Today we’d like to introduce you to Weston Van Soest
Hi Weston, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I have made funny videos for most of my life. It has always been a really fun way for me to express my creativity and learn new skills. I have always loved to perform, and creating videos was an incredible way for me to do that whenever I wanted. About 4 years ago, when I was a freshman in High School, I convinced my mom to let me get Tiktok so I could begin to share my random, funny videos with the world. I had always dreamed of using my love for performance and creativity to have an impact on people, and this was my first chance to do that. For a couple years, I posted whatever random videos I created and it was super fun to have my friends react to them and even be a part of them. Moving to San Diego, and coming into college last year, I decided I would really step into making more social media content as a means of having fun, documenting my college experience, and as a nice escape from all the school work. One day, my roommate, Dalton, showed me a video of someone doing a college dorm video, where they knocked on random people’s doors and posed in front of their rooms. Each time they did it, they would add that person to their group. It looked like a ton of fun, and a great way to make more friends, so we decided to recreate it. The process of making that video was one of my favorite memories from college. I got to meet so many incredible new people and have some amazing laughs, all while wearing a dog mask. That video was incredibly fun for all of us to make. So we decided to do it again. Except this time, we made a human pyramid in front of people’s doors, and added them to the pyramid every time. We ended up with a pyramid of about 15 guys. Every part of the process was so amazing, that I decided to keep on making these college dorm videos. A couple weeks later, I made the “Good Morning San Diego” video that ended up going viral. I have continued to make this type of video, ever since. From having a Mariachi band come into the dorm, to setting up a dinner table with 30 people in the middle of the hall, some of my favorite college memories have come from these videos. Though so many incredible things have come from these videos, the most important for me has been the community that has formed around it. Growing up, I always prayed for good, solid friends that would grow me closer to God, and I think these videos have been one of the ways that God has answered those prayers. The people who help me make the videos are my best friends, and some of the best people I have ever known. I couldn’t do anything I do without them, and I wouldn’t trade our friendship for the world. I am so incredibly grateful for what a gift from God this platform has been for me, and I hope to continue to honor him in everything that I create. My goal in creating content, moving forward, is to spread the joy of God to more and more people, as well as to continue implementing my love for creativity and performance.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It hasn’t necessarily been all cupcakes and rainbows, I have had some struggles along the process. As the page began to grow, I became super excited, and consumed with the idea of growing it more and more. I set all these goals for myself, and as I would hit them, I would move straight on to the next. At a certain point, I became more excited about my followers and likes increasing, then about making the videos. That was when I knew there was really an issue. The growth all happened so fast, that it all kinda hit me at once, the amount of people that were seeing my videos, and it caused me to have some insecurity about the kind of videos I was making and what I was doing it for. I started to lose my love for making the videos and it was more of a burden, since I needed to post every day in order to hit my goals. After confiding in him, friend and now manager, Night, gave me some of the best advice I have ever received; “If you aren’t enjoying what you are creating, you shouldn’t be creating it.” After that conversation, I decided to step back, take a break from making videos, and pray about whether I was doing the right thing. After a few weeks of prayer and thought, I felt my spark for creating start to come back. I had multiple people affirm me about my videos and the impact they were making, and I truly believe that was straight from God. Now, I am back creating videos consistently again, but this time, with a newfound excitement, confidence, and love for what I am creating. I cannot wait to see the ways that the Lord uses this platform in the future.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a social media content creator. I specialize in funny videos, and am more specifically known for door knocking videos. I think the only thing that sets me apart from others is consistency and passion. I believe we all have creativity in different forms, but the best way to succeed is by being consistent, working hard, and loving what you do.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
My best advice for those starting out in social media content is to be consistent, truly enjoy the process, and above all else, to make sure you genuinely love what you are doing, because without passion, there is no progress.
Contact Info:
Image Credits
N/A
