We were lucky to catch up with Joe Cox recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Joe, thanks for joining us today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

I am happier as an autistic content creator. Keep in mind–this is not a full-time “job,” per se, as I am still looking for a job at the present moment. I’d consider my making content for TikTok and Instagram Reels more of a side hustle or hobby, if you will. Not currently making any money but I would like to have a paying job sometime very soon. I do sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job, and I would very much like that! I would very much enjoy having access to a disposable income and becoming a financially independent young adult.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

How I got into being a content creator stretches all the way back here in Tucson to about 2006. I became a member at the former public-access TV station and training facility Access Tucson, which operated from 1984-2015. I learned how to become more comfortable on camera, as well as operate TV studio cameras and video switchers, adjust TV studio lights on a lighting grid, learn about field audio and field production techniques as well as lighting for the field, and editing on Final Cut Express/Final Cut Pro X. I had my own TV show, too! I even learned how to take phone calls for a live call-in show! I produced over 100 episodes of a show called “The Flying Circus Club.” Its run was from 2007-2015. The name for the show simply came from the British surrealist sketch comedy TV show “Monty Python’s Flying Circus,” which I still enjoy to this day! That ran from 1969-1974. I took the “Flying Circus” part and added “Club” to the end. Bingo! That’s how that name came about. It was a very interesting evolution of my TV show. It started out as me playing random video clips from YouTube. As the years went on, then Access Tucson was like: “OK–due to budget cuts, a lot of you (producers of shows) are gonna have to be live.” So–I started having a LIVE TV show!! That was exciting–but a little nerve-racking, to be honest. A friend of mine, Travis Klein, who I looked up to, and had a show called “The Fireside Chat,” suggested I start taking phone calls. So I did! I was pretty good–screened out most of the crank callers. One or two bad ones slipped through occasionally, but no big deal!

Then 2015 rolled around. Actually it was about 2014 when I started hearing the bad news from Access Tucson staffers that I have been friends with for quite some time now. The City of Tucson was planning some cuts–Access Tucson was on the chopping block! And then in 2015–the City of Tucson defunded Access Tucson completely. I was so sad that my opportunity to have a TV show was gone. But something else would come along in August 2015. That something would be the student-run TV station at the University of Arizona, UATV Channel 3! It airs exclusively in the dorms at the U of A or livestreaming online. I worked there as a TV camera operator, head floor manager, technical director, audio engineer, and graphics operator until April 2019, when I graduated from the University of Arizona.

But in August 2016–something else happened! I decided to make an actual vlog for my YouTube channel! It wasn’t about my autism diagnosis at all. In fact–it was about the former Disney Channel star Ashley Tisdale, who has been on shows like “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody” and movies like “High School Musical.” It was a vlog about reasons why she should host “Saturday Night Live.” I filmed it using my former laptop’s crappy webcam and edited it on my laptop’s editing software, iMovie. Then I decided to start talking about my autism diagnosis on my YouTube channel, along with “Storytime” or fun vlogs as well! They would alternate each week. For example–autism vlog one week, fun vlog the next!

That went on until 2 years ago, August 2022. The YouTube channel I had was starting to take its toll on me, unfortunately, and I was suffering from stress and anxiety caused by making YouTube videos. I was upset and angry and sad that other autism creators were getting more likes, comments, and views than I was. So I made the difficult decision to permanently delete my YouTube channel.

And then, also in August 2022, I decided to move on to TikTok. And that’s where we’re at now! I’m so much more comfortable on there. I have about 543 followers currently, and am always gaining more! I hope to educate people about my autism diagnosis and prove that people with autism are just like you and me, it’s just that we have unique gifts to give to the world.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a content creator for TikTok and Instagram Reels is the fact that people appreciate the content I make! This was the case as well when I had a YouTube channel from August 2016-August 2022, but now I get more views than I ever would on YouTube, as well as many more likes than I ever would on YouTube! I get way more comments on my TikTok videos than I would get comments on my YouTube videos too! It’s rewarding because I’ve built a community of followers on TikTok who love my content, and I love making it for them!

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Yes. There are some resources I wish I knew about earlier in my creative journey. Let’s go back a bit to 2012/2013/2014. Back then, my TV show was still thriving on Access Tucson. I had recently taken a Digital Field Production class at Access Tucson, and learned how to shoot using an HD video camera and edit with Final Cut Pro X. I realized too late that I could have used Final Cut Pro X to do post-production editing on my TV show before I submitted it to be cablecast on Access Tucson. Welp–that ship sailed in 2015! And I was like, “Damn! How the hell did I miss that?!”

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.tiktok.com/@joe.cox90?
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joe.cox27/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joe.dk.cox90
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-cox-aa26a715a/
• Other: https://www.snapchat.com/add/joedkcox90

Image Credits

Joe Cox