In today’s digital economy, just about anything is possible. Many content creators have found both fame and fortune in creating content in a variety of niches. Coming from a background where he had trouble staying focused in college, Howie Melia, known online as Howieazy, is a talent who found his groove in content creation, and is living a life of success that many can only dream of.
In a recent interview, Howie Melia spoke about his career and the industry in general. For him, content creation was an early obsession. Of course, his family and the school authorities thought he was wasting time.
“My teachers tried to get me to stop making videos and everything they told me to focus in college, but it was just I never really found any satisfaction and any like major all I wanted to do is make videos,” says Melia
Howieazy started his content creation journey by making 6-second videos on Vine in 2016. He started out as a consumer of the platform and then eventually started making videos with jokes and parodies of TV show opens like the iconic George Lopez Show and Full House opening credits.
Eventually, one of his videos went viral, and his account grew to 50,000 followers before Vine announced that Twitter was discontinuing support of the platform in 2016.
“I thought maybe my teachers were right. I wasted all my time on Vine. I was sad for a few days, but I realized even though Vine died I still had a skill. So, I had to go from 6-second to minute-long skits,” says Howieazy.
He then branched out to YouTube where he was able to monetize videos that were a minute or longer. He eventually dropped out of school and made videos while working at Outback Steakhouse. It wasn’t until he eventually got a paycheck from Snapchat that he felt like he could take the leap into full-time video creation.
“It felt like I won the lottery,” he recalls. “I thought it was a joke when they first sent it. I didn’t think it was real. That’s when I realized I could do this full-time. I realized I was wasting my time at Outback and I just doubled down.”
Success for Howieazy continued to pile up over the years. Since that first payout from Snapchat, he has hit a home run virtually across every social media platform with his unique videos.
Stars Who Got Famous Through Vine(Opens in a new browser tab)
Since Howie Melia started posting to Vine, content-making has grown into a powerful industry that tens of millions of people the world over are taking advantage of today. Through content creation, many are telling their stories in compelling ways that have earned them tens of thousands, even millions, of followers who are as inspired by their creativity as they are enamored by their wit and humor.
And from all indications, the industry is projected to experience more phenomenal growth in the coming years. According to recent data obtained by Statistica, the number of digital content creators globally, already at 200 million, is set to increase significantly by 2025 with digital advertising expected to surpass $300 billion by the same period.
Amid stiff competition, not many can hold their own. However, Howieazy has been able to stand out and carve his niche so far. According to him, the secret is in just being different instead of following the bandwagon.
He excels by making his videos relatable so his audience can get the vibes of his jokes. In addition, he says a lot of people watch him because of the craziness he brings to the table.
“I’m loud,” he says. “People love the explosiveness.”
Howie Melia has been leveraging his wit and brilliance to grow his fan base over the years, now reaching 6.6 million followers on TikTok and 3.39 million on YouTube with millions of views and positive ratings for his class act skits.
The numbers in terms of views and financial success that content makers earn in today’s society are simply mind-blowing. Howie Melia observed that this was not the case some 10 years ago, but the advancement of social media has revolutionized digital entertainment significantly, and he is familiar with the challenges new content makers face.
The horizon for content makers in general couldn’t be clearer. It’s a fast-paced world, and people live on quality digital content. So the sky is bright and the field is green. For Howieazy, the secret of succeeding as a content creator is in staying true and committed to your hobby. It has to be true to your personality and the things that define you.
Furthermore, aspiring content makers should also think about their platform of choice to post their videos, but also advised that their audience will find them if they put out content they enjoy making.
“It’s all about practice. You just post and if people don’t like your thing, ignore the negative. There are many more positive people commenting than there are negative. For every bad one, I see 100 good ones. Don’t let negative people take you down,” says Melia.
Howie Melia, also known as Howieazy, is a content creator who started on Vine. After Vine discontinued its use he transferred that following to TikTok and YouTube making short, satirical skits focused on relatable situations. He recently became the YouTube Shorts Ambassador for Charlotte, North Carolina. His content can be found on TikTok, YouTube, Twitch, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, and whatever social media platform comes next.
By Howie Melia
