Today we’d like to introduce you to Debora Manusama.
Hi Debora, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I am an independent video producer focusing on short-form content. I got my start here in DFW in the mom-blogging scene of the early 2010s. I had just moved here all the way from Indonesia, and I wanted to document the fun stuff I did around the metroplex with my family. So I started taking aesthetically pleasing photos (think VSCO filters, mural walls, wide brim hats) with my iPhone 4s and posting them on Instagram and WordPress in 2014,
In 2015, I got discovered by a few convention bureaus in the metroplex who hired me to write blogposts about their cities in exchange for complimentary restaurant visits, hotel stays, and event entries. We weren’t really called influencers back in the day. Creators who got paid to post and receive freebies were called bloggers. It wasn’t just photos, we had to write actual blog articles!
I started getting discovered by PR agencies who hired me for campaigns for Toyota, Starbucks, and even Coach (yes, I got a free purse!). I began to realize that I have a unique perspective and I can make a simple event, corner of a city, diner, you name it — look interesting online, with the way I capture and present it.
Soon after, I got hired to create content for a local non-profit and ended up as a full-time in-house creator for Visit Dallas in 2018. Mind you, they all discovered me through my Instagram. I never applied for any job!
I studied film production and advertising back in college, so I’ve always had love for creating videos. When TikTok and short-form content started booming in 2019, I knew that there was soon going to be a market for vertical videos for brands. I love the comedy, relatable, viral dance content as much as the next person, but I simply cannot make them! I’m not funny! 🙂 What I can produce are bite-sized “TV segments” that are shot and made for social platforms. They have a story line, they’re edited to the beat, and they look a little elevated yet approachable (they don’t look like TV Ads).
So I started creating and posting them on Instagram and in 2022, I got hired as a marketing producer at WFAA (channel 8). It was fun working at a local news station, because everyday looked different. I was there at the Rangers parade when they won the World Series! And I was there when the Mavs went to the NBA finals in 2024!
Working there refined my storytelling skills and after two and a half years, I decided to focus on creating digital content for brands and businesses. Whether we like to admit it or not, we consume more media online than anywhere else. So even though I risked losing a stable paycheck, I took the leap and started freelancing full-time in the summer of 2024.
My Instagram comes in handy still, as it serves as my best portfolio and business card! I am still getting discovered by new clients while maintaining my old faithful ones who’ve been working with me for more than a decade. These days I produce video and static social content for convention bureaus like Visit Irving and Visit Fort Worth, as well as Downtown Plano and Dallas Museum of Art.
Tourism, hospitality, and art are my bread and butter, but I’m open to telling new stories, too!
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?
The biggest challenge has been balancing between staying true to my style and incorporating new methods to keep my content fresh and relevant. I don’t want to just chase virality, but I also want to be a good listener to my audience. The audience is not equal to the algorithm, I need to remember that.
Another challenge is managing time and finances! I am thankful to have a couple of retainer clients that pay me monthly. But I do need to anticipate some fluctuations, especially when I want to take days off. There’s no maternity leave. There’s no PTO. I just have to manage my time to make sure that I can accommodate to my clients’ needs without disrupting my family schedule. It’s a dance! It takes a lot of communication and trust built between me and my clients in order to achieve that.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am an independent video producer focusing on short-form content for brands and institutions. I am known for my documentary-style Instagram reels, event recap reels, and extensive Instagram stories.
What sets me apart from others is I’m not just a videographer. I am a producer first. So I don’t just show up to press record, I think about the end product and how audience might receive it. I storyboard and script even the shortest videos to make sure that the video is not random, it actually says something. With a background in social media, radio, advertising, and TV, I have a 360 view of what piece of content could and should do. So it’s not just a hype video or a pretty picture!
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
Faith, love, family. If what I do is not coming from a place of love and faith and it is not bringing any good to my family, what am I doing?
Contact Info:
- Website: https://lnk.bio/deb
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mozdeb/
