We were lucky to catch up with O’Neil Thomas recently and have shared our conversation below.

O’Neil, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

I’ve been a full-time creative since 2020. During the pandemic, my job at that time was temporarily closed due the pandemic so with the amount of free time that I had, I finally listened to my friends and started creating videos on TikTok. Like many other creative outlets of mine, I never do it with the thought of earning money from the start, I always cared more about my passion for creating in general and how I can continue to create things that I ultimately love. Since I started, I remember getting my first brand deal a few months later where a brand wanted to pay me $250! I couldn’t believe it! The process was amazing and the video responded well. Since then I’ve been able to earn enough to officially be a full-time creator and it was something I always dreamt of. Now I negotiate all my deals and get to work with such amazing people along the way!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Of course! My name is O’Neil Thomas and I’m a Full-Time Actor & Content Creator. I found my passion for acting in the 3rd grade when I was in my first ever play. It was the school Christmas Show and I played one of the 3 Kings. I had terrible stage fright as any other 3rd grader would and after I delivered the gold and got off the stage, I felt a large relief. At the end of the show, we all got back on the stage for curtain call and see everyone in the audience standing up and cheering for us did something to me. To not sound as superficial as possible, I remember having this warm feeling in my heart that I was exactly where I was suppose to be. Since that day, I’ve studied and fell in love with acting.

I entered a performing arts High School where I received the best training for the next 4 years. With years of classes, stage productions, theatre competitions and hours of ‘yes, and’ I was officially ready for the big screen. As soon as I turned 18, I started going out for auditions and acting classes in NYC. I quickly signed with my Talent Manager and ended up booking my first speaking role for a Netflix Original Series.

Whenever I’m not auditioning, I’m at home creating skits to upload online. I’ve always loved watching TV Sitcoms growing up. That comedy style just naturally gravitated towards me so any chance I could, I’d find a small room in my house, with my camera, tripod & ring light and start filming. I also edit my videos as well which allowed me to learn so much about the post-production world.

With that knowledge, I’ve been able to now create videos on TikTok to my 2.8 Million followers which is still such a crazy concept to me haha.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Comparision is a thief of joy. With the instant access that is social media, it’s incredibly easy to compare yourself to another artist or creative. There’s been times where actors my age gets life-changing roles on TV Shows & Movies. There’s times where I stumble on a video that’s performing well and maybe I had a bad week with posting. I quickly had to remind myself that social media is a glorified highlight reel. We, including myself, tend to post ourselves in the highest light on there. I may not show you how I look like as soon as I get out of bed, but I’ll definitely show you what I look like winning my first Emmy haha!

Any accomplishment I see from my peers, I’m instantly happy for them because we all are so creative and deserve all the rewards that comes with our hard work!

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

Meeting people who loved my content so much in real life will always be the most rewarding. To this day, I still can’t believe I get recognized in public. It reminds me of the impact social media truly holds on people and it’s a literal testament that what I’m doing is right. Creating something that makes people laugh or feel good is one of my biggest rewards in itself.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oneilthomas/
• Youtube: https://www.instagram.com/oneilthomas/
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@oneilthomas97?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

Image Credits

Folajimi Famosaya | @69.views