Today we’d like to introduce you to Cj Kirwan
Hi Cj, 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?
Since I was a little kid, I’ve had a passion for making videos and entertaining people. It started with LEGO Stopmotions on YouTube back in 2008 and slowly progressed over the years.
In High School, I started making strides to go to Film School at Northridge, but after touring the campus, and learning how much debt I would have to go in to, I decided not to go.
I got a job at Turning Point for God shortly after graduating High School as an assistant editor, and slowly made my way to being a director, producer, and lead editor. Even helping them launch their young adult ministry, PassagesTV.
After working there for almost 2 years, it was time to make a decision. Continue doing the 9-5 job, or commit to my dream of creating my own content. At the time, I had roughly 50k TikTok followers and decided it was best to bet on myself.
Now, 4 years later, I like to think the bet has paid off. This summer, I will be NBC’s Olympic Surfing Correspondent. I’ll be in Tahiti bringing the athletes stories to those back home. My assignment while there, do what I do best, and create entertaining videos for people to watch.
My TikTok following has grown to almost 800k followers now, and making a living by doing what I love seems like a very real possibility.
I still take up part time gigs to make ends meet, but I’ve always been determined to never give up on myself and the dreams that I have.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Definitely not a smooth road.
After leaving Turning Point for God, I was forced to live off of my savings as I wasn’t going to have any consistent income coming in.
Odd jobs here and there would help with making payments, but the savings account slowly drained over the next couple years.
In 2021, I got a really nice paying brand deal which enabled me to move out to LA. I thought there would be the best place to continue my dream of creating content. However, in my year of living there, I quickly found out that it wasn’t the place for me.
I love being near my friends and being close to the beach. Up in LA, I was 150 miles away from my friends and an hour away from the nearest beach. It was definitely a low point for me when I realized I needed to head back down to San Diego to stay with my parents while I figured out my next steps.
The cost of living in LA added up more than I expected, and I felt like I was at worst off point than I was before moving up there.
In all this time though, I never lost my passion for creating videos and trying to entertain others. If anything, the passion was more cemented into the foundation of who I was than it had ever been before.
My time at my parent’s home has lasted longer than I would’ve hoped, and I’m very blessed and thankful that they have welcomed me back without judgement.
I’m hoping with this new position with NBC and the Olympics, a new path will form and take me even closer to fulfilling my dreams of being a full time content creator.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a content creator. My content falls more into a lifestyle/entertainment category as it usually revolves around my friends and I doing whatever it is we are up to that day.
9 times out of 10, it involves us getting ready to surf down by the beach. My most viral videos have been us putting on colored Zinc, which is a reef safe version of sunscreen. It’s absolutely crazy the amount of reach we have achieved by putting silly colors on our faces.
However, my content isn’t strictly all about surfing. It’s whatever I’m feeling that day. Anything from Pickleball, LEGOs, Gym, Running, or my dogs. I just stick to being my authentic self and try to entertain people along the way.
What I believe sets my content apart from others in a similar position as me, is the authenticity behind the content along with the production value of each video. Due to my background at a production company, I know what it takes to create high quality content. So when you pair that with a genuine connection people can relate to, it stands out from the rest of what they’re scrolling past.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Maybe people would be surprised to know that I’m not an amazing surfer. I’m very average at it. However, you don’t have to be amazing at the things you enjoy doing. Even though I can’t do crazy tricks out in the water, I still have so much fun every single time I paddle out. And that’s what keeps me coming back every time.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cjkirwan/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUqUyMF3atihgfT2cYdJi2A
