Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Audi Geis. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Audi, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?
When I was in college, I was there because it felt like that’s what I was supposed to do. I loved learning, but the concept of paying for an education before I knew what I wanted to do… just felt off to me. At the time, social media hadn’t taken off yet, and it certainly wasn’t a potential job option. I ended up choosing to major in Communication Media Studies, and minor in Digital Media & Design, because I knew I’d want to work in business, but wasn’t sure which area I was passionate about. That major- minor combination seemed to be the best fit to teach me what I’d need to know, while also giving me a wide selection of job options. Throughout my entire life, I’ve always enjoyed any opportunity to utilize my creative side. Whether it was staging a photoshoot with friends and learning editing on my own, videoing fun experiences and creating vlogs to look back on via my Youtube channel, or creating plans of fun content ideas I wanted to create, I knew my “dream job” would entail an element of creation and editing. I took school very seriously, so I never thought there was a way to make a stable income by following my passions. Eventually graduation snuck up on me, and I was fortunate enough to be chosen to be the Commencement Speaker. It wasn’t until then that I realized I had zero clue what I was going to do. It was May of 2020, Covid had just hit, everything was online…who was going to hire me? And what jobs could I even do? I ended up working at a dealership that a family friend owned, and realized that I definitely thrived in a business setting, but maybe sales wasn’t the place for me. What I did enjoy a lot though, was creating cool content of the cars and being able to have something new to do each day. As much as I appreciated the opportunity I was given, I realized I needed to be more open and look for opportunities to make a living doing what I’m actually passionate about. Like any other 20-something year old, I was an avid TikTok watcher- I’m talking…hours a day on the app (what else was there to do during your free time during Covid?) I realized that a lot of these creators were just like me, and they were making ridiculous amounts of money, simply by having fun! I immediately got to work. Now you’re probably thinking, “So…. you tried to get TikTok famous?” No no, lol. I realized that in the midst of all the dancers and talent that was trending, there were videos of people advertising products, and the views were in the millions. As someone who aspired to be in business, this set off a lightbulb in my head… I’m going to work in Marketing. I spent months looking through job listings and eventually, I’ll admit it, I lost my motivation. I was now jobless because I needed to quit my dealership job in order to allow myself time to restructure my life, but after a few months, it seemed hopeless. No where seemed to be hiring any positions that seemed interesting or enjoyable to me, I ended up applying for jobs I knew I’d be miserable at. It just felt like I was at a dead end and was doomed to be unhappy wherever I ended up. I gave up on applying for a good several weeks, when eventually, my mom checked in on me one day and gave me the “you gotta keep applying” speech. She knew I’d regret not continuing to apply to places once I’d been living unemployed for too long, so I needed the tough love. That same exact day, I remember I was a mess. I was in my living room at my crappy apartment drinking my barefoot pink moscato, and in the middle of a Vampire Diaries episode, I don’t know why, but I just randomly made an account on Indeed-I only had a LinkedIn before, so I thought I may as well switch it up. I searched “Social Media Specialist” and set the parameters to USA instead of just Wisconsin. The first thing that popped up was the exact job I was looking for. It blew my mind. A Social Media Specialist position open in Kansas, and the job description checked every one of my boxes- able to work either at the office or at home, content creation for the marketing agency’s clients, running the agencies socials, etc… It was perfect. I applied and immediately went back to watching Vampire Diaries. In the same episode & glass of wine I was on, I got a message from that business owner on Indeed asking if we could hop on a phone call to discuss the job and schedule my official interview. I was ecstatic. We talked for over an hour! I instantly knew I needed to secure a job at this agency, because not only was the job perfect for me, but I got the best vibe and gut feeling about my potential boss. The next day, I had a Zoom call with one of the other owners and I got the same amazing vibe. That night, I received my official job offer in my email!! I was so shocked, happy, excited, and literally felt like it was a sign…Just one week prior, I was talking to one of my childhood friends who now lives in Kansas, and we literally were talking about moving in together since I wanted to move out of state…. Talk about fate!! Of course, since this job was in Social Media, I immediately began improving my personal social accounts as well. I started taking my personal Instagram & TikTok seriously, and began posting more professional content. To my surprise, I began receiving countless emails from small businesses asking to send me products in exchange for content. I took every single opportunity I could get, and realized, why wait for them to email me when I could be reaching out too? I proceeded to make template after template of emails I could send to potential brands, and made a massive list of emails of PR representatives to contact. Eventually, I was reached out to by 3 different agencies that work with creators and extended me an invite to join their platforms. I now have a consistent flow of partnership opportunities of UGC work and gifted collaborations. It’s crazy to look back and remember how miserable and scared I was that I wouldn’t get to make a living in a field I’m passionate about, and now, just 2 years later, I’ve built a life for myself that I was just dreaming about. I now have the most rewarding job at a Marketing Agency where I have the most amazing, caring & supportive bosses, I’m doing what I love, and making a stable income at the age of 24 (since the age of 22), I get to create content for clients and myself and constantly learn new social media marketing tactics & skillsets, and I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. Working in this field is amazing, working with my incredible team at Lure Creative is a blessing, and living on my own and supporting myself has taught me how effective a growth mindset can be, as well as the importance of appreciating each milestone I achieve, both big and small, along the way. If you’re passionate about content creation, my best advice is to never stop creating. You thrive when you embrace your passions, so the sooner you do that, the sooner you’ll find the perfect career for you!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
As a Social Media Specialist for a Marketing Agency, my job duties include creating content plans & calendars, creating ads & ad recommendations, designing graphics for promotional and organic content, and creating monthly reports for our clients. The agency I work at specializes in Healthcare business marketing, so a lot of the content I create is specific to hospitals, clinics, doctor’s offices, etc. Since we create customized marketing plans for each individual client, I also create the recommendations specifically for their social platforms- Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Youtube, etc. I also run the agency’s social media platforms, so I have frequent meetings with the owners of Lure Creative to discuss marketing tactics that we can apply on social media to reach prospective clients to keep growing our business. For my personal accounts, the brand work I do is primarily with skincare brands, but I’m transitioning into the “Home” niche since I frequently create that type of content on my own. I work full time at the Marketing Agency, but I spend a good 15-20 hours a week outside of that creating content, editing and posting for partnerships on my own time. Since I’m passionate about content creation, I never get bored doing it. It takes a lot of time and dedication, but it’s so fun for me that it doesn’t feel like work at all. I’m most proud of the time and attention to detail I put into my work. Nothing I create is with half- effort; I give 110% to each project, whether it’s at the agency or on my own, so I’m always improving my skills and learning as I continue on my content creation journey.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
As a content creator and an extremely outgoing person, I’m very thankful that the business I work for is run by genuine, kind-hearted people who truly want to see others succeed. Learning and growing at a workplace like that makes me beyond happy to do what I do; it’s the most rewarding feeling. I also love seeing our clients’ businesses grow as a result of content I created for them- it gives me reassurance that I chose the right field to be in, and it makes me happy to see other people succeed.
Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
I definitely had to figure out a lot of my own, and along the way I learned several things that would’ve helped a lot to know sooner. The biggest advice I can give, is to stop waiting for collaboration opportunities to create content for brands. Start making unboxing videos, how-to videos, well-edited photos, etc, of products you love, and always tag the brand. In the grand scheme of things, your follower count isn’t the most important thing, it’s your skill level. Show off your skills, feature it on your Instagram profile grid and highlights, and you’ll land partnerships much sooner. Also, recycle your videos- just because you already posted something on TikTok doesn’t mean it can’t go on Instagram too- use it on both! They’re different platforms so you have different audiences on each. Quality, consistent content is key!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://audigeis.godaddysites.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/audigeis15/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/audra-geis-83a50b160/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCja1fMQPI58i6loQlEHsiEQ
- Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@audigeis15?lang=en