The Social Impact Heroes of Social Media: “Most of your friends are going to be out having fun while you’re working” with Brydell Cocky and Candice Georgiadis
Most of your friends are going to be out having fun while you’re working. Throughout my journey, I’ve passed up on many weekends going out. Eventually, many friends of mine stopped hanging together. I’m either too busy or we were following different paths which is normal. You want to be surrounded by people like you or similar. I’ve lost many friends putting my dreams first. I’m okay with that!
As a part of my series about social media stars who are using their platform to make a significant social impact, I had the pleasure of interviewing Brydell Cocky, a college graduate who left Motown/Capitol Records as an Intern Editor to start his own journey. Creating content that people enjoy watching and help others get through their day. He is mostly known for his YouTube personality.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
Started back in high school as the class clown who always got into trouble! People would tell me for years to think about becoming a comedian. Growing up in a small town such as Fayetteville, NC; opportunities are very limited.
One day, I was sitting at home bored out of my mind. Clicking through videos on YouTube and somehow I stumbled across content creators who were posting videos and getting all sorts of reactions. I said to myself “These guys are not even famous and look at what they’re doing” and figured why not and see what happens. The self confidence drove me to social media to see if I stood a chance. If it works, it works, but if it doesn’t, then I’ll stop. Uploaded my first video, received over 3,000 views within 24 hours with a lot of comments and kept going ever since.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began this career?
Recently, I flew out to St. Louis to surprise a fan for his 10th birthday at Six Flags. Never in a million years would I have thought that it would be me being a special guest. The birthday boy’s face was priceless. He told his mom “this is the best birthday out of all my birthdays”. We rode different rides, took photos, meet some of his family and friends who were highly impressed. Overall, I enjoyed it.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
The funniest mistake I made when first starting was posting so many videos. I thought the more I post, the better chance of getting more exposure, but found out real quick, that will annoy people.
Ok super. Let’s now jump to the core focus of our interview. Can you describe to our readers how you are using your platform to make a significant social impact?
I’m using my platform to make a significant social impact by making people feel good. I influence others to follow their dreams, promote positivity, give advice, and help those who are dealing with depression. Connecting and relating to so many people on different levels.
Wow! Can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted by this cause?
I can’t disclose the person’s name but I can say there was a person who was going through a rough time. He wrote me a long message about how I was the only reason he wakes up every day. I sent all the love and energy I could, but by my responding, it made him lose his mind. One of the happiest kids in the world that day.
Was there a tipping point the made you decide to focus on this particular area? Can you share a story about that?
Over the years, I started to see what social media has become. Have you ever heard of the saying “Negative Nancy”? Well, there you go! I’ve always been about uplifting people and making them smile, laugh, or be more appreciative. Also, reminding everyone that anything is possible. I ended up telling one of my friends that maybe this is what’s needed for social media. A voice for the people, but coming from someone who provides what they love to see. Sometimes, who you are and what you do makes an impact on others.
Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
With the internet being so huge today, you would think communities, our society, and politicians would take action upon these things but they haven’t. People feel like they have to step outside their character to fit in, which sucks because that means you’re not allowed to be yourself. A certain amount of likes can decide if you’re popular or not. Kids are committing suicide behind this. The community, society, and politicians can help remind the world what’s realistic, and right from wrong.
What specific strategies have you been using to promote and advance this cause? Can you recommend any good tips for people who want to follow your lead and use their social platform for a social good?
The strategy I’ve been using is promoting quotes, success stories, and honesty on all social platforms. Honestly, you never know who’s watching and when they are watching. So it’s best to always connect and relate to people in as many different ways as possible. Your message might make somebody’s day better. A good tip is to mean what you say and set good examples. Your actions have to speak louder than words meaning you have to live by what you’re telling people.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.
• Take your time, this is not a race
There were moments in my life where I began to rush and started making mistakes. I would have to go back, re-edit, and re-upload. Don’t ever rush because you are losing time that you could have saved if you had taken your time and did it correctly the first time.
• You’re going to lose friends
Most of your friends are going to be out having fun while you’re working. Throughout my journey, I’ve passed up on many weekends going out. Eventually, many friends of mine stopped hanging together. I’m either too busy or were following different paths which is normal. You want to be surrounded by people like you or similar. I’ve lost many friends putting my dreams first. I’m okay with that!
• Prepare for the worst
In 2017, YouTube ads had been removed, which puts a lot of us creators in freak out mode. Luckily, I was doing freelance work at the time to keep afloat. For somebody who has all their eggs in one basket can put yourself in jeopardy. It’s a not a good choice to do so and many Youtubers will confirm it. The no ads were a wake up call for a lot of us. Anything bad can happen and you have to be ready. Make sure you have a back up plan.
• Focus on you and don’t compare yourself to someone else
This is one of the biggest problems today. It’s no longer the excitement and being happy for someone else. It’s more of depression because of his or her success. People will look at your life and compare it to themselves. Start to feel as if they aren’t doing enough or anything at all. I always tell people “We never know what these people are going through, the things they have are nice but don’t mean they are truly happy”. I also have another belief that maybe it’s not your time right now. I’ve seen people who have put in years of work finally getting noticed. It could take 5 years before you get to the position you’re trying to reach.
• Risk it all
Go big or go home! Every second or minute, somebody is working on their dreams. You have to be willing to make sacrifices if you truly want to get further. Missing your favorite tv show, hanging out with friends, missing sleep, cutting back on expenses, and more. It’s about how bad you want it!
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
More love, less hate! Hate is so easy and love is hard to come by. I feel that our world needs to love more. Care for one another. Have more respect for those around you and yours as well. Life is really precious, so never take it for granted.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“You have to hurt for in order to know. Fall in order to grow. Lose in order to gain. Because most life’s lessons are learned in pain.” by J Cole. Failure is what needed to be successful. People act like it’s a bad thing, but it’s actually helpful. I rather make all the wrong mistakes as I can before I’m at the top. Everything that I have battled with in my life has made me who I am today.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
Zendaya, that girl is amazing and incredible! I feel like she could give advice on how to better things I lack.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
Instagram — @brydellcocky
Twitter — @brydellcocky
Youtube — youtube.com/c/brydellcocky
This was very meaningful, thank you so much!
The Social Impact Heroes of Social Media: “Most of your friends are going to be out having fun… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.