Today we’d like to introduce you to Justin Olivera.
Justin, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
When most people meet me, they think I am a quiet and reserved guy but when they see me perform, I am a completely different person. Acting is one of the few things that brings out the many colors in me. I was only 19 years old when I moved out here to pursue my Degree in acting.
I graduated with my Bachelors Degree in 2016 and decided to take a break from acting and pretty much everything else for a year. I had spent most of my life in school and focused on my acting since the 11th grade so I thought I deserved a year break from it all. In late 2017 I started everything back up. I started to focus more on my career as an actor. Did the usual things like finding a stray job to pay my rent, went on auditions, and started to create my own work for me to do. Which is how I ended up creating a YouTube Channel.
I have been doing my YouTube channel for almost a year now (8 months to be exact). It is primarily focused on products made by a toy company named Funko. And here is where I’ll begin to tell you how I got into collecting Funko Pops in the first place.
I bought my first Funko Pop in June of 2018; it was about a month after I saw “Ready Player One” in the theaters. I went to see the film four times; I was absolutely sucked into the world of film. “Ready Player One” is now my favorite film of all time. A month later I had walked into my local Hot Topic and they have this massive wall full of Funko Pops. Within this massive wall of pops I spot a “Parzival” Pop, which is the main character of the film “Ready Player One” and I immediately purchased it. From there, my collection got bigger and bigger. As of today, my collection has over 430 Funko Pops worth over 10,000 dollars.
About two months of collecting, that is when I started my YouTube Channel.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
My journey has definitely had its bumps but more roadblocks than bumps if anything. Living in LA at first was tough. I was over 3,000 miles away from my family. As a person that considers himself a huge family man, it took some time to get over the fact that I was only going to see my family maybe only four weeks out of the year for three years straight.
One thing that helped get me through it was the constant support from my family and friends. I sometimes find myself in this dry spell where I can’t find or get work but of course, that’s just the way it is in this industry. Another big reason why I started doing YouTube videos was to channel my creativity into something.
I find it such a creative outlet when it comes from being in front of camera and behind it. As an actor and being a graduate from film school, I’ve had a hand on experience with most of the positions of being on a film set. So I love to take that experience, my creativity, and Funko Pop figures to make something of my own.
Money is a big obstacle too. I have a steady job that allows me to pay bills and still have some left to collect Funko Pops but there are times where I’m not so lucky. When it comes to Funko Pop releases, they can be very sporadic and most of the time it’s a Funko Pop that you really want and once you miss out on it, then you most likely have to pay double the price in the second market.
Funko Pops on average cost from $10-$15 dollars but in the second market, it will jump double in price for a while until the value of the Pop stays a certain price.
Another obstacle for Funko Pop Collectors is “Flippers”. Flippers are people who will buy multiple of the same Funko Pops and sell them on the second market for double, sometimes triple the price. This makes it hard for real collectors to get a certain pop that they want; it’s a struggle that most of us have to go through.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with your work – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
My channel consists of Funko Pop hunts, reviews, giveaways, unboxings and more! I also unbox mystery mins, which are probably my favorite videos to do! Mystery Minis are also made by Funko.
I consistently try to change things up. I use different locations, themes, special guests, and special holidays episodes.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
My future plans entail having a successful career as an actor. My idea of success is being an actor that gets steady work and being able to live off my acting pay alone.
As for my YouTube Channel, I’m hoping my subscribers increase and I would love to become a big influencer in the Funko Pop community.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justpops_yt/
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdaaB9dqBfTJO1_ZduxEHvA?view_as=subscriber
Image Credit:
Ria Patel
Carlos Pascal
Deidhra Fahey
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
