We recently connected with Linden Wolbert and have shared our conversation below.

Linden, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

My mission is to share the beauty of our planet, specifically the life and habitats beneath the surface of the sea, in an effort to get children and adults alike to explore, care about and conserve our oceans and the creatures in them. When I was little, we had only three television channels, and no cable TV. PBS was my favorite station, because there were wildlife documentaries on it. I was obsessed with Jacques Yves Cousteau, Marty Stauffer’s Wild America, NOVA, and all of the documentaries involving natural history, the planet, and specifically the ocean. I knew from a young age I wanted to make wildlife films. I wanted to inspire youngsters the same way I had been inspired! Especially those who may live far from the sea like I did. I grew up in landlocked Pennsylvania, and longed for summer vacations when we would occasionally visit the seashore in New Jersey or Maryland. I chose to attend Emerson College in Boston, where I got my BA in Film and Environmental Sciences. My senior year I moved out to Los Angeles for their internship program, where I saved up my “sand dollars” so I could become a certified SCUBA diver. I was hired by the college to be their Residence Director, but I only lasted a couple of years in that position before I couldn’t stand to be in a cubicle any longer. I constantly dream of the ocean, of diving, and of creating underwater films. I ultimately quit my job after learning about the sport of Freediving (breath hold for depth and distance in the ocean or in a pool) and saw a monofin for the first time. A monofin is a single-fluked fin with the foot pockets connected together, like a whale tail or….a mermaid tail! I tried it out, fell in love with it instantly, and realized I could become a mermaid to teach kids about the ocean in a fun, unique and memorable way. And this, my friends, is how I started my career!

Linden, 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?

My name is Linden Wolbert. I am a Sea-rial Entrepre-mer! By this, I mean that I am a Professional Mermaid by trade, and I continuously develop new facets of my business, create content, design products, invent things, and beyond. I am a “Jill” of all trades. I love to learn, and many of my skills are self-taught. Once I decided I should become a mermaid, I did everything I could to be as convincing as possible. I trained to hold my breath for five minutes underwater, I grew my hair long, I watched every movie about mermaids and mythology and watched every series, I created a prosthetic silicone tail with a Hollywood special effects artist using Biomimicry, the act of looking to nature for inspiration for my tail design. I created mini-documentaries for kids on YouTube. I perform with and for children with terminal and life-threatening illnesses through organizations like Make-A-Wish, all around the world. I was the first pro mermaid in Los Angeles, and quickly accrued a long list of celebrity clients who hired me for their launches, parties, events and kid’s playdates alike. I never expected this, but it is a great source of revenue to fund my dream…creating ocean educational content! I dive in the open ocean with many creatures – whales, sharks, turtles, mantas, and so on, holding my breath with no goggles or mask, with a 50-pound silicone tail on my lower half. I became a judge of the sport of freediving, so I could observe world champions and learn more about the sport, and therefore, become a better freediver and mermaid. I partnered with Body Glove International in 2013 and designed my own signature line of Mermaid Linden Monofins for adults and children, and have two utility patents that bear my name for my mermaid product designs and inventions. I dreamed up the world’s first foldable monofin, which is now on the market and is the third monofin type in my top-selling line on Amazon and in many retailers around the globe. My YouTube channel gained over 93K subscribers and more than 50 million views since I launched it in 2009. The thing I am most proud of in my career is creating “Mermaid Minute,” my kid’s ocean education series. Millions of kids around the world have watched, learned and gotten excited about our oceans while watching. This particular project embodies so many of my passions, skills and talents – including research, education, storytelling, video editing, music composition, animation, performance, videography and more.

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

I began building my social media presence in 2009, when I started my Mermaid Linden YouTube channel. At that time, videos were just starting to be monetized. I had filmed and edited together one, short promo video to advertise my mermaid services, and posted it up as my very first video. Low and behold, after not signing in for several months, I discovered it had gone viral with over 1 Million views! A friend suggested I go through the process to monetize my channel and videos, which I eventually did. This was back in the “wild west” of YouTube, when moneys for creators were MUCH higher, and much less complicated algorithms existed. I built up my YouTube channel through my Mermaid Minute video series, which I released weekly during “seasons,” and by creating consistent content. I also found that there weren’t many channels offering beautiful underwater mermaid footage, and people really seemed to love it! So I feel the success of the channel was a combination of factors…but it was 100% organic, and I never once paid to advertise or “purchase” subscribers. I did the same with my Facebook, Instagram, and at one point, Google+. Remember that?!? I enjoy posting things that I find interesting or beautiful, and I figure people follow because they enjoy it as well. I think that the best way to build social media presence today is to be consistent, collaborate with others when possible, and create GOOD content….whatever that means to you and your brand!

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

By far and away, word of mouth has ALWAYS been the best source for finding new clients, gigs and opportunities. Second to that, good SEO. Every time I perform at an event, people love it, and all want me to perform at their parties as well. Since I was such a commodity when I started my business in the early 2000’s, and it was a new, fresh thing nobody had seen in LA at that point, word spread quickly. The amazing clients and experiences I received as a result were unimaginable to me when I began my work as a mermaid. I should probably write a small book one day with some of the surreal “tails” of my travels, experiences with animals, celebrities, children, TV & film sets and beyond. Being from rural Pennsylvania, I still giggle when I look back over the past 15 years or so at how things have evolved for me. Getting clients, gigs, bookings and opportunities for PR have come surprisingly easily for me. I find that if I am just “doing my thing,” and I come from a place of integrity and heart, the work follows. I love meeting people, and love having a good conversation if someone pops over to chat during an event. I have such loyal repeat clients, that they have changed dates of their parties to accommodate, say, me losing my voice or having another booking that day. I feel extremely fortunate that my clients, and the world, have supported my dreams!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mermaidsinmotion.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mermaidlinden/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mermaidsinmotion
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mermaidlinden/
• Twitter: @mermaidsnmotion
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MermaidLinden
• Other: beams.fm/mermaidlinden

Image Credits
Lorenzo Hodges Nathan Lucas Ric Frazier Matthew Douglas Addison Jonathan Goodwin Rupert Clague