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Blood, sweat and tears: Influencers talk about what it takes to make it
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One-woman production: Independent content creator Evelyn Hutani handles the A-Z of managing, developing and producing her content. Her mother and sister help her with day-to-day admin and also step in to screen potential product endorsements. (Courtesy of Evelyn Hutani) (Personal archive/Courtesy of Evelyn Hutani)
B
ehind the success of social media influencers is an army of managers, editors and content developers. It’s a business, not a hobby.
Fans of social media influencers may be awed by the substance and volume of the content their idols come up with, regardless of how they might really feel about the success these influencers have achieved, often across a variety of platforms. What the typical user, including fans, might not realize is how much hard work it takes to create engaging content.
"The most challenging thing about content creation is determining the creativity and context of the content," said Megan Domani, an actress and content creator with Gushcloud Indonesia, a global talent agency headquartered in Singapore that focuses on influencer marketing and entertainment.
"Content creation is often underestimated," said Evelyn Hutani, a 23-year-old comedian and independent content creator from Surabaya. "It is actually very complex,” Evelyn added, debunking the common assumption that it’s easy.
“There are many processes behind the scenes that are not fun, [like] setting up equipment, brainstorming ideas, market research, [gaining] insights, shooting, editing, revising and so on.” On top of all that, “the demands can often be overwhelming", she said.
Evelyn, who had 1.5 million TikTok followers at the time of writing, struggles with the demands of not just followers but also brands: "As my platform grows, the demands also increase. The bigger the brand, the more hassle it brings."
Dewi Ratih Purwaningrum, the founder-manager of Chic Management that is home more than 120 influencers, acknowledged that it was necessary to be meticulous in managing influencers, as going MIA was very common in the industry.
