Today we’d like to introduce you to Bella Dane.
Hi Bella, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I was introduced to the entertainment industry starting very young, I did a lot of musical theatre and acting growing up, which I loved! When I was probably around 15 I started making YouTube videos and getting really good at editing video. I’ve since deleted all of the videos I made at that time, as they were almost impressively embarrassing. I had no intention of going to college but kind of impulsively decided to apply to some schools last minute and ended up attending university of Arkansas with a sports management major thinking I wanted to become a sports and entertainment agent. When TikTok launched I was a freshman in college and started making little trendy videos, also extremely embarrassing, but I kept at it. I graduated college drowning in debt, and struggling to find a job. I ended up bartending at a very prestigious country club in dallas. While I was there, I made a video about social skills I had picked up from wealthy members and my following jumped from 40k to 110k in a week. I was picked up by a talent management company and also started working at an architectural design firm. I worked 8:30-6:30 at the firm, then I’d come home and film and edit 4-5 videos a night, plus any ads I needed to film. I kept that schedule for a little less than a year because I knew if I could get through it, social media could be my full time job and I would be able to put myself through law school. Now I’ve been doing social media full time for around 2 years, and I’m currently studying for the LSAT. I love my job and am extremely grateful for the opportunities it’s afforded me ! My content is primarily education focused, I like helping people and giving people advice on wellness, communication, lifestyle, relationships, etc. Especially women, which is 96% of my audience. I always say the coolest girls follow me because I always see really insightful thoughts and conversations in my comments and honestly receive very little hate. Overall just very grateful for the life I get to live and thankful for the people that have supported me through the years.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
While I was working a 9-5 corporate job plus being a full time influencer, I was really struggling maintaining my health, relationships and life. But I also believe humans are meant to push themselves and achieve difficult things in pursuit of their goals. I was absolutely struggling, but romanticized it to the best of my ability because I knew the end goal was well worth it. But now, I get to be my own boss and do what I love all day for a living. Not much to complain about. Of course I work very hard, and applying to law school plus TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, podcast, substack and writing a book (attempting to write a book; absolutely hilariously entertaining and brilliant so far by the way) is a lot of work, but it’s exactly the work I want to do. Everyone had struggles and had a rough childhood blah blah blah but that doesn’t matter. What does matter, is that it makes you way stronger and most importantly, way funnier.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’d like to think I’m known for giving absolutely life altering advice, and spreading my brilliant wisdom to people in need. But funny enough, I started doing makeup tutorials as so many of us did because I was lucky enough to have experienced the golden age of YouTube. Jaclyn Hill, Lauren Curtis, Goss Makeup Artist, Michelle Phan, etc. Growing up in theatre I got really good at makeup and would teach the other girls how to put on their eyelashes or do their eyeliner, which was really fun. I think as I got older though, I felt unfulfilled with just that kind of content and wanted to help people. (My personality type is called the helper) so I started sharing little bits of advice and my views and followers started sky rocketing, I was actually building a really good community of women who were interested in self improvement. I’m definitely a lifelong learner and spend a lot of my free time doing what I can to learn as much as possible, I started sharing my knowledge and am now very much an education based creator. I think that’s what sets me apart, or at least I hope it is.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I think anyone who decided to jump and be self employed is a risk taker. I’m not a particularly impulsive person, and am a really good strategist, but to say choosing a career path with about as little stability as you can find isn’t a risk is a lie. High risk high reward though!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://hoo.be/beedane
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beedane
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@belladane9
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/show/7kqgLt5jf7HCUUgfFtt9ed
