We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Stephanie De Landre a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

STEPHANIE, appreciate you joining 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?

Yes i have been able to earn a comfortable 6 figure income from my creative work as an independent pro wrestler. I made it happen by understanding the importance of marketability ie. choosing a ring name that fans could abbreviate into a simple 3 syllable chant to yell at live events (SDL), understanding my target audience and developing attractive and unique branding (DSL by SDL) and always educating myself on social media trends & all things business. My mentality was the same at day 1, but the more you grow the more you know, so there have been ideas that have yield less than ideal ROI, but in every failure there is a lesson, and a fear of failure is the incorrect mindset for an entrepeneur.

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

My ring name is Steph De Lander, my government name is Stephanie De Landre, and i am a professional wrestler born in Australia, now living in Orlando, Florida. I moved to the states in 2021 after signing a contract to join the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) at the age of 22. After spending a year with the company during a very tumultuous period (mass covid budget cuts and creative changes across the company) i was 1 of 130 superstars to be released from their contract within a 12 month period. After facing the reality of being a part of a giant corporate machine, and then going back to being an “indy wrestler” (non contracted) simply wasn’t an option for me. I had my long term and short term career goals, and part of the journey was indeed to spend some time on the independent wrestling scene to cut my teeth against new opponents under different circumstances, and flex my creative muscle. What i wasn’t willing to subscribe to, was the less than optimal living conditions, fucked up travel arrangements, risking my body for a shady promoter to pay me peanuts and pocket majority of the cash, and deal with the general misfortunes that an average indy wrestler faces. I knew there was a way i could find the perfect sweet spot for myself; there has to be a way to be an indy wrestler AND make serious money, There has to be a way that i can enjoy the flexibility of creating my own schedule, writing my own creative, being my own boss, AND make more money per year than my highest WWE contract? I figured it out and have created a great space for myself within the space of professional wrestling.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Since i began wrestling, i always understood the importance of social media. I viewed it as free advertisement for whatever i am trying to sell (myself, as an indy wrestler), and a way to give my fans an inside look into my life, and for a way to connect with my fanbase too. In the earlier days i stuck to the basics. Post at least once every single day, anytime you are in wrestling gear or hair & makeup, get as much content as possible. If your goal is to create the image of a busy worldwide traveling artist, every single time you are in a new city, make sure you tag the location or make a post so people are aware you are traveling. Think intentionally about what image you want to create, because at the end of the day, social media isn’t reality; it’s a place where you can create your own reality. I’ve had time off wrestling before and fans & other wrestlers haven’t even noticed i’ve taken time off because i’ve continued posting often, continued flaunting my travels etc. A lot of people who ask me about social media admit they overthink their content or are embarrassed to post… all i can say on that is you need to let go of that and get comfortable throwing shit at the wall and seeing what sticks. Especially wrestlers! You perform in your undies in front of thousands of rabid fans and on TV across the world every week, but you’re scared of posting a tweet? C’mon.

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

For me it feels as necessary as drinking water, working out, eating well. My mind wants to create, i have ADHD. I am the queen of starting a million projects. I even made a shirt about it. “Wrestler, Actress, Model, Podcaster, Rapper, Entrepeneur, SDL”, And those are all things i do. Since being released from WWE in 2022, i have launched multiple brands, some more successful than others. Some have been surprisingly fruitful journeys (DSL by SDL), some have been passion projects (My rap song & music video) and some have been a mix of both (my That’s Cooked Podcast). I think the secret weapon for me is i don’t think about anything long enough to start doubting myself or having second thoughts. For better or for worse, i’ve already sent the email or the text message about a new project before i’ve had time to start punking myself out.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://stephdelanderworld.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/stephdelander
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/stephdelander
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@stephdelanderr
• Other: https://whatnot.com/user/stephdelander