Authenticity Key to Unlocking Opportunities in Creative Field

Young people looking to make a career in social media or content creation are being advised to focus on making authentic content that builds trust, enhances engagement, and creates meaningful connections with the audience.

Authenticity in content creation refers to the quality of being genuine, honest, and true to oneself.

It is building an audience based on making content that truly reflects one’s values, beliefs, personality and passion rather than just trying to create something that will go viral or generate a lot of clicks.

Communications professional and content creator, Jevaughn Gordon, said that brands are looking for authentic people who connect with niche audiences.

“A lot of persons now are connecting to the little man,” he said, noting that persons are gaining a following on Tik Tok and using that popularity to build large audiences on Instagram.

“That is what brands are looking for now,” he pointed out.

Mr. Gordon was participating in a panel discussion during the recent Creative Career Expo, which was organised by the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport for tertiary students interested in pursuing careers in the creative industries.

The expo, held at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston, was the fourth staging of the event.

Portfolio Minister, Hon. Olivia Grange, said successful creatives were invited to expose young people to non-traditional career paths.

“We have invited Jamaican creatives at home and from the diaspora who have excelled in the digital space to demonstrate to you, our students, and other young creatives… that there are viable career alternatives to traditional ones,” she noted.

“As such, we have curated an elite team of panelists from the digital space, particularly those involved in the entertainment and creative sectors,” she added.

For Mr. Gordon, authentic storytelling earned him brand sponsorships and opportunities for event hosting.

“As a content creator, I`ve worked with the biggest local brands there are and they have flown me out to New York for Culture Con or to host an event… because of the storytelling and authenticity that comes with a niche social media platform,” he points out.

He advises young people to “just start now” and share their authentic stories even with a small following on social media.

“My advice would be to start now. Tell your stories and be authentic about it, because if you’re not authentic about it, then people won’t gravitate towards you and brands won’t take you up on the opportunity to do great things,” he shares.

Popular social media influencer and event host, Juliet “Julie Mango” Bodley, who is known for her Jamaican-themed skits, also encouraged young people to go into the social media space authentically.

“Be authentic. If you want to do something and nobody else is doing it, it doesn’t mean that you can’t do it. It doesn’t mean there isn’t an audience for you, and if other persons are doing what you have in mind… you [can] bring a unique aspect to it,” she advised.

Ms. Bodley further highlighted the importance of consistency in creating content to grow the online audience.

“Once you are consistent in putting out your content, when someone consumes your content, the algorithm will continue to show them the content… and that’s how you grow your audience,” she informed.

“Don`t worry about [the algorithm]… create, be consistent and, trust me, your people will show up and those are the people who will spend money on you and buy any product that you are selling,” she said.

Jamaican-born actress and film producer, Jacinth Headlam, underscored the importance of both authenticity and collaboration.

“Trends come and trends go but nothing will beat authenticity…and my biggest word is collaboration. There is power in collaboration because you can’t do it on your own,” she said.

In February, Ms. Headlam’s film ‘Love After Holidays’ premiered in theatres locally.