During her time working for Entertainment Tonight doing red carpet interviews, Nastacia Nickolaou (18) realized the lack of media coverage on social media influencers compared to mainstream celebrities.
I just realized that while we were reporting on mainstream celebrities, the younger generation didnt really care about mainstream celebrities, Nickolaou said. I realized that somebody needs to start reporting on influencers and talk to YouTubers and start to give the tea because thats really what social media cares about.
This was the start to her social media influencer breaking news outlet, Behind the Filter, created at the beginning of September 2020.
I figured, yeah, lets create a company and lets start reporting on the things that young people care about, Nickolaou said.
Prior to starting her own company, Nickolaou worked as a red carpet interviewer for Entertainment Tonight.
Prior to working for Entertainment Tonight, Nickolaou had an internship at the 70th Emmy Awards during JMUs summer program in Los Angeles. She was also part of the first group to work on Breeze TV, where she interviewed Ashley Iaconetti, a JMU alumna who was on season 19 of The Bachelor.
Because of COVID-19, Nickolaous red carpet interviews with Entertainment Tonight shifted to Zoom interviews with celebrities, so it was an ideal time to start Behind the Filter.
[Behind the Filter] was my side hustle, basically, Nickolaou said. I was trying to build a brand and a business on the side, but its kind of become my main thing over time just because Im so passionate about it.
Nickolaou started accepting applications from School of Media Arts and Design (SMAD) majors to create a team of 10 interns, one of whom is Sydney Benson, a senior SMAD major with a concentration in creative advertising.
I kind of saw it and was like, Wow, this is exactly what I want to do with my life, Benson said. I saw it and immediately applied. I had a really casual Zoom interview with her and kind of just fell in love with the position.
During her internship, Benson played a large part in branding the company.
I helped design the logos for the company, Benson said. I pretty much came up with all the graphics and ideas for branding the company with [Nickolaou].
Brianne Petrone, a junior SMAD major with a concentration in digital video and cinema, is another Behind the Filter intern, whose main position is video editor.
A large part of her job is making Instagram reels to promote Nickolaous upcoming influencer interviews.
I would go out and find the content myself for the video and find a way to edit it together to give our audience a sense of who [the influencers] were, while also not spoiling too much about what we were gonna dive into in the interview, Petrone said.
An interesting aspect to the company is that its 100% female. However, this wasnt how Nickolaou envisioned it to be.
I didnt really intend for it to be all female, but out of all of the applicants, those were the best people for the team, Nickolaou said. They had the credentials, they had the experience, they were hungry to learn and so many of them are so talented.
Petrone said it feels amazing to be working at an all-female company because its working toward eliminating some of the inequalities that women face in the entertainment industry.
Although it wasnt what she planned, Nickolaou said shes really enjoyed creating an all-female atmosphere. Nickolaou spoke about how women are often viewed as catty and competitive toward each other, especially in the media business, but Behind the Filter has shown how women can create more when they work together.
I just think girls are so intelligent, and I think women have the ability to do anything, Nickolaou said. I dont think theres any limit to what women can do, and I think that when girls support girls, we really get so much more done.
Benson also discussed how empowering it was to work with a group of women who constantly build each other up. She said it was exciting to watch the company gain followers over time while knowing everything was run by women.
Its pretty cool to see the growth and know that its an all-female voice thats behind it, Benson said.
Despite this being Nickolaous first time as a CEO, shes created a positive and fun work environment for the women involved, both Benson and Nickolaou said.
Benson said Nickolaou is determined, helpful, empowering and that she wants the best for everyone.
I think Im still very much figuring out how to be a boss because Ive never been in this position, Nickolaou said. Im learning how to manage a team and learning how to do what Im doing, but were all, kind of, figuring it out together.
Benson said Nickolaou has been an inspiration to her and has allowed her to prosper as a creative advertiser.
She also said working at Behind the Filter has given her a broader perspective on what its like to work in the social media field as well as opened up many networking opportunities for her.
I found myself growing so much as a creator because of her, Benson said. I feel like she just really inspired me to want to go into the field. Shes just extremely helpful and wants the best for everyone, and shes extremely determined.
Petrone also said team meetings would often end up being about much more than Behind the Filter; it became a space for people to ask Nickolaou questions about the entertainment business in general.
Nastacia built an environment that was very much open for us to ask her questions about the entertainment industry and what it was like to move from Virginia to L.A., to make that East Coast to West Coast transition, Petrone said.
Nickolaou stressed that Behind the Filter wasnt born overnight. She said it was all about grabbing different opportunities she was presented with during her jobs working for different magazines. She said living in L.A. has also been a large contributor to the growth of her company.
Living in L.A. is crazy because you meet famous people all the time, Nickolaou said. Sometimes, you just meet people and you get connected with certain social media stars just through mutual friends, and that is the benefit of living in that city.
Working at the American Music Awards in L.A. and getting an interview with David Dobrik, a well-known YouTuber, was something that Nickolaou said allowed her to become more legitimate in the influencer space.
That was me literally hanging my body over a fence and yelling, David, what do you think about the new Tesla truck? Nickolaou said. So, some things are not really handed to you or set up for you. Sometimes things are not really opportunities until you make them opportunities.
Considering that Behind the Filter is focused on social media influencer breaking news, there may be people who have a negative reaction toward this line of work, as some may not consider it as legitimate as traditional broadcast news.
I know my parents definitely thought [negatively], Benson said. They were like, Why do you care about Emma Chamberlain? but they have truly transformed the entertainment industry. They are the ones that are influencing the younger generations.
Nickolaou said this line of thinking is most likely a result of the lack of understanding people have for influencers.
I think we judge and criticize the things that we dont understand, Nickolaou said. If you really saw how much work it takes to be an influencer, I think people would have more grace for them.
Petrone spoke about how Nickolaou has made an effort to stand apart from other pop culture news outlets. While other outlets thrive off gossip, Petrone said Nickolaous goal for Behind the Filter is to highlight the struggles that influencers have had to overcome.
I think thats what makes us stand out, Petrone said. The fact that its very human-oriented is what makes us different.
Contact Avery Goodstine at goodstaj@dukes.jmu.edu. For more on the culture, arts and lifestyle of the JMU and Harrisonburg communities, follow the culture desk on Twitter and Instagram @Breeze_Culture.
Originally posted here:
Behind the Filter: alumna starts social media company in LA - The Breeze