We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Maddison Hill a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Maddison, thanks for joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
In 2020 I made the decision to leave my full time hosting and producing job at a digital entertainment news network in order to pursue creating content on my own and for myself. Unfortunately, due to new ownership the work environment had grown incredibly toxic and as opposed to continuing to work in an environment that was not conducive, I made the choice to leave and start something on my own.
As we all know, the entertainment industry can be an unstable one. However I know I will never let myself down. So while starting to create content on my own was a scary leap and trust me, it hasn’t been an easy one either, growing my own platforms is something I’m incredibly passionate about and not looking to stop any time soon.
I’m thankful to have grown an incredible YouTube community known as The Haus of Hill, in addition to growing my presence on TikTok and Instagram. In addition to the, I also now have the freedom to create content for other brands and publishers, including What’s Trending.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’ve been working in the industry for almost 13 years now, which feels crazy to say. From working in radio at a Top 40 station in Kansas City, Missouri and reporting for NPR to working in local news for the NBC affiliate KOMU8 News, to working for multiple digital media outlets and publishers, I’ve been able to perfect how to inform people on the latest trending news and create engaging content while maintaining a level of professionalism that sets me apart from other content creators.
I’m most proud of the fact that I have been able to build a career around my passion for pop culture and celebrity news. Whether it is creating content for my YouTube channel and the amazing community I’ve built known as the Haus of Hill or helping other brands and publishers with their celebrity content like What’s Trending, I am happy to say I am working in a field that I truly love and I am passionate about.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
A lesson that I had to unlearn is that there is one way to achieve a goal or my vision of success.
When I first moved to Los Angeles, like many aspiring entertainment hosts, my goal was to work for one of the main entertainment news networks. I believed if I started small, I could work my way up, a network executive would discover me, and boom I’m the next Giuliana Rancic. I believed that if I followed the steps of those who came before me exactly, I would eventually get to the place of those I idolized.
However, that could not be further from how things work. I’ve since learned that there is no one path to success, everyone’s journey is a completely different one. In hindsight, how boring would it be if everyone’s journey was the same?! I also learned that success can look different than just getting a hosting job at an entertainment news network. While that still is absolutely a goal of mine, I’m proud that I’ve built a loyal base of followers on my own and that those people come to hear my take on what celebrity news is trending that week.
I never in a million years expected to be a YouTuber or content creator, but I love having the creative freedom that comes with it and I also love that it allows me the time to still pursue more traditional hosting and producing jobs. While this might not have been my initial vision of “success,” I am happy with where I’m at. And I’m even more excited to see where I’ll go, because don’t get me wrong I still have a long way to go until I reach where I want to be.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
A particular goal of mine that drives my creative journey is, I want to be the person you watch that feels like your friend. I’ve always said that when people watch one of my videos or stories I want them to walk away from that informed and also feeling like they could hang out with me. I’m very lucky I’ve landed in a career where I can be my authentic self and I always hope people can see that in between talking about celebrities and sharing my lifestyle content.
Something else that drives my journey, is my family. I have the most supportive family and friends on the planet and I would love to get into a position where I can not only support them, but also help others!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.youtube.com/maddisonhill
- Instagram: @iammaddisonhill
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maddison-hill-13691664/
- TikTok: @iammaddsionhill My podcast with my co-host Courtney Revolution ‘Toast To Tea can be found on socials and YouTube @ToastToTeaPod
Image Credits
The headshot and photo of me pouring champagne into a tea cup, the photographer credit is Zane Smith.