US Reporter

Smush: The College Dropout Who Became One of Social Media’s Most Sought-After Content Creators

Veronica Thompson Veronica Thompson on March 26, 2021

Many people dismiss the idea of dropping out of school because they often associate it with failure. However, countless established authorities and industry powerhouses have seamlessly proven that there is more to achieving promising milestones than finishing a college degree. Some may have propelled themselves forward through their academic achievements, while others have climbed the summits of success with a clear-cut vision, a persevering spirit, and a determined mind. Mohamad Masri, an esteemed content creator and professional gamer who is better known as Smush, is one such powerhouse who managed to stay committed to his goals until he reached impressive heights in his rapidly rising career.

This multifaceted personality is an open-minded go-getter who is not afraid to risk it all. From working a nine-to-five job to live streaming games for Facebook Gaming, Smush has come a long way to translate his dreams into a reality. His diligent efforts have earned praises from various communities around the world, effectively acknowledging the hard work he has put into developing his career. This emerging powerhouse has not only strived hard to reach the pinnacles of a growing industry, but he has also proven that success can be achieved if one invests their hearts into their crafts.

Born in Syria, Smush and his family later moved to the United States to seek greener pastures. Although his life has not been precisely easier ever since his family moved to pursue the American dream, Smush grew up playing video games with his friends in order to cope with the harsh realities of moving to an unfamiliar place. Aside from that, he also had to work a nine-to-five job during his high school years in order to help with responsibilities and pay the bills. Aiming to transform his circumstances, Smush went to college with the hopes of landing a better future ahead.

While college may be a good kickstart to a better life, it comes with a hefty price tag that only a few can sustain. As someone who had to work for almost four years of his life to pay for bills and familial responsibilities, Smush could no longer afford it. For this reason, he decided to drop out and dipped his toes into other ventures, bringing him back to his childhood passion for gaming. Smush began to live-stream his gameplay, which garnered a lot of viewers on social media. After a year, he partnered up with Facebook Gaming, opening several doors of opportunities for this emerging powerhouse.

Today, Smush makes a mark in the industry as he maintains over 114,000 followers in his gaming community. More impressively, he has created a game server with 3000 players across the world, allowing him to share his craft with equally-passionate individuals. From having to make ends meet to putting smiles on people’s faces through his streams, this power player has indeed transformed his dreams into a reality.

As can be gleaned from his extraordinary journey, Smush has seamlessly proven that success is within reach for anyone who vehemently seeks it. Although attaining a degree is a feat, it does not mean that it works for everyone. As long as people are tenaciously-spirited and passion-driven, anything is possible.

To know more about Smush, you may visit his Facebook page.

On His Rustic Cowboy Lifestyle and Viral Videos: Nick Luciano Shared How He Did It

brittanymeyers brittanymeyers on March 20, 2021

Showcasing the rustic lifestyle of a western cowboy to over four million followers on TikTok, it’s safe to say that Nick Luciano is one of the most promising content creators of his generation. At 24 years-old, Nick has continually amazed fans across the globe with his videos that amplify hope, joy, and positivity.

Nick Luciano has been making videos for 11 years. Beginning his journey in the small town of Northeast Maryland, humbly yet creatively recording with a camcorder and an iPod, documenting bits of his simple life. When he got hold of a smartphone, Nick began uploading videos to YouTube. Later on, he transitioned to Vine, gained over 30,000 followers on the platform, and used his account to express himself creatively. But his flourishing career in Vine eventually ended with the downfall of the platform.

It was then that Nick Luciano felt disheartened and doubted his future as a full-time content creator. Instead, he decided to focus on his education, pursuing an engineering degree at the University of North Texas College of Engineering. Nick graduated in 2019 with a 4.0 GPA and eventually landed a job with the US Army as a mechanical engineer, a position that required him to work with high-speed cameras. Hence, reviving his passion for filmmaking.

Nick Luciano also met two mentors along his journey, helping him become an even better videographer and encouraging him to build his own brand. Inspired to venture into content creation again, the creative launched the Luciano Media LLC, embodying his cowboy spirit and the lifestyle he made after moving to Texas two years into college. Through his company, Nick was able to share his expertise with other people by creating wedding videos and promotional films.

“I then realized I was able to merge my love for the western lifestyle and content creation. I continued to learn more about filmmaking and cameras, and I soon realized I now had an outlet to express my other creative passions that includes motivational speaking and cinematography,” said Nick Luciano.

After quite some time, Nick Luciano landed on TikTok. He was intrigued by the opportunities on the platform. With the right tools and a positive mindset, Nick proceeded to create comedy skits, personal video projects, and footage of animals on his ranch.

“It took me an entire year to earn 100,000 followers, which was a huge accomplishment. This is where the Luciano Western Wear clothing line was born, which enabled me to spread positivity through my content and also through apparel. So I developed the slogan ‘Bulletproof Mindset, Strive For Excellence,’” Nick shared. Today, the Luciano Western Wear clothing is worn and patronized by hundreds across the country, inspiring them to embrace the western lifestyle and spread positivity.

Nick Luciano relentlessly grew his brand until he uploaded a video that took his career to another level. With his Sugar Crash video on TikTok, Nick immediately became recognizable as “The Sugar Crash Guy.” The video boosted his followers from 600,000 to four million. The Sugar Crash video currently has over 220 million views and 43 million likes. 

As one of the few cowboys on TikTok, Nick Luciano is easily noticeable because of his versatility and uniqueness. “I have the eye to capture this lifestyle in its perfect light while also educating people on horses and agriculture,” said the content creator. “I make a commitment to always improve. There has always been an urge for me to share that with the world. I believe we all have a purpose, and if I can be a role model for someone to find theirs, then it is all worth it.”

Content Creator and Influence Aïssata Diallo Wants to Help Aspiring Influencers Build Their Own Brand

Cindy Smith Cindy Smith on September 9, 2020

When the giant tech corporation Apple unveiled the iPhone, they revolutionized the phone industry and have yet to halt their momentum. This opened the door to apps and more websites that catered to an audience of various interests, and the advancement of computers and media has opened the door to so many new ventures.

Millennials, especially, have found a way to kickstart their careers by blogging about different topics. This is how Aïssata Diallo managed to succeed at a young age.

Aïssata Diallo was born in 1993 in Guinea and moved to America with her mother and six siblings as refugees when she was 12 years old. She’s lived in the Bronx, New York. She would later earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Biology before taking a step into the influencer life.

Her blog entries focused mainly on beauty products and tips, the latest fashion trends, her travel ventures, and everything lifestyle. As she started in her content creating career, she built great relationships with brands that she partnered with, some of which were her favorite brands. 

As she built her social media presence, she was given the opportunity to join the reality television series Love Island. She participated in the American dating show, where she was able to get a following and grow her social media presence even more. Her blog started to become more popular with a much more massive following, and many doors swung open.

Aïssata’s career began to focus entirely on content creation, and she decided to go full time. She uses her platform to follow her childhood aspirations to make an impact on people’s lives.

Many people believe that content creation and social media influencing is one of the easiest jobs and believe that their career is too easy. Aïssata wants to educate them and show them that the full-time job can be very strenuous. She has had to sacrifice so much going into this field of work. The journey is not always easy, and there is constant pressure to deliver. 

As a way to educate others and give back to the community, she wants to pave the way for others and help out aspiring influencers and content creators looking for resources. Aïssata understands the difficulty in finding resources as she didn’t have any when she started out. She wants to help out and give any tips to people asking.

She wants to help the next generation of content creators and influencers navigate the industry and provides them with an inside look at how she creates and edits her content and how she books huge brand campaigns.

Aïssata will be giving personal tips on branding and creating content. She will thoroughly check the content creator/influencer’s brand and social media presence to help elevate. Aïssata wants to emphasize the message that being yourself is what makes you unique.

As a result of her well-curated social media strategy, Aïssata was nominated for the Influencer Awards 2020, set to take place in Monaco this October.

To read more about Aïssata Diallo, you may visit her blog.

Cass Cardelle Is Relentless in Her Pursuit for Her Dreams

Cindy Smith Cindy Smith on August 22, 2020

Many children grow up with aspirations to become something more, something bigger. This is mostly the effect of movies, television, and radio programs, giving them something to enjoy. It exposes them to great and talented people and inspires them to follow in their footsteps.

Among the thousands of children who aspire to reach for the stars is a content creator and recording artist named Cass Cardelle. Like others, she shared a passion for music and acting as a child and would later pursue such a career.

Cass came from the Cradle of Liberty, Boston, Massachusetts. From a young age, she trained in dancing, particularly in ballet. For 12 years, Cass trained at the Boston Ballet School while also polishing her music and onstage skills. Cass knew exactly what she wanted to do and worked hard to get there.

She would later move to Los Angeles to pursue opportunities in acting with the plan to make music on the side. In the years she spent living in Los Angeles, she managed to get gigs such as appearing on a dating show on CMT, flying over to Japan to perform her music, and even receiving offers to work with brands via social media and print modeling.

While Cass has enjoyed living the dream, opportunities didn’t just show up and sign her once she got off the plane. As do all aspiring actresses and singers, she had to grow with rejection in auditions. This was something that she had always been prepared for, knowing the entertainment industry.

Things had been going well for Cass until she found herself severely injured two years ago. She suffered eight fractured bones, rendering her unable to work in retail, photo and video shoots, attend castings, make music or travel. 

Her dreams were put on hold for a while. After about five-months of recovery and learning to walk again with physical therapy,  Cass was able to get back on track with pursuing her dreams. 

Ever since the pandemic forced cities to enter quarantine, Cass has been making good use of her time at home. She has been collaborating with several brands curating content, sketching, and writing and making music, releasing her song ‘Lying’ on YouTube just last July. She has also been designing graphic t-shirts and merchandise, which will be released soon. Cass will be donating a percentage of her t-shirt sales to help charities of her choice and help rebuild Lebanon.

Cass Cardelle is active on her social media pages, where you can find updates on her graphic t-shirts. She has accounts that you may follow on Instagram and Twitter. Cass also has a page on IMDB.

Bringing Another Level of Refinement to Video Making, Emilio Bernot Looks Back to His Humble Beginnings

Veronica Thompson Veronica Thompson on July 29, 2020

If you put your mind into something, you can achieve whatever you want. This is the mindset that has opened doors for Emilio Bernot in the world of creative and professional video making. He’s worked with many key people in the entertainment industry like Paul Wall, Fredo Bang, Slim Thug, among others. Emilio directs most of the videos he makes and edits them to perfection. 

Motivated and intent to establish himself as one of the premiere video makers in the country, Emilio looks back to his humble beginnings. He shares that by going back to where it all began, he gets a clear picture of where he wants to go.

The promising video maker grew up inside a modest home. When he was in the 5th grade, Emilio’s parents separated, and he was transferred to a boarding school. Enrolling in a strict institution and suffering from depression brought by the trauma of his parent’s divorce, Emilio found himself in challenging waters. He struggled to fit in. To him, the experience was the worst, but he eventually gained footing, graduated from high school, and decided to take a path that serves his best interests at heart.

Emilio began as a photography student at the Fusion Academy. Emilio’s mother thought that the course would be a great exposure to him as he was exhibiting an inclination to the creative arts. And his mother was right. Emilio took a liking for photography. “I loved how you can make a bright place look dark and mysterious,” he said. In just a year within the program, Emilio and his friends were able to secure bookings with local artists.

What drove Emilio to pursue video making was after landing a photoshoot deal with a rapper named Scotty Mcthottie. Instead of a photoshoot, Scotty decided to do an MV. “I had worked with eye movie and stuff before, but I really didn’t know if I wanted to make Scotty his video,” he shared. A week later, Emilio delivered, and the shoot was a success. Thereafter, he knew that he had the untapped potential for video making.

Emilio’s newfound pursuit excites him. The entire process—from sealing a deal, planning the shoot, eyeing possible spots, to the actual shoot and editing afterward—is a delight to the young video maker. Emilio also places great importance on the clients he works with. He said, “When an artist wants me to make him or her a video, he or she is my boss.” Unlike many video makers who call every shot for the videos, Emilio creates the videos according to his clients’ requests—a work ethic that sets him apart from his competitors. “Whatever the artist wants the video to look like is how I’ll make it,” he further explained.

Apart from video making, Emilio takes pride as a social media icon. Taking his talent to the viral social media platform TikTok, he experiences immense success, entertaining over 900,000 followers; and his fan base is growing by the day.

In all of his experiences, Emilio learned that putting your mind into something is crucial to succeeding in one’s passion. Even with waves of problems, if the mind is set to a firm goal, the tides will always lead to one’s desired place.

For more of Emilio Bernot, follow his TikTok account.