So cute! So kawaii!
The influencer industry is pretty new compared to many others and there's a lot of curiosity
around what goes on behind the scenes. Some common questions I hear are things like,
"What exactly do influencers do?" and "Is this a real job?"
In today's episode, I'll be getting an insider's look behind the scenes with two popular influencers,
@melissackoh and @littlemissbento.
So I do have some experience doing social media content creation myself
but it's always been part time you know, like while I was studying or you know,
while I was hosting and writing something on the side. So I am super curious to see
how full-time influencers manage it as a serious business and a full-fledged career.
Melissa Koh should be a familiar face to most of you. She's a lifestyle influencer with over 265
thousand followers on Instagram and to date, she's worked with multiple international
clients such as Dior, Ralph Lauren, Michael Kors and so on. Today I'm here at Melissa's
office to find out more about the side of her life that most people don't get to see.
Hi Mel, thanks for having us. Thanks for being here. Welcome to my office. It's very nice!
So this is the main area where we spend most of the time.
So what is a typical day for you like? Actually every day is different. For example today we're
doing post-production, but yesterday it was like out and about, we were like shooting from morning to night.
So besides being an influencer, what else do you do?
So I have an online store, run after, as well as an e-commerce store, Some Days At Home. And I also have a production arm.
What do you mean production arm? So is that producing your content? No, so I actually help brands to create content.
So content for their Instagram feeds and sometimes I manage their Instagram accounts entirely, so I help to plan the feed
and help them with I guess the overall marketing and branding.
Actually people don't really know this part of what I do. Yeah. It's quite a secret lah because I guess I'm not really like the face
or the name behind it, so it's just something that I really enjoy and I think it's where I add value so that's why we're doing it.
So you said you're busy production now right? Can you show me a little bit of like what you do? Yeah!
So we were shooting something for Superga and this is like the mood board that we usually
brainstorm first so that we have an overall feel and vibe of the kind of
style of the video that we're going for. So it's actually just one short styling video but so much
goes into this just one video so people just see the final product and it's maybe about a minute
plus long, but so much more goes into the production of this one minute video. We actually
plan like the details. That's so organised. Of the shoot so right down to the minute actually
and the and the exact scene so that we can plan the transitions and we know exactly what we're
going to shoot, and this acts as a checklist for us to take off during the shoot so we don't miss
anything out. There's also the planning of the outfits, which I do. I actually have to
take a picture or just a simple screenshot of it and match exactly what I'm going to style
with which pair of shoes so that during the shoot itself it's a lot easier for me because there are
just so many different styles and looks and sometimes I just cannot remember everything.
I think a lot of people have an impression that influencers you know, attend a lot of like media
tastings events, but it sounds like you have no time for any of that. As much as I can,
I try not to. Because that really takes up a lot of my day and you know,
everybody's time is limited so I find that I would rather be in the office clearing
up things that are due and that people are waiting for me to to get back to them on. So
I guess that's where my priorities are. Can you show me what a typical shoot looks like for you?
So this is a backdrop that I created for a campaign that I recently did for these scarves,
but this campaign has already concluded so, I mean it's still standing here. I actually have like a
bunch of cloths and fabrics here in case I need to recreate it according to the mood and the style of
the next shoot. So why don't I show you how I do a really simple product shot. I'm probably going
to shoot it on this stand because they are outfits and actually I feel like the colour scheme kind of
matches. So let's remove all these.
So basically you do the styling and James does the shooting? Yes, most of the time that's like the arrangement, but sometimes
he just does it like entirely on his own. Anyway let's change the hanger colour so it matches.
So I think it's quite unusual and also really cool that you work together with someone who's your partner in work and is also
your partner in life, so how has that been like the transition to working together?
I honestly think it's a privilege because we really get to spend a lot of time together and that's something that I
really value. Of course it's difficult to kind of you know separate work and life entirely but we do it, I guess.
And then now you're a mom and you're like a working mom so I just wanted to ask, kind of how you manage your time?
Because I imagine it's really hard especially because you work for yourself so you do have that flexibility if you so chose to,
you could spend all your time with your baby at home, but you have that discipline to come in and work, so what's that like?
Honestly it's a real struggle because there's always a part of me that you know would prefer to be at home
like let's hurry like get everything we need to done so we can go home and and really focus
on Noah. Yeah, but in that way I kind of think that it pushes us to be more efficient at work.
How long have you been like an influencer full-time? 10 years?
How did you get into the industry to begin with?
It was through my website and I guess it was also through modelling for blogshops at that time.
Oh yes. I think that was when I grew a following. Right.
So what's the biggest change in your life since before you started till now?
The biggest change would be that I'm like living and breathing work 24/7. I think it's the same for any entrepreneur that
runs a company and owns a business. You basically think about it all the time and you constantly try to find ways to improve
and there's just no break, there's just no stopping.
So do you feel like it was difficult to manage the fact that you're so public facing and Singapore is so small?
Definitely I think being in the public eye
is a little bit stressful and I do feel that responsibility with the content that I produce
and with the things that I post. I mean definitely I have to consider the audience.
So what's next for you?
I feel like we'll constantly try to push the creative boundary in terms of like our business.
So on that note, for someone like new to the industry entering and want to know how to make it,
what advice do you have for like a budding influencer?
I mean if you intend to come on this platform and make it a business then definitely
your processes and everything that goes back end needs to be in place because down the road,
when you get bigger and when you know things start to move forward, you don't want this to
hold you back, and it will. If it's messy, it will.
Right, so that's like the non-glamorous stuff - the paperwork like taxes, and all of that stuff. Yes,
so all these things maybe people don't put as much emphasis on, but I would say is as important as the content creation.
Right, that is an extremely practical tip, thanks for that!
So thanks so much for having me today, it was great to come and see you and see how you and James work
together in action. It's actually I think very inspiring to see like a husband and wife couple,
and also a working mom, do all of this and manage your whole business in a brand new industry.
It's like quite incredible to me. Awh thanks, Jem!
Shirley Wong, better known as @littlemissbento, is a food artist to gain a large following on
social media when she started sharing her cute bento creations online. Her bento creations
are not just a treat for the tastebuds, but they're also a feast for the eyes. Today we're
at her home where she converted this corner into a studio for her work and we have the privilege
of following her around as she brings us through one of her bento creations from start to finish.
Hi Shirley, thank you so much for letting us into your home! Hello! So first things first, do you
work alone? Or do you have assistance to help you? Everything from cutting, buying the stuff is me.
Even taking the photos, is me. Okay. Yeah so, but it's fun. I think I enjoy doing it so I don't really mind.
Wait so what are we doing today? So we're going to make corgi.
And not just corgi, but also the corgi's butt. Okay. Because I think that would be really cute.
So just to show you like how it's going to look like. Is this what you always do, you start by sketching?
Yeah, because if I have a box and then I want to kind of know where the rice, or the shape, or the design is going in.
Also then you sort of know what ingredients to buy. So as you can see this is the bento box that we're going to use today.
So the two rice balls probably go into like, side by side.
And then we'll have the rest of the side ingredients behind. So like the chicken,
which I prepared just before the shoot today, and then some vegetables, egg, and some salad.
When I first started making bento, I think like people were actually saying, "Oh Shirley,"
They don't believe that I eat the bentos? Oh. So they think that I'm making it just for the camera and I throw it away after that.
But for you, how did you get started? It was really because you were making these bentos for yourself right?
Yes, I was working in the office. There was no canteen.
Oh my gosh, there was no canteen! Like 15 minutes walk to the nearest food center? Right. In office wear!
So I was like, "You know what? I'm just gonna make my own food." So then I started packing my
own lunch boxes, so it was really to feed myself.
So you started an Instagram account to document your food making? Yeah so it's just like a diary.
You know, to start was really like a diary like, "Oh, today I make a rabbit bento." Right. So that was how I started.
So when did you decide to transition full time to doing this?
It came to a point where you know the @littlemissbento work was very overwhelming.
So I was taking leave from my then full-time office work,
because I had to for example, attend shoots for clients or creating content for their ads.
I think it's really difficult to make that leap going from like a stable full-time job to thinking like, is
this going to be sustainable in the long run? What were the decision factors involved?
My biggest worry was financials because it's not like you know, yes like you don't get that regular pay at
the end of the month. It's not comfortable at all, as rainy days right? But I was also on the other
side telling myself what's the worst that can happen? Is I fail. Right. And I go back to work.
Okay I'm really excited to see how this goes, let's get started. What are we going to do first?
I'm going to make the cute character right so they're going to be
moulded from the rice. So I'm just going to colour the rice.
Colour it with food dye? No, so we're going to use ground sesame today.
So what else do you do besides bento making? I actually teach aerial.
What's aerial? Like circus? You teach circus, aerial! Yeah. It's so cool, I had no idea!
I wrap myself in fabric and I'm up like five to seven meters in the air, and I do like tricks.
So it's like dancing in the air, but with fabric or apparatus around you. Right.
Beyond all this, like aerial and all that, I also do food consultancy, like menu design.
Right, right, right. Yeah so like character cafes obviously are my forte.
So this is the corgi's head, then we put the cheeks on. We have got, actually
most of the head and the cheeks in already. And you have the ears. The ears, yeah. Okay,
so I'm just going to put the white part. So what are you doing now? The tail. Oh that's so cute,
it's like a bean. Yeah.
So what are your like next steps for your career?
Do you have like a, I don't know, I guess like career planning? 5-year, 10-year plan? Yeah.
Hoping to launch a set of my own products? Yeah that makes so much sense. Yeah
like cookware or bakeware, so I'm working on that currently, so hopefully it will take off.
So you are basically alone at home when you do this right? Most of the time. So who helps
you take? Like you use a stand to take all your photos? Timer? Yeah sometimes timer,
someone stand, and sometimes I'm like using my toe to hold on to the reflector.
Yes, very unglamorous behind the scenes. Very unglamorous actually!
Can you see there's almost everything inside? Yes, I'm so excited!
It's so cute! I need to have a special tool.
This! What is that?
It's deep fried pasta.
Oh it's to hold it together! That's incredible! I know.
That's so innovative! And the best part is it will soften.
So it's already cooked, so it will absorb the moisture, you won't even know it's there when you actually consume.
Okay so now we're ready for the final step. We're going to put the dog's face on.
This is a Get Ready With Me: Corgi Edition. For the eyes and the nose, I'm going to use black sesame paste. Okay.
I'm using the rice to just add two eyebrows. Oh the eyebrow is so cute.
Here is the ham. We're going to add on paw prints to our corgi butt. And you use a cutter for that?
Yes so I like really, really small cutters. Oh the upside down heart is the paw!
Oh wow, it's adorable. Okay then the dots go in.
And then, let's do the cheeks!
Oh, I love it!
We have some ham left over right, there's a huge slice of ham, so I'm gonna make slits. Oh!
So cute! So kawaii! Yes! Okay, we're done!
Right so after this, what do you normally do? You take photos? I'll style it a little bit maybe with some props.
Is this your secret prop cupboard? Yes, it's my special cupboard. Let's have a look. Oh my god so many things!
You are so organised! Really? Yeah it just looks fantastic!
And then I have like small props, flowers, a lot of stuff seriously. Small containers, plates,
more plates. Utensils, chopstick rests, hundreds of them actually. Cloth.
I'm not really shooting overhead so sometimes need to sort of like
prop it up. Super cute! And then I shoot, and I like to take a bit of
videos. So like this one right, the corgi's butt, you sort of like touch the cheek or like
play with the butt. Like it's more interactive right? Then sometimes I'll post it on IG story.
So do you have any advice for people who want to enter the industry?
Find something that you like. Like it doesn't have to be food right? So it can be anything
else like fashion or travel. But I think it's something that you genuinely really enjoy,
not for the glamour part of it, but for the activity itself. I think it speaks a lot and
people can tell by watching, like looking at your content. And that keeps you going,
even on days that you're not doing well for example. Yeah so I think that's really
important and I hope, you know, when people try it, have fun, enjoy, and I wish you all the best!
So thank you for watching today's episode and I hope it gave you some new insight
into the industry. For me, I always knew it was hard work but I kind of didn't
know the full extent of it until today, so consider my eyes opened.
Once again, don't forget to like, subscribe and hit the little bell so you get notified every time a new episode comes out
and I'll see you guys next time. Bye!