Corcus Featured Creator ❤️ Mackenzie Dudzik (@mackenziedudzik)
Hi all!
After finding that many creators are eager to learn about each other's journeys and experiences, we have started a blog series that’ll regularly feature a creator from the Corcus community. It will be in the format of a Q+A that we hope you’ll benefit from!
If you are interested in being part of this series, please email lisa@corcus.io.
Sections:
About Mackenzie
Tips + Advice
Working with brands
With that being said, we have a very special creator to feature in our very first post.
Meet Mackenzie (@mackenziedudzik), an L.A based beauty, travel, lifestyle blogger, actor and founder of theClick (@theclick.la). She instantly caught our attention with her vibrant and adventure-full Instagram posts!
About Mackenzie
Tell us a little about your background. When did you start creating content? What got you to start?
I'm from the east coast. I moved out to Los Angeles about 3 years ago after living in NYC for 5 years. I needed to be free of the snow! When I saw that content creation was such a big thing in L.A, I knew I wanted to jump on board. I teamed up with one of my best friends/ roommate @KameronRasmussen and we just started taking pictures of each other. It definitely built from there.
Do you see creating content as your full-time job or more of a hobby that you do in your free time?
Content creation is definitely becoming more of my full-time job. My overall career, in general, has a lot to do with personal branding. I'm an actor, social media manager for small businesses and content creators, so I'm on my phone all the time LOL! In my spare time, I love road tripping around California and finding new spots to shoot at. I'm always convincing my friends we should go away for the weekend!
Do you have any specific goals set for yourself for the coming months?
Yes! So many! I really want to focus in on the brands I choose to work with an aim to create a long-term partnership with each of those brands, rather than a one-off post. I also want to travel more! I was booked on my first brand trip, and unfortunately due to COVID-19 that was postponed, so I'm really hoping we can get back to traveling in the next few months!
Tips + Advice
How do you balance your personal and work life?
It's actually pretty easy for me. I feel like if I'm going to share "my world" on Instagram, I'm going to show 100% of me. Of course, there are certain things that don't need to be shared with the world, but other than that, I think I'm lucky enough to be able to manage time for "me" versus time for creating. Working with the people I love most in my life also helps. It never feels like work!
What kinds of tools do you use to stay consistent and active on your social media?
Instagram itself is the ultimate tool -- I pull so much inspiration from other creators, brands, or even just from the Explorer page. I also use the same presets for the majority of my photos on Lightroom to keep consistent color-tones on my feed. I don't think your photos should all look the exact same, but it's certainly pleasing to the eye to stick to a color story and your followers will appreciate it!
What are some of your favorite editing tools?
Lightroom, StoryLuxe, Preview, and Tezza are a few of my favorites, but I love finding new apps and ways to use them. I've been playing with PicsArt lately. You can get super creative there.
What are some tips for creators who are just getting started?
Just keep posting because consistency is key! Your online community needs to get to know you, and they will, over time. Don't try to mimic someone else's feed, because that's already been done and the internet is ready for something new -- which is YOU!
How did you “learn” the ways of content creation? Are there any resources you see as absolutely necessary?
I learned from my peers! Instagram is the best teacher, but I also sign up for newsletters, fellow creators' blogs, and online courses to make sure I'm always learning more.
Instagram marketing agencies also provide some super useful information, as well as the latest news and updates. I personally turn to agencies like Fohr -- especially their "Drink with James" series to see the latest news. It's also helpful to learn the way of Instagram from a brand's side. By learning what their goals and strategies are, you'll be better prepared to pitch yourself to them.
What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced or you are facing as a creator/influencer?
I think one of the biggest challenges we all deal with at some point as an influencer is how to manage a brand -- *you as a creator* -- on your own and running it like a business. Because that's exactly what we are- a business. Once you can figure that part out, I think that's when you really take the next step and can create some incredible relationships!
What kind of advice do you have for creators who are not seeing any progress or success?
Switch up your process. Maybe try adding more videos to your feed, or playing with IGTV. Ask your followers what kind of content they prefer. It's important to get their feedback too. No one "makes it" overnight. Ultimately, this is a place for you to get creative and show your personality. There's no "failing" in that.
Working with Brands
What have you found to be the biggest challenge in working with brands?
Sometimes, if I have a lot of brand partnerships on my plate for a month or a stretch of time, I find it challenging to come up with really creative concepts. It's fairly easy to just snap a photo of yourself holding a product, but what I think brands really want is for you to help tell their story to not only your online community but to the rest of the world. So how will you tell their story?
What brands have you worked with in the past? What are some that you would like to work with?
I'm lucky enough to say that this is a very long list! Some of my recent partnerships or the ones I'm most proud of include Hilton, Revolve, Estee Lauder, Google, and Coca Cola. I've also had the pleasure of working numerous times with BABE Wine and Aussie Hair. They're both truly incredible companies. I'm really excited to partner with some legendary hotel chains in the coming months (stay tuned!) and I hope to be able to work with female-founded companies like Drybar. I get really excited about "experiences" and traveling, so brands that offer those -- like JetBlue Vacations, like American Express or Amazon -- those are the goal!
Whether you are just getting started or content creation is your full-time job, our goal at Corcus is to help you find and manage successful brand partnerships.
Join our community today and create your own story!
Love,
Corcus Team