With over 670,000 followers on TikTok and 153,000 on Facebook, it’s fair to say Canterbury couple Dan and Lucy are exceptional content creators and not just ‘full time idiots who spend their lives trying to annoy each other’ like their Facebook bio suggests.
CommunityAd had the pleasure of speaking with Dan and Lucy as they told us about their start out in the world of social media, the pros and cons of content creating and, of course, what they love most about living in Canterbury…
Can you explain to readers how you both started with your very first video on social media?
Well, it has been a pretty crazy journey over the last couple of years and we certainly never visualised (or dreamed) that we would be where we are now. Initially, we had been creating videos for fun, mainly for ourselves and for our friends and family, and then we heard about TikTok so decided to create an account and post our first video. It really took off and gave us confidence as people seemed to really relate to our dynamic as a couple.
Do you remember the exact moment or video you recorded which made you both realise this is something you could potentially both pursue as full-time careers?
We don’t think there was an exact moment necessarily, as initially we were just creating videos for fun but then lockdown hit and we were both furloughed from our jobs.
Lucy was pregnant and suddenly life just felt really scary as no one seemed to know what the future held! But what this did do, was give us a lot more free time as well as an outlet to have a bit of fun. It was a way to take our minds off worrying about our future.
Then we started gaining real traction on TikTok, which is when Ed Hopkins PR (our now management team) reached out and they opened us up to a whole new world of opportunities! So suddenly, for the first time we started making money from making videos.
We carried on for a while and then after what felt like forever, lockdown was over! At that time, TikTok was only short clips, up to a maximum of 1 minute, so we created a Facebook page where we could post longer videos. Within the first few weeks, we were getting a millions of views every month – which shocked us both! By this point, Dan had gone back to work and Lucy had given birth to Harper so we went from having all the time in the world, to no time at all!! And life became stressful again.
For a while we carried on creating content alongside having a job and a newborn baby, but we discussed over the Christmas period of 2020, that if the videos continue to do well, and the Facebook page and TikTok account grow, and we are earning steady money, that Dan would leave his job.
The main reason for this was that he got to spend all of his time with Lucy and Harper, being able to watch Harper grow up as well as making funny videos all week. Win win.
“We openly get comments on our videos, as well as direct messages from people who tell us how much they are struggling with mental health but watching our videos cheers them up on the bad days”
What would you say are the pros and cons of being content creators?
Pros are that we get to work from home, and spend all of our time together (we appreciate that’s some people’s worst nightmares, stuck at home with your partner 24/7), we get to go to lots of fun events and meet lots of new people.
The cons are that you don’t have an exact salary you know you can rely on each month regardless of what you do. So you need to continue to make good content and think of new ideas to keep people interested in watching.
At a time where mental health is more openly discussed, how are you both able to create content with such positive attitudes on a daily basis?
Sometimes it is really difficult, and we have had our fair share of challenges throughout our journey so far, but I guess the good thing for us is that we have each other to support one another every day whilst we learn to navigate this crazy new world.
Plus, we’re blessed with our beautiful little daughter Harper who we don’t want to let down, and just want to give her the best life we can, which pushes us to keep going when times are hard. We openly get comments on our videos, as well as direct messages from people who tell us how much they are struggling with mental health but watching our videos cheers them up on the bad days. It’s a really nice feeling knowing you are helping someone even if it is in a small way.
Looking ahead, what are your aims for 2022 and do you have any long term 5-10 year goals that you would like to achieve?
For 2022 we really just want to grow our platforms and keep doing what we are doing, creating content and having fun. Long term, we would love a TV show and to grow our “Who’s The Mummy” podcast as we always have fun making these! But as we already know from our only short time in this industry is that crazy unexpected things can happen, so we’re open to whatever opportunities this journey has to offer us. We just want to keep making memories for ourselves and our family.
Away from work, what are your hobbies and interests and what do you enjoy most about living in the Canterbury district?
Our hobbies have changed a lot through lockdown, but we both love to travel when we can and we love going out for a bite to eat. Canterbury has so many amazing restaurants as well as it being a beautiful city to walk around and explore, although we don’t get to do that as often as we like with a toddler! I think one of the main reasons we love Canterbury so much is that it has so much to offer. The history and cobbled streets near the cathedral, incredible restaurants, woodland walks – there’s so much to do.