be like first that I would be like Cray and like you know first I was like but at the same time I wanted [00:17:37] feedback from those guys are [1.0] I know you guys think I’m awesome but I actually [00:17:42] went to like earn and you’re [1.0] like Yeah I had my content not just because like you saw me from day one and you love me already. Like I could die and you’re still going to love me. I don’t want to [00:17:51] be that concert. [0.5]
Leo Morejon: [00:17:52] No no. That that makes sense. I think I actually an Oreo we did one where we were just. We wrote like the status update was first. And then just see what everyone was doing. I think that was fun. Those are like some of my my best memories just doing like cute little posts like that.
Karla: [00:18:08] Yeah just having fun with it.
Leo Morejon: [00:18:10] Yeah. Just see what people would say. People loved it like this because Oreo such like a fun little brand. But what. If you had to give an elevator speech like that kind of content that you produce and your YouTube channel. What would you call it.
Karla: [00:18:26] So I would say that it’s a self development and adventure channel but it’s it teaches people to like let go of their fears and just do. I feel like because it has been a personal journey for me. People have seen the growth and now in myself and like my personal journey and able to teach that to people and really tell them to just be bold and go out there and let go of fears and then doesn’t that mean that we don’t have fears. Sure. But we like own up to them and they’re like. And we say OK well how are we going to let go of this. And I say we because like for me my subscribers are like a community. And so if I’m out there doing something to step out of my comfort zone I want them to also do that. Like I want to inspire them to do the same. Not just watch me and be entertained.
Leo Morejon: [00:19:12] Yeah it’s amazing. So they could take something away from it. Like.
Karla: [00:19:16] Yeah.
Leo Morejon: [00:19:16] Inspiration and do something. That’s amazing that’s why I mean the listeners know that’s why I created Build and Inspire. And it was from a podcast I listened to where there was a psychologist talking about the ways to get people to do things. And if you want someone to make a positive change in your life and their lives you need to inspire them. It’s really the only way if you want people not to do something then you scare them. So that’s why you actually see on cigarette packages people have like diseases and things like that because you scare them to deter something. But if you want positive change you inspire.
Karla: [00:19:51] Yeah. And I feel like with inspiring too it’s like you have to not just talk but show.
Leo Morejon: [00:19:56] Yes.
Karla: [00:19:57] Great thing about I guess being an influence or being like showing more of your life and documenting your journey because I don’t know. There’s been [00:20:07] during craters [0.8] that I follow that I don’t really know how they got to where they’re at. I just never yeah again successful and then and then I’m like and I like I inspire to be like them but at the same time wait I want to know like your back story I want to know like you failed and like how you made it this far I don’t want to just see the success aspect of things. Y.
Leo Morejon: [00:20:28] Yeah yeah.
Karla: [00:20:29] So being able to like tell people like this is where I was at. This is where I’m at now but like let me teach you let me show you how I got here I really enjoy that type of content. So I hope that that is something that I can continue to do with my content just because I was like a [00:20:47] blogger a cook. [1.0] It is hard sometimes, in terms of shut like not telling people like I sometimes I just show them. But then I get stuck in that like am I just entertaining or am actually teaching something because I think that as a creator you’re constantly having to teach something or provide value of some sort.
Leo Morejon: [00:21:08] Sure. No I definitely think you do both right. Like I said like I’m learning and I’m smiling as I’m watching your videos and I’m sure everyone knows I’m after this. I’m on a dive into your comment sections on YouTube.
Karla: [00:21:24] Oh yeah I go to that one video. Find me.
Leo Morejon: [00:21:29] You know I’ll just be standing up for you. What do you saying or heard. You do your [00:21:34] work it’s. [1.7] No no of course I think and like you said like the community you’re building is so amazing like the other YouTuber you’re collaborating with and everything. How are you meeting them. Because I think that’s that’s something I get asked like Hey how are you getting your guests. What do you how do you collaborate with people. So how are you working with because we’re just fans that find you randomly you reach out to them.
Karla: [00:21:58] It’s through Twitter most of the time. Like a lot of my friends now and I look like my content creator friends that also make youtube videos. I just found them through watching their content and not being afraid to just send them a message and say like hey I really love your content. And then also I think you have to like talk people up and in a very genuine way. But just being like Hey this is what caught my attention about your content and then starting off from there and building a genuine relationship by engaging with content reposting their content and just providing value to them and talking to them. So I’ve done it through like social media most of the time. Like I watch their videos and then there’s even been some people who don’t make videos but I really like their Instagram content. Now with Instagram like being a video platform I’ll message them there and then even though we’re on different platforms there’s still a way to collaborate somehow. Like I like it’s like Instagram. It was kind of like a live podcast or it was just a live It’s like fashion blogger she invites people into her into her space and her Instagram live and then I’m on her podcast kind of thing. So I’m just kind of like building those relationships depending doesn’t it doesn’t matter what platform but just creating those authentic relationships and I I’ve done it all through social media or even like networking in the conference like different types of conference. I’m interested in looking like there’s a conference called Bitcon here. And so just making friends there and then continuing to build relationships because I feel like people don’t follow up you meet somebody and then you’re just like OK I’m done. But you really have to like it like any relationship it takes time.
Leo Morejon: [00:23:46] Yeah. And it goes two ways.
Karla: [00:23:48] Yeah exactly yeah. I’m not going to be like sending messages like hey I really like your content I really like never replying I’m like ok bye.
Leo Morejon: [00:23:55] Yeah yeah I know that happens to me cause I reach out to people all the time and sometimes I get responses and sometimes I don’t but I try to do the whole thing where they’re like if I want to get in contact with someone I like everything on their page and like like just trying to be like Look at me look at me.
Karla: [00:24:12] Like I put into your dm’s I’m here.
Leo Morejon: [00:24:15] Actually you saw me already at the guy who liked 50 of your posts from five years ago. I’m actually doing that with Vanilla Ice right now. I have like this goal where I am only like an hour away from Vanilla Ice, I guess I’ll give this away I don’t know if you’ve noticed on my Twitter account or my Instagram account for Build and Inspire I put business quotes and then I put the name of whoever gave the quote but they’re really just songs like Miley Cyrus lyrics or the last what I did was yeah. The last one I did was a Grease song and then I’ll find like the artist’s real name and then I’ll put it there.
Karla: [00:24:52] And I love her.
Leo Morejon: [00:24:54] The first one I did and it was Vanilla Ice and then all of a sudden I’m like. I want to Get Vanilla Ice on this podcast.
Karla: [00:25:03] That’s a good goal to have.
Leo Morejon: [00:25:04] That’s just my goal.
Karla: [00:25:05] What’s that one person you want your podcast. And you’re gonna make it happen.
Leo Morejon: [00:25:09] It’s Vanilla Ice and like Vanilla Ice strangely has always been in my life. So I used to give a lot of product demos right for it when I sold like social media listening in social media management tools and my background was two pieces of ice and a baby so I always used to put up on the screen right before a demo and see who would get it and who wouldn’t.
Karla: [00:25:29] Heidi. Yeah. I’ll get that. Yes. So he’s going to he’s going to he’s going to be on your podcast for sure.
Leo Morejon: [00:25:37] Yeah. A hundred percent. And when he’s on it I’m also going like I want to do it. I have this vision that’s gonna be on location I’m going to bring Truth my pug. And like she’s really calm and we’re gonna have a whole day of creating content and hanging out and maybe I’ll move in with Vanilla Ice and maybe like we’ll produce a song together and then.
Karla: [00:25:55] Wow you in your head he’s are your roommate your best friend.
Leo Morejon: [00:25:59] Oh yeah. 100 percent he’s my roommate.
Karla: [00:26:01] Oh my God. Yeah.
Karla: [00:26:04] What.
Leo Morejon: [00:26:05] What was that. Sorry.
Karla: [00:26:05] It’s definitely people in my life where I’m like we would be great friends.
Leo Morejon: [00:26:09] Who’s that. Well besides who. Who do you want to have on your channel on one of your videos like that’s number one. Number two who’s like an aspirational person that you like in general that like you follow and you love their content and you try to model.
Karla: [00:26:27] Well I won’t say him right now because I’ll bring down the room but I really love Samantha Brown. OK. She’s on the Travel Channel. I love Anderson Cooper.
Leo Morejon: [00:26:38] Yeah.
Karla: [00:26:39] And then Oprah Winfrey like those are people really like in my life like I would love for them somehow we do something with them.
Leo Morejon: [00:26:47] Yeah. And they’re both desperate and they’re all aspirational people too.
Karla: [00:26:51] Yes. But one of my biggest one was Anthony Bourdain.
Leo Morejon: [00:26:54] Yes.
Karla: [00:26:55] Yes. Like he was definitely a good storyteller and I love everything about him. But one of my one of my asked people I just aspired to be was the Spanish reporter and his name was Jorge Ramos. And I actually got to like not really do something with him but I asked a few questions and like it appeared on this channelcalled Univision one of the proudest moment. Just like an adult where I was like he answered one of my questions and that question like appeared on Univision it looks like I’ve made it it’s like I could say.
Leo Morejon: [00:27:26] Now your parents know you’ve made it becausethat’s all they they know like Telemundo Univision Yeah.
Karla: [00:27:31] They’re like oh Jorge Ramos answering your questions you mean it you know.
Leo Morejon: [00:27:34] Exactly mija you can stop now.
Karla: [00:27:37] Yeah with a hundred dollars in my bank account I can retire now.
Leo Morejon: [00:27:39] Exactly. I have no money but that said I made it. I had to bring something up now that you brought up. Anthony Bourdain. So Anthony Bourdain actually says the best cheese steak and this is like blasphemy it’s like you were gonna get nasty comments now is New Jersey not Philly.
Karla: [00:27:58] Oh we’re going to get to me.
Leo Morejon: [00:28:02] Yeah well that’s what Anthony Bourdain said. This here’s the problem. This is something I have to pick a bone with you is you were eating deep dish Chicago style pizz and to me being from New York New Jersey that’s blasphemous. We don’t call that pizza.
Karla: [00:28:18] You call this pizza.
Leo Morejon: [00:28:21] No it’s like it’s a baked good with like this much bread. And this must cheese it has to be like you know medium. And if it’s gonna be thicker it has to be Sicilian. I was watching you eat it and I’m like oh no had to come to New York. And we had to like hang out and get some really good New York style pizza.
Karla: [00:28:40] OK well you’re going to have to prove me wrong on that because that pizza my friend had been talking about it nonstop and she finally buy me over and she has her parents fly her pizzas [00:28:49] from lose to Carl Lewis. [2.2]
Leo Morejon: [00:28:51] Oh my gosh she’s going to hat me.. No no no no no.
Leo Morejon: [00:28:54] People are going to hate on us.
Karla: [00:28:57] There [00:28:57] you go. Well Malala. [1.4] All right. So not so good.
Leo Morejon: [00:29:01] But I got to say it’s not bad. It’s very good. It’s just not pizza.
Karla: [00:29:08] It’s more like a pie.
Leo Morejon: [00:29:09] Exactly.
Karla: [00:29:10] OK I can give you that.
Leo Morejon: [00:29:12] Which is in New York it’s funny we call it a pizza pie. I’m having a pie. But that is like pie eah. So in New York we don’t.
Leo Morejon: [00:29:22] Chicago. That’s the thing that they eat. Yeah.
Karla: [00:29:26] See the thing is people are going to hate me more becuase I went to Philly and I had some Philly [00:29:30] cheesesteak I go with those. [2.0]
Leo Morejon: [00:29:33] Yeah. Which one Pats or Geno’s. They’re across from either South Street.
Karla: [00:29:37] Or within Geno’s. Oh my [00:29:38] God. What. [0.6]
Leo Morejon: [00:29:40] This is this isn’t the Great Divide too.
Karla: [00:29:44] Yeah. You were gonna hate me but regardless I wasn’t a fan of cheesesteak in general right. Oh.
Leo Morejon: [00:29:51] I mean it’s all good.
Karla: [00:29:57] I don’t know how to work.
Leo Morejon: [00:29:59] It’s all right. I’ll just throw it.
Karla: [00:30:01] There you go. I know it’s embarrassing. I got the new iPhone X and I don’t know how to use any of the buttons.
Leo Morejon: [00:30:08] The one. Well because it doesn’t have a button. I have I have it too.
Karla: [00:30:12] Oh man. Yes. It’s been one day. I’m loving it. But I don’t know how to, like scroll up to like this like like hide all the apps that I’ve been using.
Leo Morejon: [00:30:22] Yeah yeah. You’ll get used to it. It took me about a month to get like really comfortable and now I can’t see myself going. Like when I use someone else’s iPhone I’m like What is this thing.
Karla: [00:30:33] Then the one with a home button.
Leo Morejon: [00:30:35] Yeah. Yeah. I don’t know. Hopefully I get accustomed to it. Yes.
Leo Morejon: [00:30:42] Sorry. Yes you are saying you [00:30:44] don’t like I don’t [1.2] like you at all. Yeah. I know.
Karla: [00:30:48] I’m not a steak lover. I only did it cause I want to be culture and I was like I can’t go to Philly and go but that’s what I do.
Leo Morejon: [00:30:53] I’m glad you did it though. Yeah.
Karla: [00:30:56] But the thing I did wrong is I think it was like American. I used the wrong type of cheese was supposed to be with.
Leo Morejon: [00:31:03] Oh yes I know. I don’t know that much about it but I do know that. OK. No I don’t get these Cheez Whiz. Like they order like that so.
Karla: [00:31:11] I was like where’s the Cheese.I was lliterally was stoked because it was just like meat and bread and I was like where’s the cheese. Like I was hoping it would be just like sauteed with a bunch of cheese and it was.
Leo Morejon: [00:31:21] Did you make a video.
Karla: [00:31:23] I did. Yeah.
Leo Morejon: [00:31:23] All right I got watch now and that’s gonna be awesome.
Karla: [00:31:27] It’s all my favorites actually because I just I got really dumb in it like you that’s the. Kind of content sometimes I love where I’m not trying to be like a know it all. Or like an expert at anything.
Leo Morejon: [00:31:37] I’m just saying it’s not fun being genuine in it and also just you’re experiencing it for the first time and letting people who have never experienced it or those that have experience it in a different way.
Karla: [00:31:48] Yeah. Exactly.
Leo Morejon: [00:31:50] So, so when it comes to making your videos one of the hardest things for me is never recording anything. It’s editing. How long does it take you. Like you record it for those that can’t see your face.
Karla: [00:32:06] Editing can be a nightmare but it’s also a great I mean that’s the way you storytell with videos you like. Yeah. All over it.
Leo Morejon: [00:32:14] What do you use to use Adobe final cut.
Karla: [00:32:17] I use Adobe I will never go back to Final Cut.
Leo Morejon: [00:32:19] Oh no. I use Final Cut.
Karla: [00:32:21] Oh really.
Leo Morejon: [00:32:22] Yeah. Yeah. Because that’s what I learned in school in high school.
[00:32:24] We had like a I. Oh my God. [00:32:27] Oh you did and you just stayed. [00:32:29] Yeah. They just had maps and that’s what I use. [6.2]Karla: [00:32:31] But now it’s like a newer version isn’t it. Oh yeah.
Leo Morejon: [00:32:34] There’s an I don’t know what it’s called. I think it’s actually still called. They change the name of Phantom of the audio one with some. Pro Tools but I think final cut is still final cut.
Karla: [00:32:43] Time X OK. Yeah like express it just kind of reminds me of a I’m being a hater but it kind of reminds me of an I movie.
Leo Morejon: [00:32:52] Yeah you’re right. It’s simplified a bit but I just I mean I’m just being a traditionalist like that’s what I’ve always used. But anyway sorry. So from when you create, a video you record it. How long does it actually take you to edit it and then post it. So like today you went to Philly no today you went to New York you had the most amazing pizza you ever had in your life you’re like I’m never gonna talk about Chicago pizza I never talked to my friend ever again.
Karla: [00:33:19] I offered New York pizza. Exactly. Then.
Leo Morejon: [00:33:22] How soon would that be up and how long does it take you to edit it.
Karla: [00:33:25] Since I would have a plan and I would know what I’d be filming. I probably could edit that type of video in like three hours.
Leo Morejon: [00:33:33] OK.
Karla: [00:33:33] But most of the time it’s like a four to six hour edit. That’s also uploading it because a lot of the times like it’s just like a little things like finding the music. Yeah I could go through all this like you know data base of music and see which is not free. Yeah. And then writing the description other video tagging.
Leo Morejon: [00:33:54] Takes a long time.
Karla: [00:33:56] It’is just a lot. Yeah. Like before I could edit a video maybe in an hour if it was like a simple blog like simple cuts. But now that I do more of like I do a lot of sequences on my videos with different shots and music just to let it be more like appealing to the viewer. It does take a while and I love editing but it could it could, it’s like a full time job I mean if you think about it like my [00:34:18] oh it is Persian [1.0] video is like the most I’ve eever taken on a video has been about like 16 hours to dit.
Leo Morejon: [00:34:25] Oh wow. How long was that video. Like how long was how long was the footage. Was it like 5 hours worth of footage and then you edited it down to like 20 minutes 30 minutes or.
Karla: [00:34:35] Something like five hours then in 30 minutes. It was one of my Guatemala videos and I also I translated it so what I had to do the text and then I have I can write Spanish pretty well but there’s some word that I’m like Let me Google this how do you say.
Leo Morejon: [00:34:48] I’m the same way.
Karla: [00:34:50] So it was just a lot of like little things here and there that require time like translating [00:34:56] their cries [0.4] a long time 16 hours, five hours worth of footage,13 minute video.
Leo Morejon: [00:35:01] Yeah. Wow. Have you been inspired now to make any like 100 percent Spanish videos.
Karla: [00:35:07] I have yeah and see that’s the thing when you make a video on YouTube and it does really well you’ll get a new audience. A lot of the audience that I got I went to Guatemala a few months ago and I produced a lot of videos while I was there and I got a lot of Spanish speakers on my channel and so now I have and I would love to create content for them because they sometimes where they’ll be like oh this made me laugh or I really loved this but I couldn’t really understand it. I don’t understand it at all. I still watch that.
Leo Morejon: [00:35:38] Yeah.
Karla: [00:35:39] It would be nice to have and I’ve thought about at least doing like translating it on YouTube because YouTube allows you to be good. Yeah I do. I mean I love when I meet people who speak Spanish like yourself. Yes I [00:35:53] know Spanish. [1.4] I love my first language so I don’t have to defenitely make more content even if it’s traveling to different Latin American countries and then translating into English.
Leo Morejon: [00:36:06] And yeah. Yeah yeah well hopefully you’ll be able to come down with me and David Berkowitz to Mexico in April for the [00:36:13] lintel. [0.5]
Karla: [00:36:14] That would be so amazing.
Leo Morejon: [00:36:16] Yeah yeah yeah. I gotta follow up with them so I sent them an email and they’re gonna take a look at a content I’m gonna send the list to you to get you on it.
Karla: [00:36:24] Oh perfect. OK. Yeah. I’m excited just because you know as when we first met you and I was doing a lot of like videography things and trying to get into that and trying to balance like my YouTube channel and seeing how I can make it go full time. But recently I kind of went where kind of how you said just kind like I was doing a lot of public, I was starting to do public speaking but I didn’t think that I was capable of doing that, I don’t have that much experience but then when I realized that I’m like wait I’ve been doing it for like seven years.
Leo Morejon: [00:36:56] Oh yeah right now yeah.
Karla: [00:36:58] Even if it hasn’t been filmed or like with a large audience of constantly talking to even small groups of people. And so lately I’ve just kind of been going where life takes me which is a good feeling. Like I I recently started doing more social media like strategy lboking a lot of clients for that. I was one of those things that I told myself I’m not doing this anymore. I don’t want to do social media just because for many reasons.
Leo Morejon: [00:37:26] Sure.
Karla: [00:37:26] But when like one client decide to hire me I was like okay maybe I can take this on. And then when I felt confident about it again more things started kind of showing up in my life and now I’m doing like strategy and content creation for brands. And it’s really awesome because I’m like oh I love to do it. I think it was just you know when things start slowing down in life you’re like maybe this isn’t meant for me like that. And then it just happened. I think with anything it just takes time you know.
Leo Morejon: [00:37:53] No, a hundred percent I think I am late to like the content game even though I’ve been marketing for brands and things like that for like eleven years. Even now I’m seeing a lot more popularity around my content than a year ago and I and it’s funny cause I was just thinking that too I was like looking at my analytics and everything and I’m like wow good thing I didn’t stop like six months in because I would have been like leaving all these people and all this growth behind those times when I’m like get two likes on something and I’m like alright never doing this again.
Karla: [00:38:24] Yeah but like I said I think takes time and I feel like you’re doing so well with your content you have so much experience and things that people can learn from you. Like just the first day that I talk to you I learned so much and I think that you know it doesn’t really matter about the followers like it matters.
Leo Morejon: [00:38:40] You right.
Karla: [00:38:41] Well like five people. But like if I have five Leo’s watching my content I know they.
Leo Morejon: [00:38:47] Oh, no there shouldn’t be five Leo’s and they’re like really supportive and like genuine people who care about like seeing me succeed and just like provide value. Good genuine person. Like I’m like oh five is enough I don’t need five million people that don’t really I really don’t really care about me.
Leo Morejon: [00:39:04] I 100 percent agree with you. I’m in the same boat. How did you still when you were doing. Actually we met because you were doing some public speaking and I saw you only need to get connected with her. Like do you still. There’s a question I get all the time. Do you still get nervous. Do you get nervous. Well yes.
Karla: [00:39:21] I still get nervous even like hopping on this. I mean you’re not really.
Karla: [00:39:25] I’m the same way.
Leo Morejon: [00:39:27] I’m like what am I going to say.
Karla: [00:39:30] Well I mean just with anything in life because you’re. Yeah. What are you going to say. You know like are we going to run out of things to talk about or like am I just not a blank out. Could there have been moments where I have so much to say and then I forget like even when I was telling you about, like Anthony Bourdain because it kind of just got me like sad. I literally blanked down for a second I was going to forget his name and it came back into my head. Just little moments like that where you’re so excited about talking about something that shows that excitement turns into nerves and then it’s just like a mess. So because of those thoughts I think oh my God I’m scared, I don’t think I can take it. I’m nervous.
Leo Morejon: [00:40:03] Yeah.
Karla: [00:40:05] Once you kind of get the hang of things and you forget about the nerves it’s like I love doing it. It’s so awesome.
Leo Morejon: [00:40:11] I black out really like I couldn’t, I don’t remember half the things I say after I’m done, It’s like I have like an adrenaline rush while I’m up on stage and I’m just talking and talking and talking to people like hey remember when you saw that thing and I’m like No.
Karla: [00:40:28] Yeah blacking out is a great way to put it. I remember I was interviewing this guy. It was one of my first like news internships that I did and I finally got the opportunity to take the mic and be the one interviewing I was like the intern but I got to get the experience. Yeah I interviewed this guy named Darren Chris. Such a sweet guy by the way. But when I was interviewing him because I got so scared and I blacked out my idea of what he was saying I thought he was being mean like I thought he was being like a jerk like I don’t know. I was so scared and I thought he was kind of answering I would like sass or just like I don’t want to be here. And I remember ending the interview I’m like Oh my God. he’s a herk and like this felt so uncomfortable but it was me. Because then when I watched the interview he was the sweetest guy ever. I like his tone and everything. He was like he does so well in the interview. He’s listening to that sorry there. Yeah I was like it’s all about how I felt like there was one of my first thing that I ever did. I’m so scared so insecure that I literally just blacked out and was sweating internally and everywhere and I just felt like like the world was just closing in on me. And so I thought it was like the worst interview I ever did. It was like I it went well. I know. I don’t know what I’m thinking.
Leo Morejon: [00:41:43] That happens to me a lot. I I recorded a podcast that I was being interviewed on the other day. It was about data analytics and all that kind of stuff and I was so sick. I was like I had a cold. Basically I think I had the flu I was like chugging DayQuill and I was like this is probably the worst thing I ever did and then I listened to it and I went oh it’s not so bad.
Karla: [00:42:03] So it’s about how we get in our heads a lot. But I mean I guess being sick that’s different.
Leo Morejon: [00:42:10] Yeah. And then always it’s always like do I cancel, do I not, like even recording these sometimes I’m like I don’t know when you know I was going to be available again there is gonna be bad quality I’m like what do I do. And most of the time truthfully I’m like I’m going to push through.
Karla: [00:42:26] Yeah well you started the podcast because I think now I mean podcasts are already a popular thing but more I’ve seen more people starting them just now like recently. And I mean that’s something that I would want to get into. But I think about like oh I don’t have the right equipment or I don’t., I don’t know how I’m gonna get started and you just drove into it and it happened like that’s so important.
Leo Morejon: [00:42:51] Well thank you. But I mean you you know this better than I do you look at you and your camera equipment you probably didn’t start out with the best things in the world didn’t even probably have., did you have a tripod when you started out did you, actually record on like how did it. So tell us a journey on a from just from a straight technical equipment side.
Karla: [00:43:09] Yeah. So I had a camera and it was like more of a point and shoot but it wasn’t HD with an SD camera. Like my very first one but I remember my tripod was actually the status thing it was in college and I would stack up a bunch of books like my textbooks and usually like I felt like on my bed or on my desk chair and so I would like I would have the camera on my desk stacked. Oh I would start a bunch of books and then put the camera on top of the book.
Leo Morejon: [00:43:36] That’s awesome. What kind of camera was it.
Karla: [00:43:39] I know it was like a Canon. I don’t remember which one it was. It was like a cool pics can’t look.
Leo Morejon: [00:43:44] Like one like a point and shoot [00:43:45] not.,a SLR. [0.1] Yes so I don’t know much about equipment.
Karla: [00:43:50] I mean now I use it [00:43:51] the SLR [0.5] but I have a good blogging camera and I call it a blogging camera to point and shoot you know like lens but it but it’s a good camera because it’s HD and it shoots in slo mo. It’s great but now having [00:44:05] the DSL [1.0] are it’s kind of like how why am I going to [00:44:08] have Estee SLR [0.7] still shoot with a point and shoot. But it’s so much easier when you’re traveling to have a smaller camera. But yeah even now I sometimes don’t use a tripod. I use like I’m like a little like a gorilla pod. It’s much cooler.
Leo Morejon: [00:44:20] Yeah, Is that someone that grips. Yes. Get a grip on things.
Karla: [00:44:25] Exactly.
Leo Morejon: [00:44:26] That’s all. So you were stacking things on books like your camera was on books.
Karla: [00:44:30] Yeah like that. Yes. Like how did Carlos start like just a simple camera and books where my tripod.
Leo Morejon: [00:44:37] So that’s awesome when did you decide to like upgrade your equipment because I started I actually was like how can I do this not sacrifice quality but also not spend a lot of money. I didn’t want to be the person who goes skiing for once for one time and then buys all the equipment and the best equipment and then never goes skiing ever again. And I was like I can have time this is gonna work out or not. So I decided to buy like mid-range equipment I bought it on points.
[00:45:04] OK. Oh, wow.Leo Morejon: [00:45:05] I’m thinking what am I going to upgrade. And so like when did you decide that like alright you know now I need that grip I need that [00:45:14] the SLR. [0.9] When did that happen. Was it based on views emotion or what.
Karla: [00:45:18] I guess it was based more on like I’m ready to go out into the world and I don’t have a videographer. So sometimes I’m going to want those shots that required. I don’t want it just to be handheld. You know one place the tripod and then do those shots where I’m like walking around town and like somebody filming me but it’s very it’s just a tripod.
Leo Morejon: [00:45:38] Yeah look.
Karla: [00:45:39] I record like I hit record and I walk past the camera. Look.
Leo Morejon: [00:45:42] Yeah. Yeah.
Karla: [00:45:43] But it’s not so because I needed more of those like travel shots I was like ok I need a I need a tripod. And then the influence of friends like I mean even recently I was shooting with just a point and shoot. I mean I was doing brand working with brands and shooting stuff for the, but most the time I would just grab a camera I didn’t have have my own, so I would go into these networking events with people like people who are bloggers and they had these fancy cameras. Oh what do you shoot on. And you know they thought they could talk on camera with me and I really feel like oh the [00:46:14] Sony’s is a seminar I mark three or whatever [2.6] you know rebel.
Leo Morejon: [00:46:18] Blah blah blah blah. So I know rebel Canon rebel. That’s all I know.
Karla: [00:46:23] That’s a good thing that’s a good starter camera. You don’t have to break the bank but.
Leo Morejon: [00:46:29] Let’s not break the bank because I’ve seen like, what is it like a thousand dollars.
Karla: [00:46:33] Yeah. Like less than a thousand dollars. But less maybe like less than seven hundred. That’s breaking the bank.
Leo Morejon: [00:46:39] Yeah. Yeah.
Karla: [00:46:40] My point and shoot was like seven hundred which I’m kind of like why I spend so much I might as well just dove into [00:46:45] the death of LA. [0.7]
Leo Morejon: [00:46:46] Yeah.
Karla: [00:46:46] Now [00:46:47] yes a lot. But again it was influenced [1.9] and I and maybe we could talk about like comparing yourself to others but like it’s like 3 month ago I was trying to like build my business because now I’m trying, I’m working as a freelancer and thankfully now I’m like full time my own boss I’m very excited.
Leo Morejon: [00:47:04] Congratulations. Thank you. We’ll talk about that too.
Karla: [00:47:06] Yeah. Huh. But yeah it was like not having the right equipment and then being surrounded with these people who knew about equipment and it was almost it wasn’t like comparison but it was like ok Karla if you really want to grow and take this seriously you do have to invest.
Leo Morejon: [00:47:20] Sure you’re right.
Karla: [00:47:21] And I would always see it as like spending money and then I was like ok I really need this camera because it’s not only just like my passion which is YouTube but it’s like my my job with my clients like I can’t I can’t show up with a point and shoot and be like I’m doing photography [00:47:34] or Estee on the [1.3] nose.
Leo Morejon: [00:47:36] Like my cousin could do that.
Karla: [00:47:37] Yeah.
Leo Morejon: [00:47:38] Might get that even with the professional camera.
Karla: [00:47:40] You know sometimes my iPhone [00:47:42] shoots better than a DSL are. [3.5] That’s what I like hurts my soul.
Leo Morejon: [00:47:48] It’s amazing. I I actually I want to record some courses that I’ve never started but I was like I’m gonna buy a camera I am going to do this and am going to do that my friends are liketurn on [00:47:56] the ADP [2.1] on your phone and I did it and I’m like, hh shoot. This is great.
Karla: [00:48:04] Yeah. I think that’s like a lot of people ask me like oh I really wanna start blogging. But I don’t have a camera I don’t have money for it. And I’m like There’s no excuse. That’s just you making excuses because there has been times I haven’t had a camera. Something happens and I and I need to go on a trip or like a short trip and I just had to use my phone and I make it work. Like if I really wanna shoot something.
Leo Morejon: [00:48:25] Yeah.
Karla: [00:48:26] So yeah there’s really no excuses to get started.
Leo Morejon: [00:48:29] Yeah. And ultimately. It comes down to the content.
Karla: [00:48:34] Yeah.
Leo Morejon: [00:48:35] That’s that’s what it comes down to like you see they’re enjoyable and entertaining and people are taking value from it or it’s not. Doesn’t always matter how it’s recorded. Like. Even this right now when I put these video ups like this isn’t being recorded [00:48:46] on DP or [1.1] anything right. So.
Karla: [00:48:49] It’s like context like what you’re going to learn from the like just the story ability. Exactly. Because I’ve seen oh I remember when I started more so doing like the travel videos I started doing it I was again finally going to do this and then it hit the Like oh man I don’t have a drone yet. I remember doing this collab with this awesome creator, she lived in Miami so we got to do like we collab but from far away we just sent footage to each other and it just it just.
Leo Morejon: [00:49:18] Oh really.
Karla: [00:49:19] it was like oh that was a different one but it was just kind of like five things that you should do travelling in Los Angeles. I think the Miami so that’s pretty cool. I like her and I are both great storytellers. And when I saw her footage I was just like oh my God she has a drone and I kind of did it. Yeah you got to envy us. Yeah. But I was like She’s a drone. I was like maybe you can’t compared to this. Like maybe it sucks like my video did not suck at all. Great. I was so so proud of it. It was until I saw that drone but it sounds like doing it that you’re always wanting the best thing. But at the end of the day like both of our videos are amazing like we get. We got to collab and we’re like friends and it worked out so well you know. But yeah at the end of the day I think it’s a storytelling and that’s what I try to focus on especially.
Leo Morejon: [00:50:03] Yeah that’s all that matters.
Karla: [00:50:05] Have all that fancy equipment.
Leo Morejon: [00:50:06] The content.
Karla: [00:50:07] How am I going to capture people’s attention in the first 15 seconds.
Leo Morejon: [00:50:11] Yes.
Karla: [00:50:11] And continue to do it in the next 13 minutes. I think the 15 seconds is like the most important for me and that’s when you really grab somebodies attention.
Leo Morejon: [00:50:22] A hundred percent, now especially today. And the way we consume media and all that kind of good stuff like it needs to happen within even shorter than that I mean like a pre rolls and all that kind of stuff like two seconds. But guess what we have like now like five second movie trailers like.
Karla: [00:50:40] I mean it’s kind of sad at the same time I’m like OK. Well. The benefit as a content creator for that because people do want more short the sort of content like Time Warner. I’m like Oh OK. So I don’t need to produce a 20 minute video.
Leo Morejon: [00:50:54] Yeah. No it’s awesome. I mean look look at the rise of Vine. You don’t spend hours just watching Vine videos.
Karla: [00:51:01] Yeah that’s. I would do the same thing. Now I do it with Facebook though there’s like one minute.
Leo Morejon: [00:51:06] Yes. I do that now to it I’m like I I’m just like that I just spent an hour watching like six second videos.
Karla: [00:51:14] You think. Yeah that’s. I know. It’s so weird how it just disappeared. Vine first off like.
Leo Morejon: [00:51:20] Yeah. But I mean it really like launche the careers of countless people and really it’s when I think like real influence or marketing maybe started like you know show or influence or market it has always existed period right where it was maybe called spokespeople or something but like Vine was like the rise of the influencer and rise of all these cool kids I now have like King batch and all these people and you two that I absolutely still love. I was actually watching like a bunch of King batch videos like I love this guy like I love what he’s done and now he’s on. I watch him on movies and everything I’m like.
Karla: [00:51:57] Isn’t it crazy how a lot of women did get like movie deals or there are singers now like one girl that I would watch [00:52:04] the minute Bones. [0.9] Yeah yeah.
Leo Morejon: [00:52:06] She’s from Miami right. Yes she collaborates with with King batch and all them. They’re like the [00:52:10] same boat [0.4] crew.
Karla: [00:52:11] Yeah. And like now she is making music and I was like OK I didn’t know.
Leo Morejon: [00:52:15] What kind of music is she I know she was making music.
Karla: [00:52:18] Yeah I’d kind of like I get reggaeton in a way.
Leo Morejon: [00:52:20] Oh my gosh. I had to listen to this.
Karla: [00:52:22] I think it’s it’s very like girl empowerment like.
Leo Morejon: [00:52:26] That’s awesome though. She was always good she was. I remember her like she was a lot more like physical comedy. She threw herself into like bushes and stuff.
Karla: [00:52:33] Yeah yeah yeah. That’s a good [00:52:35] physical cause. [0.6]
Leo Morejon: [00:52:36] Yeah there was one. There’s a guy, I think he’s from New Jersey another Hispanic guy who plays the piano like he’s part of the same crew. I can’t believe I’m forgetting his name. He’s so ridiculously talented. I’ll find his name and I’ll share it.
Karla: [00:52:51] That’s the thing there’s so much content out there sometimes like. I mean. Again like I remember I was networking with somebody and I had seen their videos. They were [00:53:00] a channel [0.4] that I loved all their videos but I couldn’t remember one that stood out. And it wasn’t because I because like I wasn’t lying [00:53:07] ahead I’m [0.4] not going to see the company like I was just like yeah I love your child videos and then they’re like oh what video did you watch. And I was like I blanked out.
Leo Morejon: [00:53:14] Oh yeah. It happens. I mean. Yes.
Karla: [00:53:15] And now. And now looking back at it I was like Okay I love. I know which one I love. But at the moment I was like because I had only consumed a lot of their content through Instagram like I hadn’t really seen their full length videos. And I think that’s sort content does to others or constantly watching that we know we watch that person we’re entertained by that person but we don’t like the name sometimes might not stick.
Leo Morejon: [00:53:37] Yeah that happens a lot. Right.
Karla: [00:53:38] How was the footage.
Leo Morejon: [00:53:40] How do you meet the very beginning, you were talking about like you know creating content but also then essentially creating content and acting as a business yourself like content marketing and influence from working on that kind of good stuff right. So like you went from me just making a video to making like the top 10 video the top 10 things thinking about how Google and how people are going to absorb this information and get through the clutter. Are you doing anything right now to get through that clutter for instance like Facebook ads or YouTube ads or how are you trying to get yourself outside or is it just organic.
Karla: [00:54:17] It’s just organic. Which kind of at the same time. I know I should be doing ads but I know what ads work as a consumer. I feel like some of the content that I’ve posted isn’t going to make me like stand out for people to be like oh I want to follow her because a lot of like I’m posting daily on Instagram now and I feel like that’s a really good platform to kind [00:54:39] of lose leverage [1.5] to to promote what I’m doing in terms of business but also like my YouTube content. I have been posting daily on there for like the past month already at least five times a week. But a lot of it is photo content and yes. Photo content as an ad does not catch my attention ever. It’s like a consumer and I’m working with brands right now doing their social media. I was. I did like an ad recently for for one of the brands that I worked in it was just a photo and I have moved that because I really love the message of the photo and I thought it was like a woman entrepreneur photo. And like her caption would totally I was like yes this is perfect this is going to work out but for the most part I like as a consumer. Like for me it’s a video. Like even if it’s like a five second video like an event like [00:55:29] hey boss Baz if [0.7] you guys really want to come to this event March 12th that night it’s like fast pace on my woo like what company is that. Yeah yeah like all of them. And so I feel like my contact I haven’t really because I’ve been balancing my content but also a full time job. Yes it’s hard to produce video content all the time. Like any video content daily on Instagram that would be like my full time job.
Leo Morejon: [00:55:52] No. Yeah. It’s hard.
Karla: [00:55:54] For like a month or I was posting more video content I did put an ad on it and it was to promote like a series that I had on my YouTube channel.
Leo Morejon: [00:56:02] OK.
Karla: [00:56:03] And I think it did. Like I got a lot of followers but it wasn’t like [00:56:06] word kinetic engagement. Got it. I just figured you know what. I’m just gonna let the way that I do it is engaging with people who I want. It’s like my perfect client. [10.3]
Leo Morejon: [00:56:17] Sure. Yeah. Like it is like the quality respective to you and how you want to grow and.
Karla: [00:56:22] Yeah, yeah
Leo Morejon: [00:56:23] Interesting. So you mentioned that earlier too you mentioned there just again like having your own business on the side too. Like how do you. Is it hard juggling both from just a logistical perspective but also maybe from a let’s say marketing perspective right. Like people see you as a YouTube bird not necessarily as someone who does social media or video production on the side like you have a hard time juggling.
Karla: [00:56:48] Oh yeah. I mean recently that because before it was easy for me I was working full time jobs I can on a social I could just promote myself as a blogger. Yeah well ask me like and this is like behind the scenes like all good times people asking you how do you feel like nobody’s blogging your full time thing. And I’m like you know like that’s what I’m able to do that because now I do work remotely or I like my clients and it’s like.
Leo Morejon: [00:57:10] Less overhead all that.
Karla: [00:57:12] Yeah. But it is hard to market myself. But surprisingly I thought I was doing a bad job. Because I was marketing myself more as a blogger. But then I just switched it’s like I’m a blogger and then like brand content creator because like there are brands that reach out to me and I would make content for my channels. But now I’m doing it for like their channels. Yeah. I started using and this is like the power of hashtags like I really didn’t have to like completely rebrand myself it’s like a social media strategy this is what would Karla say. Like I don’t have to do that. I just shifted like the hashtags and then sometimes on my posts like if I’m talking about travel for say because that’s like what my channels about were like personal development. I turn on the caption I also talk about like hey I’m traveling and then I mentioned the entrepreneur thing like Oh interesting yeah.
Leo Morejon: [00:57:57] Yes seriously. Sprinkle it in.
Karla: [00:58:00] Sprinkle in it because then people kind of get an idea oh this is how she does this. And actually a lot of my clients recently that I booked all found me through social media.
Leo Morejon: [00:58:08] That’s amazing. Inbound Marketing.
Karla: [00:58:11] Yeah. And I just ask them Well how did you find me and they’re like oh look through a hashtag like social media manager I was like that is so cool.
Leo Morejon: [00:58:17] That’s amazing. That’s very cool.
Karla: [00:58:19] Yeah because I didn’t think it would work. I recently like. Just a few months when I was working full time that I shifted over. Freelance and I was like How am I going to order myself a lot of the content that I’ve shot for a certain company. I wasn’t able to use because it wasn’t my right one disclosure. So I felt like I was kind of starting from scratch like I felt like what am I going to do now.
Leo Morejon: [00:58:41] Yeah yeah.
Karla: [00:58:42] I realized I might like I’ve built my entire YouTube channel. Like even that just shows that I know what I’m talking about. Agreed. So I yeah just make it meets certain little tweaks. And that really did help me.
Leo Morejon: [00:58:55] That’s so awesome to see that that is very cool actually. I know lots of people that do consulting like people I work with people like collaborate with like maybe just on a brand or something like if a brand hires me to do something and I can’t do it. I refer work to them and all that kind of good stuff. I’ve never heard of anybody getting it from hashtags. That’s really. I’ve never gotten any business from any hashtag I’ve ever put. And maybe maybe there was something like someone saw one of my pieces of content on me so I was involved Oreo or something maybe and I just never asked but nothing I know of.
Karla: [00:59:26] Because I was like Well once I randomly got a message and this is all my recent clients it seems like you could have just found me on a link and I was like That’s true but because I do blogging and this person was like hey like I found you through social media like blah blah call me or email me I was like call an email a stranger like I want to do that you know. Yeah yeah I’m private but like I was kind of like oh like I saw like what he did right click on the little bio button like that can be a fake. I don’t wanna fall for it.
Leo Morejon: [00:59:52] Yeah all the time. Yeah. Half my LinkedIn invites now half. 80 to 90 percent of my linked in invites or Twitter invites essages are all fake. Oh my God. If you have anything related to cryptocurrency.
Karla: [01:00:09] That’s what I was kind of like. I don’t know. But then I was like I’ll email you and then I kind of like you know did my research but I was still a little like it was. It was a startup company too. I would say oh it’s just you online. And it worked out. I’m like working with them but yeah night later I asked them like I’m sure like me because they were like looking for social media managers.
Leo Morejon: [01:00:29] Yeah interesting.
Karla: [01:00:30] They’re like It’s like the key to the power of like keywords right. And that’s huge on YouTube and that’s something that I learned.
Leo Morejon: [01:00:36] Yeah. Yeah.
Karla: [01:00:36] Searching for like they’re not searching for like. How fun they’re searching like no fun during. Yes.
Leo Morejon: [01:00:42] Yeah. So yeah.
Karla: [01:00:44] It was really cool. That seemed like something on social media which is what I do for a living like is what got me my job. I even have to. That’s very cool way. Yeah.
Leo Morejon: [01:00:55] Yeah. It’s just something you’re doing organically to inbound marketing in its truest form and its best form and the way it should work.
Karla: [01:01:01] Yeah I always knew I loved the Internet for some reason.
Leo Morejon: [01:01:05] What’s funny is you know in many ways my pug is actually more popular than me on social media and I got a call the other day from a lady she was like do you have a dog. And I’m like, yeah and I’m like did this lady like did she find me through social media or anything like that. And I’m like is her name Truth. Is she a pug. Yeah. And I know I had that moment where I stopped that I’m like why are you calling me lady? And then it ended up being that someone’s taking care of my dog and she ran away.
Karla: [01:01:37] Oh my.
Leo Morejon: [01:01:39] So thankfully I usually don’t even pick up like numbers I don’t know let it go to voicemail or something to them and I’m happy I picked it up but it was funny because she is popular on social media and I talk about her through all my social media I’m like is this someone trying to coldcall me or something.
Leo Morejon: [01:01:53] That was my very first reaction.
Karla: [01:01:56] So for a second you thought I was like your dog famous dog like oh what are they trying to get hold of me yet.
Leo Morejon: [01:02:02] Yeah. ven though pretentious of me for some reason isn’t that I’m like well who’s calling me and the first thing they say do you have a dog. And I’m like Yeah.
Karla: [01:02:13] Right. So you could just kind of run through it like I was living inL.A. for seven years and I’m not like famous [01:02:21] for Estee. [0.5] I don’t know how it would even get in my head but it’s good that like you have people that are keep you grounded. Now it’s Starbucks and this it happened to my friend before where somebody just stares at him and they’re like you make YouTube videos right. And so I was getting that’s awesome that look that he gets when people ask of that mind you he has way bigger following him. I got that like look at Starbucks where this girl is just like being super friendly and there was something off about it I mean it’s just a friendly person right. But in my head I was like you know me I was just you know me. I think I know I was making fun of myself for that and so I like to tell each other random things I text her and I’m like Oh my God. So this girl super staring at me. We think she watches video.
Leo Morejon: [01:03:02] Yeah yeah.
Karla: [01:03:03] I love myself more and [01:03:04] my kids [0.3] are like Oh yeah. Karla OK.
Leo Morejon: [01:03:06] Yeah exactly.
Karla: [01:03:07] Yeah. It was just funny. [01:03:09] I’m like OK keeping me grounded [1.4] this.
Leo Morejon: [01:03:11] Family will always do that.
Karla: [01:03:13] You [01:03:13] know my dad is like [1.2] you know like out of everything like that’s Yeah I thought.
Leo Morejon: [01:03:19] I mean thankfully I picked up and thankfully asked [01:03:20] their mark. [0.7] Yeah. She’s okay now and everything but yeah.
Karla: [01:03:25] One day you will get a call for your dog being in a movie.
Leo Morejon: [01:03:28] That would be amazing. It’s it’s funny I will mention the brand my my best friend works for a really big pet food brand. Okay I guess maybe I could. I don’t know why I wouldn’t mention as Fresh Pet the one that’s in the fridge. It’s the best dog food in the world. Buy it. No but I want to make Truth famous and put her into every single one of these commercialsliken ever. That’s my goal too. And then hang out with Vanilla Ice and have Fresh Pet in it.
Karla: [01:03:57] Or it’s like you in Vanilla Ice are going to your pugs like that.
Leo Morejon: [01:04:02] And then we can hire you to record it all.
Karla: [01:04:05] Yes I would be there like that.
Leo Morejon: [01:04:08] Vanilla Ice will fly you out I’m sure. OK well we’ll talk to him about it.
Karla: [01:04:15] It was great when you’re actually friends with them when he listens to this.
Leo Morejon: [01:04:17] Best friends though.
Karla: [01:04:18] Best friends. I love that.
Leo Morejon: [01:04:22] Do you like baptize his kids and everything you know.
Karla: [01:04:26] Oh OK. Oh yeah. ncle Leo.
Leo Morejon: [01:04:31] Yes. I have a name for like you know a Leo. Leo’s an uncle name.
Karla: [01:04:36] I feel Leo. Leo. Yeah.
Leo Morejon: [01:04:39] It works perfectly right. We’ll get him to say tha, so there’s one thing I always ask everyone is and I love it. I can’t wait to hear your answer because especially the type of content that you make as entrepreneurs as content creators as humans. sometimes you wake up and you just don’t feel like.Get in front of the camera. Don’t feel like getting out of bed. Like how do you get through those days are like What keeps you going what keeps you motivated. Is it a person. Is it just having this. That’s like bigger than yourself in many ways an audience. Like how do you get through those these.
Karla: [01:05:15] For me it’s like I guess my my family like my end goal is like being able to help my immediate close family and really provide for them. Mainly because like my parents. do come from a different country and they my mom has been able to really build a good life for her while working hard often and I’m like if she can do it what what’s going to what’s my excuse really.
Leo Morejon: [01:05:39] Yeah.
Karla: [01:05:39] Get up and really go out there and do things especially because what I do feel like I could have success at my fingertips.
Leo Morejon: [01:05:48] Yeah yeah.
Karla: [01:05:49] Mak myself a self-made right. I could go and make a podcast and hold it out there and be my like my own boss. So it’s like I really don’t have an excuse like I can’t no longer say like oh there’s no opportunities coming to me because it’s like I can make the opportunities myself. Obviously it’s gonna take time to grow and be course famous. I don’t want to get. I’m not trying to be famous.
Leo Morejon: [01:06:16] At popular to be able to make a bigger impact.
Karla: [01:06:19] Exactly. Yeah it’s just kind of having those people in my life who have. Made it themselves and have really worked hard and me being like I want to be like I have a good example. Yeah. But at the end of the day to like my audience I don’t I mean I’ve been doing it for seven years and just hearing what I could provide for them in terms of inspiration. I feel like a lot of times they see me as like oh like Karla you inspired me to go out there and do something. And so I went to go jump out of a plane right. Like they’ll be like more extreme like Oh Karla you took singing lessons.I want to go jump out of a plane.
Leo Morejon: [01:06:58] Say Wow I did it.
Karla: [01:07:00] I’m like n I inspired you. I just like to saying or [01:07:04] something like that.But you’re [1.9] jumping in a plane like I would never do that and now you’re inspiring me. So then seeing these people it’s kind of like a support group. And it’s like I don’t want to let them down because they’re like inspiring me.
Leo Morejon: [01:07:15] I understand that. Yeah.
Karla: [01:07:17] So I mean that’s why I continue to do the type of content I do because I really love that feeling of having a group of people who are inspiring each other.
Leo Morejon: [01:07:25] Sure. Yeah it’s amazing, and what recommendation or inspirational things wopuld you to someone that once they get started but someone who’s never picked up the camera before but wants to do it.
Karla: [01:07:38] Yeah I would just say I mean honestly for me and I actually just wrote this on the Instagram caption like it’s gonna be scary. Like just know that it’s going to be scary getting started but like what’s more scarier is like not having giving yourself the opportunity like not [01:07:53] even deep in [1.2] yourself or like trying it new like wondering oh could I have done that. And that scares me more. Like not having gone out to do the things that I really love so it’s like just know it’s going to be scary. And once you get that out of the way you.
Leo Morejon: [01:08:08] Then it’ll begin.
Karla: [01:08:09] It’ll be easy. Yeah.
Leo Morejon: [01:08:10] So first of all I got to say thank you so much for doing this. I was so excited to interview you. I feel like I’ve had a koolaid smile the whole time I’ve been on with you right now.
Karla: [01:08:20] I love talking to you. This is a lot of fun.
Leo Morejon: [01:08:23] Thank you. I have to say thank you. Thank you for just inspiring people and everything so if anybody wants to find you where can they go. Like this is the time I always give people to promote themselves anything you’re working on your business where they could hire you or they could follow you. This is all you.
Karla: [01:08:39] Definitely. So I’m very engaged. If you want to talk to me directly I’m on Instagram at What Would Karla Say. Like if you respond to me sometimes I even respond to you. Back with a video message. Just cause I don’t I’m not a typer. So if you’re asking me like a business question like I’ll send a video response sometimes like that’s like just casual. So if you just want to talk. Like hit me up on Instagram and if you wanna see my content I’m on YouTube and What Would Karla sSy on YouTube as well.
Leo Morejon: [01:09:07] Go follow her right. Now. Karla. Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you so much.
Karla: [01:09:16] Is a lot of fun and I really can’t wait to see Vanilla Ice on your podcast.
Leo Morejon: [01:09:22] Vanilla Ice we can’t wait to have you love.
Karla: [01:09:24] I’m no longer going to be the best guest on.
Leo Morejon: [01:09:28] You’ll always be the best guest and we’ll have you on. Remember you’re gonna be part of this video too with Vanilla Ice.
Karla: [01:09:33] That’s true. Right. Right.
Leo Morejon: [01:09:34] And he likes to be called Mr. Ice.
Karla: [01:09:36] Mr. Ice. OK I won’t scrwe that up for you.
Leo Morejon: [01:09:40] By everyone.
Karla: [01:09:41] All right. Bye.
, and me as we talk about how she got started as a Youtuber, how you too can feel empowered to put yourself out there, Chicago vs. NY style pizza, the YouTube comment section, social media marketing, and much more.){kind=link}