Meet Veronica Castagno of VeroSweetHobby in Santa Monica

Today we’d like to introduce you to Veronica Castagno.

Veronica, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I have worked in the television industry for about 18 years, in the US and internationally as Creative Director, Executive Producer and Host with top tier Networks such as Fox Sports, Fox Hispanic Networks and Movie City. In 2015, many Hispanic television Networks in Los Angeles either closed their doors or moved to Miami. We are going through times of rapid change because of the rise of digital empires like Netflix or Amazon studios and that is shifting the industry that I know so well. So I decided that I had to reinvent myself, create digital content and become an influencer. I took a year just to study and train, attended conferences and went to as many courses and classes as I could. I learned how to adapt a format that I knew so well for long to a new way of communicating with digital audiences. I launched VeroSweetHobby in mid-2016 with zero followers and today I have over 200,000 very engaged fans who love my videos. My transition from the television world to Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram wasn’t easy, but right now I’m in a very good place.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It was not easy. I loved working on TV! Understanding and accepting that my job for so many years was changing and even disappearing was very disorienting. Not knowing how to take everything I knew for so long and so well and turn it into a new way of producing video content that has a new language and format and that is constantly evolving was definitely a big challenge for me.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about VeroSweetHobby – what should we know?
VeroSweetHobby is family friendly digital content where I teach how to bake and decorate cakes in a very fun yet educational way. My platforms are Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram and I try to make everyone smile and have a really entertaining and good time when I teach them in my tutorials. My goal was to have a conversation with my fans from my kitchen because I believe that’s where values are shared. I’m not a professional baker, but I learned how to make delicious meals because my family is very Italian, Argentinean and they cook amazing! I tell my audience this all the time and they come back to see my videos because they learn, but it’s fun, nothing too formal. I have people watching me from hospitals, who tell me they are in chemo and they watch me because they feel happy and that to me is extremely rewarding. I just love that! I have fans who watch me with their kids, grandmas, friends, it’s great!

I think what sets me apart and did from the beginning is that my videos are really well produced and I’m very careful with every content I put out there. I feel like if somebody is going to spend time watching my videos, it has to be worth it and I have to send a message of kindness, hope, and joy. I’m also an expert in Live video, that’s what makes me very different, I have as many live viewers as many top creators who have millions and millions of followers. I have a blast going live! And my fans have fun with me too, they are super engaged! Each time I go Live, my videos are shared thousands of times and get thousands of views too. I speak in big conferences about how to use Live videos to grow brands, I’m actually going in an international tour very soon to teach a Facebook Live MasterClass in South America.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I had a partner, Alberto, who helped me launch VeroSweetHobby. With him, I found my look and feel and most importantly, it was so fun to work with him! When you are on camera, your team had to contribute to that high energy and he was amazing. I also have my brother from another mother who is in Argentina, Martín, he pushed me to keep going and he is the best audio designer anyone could hope for, plus friend, psychologist, and many more things. We work incredibly well together!

Ana Flores, the founder of We All Grow Summit, she is kind of guilty of what I’m doing because she saw my potential in YouTube way before I saw it and it was in her incredible event that I realized how big this world actually was. She also allowed me with an incredible space to speak to her amazing audience of Latina entrepreneurs. My husband, definitely, every time I didn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel, he told me to keep going, never give up. And he did many graphics for me and stayed up many nights and days helping me and he tells me how proud he is of how far I’ve come. My kids and are my biggest cheerleaders! They think I’m a YouTube rockstar and that makes me an awesome and cool mom! Go figure…

Contact Info:

• Website: https://verosweethobby.com/
• Email: verosweethobby@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/verosweethobby/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/verosweethobby/
• Other: https://www.youtube.com/c/verosweethobby

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