Daily Inspiration: Meet Emily Fitzgerald

Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Fitzgerald

Hi Emily, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started out as a theater kid. I always only ever wanted to be an actor since I was a kid. Growing up I went to a Performing Arts Highschool in New Jersey. Fun Fact: It was In the hangar where the Hindenburg was housed and right next to its crash site. For college, I attended Wagner in Staten Island where I graduated with a BA in Theatre and Speech. Toward the end of my senior year I put on a one act play that I wrote and directed. I also dabbled in sketch writing, but I didn’t start putting anything online until March of 2020 when Covid hit. Basically from there on out I started putting my sketches online. It was slow going for a year. Tiktok was my only form of social media and despite putting out content near everyday I only had 15k followers. My story is one less of luck and more of persistence. I decided I was going to be a creator abandoning my aspirations of Broadway. So I kept putting myself out there following pop culture trends and working part time jobs in the meantime. I lived at home so I was fortunate enough not to have to pay rent. In February of 2022 I got a lucky break when I moved my content to YouTube and within 2 weeks I was monetized with 5k subs and by the next month I had 40k. It wasn’t enough money to live on, so I got a job in catering and 6 months later I had made more money on YouTube than I had in 6 months of catering. I quit and moved to LA. Last year I spent every month stressed trying to keep the gravy train rolling. I developed hormonal acne for 6 months despite never having it before from all the stress. I roomed with a friend I met online, but other than her I knew no one. But I kept being ultra consistent with videos and I attended any event I could to meet creators. Slowly I built a small circle of friends and started collaborating with them. Right now I still feel very uncertain with the state of my career, but it’s such an exciting and fulfilling pursuit that I wouldn’t give it up even if I went back to making nothing. My next endeavor is getting back in to acting and seeing if I can take my writing to a more professional setting like novels or screen plays.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I fear I may have covered this in the previous question but I’ll do bulletin points here

– lack of security (worked part time service jobs to leave time to make content)

– Developed hormonal acne

– I didn’t have a viral video that catapulted me to the spotlight. I’ve posted over 1,500 videos that eventually led to a following

– feeling lost/the fear of not making it

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a content creator. My videos focus on pop culture and poke fun at movies/ shows and relatable friend experiences. I specialize in Point of View sketches. I’m known for my in class POVs where I do a characture of a person you might have in class (ie: basketball player, fan of a specific artist, teachers pet) I’m most proud of my “Every Movie About…” series where I either satirize a genre or parody a movie. I think my look sets me apart. Part of my brand is my hair as it’s very distinct. In addition to myself, I think my content’s fast pace, intensity and effort (ie: costumes, script, backgrounds) set me apart.

Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
I’m a fan girl at heart. I love stories whether that’s through music, plays, or on screen. Entertainment is a huge part of my life as well as most everyone’s. What I do is silly, but at its core it’s storytelling and I think everyone can connect to that.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realemilyfitzgerald/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@EmilyFitzGeraldYT
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@realemilyfitzgerald