Today we’d like to introduce you to Elliott Norris.
So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I first moved to LA in 2017 for graduate school at USC. I went to school for my Masters in Marketing. It was a program in both the business school and cinema school. From there, I started to work in entertainment as well. I worked for Fox Studios in Franchise and then International Marketing. Once I graduated in 2018, I had the opportunity to develop a web series for Instagram and BuzzFeed.
I developed an original show for IGTV’s launch called My Gay Kitchen. I was doing this show on the side and also working for Apple’s advertising agency, “Media Arts Lab”. After completing this project, I knew I wanted to continue to work in Social Media and content creation. I then began a job with Maffick. We have three channels across many platforms. In The Now, Waste Ed and SoapBox. I am currently a social video producer/editor. I mostly work on TikTok and Instagram reels. I shoot original content like sustainable recipes, going plastic-free and other eco-related content. I also edit a lot of videos for our channels. On the side, I also run my own TikTok account @callmebelly where I continue My Gay Kitchen and I also do a lot of travel/food based content. I am currently based in LA but am in Paris for work shooting original content.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s been a weird road. I did my undergrad in Political science and had six minors. I am all over the place lol. So many things have interested me but making a career out of these things always seemed scary. I didn’t want to put all my effort into a 9-5 job for a senator etc. So then I went to grad school at a really young age of 22. Hopping I would get a better sense and it helped out. I was working more on the business side of entertainment, but I realized I wanted to be on the more creative side. I was nervous to make that switch because I had invested all that time into school and I didn’t have tom much experience making content. Making videos and editing was always something I loved doing growing up, but I didn’t think people would take me seriously. I finally just got over that and started making stuff online and that’s when the pieces started to fall together. I think just coming to terms about what I wanted to do even if it was farfetched in some people’s eyes.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I currently work for a social media agency called Maffick. We have three channels across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok (In The Now, Waste Ed and Soapbox). Our biggest being In The Now on Facebook. I am a social video editor/producer. My job ranges anywhere from finding underrepresented stories and pitching them to creating and shooting original recipes. I work mostly on Waste Ed channel which focuses on sustainability and the earth. I create fun and educational content mostly for Instagram and TikTok. This ranges from quirky recipes to vlogs/farmers market and even going to restaurants and seeing if I can get away without using plastic. Right now, I am in France shooting original content on how recycling is different here and how different France is compared to the US with plastic in general. What sets me apart from others is that I have a great understanding of different countries/cultures. I am half French and half American so I’ve spent a lot of my life abroad in Europe. I am able to offer a different way of thinking about topics/seeing the world. I am also gay so I am heavily involved in the LGBTQ community. I try to incorporate my European roots and my LGBT community in the content I create.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite childhood memory was going to Europe every summer. My mom was French so every year, we would come to France and other neighboring European countries. Up until a few years ago, I had never been in the US during the summer. My mom was a professor and she brought students to France for study abroad so my sister and I always tagged along. We saw so many castles, ate such good food and were able to see a lot of the world starting at a young age. A lot of what I do know comes from those roots.
Contact Info:
- Phone: 517-899-5751
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elliottnorris
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@callmebelly?lang=en
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