We recently connected with Andrea Bridges-Smith and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Andrea, thanks for joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

I worked in corporate America making six figures and had INCREDIBLE health insurance. Sounds pretty stable, right?

Except it wasn’t.

I had 5 different managers in a year. I was told I was moving into a new position that would essentially be my dream job, but it kept not happening. My health was a mess. The stress of the firing squad-adjacent atmosphere at the company meant that the entire contents of my desk were coping mechanisms – herbal teas, chocolates, calming elixirs, anything to take the edge off.

And boy, was there an edge.

I wanted to know everything would be OK, so I asked for a sign. I picked Raspberry Beret by Prince. Not because I’m the biggest Prince fan in the world, but because I wanted a song that you don’t hear very often so I’d know when I heard it that it was The Sign.

I didn’t hear that song for months!

Then one day, a switch flipped inside me. I said to myself, “I don’t know how yet, but I’m getting out. I refuse to do this anymore.”

Suddenly, I started hearing that song everywhere. On the radio, at karaoke, my kids were singing it, in grocery stores, everywhere!

Then one day at work, I hit rock bottom. It was the very firm thrust I needed to leave. I called my husband and told him I was getting out NOW. He understood. Too tired to cook, I decided to grab a pizza on the way home. I pulled up the menu for our local pizzeria/brewery, and you’ll never guess what the beer of the month was:

Raspberry Beer-et.

A month later, I had quit my job and started a production company. There have been a lot of ups and downs (especially during Covid), but I can honestly say that today, I’m doing what I love. I’ve built a team, I’m making stuff that I’m really proud of, and we have a lot of fans! I’m so glad I made the leap and I wouldn’t change a thing.

Andrea, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’ve been making short films and funny videos with my friends for as far back as I can remember. I’ve used those skills in marketing, and when my last company decided to co-produce a TV show, I got tapped to work on it. It changed my life. Even though I had a ton of experience already, this really opened my eyes.

When I started my business, I wanted to make other people’s TV shows. I ended up making originals instead, a webseries and a podcast with more to come. And while I do still make content for other people, what really excites me now is teaching people how to make awesome content for themselves. I do this using my patented Puppy Sharkcano Nazislayer Theorem, which when applied correctly, makes your content break through the clutter and be truly unforgettable.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I make content with humor and heart. I believe that entertaining is just as crucial as informing. And I believe that in a world where the news is increasingly dark, laughter is vital to keep us all from going crazy. On my hardest days, I reach for comedy to pull me out of the hole, and now I’m paying that forward by providing that service to others.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

My audience came slowly and steadily! But it continues to grow, and that’s all that I ask. The key is being consistent – if you show up at the same time and the same place, people will start to expect you there, and miss you when you’re not there.

I also take a social-first approach. When building content, I think about how it will be promoted on social media afterwards, what bits are the hooks? What’s the cold open that’s going to grab someones attention? What will I repurpose, and what will only be in this piece?

YouTube Shorts has been a huge driver for my audience growth. I usually post 2 per day about 5 days a week, and then let my longer content have a couple of days to breathe on its own. It’s really paid off in terms of audience growth!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sanfenix.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abridgessmith/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abridgessmith/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@fenixnewsnetwork