My journey as a content creator probably started in 2005 when I created my first YouTube video. I had just watched a “viral” video on YouTube of the Backdorm Boys lip singing to Backstreet Boys and copied it. Entirely. Over the years, I used YouTube to document my personal life experiences as it functioned like a diary to me. Interestingly enough, as one of the first users of YouTube back in 2005, I was featured on MTVu (the u stands for university) and was interviewed via email at my college: the University of Florida. However, I didn’t really begin taking it seriously until late Fall 2016 when I intentionally created videos related to pharmacy and pharmacy informatics.
At the start of 2017, I began to create videos consistently. One video a week, sometimes more. The production quality definitely wasn’t the best, but I tried my best to create content that I thought would be valuable to my audience. Content that I wish I had when I was a student. With each new video I produced, I began to learn more about the intricacies of cameras. How they worked, how to make shots more interesting, and how to simply make my videos better. It was definitely one of the more unintended consequences of my creator journey as I’ve become an avid photographer and videographer in the last few years because of my YouTube hobby. In fact, the vast majority of my Instagram content consists of pictures and videos I’ve captured from my travels.
In 2021, I applied for LinkedIn’s Inaugural Creator Accelerator Program. To my surprise, I was one of the 100 creators that were selected for the 10-week program that began in January 2022. For me, this was a huge milestone in my creator journey as it not only provided me with dedicated funds and support but also allowed me to extend the work I was doing on a platform that was ideal for my content: professional development. During this time, I was also honored to be part of Linkedin’s 2022 Top 15 Healthcare Creators to follow. Of course, I was also fortunate to have amazing support from Jonathan Ellison, my LinkedIn Creator Manager, along with the entire Linkedin for Creators staff and the #First100 creators as part of the program. For anyone that may be considering applying, I would highly encourage you to pursue it as the experience is definitely worthwhile.
Today, I’m most active on LinkedIn and Haley Deming is my LinkedIn Creator Manager. I continue to post regularly on the platform as a creator and, most recently, a LinkedIn Top Voice as of November 2022.