Before they took over our feeds, these influencers were getting in their paperwork in their 9-to-5.
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You’re working in your office job as you slave away in your 9-to-5 and get that check as you repeat the process over and over again. But one day, inspiration hits, and you decide to leave it all behind for a career in the creatives industry. It’s an idea so cliche, it practically writes its own screenplay. But it’s real, and it’s an experience some of today’s top influencers and content creators can relate to. Before they took over social media, they first were corporate hires that seemingly had no relation to what they do today. But as always, life finds a way to bring you where you need to be, twists and turns included. Here are what some of your fave content creators used to do before making it big on social media.
MARJ MAROKET
INSTAGRAM/MARJMAROKET
Marj Maroket is a go-to content creator for many morenas looking for beauty tips for brown-skinned girls. But before the rising morena star made a name for herself in the local beauty space, she once worked as a key accounts manager for Lazada and a trade marketing executive at Calyxta. Fun fact, Marj would later be included in Lazada’s Beauty Council as a sign of just how far she’s gone.
BENEDICT CUA
INSTAGRAM/BENEDICT_CUA
One day, you’re working for a multinational company, and the next, you’re a social media content creator. Or at least, that’s the route Benedict Cua took as the Business Management graduate from De La Salle University worked at Nestle Philippines for a few years and even reached the position of a key account executive.
RAIZA CONTAWI
INSTAGRAM/RAIZACONTAWI
At first glance, you might think that the finance world and beauty content creation are two fields that do not intersect. But it does, and inside that intersection is content creator Raiza Contawi. The YouTuber and beauty guru graduated from FEU with a B.S. in Commerce and worked in corporate as a financial analyst and marketing assistant.
TEREE DAISUKI
INSTAGRAM/TEREEDAISUKE
With over a jaw-dropping 1.2 million followers on TikTok alone, Teree Daisuki has become a trusted name for people looking for beauty tips, tricks, reviews, recos, and more. But before devoting his full attention to content creation, TikTok Philippines’ 2023 Beauty Creator of the Year used to have stints in marketing and sales. Just goes to show you that quitting your job to pursue what you love is worth it.
MARVIN FOJAS
INSTAGRAM/MARVSFOJAS
If ever there was going to be a Mt. Rushmore built for Pinoy comedy creators from TikTok, Marvin would be on that list. For years, he has consistently entertained his more than eight million followers on the app. You’d think that he was always meant to do this. But that wasn’t always the case as Marvin was once a licensed pharmacist for five years, a job he went on to quit in 2020 to pursue content creation full-time.
MACOY DUBS
INSTAGRAM/MACOYDUBS
Mark “Macoy” Averilla, more popularly known as Macoy Dubs, has a portfolio that a man of his talents can only possess. The Colegio de San Juan de Letran-Manila graduate is not just a digital creator, his resume also includes being a teacher at his alma mater and holding a position of social media manager for an advertising agency. Fitting jobs if we do say so ourselves.
FONZ
INSTAGRAM/FONZIRU
If the name Aldrich Nartia doesn’t ring any bells, then maybe his online name Fonz does. The content creator has built a following with his skits and the multitude of characters he plays. And it’s actually one of his viral videos that got him in the corporate world. In 2017, Kris Aquino caught wind of one of his videos and offered him a job at Kris Cojuangco Aquino Productions (KCAP), where he worked on her vlogs. In 2020, he had a short stint in a social media position at an entertainment company.
Continue Reading: 11 Celebrities And Personalities Who Shifted Careers