Episode Transcript
Transcript:
Intro: This is words that move me, the podcast where movers and shakers, like you get the information and inspiration. You need to navigate your creative career with clarity and confidence. I am your host master mover, Dana Wilson. And if you're someone that loves to learn, laugh and is looking to rewrite the starving artist story, then sit tight, but don't stop moving because you're in the right place.
Dana: Welcome my friend. This is Dana. This is words that move me. And this is a truly special episode because today I'm sharing a conversation with a person that I have adored at a distance for a very long time, but only really shared time and space with them. A few, uh, very cherished times. My guest today is Smac McCreanor. You may know her as the hydraulic press girl. You may know her as a Tik TOK star, but if you know her at all, you know her as many, many things, because she is many things. She is a very multi type and a man she's talented, she's smart. She's savvy. She's seriously funny. And she's also super, she's also super generous in sharing her experience, um, this entertainment industry thing that we're doing. So y'all are lucky ducks to be listening in on this conversation. Now, if you know me, which some of you may not, but most of you do, if you know me at all, you know how much I value humor and play in my work. Yes. Play in my work. I really do think that is the sweet spot. So of course, I'm excited to share this conversation because I think Smac is giving new meaning to playful work. And I'm so jazzed about that. I'm so excited to share, but first wins. If you are new to the podcast, this is the part where I share a little personal victory sometimes it's big, usually it's small, uh, because I think it's really important for us creative types, AKA perfectionist types to take a few minutes out of our day of criticizing and scrutinizing and analyzing to recognize what is straight up going well. So first all go, and then I will yield the floor to you. So get your win ready. Uh, today I am celebrating a play date with my fellow Seaweed Sisters. We have some things special up our sleeves, um, and that was a really evil laugh, but, uh, that we are not so evil surprise actually does not fit up a sleeve. That was misleading to say that, um, our special new project does not fit up a sleeve. Unless of course it would be a very big sleeve. Um, and all of this conversation about sleeves is reminding me of a joke that I have is a very good joke that is now probably ruined because I just ruined it. But I'm going to tell it anyways, because I think it's a win in and of itself. Where does a king keep his Armies? Where does a king keep his armies? Obviously he keeps his armies in his sleevies. Too good. It's too good. Okay. So today I'm celebrating really good, bad jokes and also the seaweed, sisters, new work in the making, all right, that's me now. It's your turn. What is going well in your world?
Congrats rock on. I am proud of you keep winning. Okay. I probably should also mention if you are not aware who the seaweed sisters are or what I produce, I should really say what the seaweed sisters are. Um, they are, we are one of my favorite things in the world made up of two of my favorite people, Jillian Meyers, Megan Lawson, and me. Um, and if you, if you don't know, you can absolutely go find out the Seaweed Sisters on Instagram and also on YouTube, but not on Tik ToK, which is a perfect segue. Let's do this today, Smac and I talk tik-tok we talk social media at large. Um, we talk commercials, we talk contracts, we talk creative spaces and we talk living the lives of our dreams. And I don't think we say the word influencer even once. I think I could be wrong, but I don't think we say influencer. So there's that, so go ahead and, um, grab your favorite snack bonus. If it's from Australia and enjoy this conversation with the one and only Smac.
Dana: Holy freaking smokes, I am really, really excited to be just, I'm really excited to hang out today, virtually not really in person, but with the one and only Smac McCreanor Hello, welcome to the podcast, Smac.
Smac: Hello, everyone.
Dana: I’m so excited. I'm sweating already, also wearing a long sleeve turtleneck and that was not a smart choice. Um, okay. Smac, I think you and I have only technically overlapped like in the workspace. Um, one time, which is Kat Burns’ Raggle Taggle Dance Hour where I was absolutely smitten by your performance. Um, but I've been a long time fan of yours and an admirer of your work and of you as a human. So I'm really thrilled to be getting to chat with you today. Thank you for being here.
Smac: Thank you so much for having me all my God. You're legendary. I love you so much.
Dana: The love is mutual. It is, it’s palpable. I feel it in my armpits, in the form of heat. Um, okay. So the - the, the workflow here on the podcast, every episode starts at the same. It's troublesome for some, but I ask all of my guests to introduce themselves. So w what is it that you would like us to know about you?
Smac: Wow. Hey everyone. My name is Smac. I don't know. I'm giving away my secrets already, but my real name is Sarah. Sarah McCreanor, Sarah Mac, Smac. I get that question a lot. So I'll just put it out there, but I'm an Australian dancer, actress, comedian, artists, photographer, business owner, I guess, choreographer and creative director and chocolate lover.
Um, co-sign on so many of those titles, but can we loop back really quick to business owner? Talk to me about it.
It is, it's just been a COVID. It thing, like Covid had changed everyone, hopefully for the better, in most sense. But, um, so as you know, Ryan, who's my boyfriend and a dear friend of yours, and he's, he sends his best wishes to you right now.
Shout out Ryan Conferido whats up. Oh, we love it. It's so great. We really we're really big fans. I mean, you're, you're a bigger fan, Is a given, but wow. Okay. So you and Ryan, its a given.
Uh, we are creative idiots and just basically I've rented spaces before to like, do my own production work. And so is he, and just together while like let's design a creative space, like a studio production space that people can rent from us and do all the creative work in, and also we can use it for ourselves. Um, and so that became a business and we just like invested in this last year. Um, coincidentally the same day we opened business was the same day that LA shut down for COVID. We literally had our opening night party, and then we got that like notification, how, you know, everyone got one and it's like, Hey, Go Home, I'm like all happy opening business day, gosh, like the worst timing ever. But we had no idea what was going to happen. We didn't know how the year was going to pan out. Obviously everyone was just on edge a little bit. Um, so we did what we could and just went with the flow, but it honestly worked in our favor because both Ryan and I work full time in the creative world and taking on this business was a little bit scary because it's full-time as well. And we're like, we just started a whole new career path right now, just on top of our lives. Um, and with COVID, since Hollywood shut down, it actually gave us full time to just focus and just start all this from scratch and like, figure it out.
Nurture this little infancy of a business that you had.
It was such a big learning curve. And I loved every step of it. I've always been, if I can toot my own horn, I've always been a little bit business-minded and obviously Ryan is a genius in every way everyone knows it. Well, we kind of just stumbled upon this and I guess figured it out and cause I haven't caught up with you. Um, we signed another lease for a second location just a few weeks ago. So straight after this, I'm going to go paint some walls and like we'll finish renovating for a second location.
Hell yes. Yeah.
Just switching career paths right now, switching, adding on a career path.
Adding on exploring or rounding out on an interest that used to manifest in other people's spaces, the interest is the same, right? Exploring for yourself and facilitating exploration for other people, which in your own ways, you and Ryan both do, you're like tremendously influential in your, in your fields. And I think you're really encouraging people. You make work that is accessible and helps. I in, in my view anyways, helps people to feel like I want to be making, um, I, my husband is in rapid prototyping. He's a machinist. He is an optical engineer. He is also many things, right. He's like Ryan in that way. And one of our biggest dreams is to have a live/work space together. Um, you don't live at the studio, do you? Your, is your space different? And by the way, we can definitely cut this part. If you don't want people to know where you live.
I live at so-and-so street. Um, no, I mean, It would be awesome to have, I mean, I think that's a lot of artists kind of dream living scenarios and absolutely I'd love to have that. At some point we started a small obviously, cause we'd had no clue what we're doing, but um, yeah, at some point to be able to just have a place where I can live, create, eat, sleep on my, that is like great,
Wake up coffee, be making. That’s the dream. I, I really, I'm excited to pick your brain about having big space and all of the things that that means. But I think maybe, maybe my biggest question is this sounds like a dream. What parts of it are a nightmare? Like what could you prepare me for? What are the dumpster fires that I might walk into that you could help me to avoid?
Okay, well, I'm gonna Start by saying I'm I'm someone that just always goes with the flow. So I, I think, uh, something I like about myself as, I really don't try to get upset certain things because I'm like who cares, whatever. No worries, Hakuna Matata, because everything usually works out. So I'm like, okay, cool. Um, but in saying that the thing I was most nervous about just, and it's purely just an LA thing is the traffic. I was like, I don't want to get in my car and drive for an hour to go to another place that you know, but, um, I've never experienced it. I've been in LA for like 10 years now. And you know, we're always in traffic every day going anywhere. And this was the first time in the last decade that I've never been upset about sitting in traffic because I'm going to my own place. I'm going to a place that I love that I built. So
Because you're going to a place that you love traffic no longer carries a wrath over you.
No, not at all. And like, it's kind of weird that that was the biggest thing. I was not looking forward to just getting to the place it had nothing to do with place the business, the stress that it might cause. Um, but I was like, oh gosh, the traffic is such a chore, but it hasn't affected me in a bad way at all. Cause I just am excited to go there. Um, and then I guess the other thing that was that you could probably relate to a lot is, um, just scheduling because our lives all over the place, any type of creative artist or, um, you know, freelancer as well is like, you're just always on call. You're always on hold. Some people have multiple agents and stuff like that as well. So you don't always get a full say in things. And I was very nervous about that. And the best thing that came out of COVID is that that part stopped for me. So I got to take a break and just kind of learn how to do the business side of it. And now it's merging back together and sometimes I panic, but it's always a good problem because it's usually things overlapping, right? So it's just managing that. But like, that's why we have a team like me and Ryan together can manage it fine. Like we just was such a good tag team in that way. We're just lucky that we can work well like that. And just, we both have similar schedules where we can just pick up for each other and yeah.
That is a dream. Congratulations and keep winning. That's massive. Oh, we do wins on the podcast by the way, every episode includes like a micro win and that win, like having a partnership that is business and beyond is such a massive win. Ah, good on you. Good on you. Oh, which brings us back. Okay. So now I'm moving back to move forward. Okay. You're from Australia. You mentioned that, but you're from Brisbane, which is probably my favorite city in Australia. Yes. Um, I've been there twice on tours and I know Sydney has its thing and Perth is super charming and like people have their favorites, but Brisbane is my favorite. It is also where Wade Robson is from, was born. And he's a very special person.
Yes, he absolutely is. But I met him when I was a kid because the dance studio, I grew up to where I grew up in, uh, doesn't actually like exist anymore. It's motion to something else is where he used to dance, but not for a long time because I didn't ever cross over paths with him. But it was like the claim to fame kind of thing, where it was like, for sure, probably once took a class here, but it was like a thing. And he came back when I was a teenager or tween and did a master class. And this is me in Brisbane, a little Bogan Aussie kid didn't know anything about anything anywhere. And I just remember he picked, he pointed me out and he like made me dance by myself. And I was like, oh, I was like 12. So he, uh, I really liked him.
I love those moments. Um, okay. Jumping ahead. In time you live in Los Angeles, you are a person who works in with, with different paint brushes, be it as an actress, a comedian, a full-blown dancer. You did have the, So you Think You Can Dance moment, which I thought was phenomenal. I don't know what your experience was with the show. And we can talk about that if you'd like, or we don't have to, but it feels like you've had your hand in a lot of different, um, you know, parts of the entertainment industry. Is there, is there one place that you love to be working the most?
Um, okay. I think because it was something I had never experienced until I moved to LA I am a sucker for the commercial industry, I mean, I guess I think this is where like, as a dancer, you know, it's really typical that way behind someone it's like the whole backup dancer vibe. Not that that's bad thing at all, but once I've booked my first commercial and I was like, oh, um, I'm kind of the main thing here. My ego just went, okay,
This is all I want to do forever. Thanks.
I love it. I'm always trying to be that person, you know, like I, I like to entertain people. I like to make people laugh and I think I just had a really good first experience with it. And then as it went down the path and the flow started to get real nice and I don't know how it fell into that, but, um, it was just commercial after commercial for a little bit there. And I was like, this is a real, really nice. Yeah.
I could do this for my living. And you did. And you could do that for your life.
I really could. And you could, and I will, but I'm a bit of a scatterbrain. So I think I love how short all of those jobs are. Sometimes it's literally half a day. Sometimes it's a week. I've not really done a commercial it's more than a week, honestly. So I love little pockets of jobs and gigs, and it's always a different scenario. And I kind of love that
Pockets of gigs that keep filling up. Even after you're done working, we talked, uh, in a previous episode, I had Money March on the podcast and we talked about residual structures and how,
I listed to that!
Oh did you?
Absolutely. Because I am a sucker for all that stuff. And I have learnt stuff from experience, but even just listening to you, break everything down again, I was like, gosh, there's just so much that people don't know about and that I don't know about. And it's how do we even find all this information from you obviously,
From words that move me podcast, go check us out. Uh, thanks for being here. Um, well I'm glad that you listened to that and if you haven't go back and check out if you, the listener not you, Smac, haven't uh, then go back and check out Money March. Cause we do talk a little bit about the nuance of the difference between commercial or TV/Film, uh, or music, video contracts. Very cool stuff. Glad to hear that. Now let's talk about how you can take a love for the commercial industry and turn it into its own little sub career by doing whatever the hell you want on social media. And I might be a little too liberal when I say that. I don't know if that is actually your approach, but that's what it looks like when I watch your stuff on social media. I'm like, she's doing exactly what she wants to be doing. And that's attractive because all of us inside want to be doing what we want to be doing. And most of us aren't, which makes people like you all the more attractive. Um, so I want to talk a little bit about social media. Um, today's a big day for me.
Oh my God. What's happened. Oh my god, you downloaded something?
I got tik-tok today.
I’m going to wake up my re my pet bunny by clapping so loud.
I downloaded tik-tok today. Okay. Well, okay. Let's start. Let's start. So here's what I want to do. I want to take two different points of view. Let's say that I just downloaded tik-tok today. I have no videos, no uploads and no views and no followers. What do I need to know?
Okay, well, um, there's also two parts of that as well. Cause what do you need to know as someone who has potential as a creative or just someone who's working, because it matter for you because you're not just a lurker, you're someone who..
I'm excited to engage because for a long time and people listening, people who've been listening for a long time, know this, I've got thoughts about Tik Tok dances and the trends and challenges and things like that. My thoughts were not really helpful. Most of the time they were just kind of grumbly to boil it down, My thought was tik-tok celebrates mediocrity. I celebrate excellence. I can't reconcile these two things with just a little bit of thought management. I can absolutely reconcile these two things. You can be excellent on tik-tok you are proof. So I'm thrilled at the possibility of that. And I can also decide that I don't like it after having been in it. Why would I decide? I don't like it from the outside and just say no to something forever.
I think thats the first thing, people go into some sort of pressure, like, okay, I've got to become famous tomorrow. I'm like guys chill out. It's going to happen at some point or it's not going to happen at some point. Just have fun.
Just have fun. Just do the things that are exciting for you. Yeah. Okay. So I'm a lurker. I'm not here to watch. What do I need to know?
Okay. I think, um, I always try to tell people, because I do get people asking me just for general advice across the board.
I'm sure.
Yeah. Cause everyone's like, should I just do these trends? I’m like yeah, you can go into this trend, but just like darn do something that is not enjoyable because it's just, unless you're making fun of it, which I do sometimes. But like literally if you all sit in there watching cat videos all day long, do a cat video, like do something that you enjoy watching because otherwise, what, what is the connection there? Because why are you doing it then? So obviously we’re dancers, we're creatives it's makes sense for you to do something that's movement-based if you liked doing it. Um, and I think tik-tok what I love about it compared to other social media in the past anyway, is that literally anyone can get rewarded acknowledged, viral if that happens.
Yes. This is, this is a core belief of mine. I believe that dance is for everyone. Yeah. I don't love dance. That is elite and exclusive. I like part of the, part of the charm. I think of the Seaweed Sisters and what we make together is that it is human dance and creature dance, and it is not “dancer dance” necessarily. We're still trying to figure out what exactly it is, but yeah. Dance for everyone. Okay. So, uh, at the beginning I was not a fan of Instagram, either. I had similar thoughts about Instagram. I don't need this. It's going to destroy all my time that I have and whatever. Um, and then I realized that what I was actually avoiding was shipping like producing. I was really good at having ideas, not great at making them happen and certainly not great at sharing them or getting feedback about them. So I wanted to improve this, you know, this creative workflow, this life cycle of an art baby. And I decided to do a video every single day on Instagram, I wound up doing like 400 and some, and eventually I saw like, you know, I left, my rule is always be rolling. Like I have footage upon footage upon footage. I got very good at knowing myself on camera, knowing places and other people and boundaries and the frame like boundaries of the frame and boundaries of other people and of myself, um, and of my audience even, oh my God learn so much. Can't even, can't even explain how much I learned if you're listening to this episode and haven't listened to others, go back and listen to episode one I go in on my doing daily year, but towards the end, I caught myself in between takes, hating what I was doing, but people have a good bull ***t meter.
I think for the most part, people love, things are authentic and, and that are exciting to the person. And so if you're not excited about what you're doing is not going to hit. So I think right now I've got like six different interests that I want to play with. And I'm just not sure what to do. So that's my next question. This is totally selfish. Do you have to do one thing? Do you have to choose that you are the funny YouTube collaborator person or you're the hydraulic press girl or you're the, um, Jacket kick girl, or like what?
Um, yes and no, it either way it can be brilliant. Cause I've seen it happen both ways. I've seen it happen both ways with myself because sometimes I go through a month or I do one thing and it has gotten me amazing opportunities because of it. And then sometimes I do different things every five minutes and I get amazing opportunities from it. And I'm like, cool. So I think, um, you're obviously smart enough to know how to brand yourself. You already are a brand, you already have everything. You have all the resources in that sense. Um, I think Tik Tok is the perfect platform to not overthink that. It's very rare that people are just going to your profile to look at the whole thing. It's they just come across your videos. Yeah. Cause people were videos without having to follow you. That's the difference between at least in my head that made difference between Instagram or the old instagram and Tik Tok is that Instagram only people who follow you are seeing your work. So it is kind of like Instagram seems at least for Cray, uh, for creators, it seems a little bit more like a professional standard. Like I absolutely make sure every single week on Instagram, I post something that shows, um, my face because I book work off my friggin image. I have something that's dance related. I have something that I'm speaking in. I have something that's a bit more professional looking like even posting a commercial I've done just so. If anyone looks at it without even having to scroll, they can see all the five or six things that I try to represent in myself. Tik tok, I think it's like, you can really get rewarded for just doing it. Doesn't have to be a pattern at all. But then you've obviously seen people who have done just the same thing taken off and yeah, I it's just such an experimental thing.
Oh, I love, it's a playground.
It's a playground. And it's really good because if it doesn't work out, it's like not going to hurt you at all. Like if someone doesn't see your video, you'll like, okay, cool. I'll just make a new one.
Wow. That I didn't, I didn't ever consider that.
I think just like, like people don't care enough about how much you might care about your work. I know that sounds harsh, but that's how I treat it for myself because I'm like, Hey, this is fun, but I never go, will people like that song choice though. I go, I don't care. I love this song because people don't care,
Lower stakes higher reward.
Yeah I think take talk really thrives in that sense. And I would try to, if you were really trying to push yourself and your maybe a main struggle is you are not comfortable just sharing. If you're really wanting to push yourself, just be like, okay, this week I'm going to share, um, two videos a day, three videos a day and five videos an hour, whatever it is, they don't have to be anything important. It doesn't have to be polished. It doesn't have to be rehearsed. Just try something because that's what people like watching. It's literally like a reality TV show. Not every scene is perfect. So just do it just like Nike, it, just get it done. Just post it. Don't sit there, rewatching it too many times. Just press post.
J P P just press post. Just go. I, that was maybe one of the things. One of the most rewarding things about my year of Instagram, because I knew I would just be doing it again. The next day, the release part got really natural. It was way less precious than I had been treating things before. But at that point you're right. The, I think what Instagram is used for has changed dramatically. That is even an understatement. Um, but it, yeah, it is like this living, breathing resume, get to know me place. And I love the idea of that, being that, and then having a freaking playground to go play at it's something that I, that has truly been missing in my life is this idea of play. I know I'm not alone. Um, but the Seaweed Sisters fragmented during COVID. We were all in different places. The places where we play were all shut down. So all of a sudden I found myself shockingly doing quite well because I also have a business brain that I love to nurture and, um, kind of a home body that didn't get to really thrive until 2020. And I a thirved like no pants and lots of plants. That was sort of my, my 2020, I had a great time. But at a certain point I found like, oh, I haven't really played in a while. And in one month I like purchased roller skates enrolled in clown school, like fully enrolled in clown school and was shopping for a dog. I was like, all the play, give me every, all of the play. Um, so adding, Tik ToK to my play plate feels totally appropriate and I'm thrilled about it. Okay. So now now second perspective. Let's imagine that I've been on tik-tok for a long time. I have 1.5 million followers. What do I need to know? What does that person need to know?
I think the main thing that people realize once they start getting a following is that the journey of consistent likes is just like ridiculous. It goes up and down. It's not going to happen yet. So as much as it annoys me, like even yesterday, like I might post something in an hour, I've had things grow to 5 million views in an hour. Yesterday I posted one and got a hundred views in 10 hours. So it can like super drastically change. And it's just the, the playground of the algorithm. So I think, um, like as much as it can dishearten you just like, just let it out. Don’t think about it. I catch myself sometimes being like, well, cool. But you know what? I'll just post the same video tomorrow. See what happens cause no one cares, because literally no one cares.
Oh, the experimental element of it really speaks to me.
I, you know, for me personally, I approach a lot of things with humor. The fact that I might post the same video of myself seven times in a day with like, you know, kind of making fun of myself. Sometimes that's worked. Cool. Thanks Tok Tok. Like it's, it is absolutely the best platform in my opinion, to just make a fool of yourself if you're down for it and then yet fully experiment and just like, just, just no worries. Yeah. It doesn't like, it's almost, it's better if it's less polished, it's the rehearsal room and then Instagram can be the stage
That makes total sense. I love it. Um, okay. So on this subject of, of kind of on the subject of comparing those two, I have a question about ownership and credit. Um, and, and I saw you post something recently. It was a screenshot of somebody's DMed you saying “like, please stop with the sponsored content it's annoying” and you've responded, or you said something to the effect of, ‘sorry, I don't get to decide when Instagram sponsors my content.’ Then that sparked, that was like a great living, breathing example of this question that I get all the time does Instagram own my stuff or do I own my stuff? And I've done a little digging, but please weigh in. If I, if I'm wrong on this. I think that the bottom line, um, is that social media is a public venue. It is public space. So although you, the creator does retain the copyright of let's say that image or that video, um, because we're engaging in the space, we've accepted the terms and conditions we've agreed to Facebook's, non-exclusive transferable, sub-license royalty-free worldwide. They can use that wherever the ***k they want newness of it. So is that what has happened to your posts? And do you, are you aware of when that happens?
Well, okay. This is a very specific one. Um, there's definitely so many versions of this, but this one, the reason I repressed that is also because I'm always self promoting myself. And that was a way for me to be like, Hey, yeah, I'm getting paid to do this. This is a job I’m doing, ah, ha playing the game where I'm like, oh, but, um, what that translates to, but I love telling people about this kind of thing, because this only happened to me a month ago, so I'm like, anyone can do this in my opinion. Um, but I'm now in a contract with official Instagram. So that's why they're using my videos for their sponsored ads. But I was honest when I say, I don't know which ones they using because yeah. We're on a contract where they, um, I'm creating certain videos for them. And at the moment they've got maybe like 10 or 15 videos that I, that they have access to use, but I don't know which ones they're going to use and where they're going to pop up, but it's a contract, so I'm fully down with it, but that's, that was that specific post. But then there's the, in our every day, even this morning, like a bunch on Tik ToK, I'm always getting sent. Um, people it's really cool that like the past year I've kind of got this following web people are recognizing me in my specific videos. So if people see people post it, that isn't me, they're like, Hey, that's Smac. And I'm like, that is so cool that people are like recognizing me that way. And it's definitely humbled by that, that people go out of their way to be like, Mmm, that's not your video. I'm like, dang, those people are cool. But I'm seeing that like all day, every day, my videos circle around the internet and people are reposting them. Obviously my name is not attached to it. And I think you can be really upset about that. Or in my opinion, the videos that are going viral, are kind of videos that people aren't doing.
W-what are you talking about specifically? Those things.
Yeah. Different random videos that I would've just done that completely. I don't think about too much, but the hydraulic press videos that has become a series that I've just kept going because it's
Evergreen. It's evergreen. I mean, sorry, I don't mean to cut you off. I get excited about those videos. I think I've watched all of them and I do have my favorites. I can sum it up by saying anything where your shoes fly off. But I remember my husband showed me the hydraulic press channel when we lived in Sunnyvale. So this must've been 2015, maybe that channel on YouTube popped up and he's a machinist and I'm a mover. And I remember watching it and be like, oh, that's great. That's so funny. I could watch this all day. And then I did, but I didn't get up and move to it. That is where that is. That is where one plus one equals a million. You have a hydraulic press crushing stuff. That's one. And that's really awesome. And then you have an incredibly aware and talented, physical being recreating it with her body. And that is 1 million, like that's one plus one equals a million to me. That is, that is nothing better than that. Um, I just think the world of those videos and of you for having the, whatever, whatever it was that got you up off your ***, into a pink outfit to embody like unicorn horn or something.
Yeah. It was a fluke, but I'm not mad at it. You know? Cause usually that's what I mean, like with the whole experimental thing, that was a split second, I had a five minute window to film something. I was like, I just want to quickly film a video because I'm going to be sitting down for the next five hours. Um, and I was like, I just randomly have a lot of outfits. I have a lot of block color outfits for audition. Perfect. No branding on it. And I love that kind of stuff. So I was wearing like a full, I was wearing a yellow shirt and a pink and pink pants. And obviously the hydraulic press videos, the original ones are so viral. And I always see people duet them. So it's side-by-side videos and they're doing their reactions and they go viral just from people watching it. They're not even talking nothing. They're just watching the video that's next to their face and they go viral and I was like, huh, I'll just be the hydraulic press. And it took that long to think of it. I did it, I did uploaded it done. So I'm like, I don't think it through or anything. I just watched it. I saw it melt down and go up. And I was like, that looks like a frickin yoga move easy.
That's Floor Bar. I know this, I know this,
But yeah, it really is. But then that's the kind of stuff that at least for me personally, those are the videos and other things that are kind of in a similar nature that have gone everywhere. They're on the front page, front page of Reddit. Like even some random celebrities like reposting them. And even if my name isn't on there, I know that if the time happens where someone important needs to find out who it is, they can, but yeah.
Thank you for that. Thank you for that insight. That's, that's a really empowering position. Um, and also thank you for staying on track. This subject was credit. I forgot about that. I it's something that's very much at the forefront of my mind right now, um, In the Heights is about to come out. I was one of the Associate Choreographers. Chris, the choreographer, Chris Scott, um, is really, really adamant about, you know, sharing credit and making sure that people are aware that this was a team event. Um, of course he was steering the ship and I just, I really so admire how much attention and effort he's putting into sharing this credit. And, um, I just, I, I don't know enough yet. I've fully watched two videos inside of Tik ToK today, but I don't know how that works credit or captions or like there is no place to know who started that dance.
Is really wishy-washy, which can suck as a creative because I'm all about being ethical. And I sometimes spend hours or days finding the person who kind of came up with something and then six months later you find out they stole it from someone else and you're like, damn it. I gave them credit, and they didn't even think of it, but like,
Which, and it makes you wonder there's a purity spiral of credit. Like if we're really gonna get granular about it.
Exactly. Everyone's inspired by something. My hydraulic press videos were literally inspired by the hydraulic press video. But I think just because of my position and like what we know as professional artists, um, I love giving a hundred percent credit where I can, well, I mean, if I can't then I usually just don't use that idea life. It's not mine. I don't want to use it. Or I love the, this is what I love about Tik ToK and Instagram. Now the duet feature means you can put the original video next to you, which is why I started recruiting because I was like, I could just do this or it worked in my favor that you can see it side by side. So I actually love doing duets because then I giving credit by capturing the name and visually give them credit to them, which I, I really liked doing that just to be someone who wants to give them credit.
Oh, I love that. Okay. That's good to know that that's a good newbie newbie lesson. Um, okay. I want to do a quick little burnout round. Um, the first question that I want to ask is actually, maybe not a burnout question. This is kind of maybe a hard question. If somebody asked me this today, it would take me 45 minutes to answer. Um, but I would love to know what do you want to do the most?
Oh, you know what? My whole entire life is just make someone giggle. That's it. I really don't. I, the two things I've always thought about since I was a kid, cause I'm really, haven't leveled up in terms of like my, what I do or who I am. I've been like this since I was about eight and I've always been doing this stuff. So I love it. That's I literally, I just love being an idiot, a professional idiot.
A creative idiot. I really like that. I like that. Even more than creative director, because let's be real. Yeah. Well, some creative directors at the core are creative idiots. It's
Title yourself, whatever you want. So, so,
So this is it. You're doing it.
I'm happy with this. I really am. I've been doing it for so long. Like, I mean, even when I chat to my good friends from Australia, like when we were all teenagers, they've sometimes pointed out being like, man, you've never once changed because even back then when I was 16, I was like, guys, we're doing a music video to toxic in the car park right now. Like put on your outfits. And I have videos of that on YouTube. Like I just was always that person.
Well, I will be sharing that in the show notes to this episode, FYI. Can't wait, can't wait. Um,
But yeah, so I think I've always just loved making people laugh. And the other thing that I love just from my own experience, um, because we all idolize people and I would love the, to have an impact on someone, the way that my idols have impacted me to the point where the reason I am today is because of like these two comedians that I grew up watching Lano & Woodley. They're a hundred percent the reason why I do anything. And I'm like, if I could just somehow spark that motivation to someone, I don't want any credit for it at all. But I'm like, that is awesome. Cause they gave me this kind of sense of freedom to be a fool. Like they, I just love them so much. And if I can, I'm tooting my own horn a little bit here, but just because I just, it gives me the feels. But these, um, people that I idolize, like the fact that later on in life, it came full circle where they were then watching me perform and were congratulating me on my career. And that is something that I'm like, I, since that moment I'm like, okay, I'm done. I have, my life has made, I don't need anything else. I am. I'm fully content with that. That's something that I'm like, that feeling is really special to me. I know it would be just cool to know that like maybe someone else is trying to do a hydraulic press squishing routine because they saw mine
100%. They are yes. 100% there. Um, okay. So if, if you're tooting, then I'm going to toot, because you just reminded me of an incredible story that I don't think I've shared on the podcast before please. So I'm 34 now, which puts me squarely in the midst of NSYNC and Britney mania when I was like going to concerts for the first time and stuff. True story. Okay. Who is your first concert?
Kylie Minogue
Work. Mine was Ricky Martin. So basically same.
Okay. I love that. Yeah, exactly the same.
Exactly the same concert that we went to. Um, okay. But I really, really loved NSYNC. They were it for me, I knew people would get into fights about Britney or Christina. I didn't really, I mean, I love, I love Britney, but I didn't really get into that. But if you tried to tell me, the Backstreet Boys were better than NSYNC, I would literally fight you. Now, in hindsight, I've worked with both groups, love them both adore all PS. JC was always my favorite and JT knows this. I have made it explicitly clear. He was so full out. I just love, I love full out anyways. I would. I watched bye bye bye and every, I watched every single music video and every VMA or live performance had them all on VHS studied within an inch of their lives. And then when I performed with JT, uh, during his MTV video Vanguard awards, he brought the Boys back and they did a little bit of, of Bye Bye Bye. And I was helping Marty out on the project and it became my job to help recall Bye Bye Bye. And there was a moment where the gentleman from NSYNC asked, can we, can we film you doing that so we can rehearse. And it was just like, oh, I have no idea how full sir. Like I watched you, you're watching me. I I've learned this from you now. You're learning it for me. It was the wildest strangest I had to. I had to like, I had to take a seat later and just recall how, how, how you just never know. You just never know.
You'll never forget. You know, I love that.
Yeah. I'm dripping now I'm so sweating so much. Um, okay. Now we get into the rapid fire round. This question that came up in last week's episode, which was Live episode I did with the zoom audience. And uh, the question is you are on a desert island, stranded for perpetuity, as long as all of your contracts are and you get to have eight songs. Oh my God. Eight songs. I know guys. So I was so mad at this question.
Eight songs, Boogie Wonderland, Shake your Groove Thing, Bohemian Rhapsody,
Why did I not have any queen on my list? Technically not true. Cause I had Christine and the Queens, but it isn't. Okay. Keep going, keep going.
Um, I would say the song Sarah, Fleetwood Mac. Oh, okay. I've done Four
Sick. Is that what you were named after?
No, I was named after my mom's dog, so fun. Um, but I do love what else? My mum she's like, yeah. I had a dog named Sarah. I was like, cool. Thanks. Love it. I love animals. That's fine. Okay. Well what else? Oh. Oh, you know what, if, even if it doesn't exist a song that Ryan plays piano at or anything just him playing piano. Um, three more. I totally lost track. Yeah. Uh, the theme song of Lano Woodley, which is the comedy duo that I love. And, um, this is so weird. I'm thinking of the jingle of a commercial. The other thing I don't want to use that one. Nevermind.
Oh no, not hot pockets.
No, no. It was definitely an Australian jingle and I can't even remember the brand of it. So I can't use that. Um, oh my God. I have two more. I've done disco. Um, I feel like I need some like eighties. Yeah. Yeah. Uh, I'm probably gonna put in some Spice Girls.
Wow.
Don't know which one, maybe probably Wanna Be,
Unless you wanted to do the ballad. What was their ballad? Two, two into one. Is that what it was called to become one.
I don’t have time for slow songs on a desert island,
You're busy, cramped.. You need the energy
Maybe. Um, um, my gosh, I just want to look at my playlist is only eight songs anyway. Um, I'll be listening to the same music since I was born. That's why I don't know any,
All throw backs. Okay. I'm going to give you one more. Cause I completely lost track. What are you?
Well, I mean maybe ABBA something ABBA.
Okay. I'll take it. Same question. But with dance steps, you get to do a dance steps again for, for evermore. Okay, cool.
I will do a, uh, just a great pose. Cause I don't like using energy, but I love a pose. Um, I would probably do the worm, um, a front walkover, just basically all my freestyle moves
The book. The book of moves.
The book of moves. I'll put my jacket kick even. That's not a dance step, but it
Definitely is.
What have I done?
It's an arabesque.
Yes. Thank you. Thank you so much.
And your hip is down by the way your placement is ACE. It's done.
Geez. I feel like, can I just put in like a simple, like touch step bounce kind of want to do in my life? You know, like a step click, but a bit uncoordinated and dorky. Um,
Got it. So less swivel in the hips and just more vertical, this more vertical, but
We like that. More mom vibes, no offense mums. Um, geez, what else?
I don't know about you, but I definitely have a serious relationship with pas de bourses and Rond de jambs I can't freestyle. If I had to pay someone a dollar while we're on the subject of credit. If I had to pay someone credit for every time I do a Rond de jambs or a pas de bourses would have no dollars. I would have no home. Yeah. Fully in debt, like, like Ivy league debt for using those steps. That's it for me.
You know what Tik ToK has made me realize that obviously I use the same eight steps over and over. Yeah. This is my eight steps. Um, and I always do a pelvic thrust and whether that's comedic or serious, I always do one. So we'll put in a pelvic thrust, but it wasn't a creepy. It's never like perverted club scene style, unless that was what it called for.
In which case, if it was called for, you would do it.
Um, I think I have one more move and like, I can't, I can't do it, but I just, like, I really loved my boyfriend. So I'm going to put in Ryan's a backflip to his head move and it would probably end my life If I'm in the desert island. But I would end with a bang
Kamikaze, it would go, go out with a snap from
Beap bop done. Okay.
We'll also be linking to a clip of Ryan doing this movie. I can find a clip of him doing it like 9,008 times back to back, back then
Its in the, the old, um, intro for, so you think.
That's him. That's the move. That's it
In my bedroom when I was a kid watching the first season in Australia, which I didn't really watch it that much, but all I remember was that. And that's when I started to learn headstands in my lounge room, I was like, oh, Hey Ryan,
And now he's your boo cup business partner done. But wait, you can't tell me that you do not also remember Blake McGrath's shoot the duck forward jete thing. Oh yeah,
Yeah. I do. I was more, more into doing the headstand because for sure energy, for some reason
All about conserving energy, like minimum input, maximum output, that is what you do tremendously well, and I, that celebrate the
Laziest hard worker ever.
It's an excellent thing to be.
Yeah. I love it. I love being that kind of person.
I admire it. You inspire the shit out of me. I was so thrilled to have gotten, to talk to you about these things that I've always been curious about and so many more. So we're gonna, we're going to wrap this up here today, but you and I are, have, have plenty of making to do and plenty of catching up to do. Congratulations on the new space. I can't wait to see it. Oh my gosh. You and Ryan
You have to come over and we can do Tik Toks together.
I'm extremely down and unlike my husband, I love painting. So if you need a paint partner, I'm happy to do that with you. I could do it all day long. I love it. Oh gosh.
Well I'm going there right now. Not that you have to come right now, but also because I was obviously telling Ryan I was doing this and we just want to hang out with you. So please.
Okay. Thank you. So, so, so much.
Thank you so much. Bye bye.
Well, I hope you enjoyed that. Chat with my friend Smac and I hope that you begin preparing for the day that someone asks you for the eight songs you would choose to listen to in perpetuity forever, as you are stranded and probably sunburned on a desert island somewhere. That is it for me today. I hope that you dug this episode. If you are digging the pod, please go leave a review and a rating. So super helpful to me. But the most important thing to me is that you go keep it funky. I'll talk to you soon. Bye
Me again. Wondering if you ever noticed that one more time. Almost never means one more time. Well, here on the podcast, one more thing actually means two more things. Number one thing. If you're digging the pod, if these words are moving you, please don't forget to download, subscribe and leave a rating or review your Words Move Me too. Number two thing I make more than weekly podcasts. So please visit thedanawilson.com for links to free workshops and so, so much more. All right, that's it now for real talk to you soon. Bye.
