We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Pierce Westbrook a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Pierce thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

I started out posting during the COVID 19 pandemic as a way to pass the time during quarantine. When a random video of mine blew up I immediately saw how many people enjoyed my video and how happy and seen they felt watching something they can all relate to. That’s when I decided that I wanted to continue spreading joy through my videos and creating a space where I can share my love for movies, music, and dance through my posts and being a source of happiness through such a dark time.

Pierce , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Pierce Westbrook. I am originally from New Orleans, Louisiana and I started creating content on TikTok in 2020. It wasn’t until January of 2021 when I started to “blow up” and amassed the over 1 million followers I have today. Most of my content consists of comedic dancing videos and relatable comedy videos. I started out pretty slow not exactly knowing what my niche was until I combined my love for dance with the comedic element that I also enjoy to showcase both. I believe this combination is what truly sets me apart as a creator that not only dances but in a way that is both funny and relatable. Over the past few years I have been overjoyed with this new found ability to showcase my talents and passion for so many people and getting the opportunity to spread the love and joy I have to others. I receive countless comments and messages from people who have told me that watching my videos have gotten them out of a dark place or that they were having a bad day until they stumbled upon one of my videos. Although that is not what I expected to happen when I started dancing in my living room, it has now become the most important reason behind continuing to do what I do. As a person with so much joy and love to give being able to reach millions of people and brighten their days is one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had. I am also very proud of the work I have done in collaborations with major companies. Getting noticed alone through all of the hard work I put into my videos is very rewarding, but I have also loved getting to collaborate with numerous fortune 100 companies such as Disney, Amazon, and Sony and even being able to travel to work with them and showcase my talents and creativity.

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

When I first downloaded the app it took me 11 months to gain 1,000 followers. There were many times when I considered quitting not being able to see how I could gain any amount of following at that rate. Then I saw a couple doing a trend showcasing the experience of watching “The Greatest Showman” for the first time. After loving that video I decided to follow that trend and put my own spin on it. Shortly after posting my version I saw millions of views and likes coming in with thousands of people expressing how much they loved and related to my video and wanted to see my version to other nostalgic movies that they loved. I then immediately decided to take requests from my comments and made more videos learning the choreography from many old Disney and dance movies and showcasing the experience of watching it for the first time into the second time into the third when you’re inevitably dancing along with the movie as the choreography is playing behind you on the tv. I believe that immediately creating this relationship with my audience where they got to have a hand in what video I made next and saw what they wanted to see was a smart business move on my part. I was able to gain such a large audience because of this relationship. If I had to give any advice to someone trying to build their social media presence I would say to do something similar where you make sure at the early stages that you are engaging with your audience and showing them why they should want to come back to your account. Even before that stage I would also say that whatever you want to post about it is important that it is something that you are passionate about, something you truly enjoy, and something that showcases your individuality and sets you apart as a creator. There are millions of people swiping through their For You Page everyday and as a creator you always have to think of what about your video will make the viewer stop swiping and watch you. That is why I always think of my videos as a performance. Starting off strong to immediately catch peoples’ attention is paramount to growing your presence. Whether it’s through strong energetic dance movements, or the authentic passion behind the topic of your videos.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

There was an instance where I was asked to create a few videos for Disney World where I had to travel to Orlando for a few days and shoot a bunch of content promoting one of their rides and two of their resort hotels. I came into the situation knowing the idea behind each video but there were many times I had to adjust the plan based on the schedule for the day and making sure that the filming process was not getting in the way of the visitors’ experience. I also had to manage a team of producers that were sent to help with filming to make sure that everything was filmed in a timely manner and in a way that served the plan I had for the videos. It was during these times when I had to rely on my dance and theatre background as well as my professionalism. Throughout the entire process I often had to adjust and create new choreography for myself on the spot for three different videos in order to get things done as well as even having to shoot a scene without being able to hear the music and still dance on beat with it. As a creator who had never been in a situation like this before, I was very proud that I was able to manage a team effectively and push through all of the challenges we faced with a great attitude and managed to create three different videos that I was very proud to create.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://hoo.be/ecreip1?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAadVJIQ0MErxsV9zFqF-A6RXEzb4NubRCXPmunYO9S1d_kYasR7AMhT6vSQ4Tw_aem_Xv9fig_-9f6VvMjIGuS2rQ
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/piercewestbrook/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1JRYi5F5xF/?mibextid=wwXIfr
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pierce-westbrook-46297b73?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@piercewestbrook?si=aA8DOJcs7CjO2pxY
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@ecreip1?_t=ZP-8y3fE3ZvJeR&_r=1