Katie Siegel - If It’s Relatable to Me, Odds Are It’s Relatable to Other People as Well (Actor and Writer from New Jersey)

 

You have to enjoy and be proud of what you make, or else it’s going to be so much easier for you to burn out.

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your journey.

I’ve been making videos online for about ten years, mainly on YouTube. Then in late 2019, I started making TikToks, which grew in popularity, and today I have over 600k followers on the platform.

2. What acted as an inspiration behind the start of your TikTok page?

While I started posting on TikTok in late 2019, I suddenly found myself with a lot of free time starting in March 2020 for no particular reason. It was a great outlet to be creative during a time when there were fewer opportunities to do so outside of my home.


3. How are you able to produce fresh content consistently and keep it relatable?

I hit writer's block the same as anyone else, and sometimes struggle to come up with something new. When that happens I try not to force it, because I know a new idea will pop up as soon as I stop thinking about it. 

I like to take things from my life and turn them into jokes for sketches, especially with my series Meg & Caroline. I also get inspiration from other media I consume, like in the case of my two series, I Am Not the Main Character and Meanwhile in the MCU. If it’s relatable to me, odds are it’s relatable to other people as well.


4. What advice do you have for anybody looking to pursue a career as a digital creator?

You have to enjoy and be proud of what you make, or else it’s going to be so much easier for you to burn out. I’ve struggled with my content not performing well, but I was motivated by the enjoyment I got from producing them, despite that. Something that’s also helped me when I felt frustrated with videos not performing well is knowing that I’m building a library. 

Even if you’re not super popular now, when your first videos finally pop off, people will go to your page and finally see all the great content you’ve been working on all this time.


5. What is one thing that acts as an attraction for consumers of your content?

I think a lot of my sketches are relatable. I get a bunch of comments from people tagging their friends and saying “this is you” or “this is us” or even "c'est Moi." I think people like watching sketches about situations or concepts they’re familiar with because it makes them feel like they’re in on the joke.


6. What does success mean to you and what is your life mantra?

Honestly, I feel the most successful when people I'm close to laughing at my jokes. There can be such a disconnect online, and I sometimes get numb to the numbers. It’s really hard for me to imagine the people who are consuming the content I make. So it feels really great to hear that laughter in person.

I don’t have a life mantra! Maybe I should get one. I’ll work on it.

- Katie Siegel

Bio -

Katie Siegel (@katiefliesaway) is an actor, writer, and video creator from New Jersey. She makes sketch comedy and narrative fiction videos for her 600k+ followers on TikTok and 17k+ followers on Instagram.

Interviewed by - Ragini Verma