ℹ️ Overview
We’re so excited to present a selection of questions and answers from Chloe Shih (SEAS'16), an incredible member of our Columbia in Tech community who was recently highlighted in Forbes 30 under 30 in Games for both her work in product at Discord + TikTok and her advocacy work for women of color in the tech space.
🗞️ Interview
How has working in product at TikTok and Discord influenced your strategy as a content creator? Any advice for people interested in using social media to build community?
I definitely have to be pretty cautious creating content while working a full-time job. Even though my content is separate from my day job, people may still still mis-associate it with the company I work at. Working in product in particular has helped me build pretty good organizational skills to craft a content plan and execute on it. But I'd honestly say that I learn the most from watching how other content creators craft their videos.
In terms of building community, my advice would be to not try to boil the ocean. Social media is incredibly overwhelming, so don't do everything. If the goal is to build a community, then I'd focus the social media content on attracting members to discover your community.
Both as a PM and a content creator, what are some of the products you choose to use as part of your work? Do they share particular standout qualities?
For PM work, I typically use Notion, Figma, and Asana. With content, I use Adobe Premiere Pro, Thematic, and Epidemic Sounds. In terms of hardware, I use my iPhone, a GoPro, and a Sony a7sIII. I also have an M1 Macbook for editing. It's been really cool to play with different products/tools for both my tech job and content. I don't think I have any standout qualities, but I will say that having a strong computer helps a ton with my editing workflow.
How do you see both content platforms and creators adapting to predictions of an upcoming drop in ad revenue?
Perhaps a shift into monetizing directly from viewers, fans, and community members through premium membership, special-access experiences, or online goods. Especially for smaller or mid-sized creators, ad revenue isn't sustainable so creators will need to diversify their rev streams.
In your work providing advice and representation for young professionals navigating tech, what do you find most fulfilling and/or impactful?
I always find it most touching whenever I see comments that say "I feel so seen". I'd been battling feeling invisible in my career and adulthood, and I turned to content to shine a light on stories like mine.
Favorite Columbia memory?
Living in EC during senior year was awesome. On my birthday, my friends organized a big birthday surprise. They decorated the suite, blasted one of the opening songs from Naruto, and got me my favorite cake.
