The Skinny Confidential Him & Her Podcast - #96: Amanda Cerny - Instagram Fame, Haters, Staying True To Yourself, and Building an Empire

Episode Date: January 9, 2018

Amanda Cerny stops by the show this week and as usual we get into a wide variety of topics. On this episode we discuss how Amanda build her audience, how to create compelling video content, dealing with haters, and how to stay true to your brand. We also discuss what it's like when your personal relationships clash with your business or job and hurdles along the path to success.   To connect with Amanda click HERE To connect with Lauryn Evarts click HERE To connect with Michael Bosstick click HERE Read More on The Skinny Confidential HERE This episode is brought to you by The Skinny Confidential Bombshell Body Guide and Meal plan.  tired of combating inflammation & bloat? Want to feel lighter and sexier? Check out lauryn’s latest 7 day meal plan. In this simple & super effective plan you’ll find: + tsc grocery list with every ingredient you need for the 7 days. + what the f*ck to do when you love carbs guide. + quick and delicious recipes: breakfast, snacks, lunch, dinner and dessert. You will also find 28 weeks worth of fat burning, muscle toning, 27 minute long, effective workouts you can do at home with no equipment. USE PROMO CODE: HIMANDHER at Checkout for 20% Off

The following podcast is a Bostik Media production. Hey guys, so a lot of you have seen me on Instagram story and Snapchat working out with Kim Kelly who's been on the podcast two times and we are relaunching the Skinny Confidential Body Guide. I'm hoping February 1st, first week of February and we're so excited because it is all the workouts that I've been doing with Kim over the last year and a half. And it's basically every single one of our secrets, every single one of our tips, every single one of our tricks, all our snacks, everything in one spot.

We've been working on it for literally a year and we're shooting the last part of the content this Friday. So we're going to give you a code if you want early access. And all you have to do is go to members.theskinnyconfidential.com and use the code HIMANDHER at checkout for 20% off. You will be the first to hear about the launch in February. You'll get access to everything. And you'll also get access to my meal plan, which I have right now, which has so many amazing recipes like cauliflower rice and green spinach muffins. They're actually so good. Michael even likes them.

All right. So the workouts are 27 minutes. They're quick. You can do them while watching Real Housewives and there's tons of intervals in there. There's also a community of women, which is super awesome. And it's really just the ideal health and wellness experience. So go to members.theskinnyconfidential.com and use the checkout code him and her for 20% off. All right, let's do this. She's a lifestyle blogger extraordinaire. Fantastic. And he's

a serial entrepreneur. A very smart cookie. And now Lauren Everts and Michael Bostic are bringing you along for the ride. Get ready for some major realness. Welcome to The Skinny Confidential, him and her. Welcome back to The Skinny Confidential, him and her show. Today we have Amanda Cerny on the show. Amanda Cerny is an influencer who amassed a massive audience primarily from video content. On this episode, we discuss how to build an audience with video content, struggles and hurdles that come with success, how to deal with haters, managing personal and business relationships, and how to build a brand that's not reliant on a platform. For those of you who are new to the show, I am Lauren Everett Spostek and I created

the skinny confidential seven years ago. I was attending San Diego state university and I was just real bored. So I wanted to find a space on the internet that I could connect women everywhere. Um, as you guys know, I was in a sorority for five seconds and And they told me it was $800. And I thought, screw that. I'll start my own online with women everywhere. And then the skinny confidential idea came into play seven years later. And it's a YouTube channel podcast community book. And I also have my husband. Michael Bostic here, live, coming in hot. I'm an entrepreneur, investor, and business owner. I specialize in business development and direct-to-consumer sales. Over the last 10 years, I have developed, helped develop, and managed businesses in the online space. I got involved in this podcast

to hopefully provide information for others to find success wherever they're looking, and hopefully we've been successful there. It's a new year, new you. New year, same me. No, not same you, because you're doing a sober two-month challenge. I am. I'm doing a sober two-month challenge. I don't think it's really going to be a challenge for me. I never find these things that challenging. The key to it is that you have to just kind of become a recluse.

I can't say yes to many social events, so you'll see me declining pretty much everything. I'm basically, I'm doing it not for health reasons, though. I'm doing it because I need to really, really focus this first quarter. And I'm trying to do and I'm trying to do things that keep me away from, let's say, like distractions, right? I'm trying to do things that don't get me involved in, you know, willy nilly, you know, small talks. Butsvp'd to my rsvp which was meet me in bed on saturday with popcorn and a movie with the dogs and the barefoot dreams blanket yeah but i did work for the first six hours on saturday i mean you do want a medal you did rsvp to my event in bed yeah no i just don't want don't want, I need, I need a break. The holidays fucked me up.

I need, I need a solid three months, two and a half, three months of nothing but work and no distractions. I can't, I can't keep doing all these social him and my guys or whatever the hell they are. What is the him and my guys? I don't know. It's just a word I thought of right now. I just, I can't keep doing all these, these events and all these, I need to just focus.

And I feel like if I'm staying sober this month, then nobody's want to hang out with me anyway or two months and so I have like I'm really listen guys I'm really boring right now I'm not gonna be fun so just don't invite me and you know I just gotta focus so I mean who cares if you're sober if you have Topo Chico though I've been drinking a lot of Topo Chico Lauren got me this for would you give me a subscription he's been talking about this you tell every single person that listens you're literally slurping it on air it just did the bubbles into the mic that's pretty cool that sounds phallic you um were literally telling the guy that um we were talking to in the restaurant the other day about topo chico i mean i feel like you're spreading the word everywhere um brad if you're listening brad's lauren's dad he's opening a restaurant pretty soon called Alce. And it's a Mexican restaurant.

And he needs to put Topo Chico in there for the sparkling water. It will be there. It is so good. There's something about the bottle too that's just so amazing. I feel like I'm drinking a beer. You do feel like you're drinking a beer. But it's water. So it's also going to help me with my sober challenge.

Not that I need the help, but. There's something about the sparkling water, I'm telling you. So last week, if you follow along on Instagram story and Snapchat, you know, I had my friend who's a professional makeup artist and soon to be blogger, Jules Wick, come over from New York and give me the most incredible makeup design space you've ever seen. I cannot wait to reveal it. It's coming February 20th-ish, right Jules? And she's going to be launching her blog and we're going to be putting it out on YouTube and showing you guys every little thing that she did. It is probably the most amazing thing I've ever seen. Michael, would you agree? It's pretty incredible. I mean,

listen, it was a lot of work going on there. A lot of construction. It was literally seven days, almost 12 hours, every single day. A lot of really late nights. A lot of really late nights. Not for me. Well, for me not doing any work, but for me being grumpy that I couldn't go to sleep, but you know, they were working a lot, but it's, I mean, I, i it was pretty crazy like the detail on this thing and i can't i mean if you're into organization like i know you are and if you're into organizing like makeup which i also know you're in that like this is your this is like the dream it is organization porn times a hundred i've never seen anything like it it is an art space i would give away all our art just to keep this makeup situation. You would not give away any of our art.

I would. That would be. So Jules is amazing. You guys should follow her on Instagram for all makeup organization, makeup, everything. She's insane. It's at Jules Wick. And Jules, you've told me about your blog twice now that you're going to launch it. So she's launching it.

You have to and you're not allowed to tell me about it again until it's launched. You've told her that a hundred times why she was here. So how could she forget? Looking forward to reading. All right. So that's what's been up. Makeup organization, Topo Chico, a lot of working out and Michael just being boring. No, I'm just kicking ass is what I'm doing.

All right. Okay. We don't need your whole life story. What's the hymn tip? You want to get into the hymn tip right away? Right away. Okay. So three week challenges, right?

Three-week challenges. What does that mean, Michael? You know exactly what it means. I was telling you and Weston about it the other day. So I read somewhere that it takes 21 days to form a new habit. And unfortunately, 66 days to get rid of a bad one. So almost three, but more than three times as much to break a bad one as it is to form a good one. I don't remember where I read that. And I don't know if it's completely factual, but that's what I'm going with. Okay. That's what I'm sticking to. So I've got a lot of messages lately,

a lot of, you know, DMs, people sliding in. And a lot of them have to do with like, okay, with all the information that we've been getting on this podcast from all the guests that we've had on and all the books that we read and the different podcasts and blogs and all the information that's just being thrown at your face all day long, seven days a week. How do we decide what to try and what not to try? And how do we decide like what works for us and what doesn't work for us? Because like, you know, there's, you know, somebody will come on and say, Hey, this diet works. And then somebody will come and say, this one works or this skincare works or this or this business and this. So it starts to become

a lot of information overload. So first I try to do a little research and come to a conclusion on my own. And after that, if something's piquing my interest and I decide that I want to try it, I decide and I make the decision that I have to try it for at least three weeks. One week, in my opinion, is not enough time to decide if you like something. And two weeks is too short to make it stick. I find three weeks to be the perfect amount of time and it sticks with my belief that it takes 21 days to form a new habit. So if it's a good habit and you like it, then you can actually create a habit as you're doing the experiment. Okay. So if it's a good habit and you like it, then you can actually create a habit as you're doing the experiment. Okay. So if after those three weeks, it's not a habit or I have not had my life enhanced in a noticeable way, I move to the next thing.

So let's give some examples. You want to read more, commit to a minimum of one hour without fail every day for three weeks. The good thing you didn't move to something after me after three weeks. Yeah. You passed the three weeks and gave you another three. And then here we are. Okay.

Thanks. For business though, I would give, this is more for like personal, you know, like habits and development. I think like, listen, don't try a business for three weeks and expect it to work like that. You're gonna need a lot more time for that. It's more like for small habits. It's more for small habits.

Right. Or so let me give you examples. Back to my examples. So if you want to read one hour a day, three weeks without fail, and see how you feel after. Do you feel better? Do you feel smarter? Did you like it?

Did you dislike it? If you like it, keep doing it. If you don't, move on. You want to get up earlier, set a dedicated time for three weeks, and no matter what, get up at that time. And that means no matter what. If you can't do something for three weeks, you need to ask yourself why you are lacking self-control and discipline. You want to try a new fitness routine, again, three weeks,

new diet, three weeks. Want to enhance, change, or fix a relationship, try something different for three weeks. People ask me all the time for detailed instructions on routines, productivity tips, diets, et cetera. But I think at the core, it's these three-week experiments that have helped me throughout my life. And I've been doing them now for's these three-week experiments that have helped me throughout my life. And I've been doing them now for the last like three, four years. He has, guys. He really is doing it in reality. No, it's true.

And at the end of the three weeks, analyze how you feel. You can even keep a weekly or daily journal along the way. If you notice a positive difference in your life, keep going. If you don't, scrap it and find something else. I think whenever you want to create positive habits or try new things, you need this amount of time to get your mind and your body used to the change. So that's my tip. Three weeks, three-week experiments, write them down, see what's going. I peeked at your journal today. You did? Again? I always do. That's my decoy journal. All right. How do you like them apples? Your turn. I just watched Good Will Hunting the other day. You're actually really going to like my tip. You're probably going to be using this for three

minutes. All right. Let's see. You're talking big game. All right. So my tip is actually on the Skinny Confidential right now. I did a post on it late last night. I feel like you need to hear this tip and you also need to see it, which is why I did a post on it. So first off, it's a free printable. So all you have to do is go to the blog, print it out. I printed mine in color because it's pretty, but you're going to want to cut it in half. And here's why. There's like little scissor lines. You guys will see when you print it out. Anyways, according to Seth Gooden, who wrote Purple Cow, Michael knows him very well. Okay.

How do you say it? Gooden. Gooden. I think. Keep going. I know it's not Gooden, but good try. Keep going. Okay.

According to Seth. Gooden. You want to make two lists. Okay. I started my 2018 like this and it's just fucking incredible what his advice is. So what you want to do is you want to go to the skinny confidential, like I said, and print out these cute printables. And then all you do is like he said, you make two lists. The first list, you're going to identify the disrespects and bad breaks. So this is people

who don't like you. This is deals that went wrong. This is unfair expectations. This is bad situations, unfortunate outcomes, and unfairness. So that's one list. That's going to be on the left side. You'll see it on the TSC. Then Seth says it's all legitimate. It's all real. Don't hold back here. So you really want to like have at it. On the other list, you're going to write down the privileges, advantages, and opportunities you have. So this is going to be the places where you get the benefit of the doubt, your leverage, your momentum, the things you see that others don't like angles, what's working, what's always worked, the resources you can tap, the things you know, the people who you trust. Then Seth says, take one list and put it in the drawer.

Take the other list and tape it up on your bathroom mirror. Read the list in the drawer once a month or once a year just to remind yourself that it's safe and sound. Read the other list every single day. The daily list will determine what you notice, how you interpret what you see, and the story you tell yourself about what's happening and what will happen. You get to pick which list goes where. That's the beauty of it. Did you guys hear that? You get to pick which list goes where.

One in a drawer, one on your bathroom mirror. Picking your list is possibly the most important thing you'll do all day. I think all year. I think we should all do this. We can each pick which list we're going to focus on. And like I always say, and Tony Robbins always says, where focus goes, energy flows. So if you want more of a breakdown, check out today's post and let me know in my DMs or on Twitter or on Instagram, how your list situation's going. One in the drawer, one on the mirror. One in the drawer, one in the mirror. So you're going to have two lists. One list is going to be all about me and the other list is going to be all about me.

And both of them are going to have great things on it. Those are both going in the drawer. Oh, come on. Maybe I'll try it for three weeks. All right. Okay. Amanda Cerny describes herself in her Instagram bio as an actress, CEO, director, queen of my own fantasy, and your daily dose of happiness. I feel like her Instagram bio is totally fitting because she has 19.1 million followers in counting. I know, no big deal. So it was a pleasure to meet her in person because she's so down to earth

and extremely mature for her age. She's also kind, pretty, and charitable. If you're unfamiliar with Amanda's work, let's go back. So first she started as a Vine star. She was a big time Vine star. Then she went on to Instagram and YouTube and has gained a massive following on both platforms because she is really funny, guys. No, really, she's real funny.

Her sugar bear hair video killed me. You have to see it. Anyway, Amanda is killing the social media game and it's so much fun to watch. So let's give her a very warm welcome to the Skinny Confidential Him and Her Show. This is the Skinny Confidential Him and Her Show. This is the Skinny Confidential Him and Her. Tell our audience, I mean, I feel like they already all know you, but tell us how you got started. Yeah, well, I was actually at college at Florida State and I was doing modeling here and there. And I got an opportunity out in L to do some modeling so I came out here and then I would go back to Miami and then I started doing and Miami is like all music like that is what Miami runs off of its nightlife and music so

I started doing a live EDM event hosting so I'd be like the emcee at the at the EDM events and I would travel doing that and then I decided you know that's not really it was kind of limiting for me creatively so I wanted to do more acting and I started taking acting classes and in Miami like I said it's not there weren't many opportunities out there then especially I don't think even Ballers was out there then so that was like the one production that was in Miami. The show with The Rock? Yeah, which is great. And then, so I came out to LA and then I had, you know, I was taking my acting classes and then I was looking for management and agency solely for film and TV. And nobody wanted to represent me because I didn't have a reel. And I was like, okay, it's like the chicken

and egg thing is like, all right, what comes first? comes first so I was like all right I'll just make my own reel I'll figure out how to edit so I was just watching like YouTube videos on how to edit and stuff and then I started creating my own reel by just making my own content and then I would just post it online because I didn't know what else to do with it so I would just start posting it and I noticed like some of my videos were starting to get you know know, 1000 views, which at the time to me, that was like, whoa. And what year is this? This is like, oh, geez, 2012. Okay. Yeah, it's early. Yeah. And then I was posting then and then this app came out called vine. And it was six second videos that you can just and I'm always thinking creatively so and I have

fun making videos so when Vine came out I was like oh an easy platform just to make little six second stories on so I started posting on that app and then at that time nobody was really like there was a select group of people that were making storytelling content on the application so it's like comedic skits. And then I started doing that and I started doing it consistently along with trying to build my reel so I can get management and agency. And when I was doing that, my profile really started to grow and I saw people starting to like it. And I was like, okay, I'm going to keep doing this every day. So I made sure every day I posted on that platform and then was still like going out for meetings and trying to find castings. And then eventually my profile was growing so much that I

put all my focus into that. And then I grew to a million to 2 million to 3 million to 4 million on the application within a year. And I'm like, okay, you know, investing my time in this is really great because I noticed a lot of management and agencies all of a sudden were reaching out to me. And I was like, okay, I'm not going to sign with anybody yet because I still like, I'm doing this all on my own and they're just hopping on right now. And I could benefit from them, but I feel like I can grow so much more and then I'll have so much more attention of theirs once I'm even bigger. So let's go back a little bit. How, how did you know to get on Vine? Like how did you discover Vine that early? Well, I had friends that do YouTube. One of my

friends, Jimmy Tatro, he, he's a YouTuber. He actually has his own show on Netflix Vandal. Okay. And which is great. But I was supposed to shoot a YouTube video with him. And then he was traveling to New Orleans to shoot 22 Jump Street. And then he was like to new orleans to shoot 22 drum street okay and then he was like there's this new app vine like i know you're trying to like build a reel and stuff but this is a great like beginning like app for you to you know really like gauge in like for editing and all that stuff even on vine they didn't let you edit yet it was like all within you had to do it with inside right yeah pull it out from somewhere else but we had a hack to where you could just use like an iPad or something that was like

hacked into the app that you can upload through a third party. So we could edit it on the side and then upload through a friend's iPad. So there was like two friends that had the iPad. So we would all go to them and then have them upload our content. That's crazy. How hard is it to make a video in that short amount of time and make someone laugh? Yeah, that's the biggest challenge to make a six second videos easy, right? But then to be able to make somebody laugh with the content that you're making is the hardest part. So a lot of it was slapstick comedy because that read the somebody falling

or breaking something. Yeah. And that's why there's a lot of jokes about buying like how it's so much slapstick. But, you know, that's what works in the six second time period that we had. So it's kind of like topical comedy like that. And then you would do some weirder videos. And a lot of the comedy was relatable content that people could be like, oh, that's me. And then they would share it. And then that's how your videos would go viral. And how important was collaboration when you were doing that?

I feel like you guys have all uplifted each other. Yeah, for sure. And it was such a community too. I mean, for instance, like one of my friends that was on the app too, Logan Paul, he started on Vine also, and that's how he first got discovered. So he lived in Ohio and then I knew him through the app because we would all communicate or re-vine each other's vines. And he was like, okay, I want to come out to L.A. And I felt like I knew him because I saw him every day. And then we all had, like, this communication between each other. So I was like, yeah, I have an extra room in my apartment.

You can just stay in my spare room. So he came out for a week, and we all did collabs with each other. And then he stayed there, and then he went back to Ohio. And then he hit me up again. He's like, I really like L.A. and want to come back and visit I was like okay yeah no problem whenever and then he's like okay I'm gonna bring my dad I was like yeah sure so he came and stayed with me in my spare bedroom his dad stayed on my couch and then they just came and visited LA that way so it felt like a family that everybody was just kind of figuring it out together and

helping each other grow. Because once we started getting brands offering us money or free products at first for posting, we're like, whoa, this is the best thing ever. We're getting stuff for free for making fun videos. So cool. But then we realized the value of what we were doing of advertising, of reaching 20 million people viewing a piece of content is a lot. And that's more than TV shows. Yeah.

How much pressure is that to know that there's that many people watching you guys? I know I didn't really see it as pressure. It kind of like if anything, it motivated and inspired me just to make better content. Because now I'll go back and I'll watch my first vine and I'll like cringe, like I'll almost gag. I'm like, Oh my God, no, turn it off. Because like, that's me just starting out and me learning like how, cause I didn't go to film school. I didn't learn how to, I wasn't a writer. Like this is me wearing all hats of trying to figure something out and

then from doing it consistently every single day for the past like five six years like I've kind of figured it out and now now and I'm still growing and I appreciate that too I take more classes for it I like study on it more and I just like grow within every year that I'm doing it but that's why it's like you know I would never want to delete the content that I made in the beginning. Cause it's also a reminder for me of how much I've grown. I love that you have evolved. Like you, you seem like someone that you're constantly evolving. Like you're never getting too comfortable now that you're on Instagram. How has your life changed where you feel, you know, now you get like a minute and a half, right? Or is it two minutes? You can do the swipe, right? Yeah. Yeah. So you can have endless, but how is that different

from Vine? I like it way more. I mean, for me, it's, I'm able to explore different levels of comedy too. So it's not just, or even just putting out content, like what the stuff I did in Puerto Rico, I'm, I'm able to show a mini documentary of like, you know, the impact that myself and my fans have done together and how we made a difference over there. And in six seconds, you can't really tell that story. So it's like, I'm able to tell longer and more in-depth stories that are way more impactful, whether it be comedy or, you know, charity, or, you know, if I'm launching something new and to inspire my audience as well even like creative made sub pages now to where I'm like having fitness pages having so I can kind of

narrow down the audience that's interested in fitness so my main page is mostly comedy but then they go to the other pages and they can find the niche areas that of why they truly follow my content so let's let's talk about that a little bit if you were now you're niching down and going into different areas outside of comedy which i think is great but when you were first starting it was strictly comedy for somebody that's starting out and they want to be a content creator they want to create youtube videos or instagram videos snapchat whatever podcast whatever it is what piece of advice would you give at this point? At this point. Don't joke up.

He's getting emotional. His questions get like really run on. So like he has to take a breath. It's still a good question. It's really dry in LA too. It is dry. The fires are still burning. Yes.

This is true. It's so saturated now. Yeah. Yeah. I would say you have to stick to what is true to you because we're we're advertising things now whether it be ourselves or another brand whatever it is we're advertising to an audience that has no bullshit like they grew up with brands advertising to them they grew up with content at their reach So if they feel something that's not authentic or not organic to the person that's creating it and posting it, they're not going to respond well to

it because they're not stupid. Like they see stuff every single day. They know, you know, whether it be an older generation is now way more educated because of the internet. So like if you're producing content, I would say make things that are organic to you, something that you're really passionate about, that you're invested in, that you believe in and you have fun making and do that. Don't do this like me trying to do beauty tutorials on makeup. It's like, no, I'm going to do a collaboration with a makeup artist who loves makeup and I'm going to get my makeup done because I like that. Like that's way more organic than me being like, all right, like I'm the best. I'm going to tell you how to do this. You're going to read through it and be like, no, you're not like this isn't what you do. No. And it's hard to keep up with that, right? Like if you, if you're talking about stuff or creating content

that you don't care about consistently, you're just trying to like match a mold. If I'm trying to be like an Amanda or I'm trying to be a Lauren, you can't consistently keep up with that. And consistency is super important in my, at least in my opinion here, because at some point you're like, shit, that's not really what I'm about. And so you're struggling and you're stressing all the time. Like, okay, what can I do next? Where if it's natural to you, you're just grading all the time. I want to know about each medium. Do you have a schedule where you're like Mondays I post on YouTube, Wednesdays I do Instagram. Is there a time, is there a method to the madness? Initially there was when I was first starting on social media, I was like, okay, I need to post. And there was different, um, metrics for each

platform. Like for Facebook, I would post at 3am and I would have to wake up at 3am and post because there wasn't a scheduling thing yet. And then, um, same thing with YouTube had a different time. Vine had a different time when it was still alive. I think they're bringing back another version of Vine, but I don't know what's going on with that. But like an Instagram was a certain time. So I had, I had that all scheduled in the beginning just because I was trying to grow so much on those platforms and I didn't have access to a large audience. But now to where I have like these large followings on all these different platforms, I don't stress myself out too much about that now. I just try to make as much content as I can, different content for each of the platforms. So that way it's like people go on Facebook because they know I'm making this content for my different demographic on there that relates to them the most and adjust it a little bit for them.

For Instagram, make content that's a minute long, a little bit more short form, and then gets to the point quicker. Like for YouTube, make different content because the audience is, you know, a little bit different. So and then also they want to follow me everywhere because they're getting different things on each platform. So timing, I feel like doesn't matter as much for larger influencers. But if you're just starting now, it's important to know the best time to post for your demographic, which now Facebook and all those platforms give you insights. So if someone's like new to Instagram, they have like 500 followers and they look at someone like you that has so many, would you just tell them to get on a consistent schedule,

find their niche? Is there any other tips that they can use to grow their following? Yes. Study on making video content because video content is what's how people are going to relate to you the most. And whether it be whatever your content may be, like they're going to be able to feel like they know you most through video rather than a photo. So I say kind of study up, you know, invest in yourself, whether it be if you suck at video, but you have a friend that's good at it, partner up with them and work together as a team, like create your own group, like whether, you know, be fashion beauty, like create a team around you to where everybody is good at what they're doing and that it can all

benefit each other. Cause that's what worked with us with us I mean there's certain points like in our careers like with me and the influencers that I kind of rose with that they're more successful on this platform than I'm like killing it on Instagram and they're killing it over here we'll do stuff I'll do stuff with them over here because they're doing great and they'll do stuff with me over here because I'm doing great on there and we're all benefiting from it so it's more of a community kind of vibe and I think if you have that mentality when you're even if you're just starting out like if you think people around you are talented and your content's good people are going to see it and want to share it so I mean like as long as you're making quality content and you know know, taking a smaller piece of a larger pie, like, you know, why not?

That's how I would do it. So you guys still all collaborate. Everyone's really supportive. How important is the community that you guys are making videos for? Like for me, I feel like my community is everything. Are you really engaged with them? Like do you talk to them every day? How does that go?

You have so many followers. I feel like it's hard probably to answer. You're not going to be able to answer your DMs. No, no, I don't even look at them. No, I don't even read my DMs, but I don't know if I want to, but sometimes I'll actually like, if I post something on my story that I just want to get immediate feedback from, I'll like browse through and like look at some DMs just to see what people are thinking. But I think that's so important especially as a creator when you're looking at you when you're producing your content and posting it you're actually reading the comments and I read every single one of my comments even if I don't even plan on it I'll go on there I'll be like I'll

read one or two and I'm like going through them all and then all of a sudden I'm like picking it apart and just like appreciating like the love comments, of course, but then there's constructive criticism comments and yeah, there's haters of saying a certain thing, but if you're getting multiple comments of a similar thing, then you got to address. So how do you differentiate between constructive criticism and people that are just dickheads? Um, well the dickheads, you can kind of tell right away cause they're usually just like blurting things out like you suck you know and at that point you can't like you can't please those people no never like but what I've noticed and I think it's like some sort of psychology or something but

I'll reply to and this is what I used to do like I would get a negative comment that was just purely just out of anger coming from them nothing to do with my content but i'd reply i'm like i'm so sorry that you had such a hard day and then they flip they're like oh my god i love you i'm your biggest fan i'm so sorry that i did this blah blah blah and then you're just like okay well they're just looking for attention or trying to be a little empathetic yeah because people i i just see it as a way for some people to vent. And if they're super aggressive with it, just block them and they're gone forever.

Does it even bother you anymore when you just look at it and you're just like numb to it? Because I feel like you've seen every kind of comment you can possibly see. Yeah, I feel like you don't get completely numb to anything like in life. But I think now I just don't take it to heart by any

means like I'm just scrolling through it and I'll see one I'll be like oh ouch like scroll but it's still like I don't sit and cry about it or it doesn't stay in my head if anything I just try to remember like the positive stuff from it and the fact that you know okay this I've been getting negative comments since like 2011 2012 so it's like for me it's nothing new and it's something that will always be there but the fact that the majority of my comments are all thankful like appreciative like and that's what I've turned my comments into because I've listened to my audience too like even when Vine first started a lot of the comments were super negative like people would cry if they read these like that bad but then I would kind of listen and

adjust my content to not focus so much on like sexiness and like blah blah and just focus on the comedy of it and not feel like I had to include that in every piece of content I was making. And that's where I started to gain like more respects, like as a woman trying to do comedy. So when you say sexiness, if you were focused, like, were you, do you think that it was more difficult for you to break out in comedy because you were, I don't want to say leading with it. That's not the right way, but because you had that appeal. Yeah. I, I misinterpreted it. Like in the beginning, like I thought, okay, people look at me cause I was used to being a model. So I'm like, okay, I have to be sexy and everything I'm doing. Cause that's the only way they're going to like me. Tell me about it. Yeah. You know, the struggle.

Then I started feeling like I had to include that in my like original content. And even though it wasn't necessary in the comedy I was doing, it was like, let me add it in just to, and people, it's not organic. It's not like I didn't want it in there. I felt like I had to add it in there. Like I still make content that is sexy solely for the purpose of being sexy.

And I, I love that. I embrace that. I think that's great for a woman to be sexy. But then when I'm doing comedy, I make sure the main purpose of my video is to be comedic. And then that's when I started to really notice a difference with my fans appreciating my content and appreciating my work more and really just becoming true fans of what I'm doing. I mean, this is kind of the wild,

wild west. Do you feel like I'm listening to you talk and I feel like there's probably a lot of older people that are in this industry that have tried to put you in a box. And like you just said, like, you're not just sexy. You're a lot of different things. How have you kind of tried to get their attention and be like, no, this is like, I'm going to do me like you do you. Yeah. Like, well, I guess for me, my proof was kind of in the numbers. Like there's so many beautiful girls out there that all of them would have a huge following once they're a thousand times hotter than I could ever be and would have a massive following just from being hot. that's with you every single move that you're making, you're doing something outside of just being sexy or just being pretty. Like you have to have either a personality, have to have some sort of talent,

whether it's like the content that you're producing in comedy and acting that people want to share with their family and friends that makes your demographic like male and women. Like that, I think that's the proof that I needed right there. But now it's like, okay, I'm going to consistently

make that content and still make longer form content. Cause my goal now is the, I've grown on all these platforms, but the longer, more time I have to produce or direct something or just make longer form content, like the more creatively I'm able to put into it and the more stories I'm able to tell and that's kind of what I'm focusing on is not just doing social media platforms but doing movies and tv series and all that stuff now too which is what I initially my goal was and what I wanted to do and now I'm able to be a part of it at like in the bigger picture let me ask you this now though your goal obviously and your still goal is to be an actress producer director

maybe everything but now that you have this aren't you kind of already now you're doing that pretty much it's just do you think that it's any different like you need to be in a feature film or a feature show because you're like we said you're getting 20 million views or whatever that's more than a lot of these movies or shows garnish yeah so do you think that it's like it's just because it's a goal you've set that you want to get into these things or is it just like, what is it? That's a great question because even for, there's, there's some influencers or content creators that want to be actors and that's where they started. But, um, for the ones that have started with that, that goal, they still want to do things that are traditional.

So initially, I wanted to be on networks. I was like, all right, put me on this show. And then later on when I'm doing on the show or doing something with them, I don't want to name the certain specific networks, but then I would find out their viewership is a million people. And I'm like, nobody's seeing this. But now there are platforms like Netflix Amazon Hulu HBO like that all are on your desktop or on your TV that a lot of people are consuming and binge watching and becomes like you know that's just growing me as a brand it's taking me outside of just being Amanda Cerny and just creating a whole new world that I can like create fans of. So it's like no longer

are they just fans of me, but now like how like Stranger Things, Game of Thrones, like they have these massive fan bases for the quality of the production. Something outside of the personal brand. Yeah. And speaking of something outside of it, you're, you're doing a management company. Can you tell us about that yeah um so with social media like organically I noticed whoever I'm doing videos with are around they're growing like there's a girl I was doing videos with I grew to a million and you know less than you know four months so I'm like okay like I've noticed this is like a major growth opportunity whether it be somebody that wants to be an influencer or an artist that's trying to get more exposure or grow their fan base for touring or for their music in

general. And even as social media is growing more and more, like I have record labels hitting me up all the time to help with their artists, like in big artists too. And like became more relevant to me that, okay, social media is a part of every single brand, every person now. It's necessary. It's like what people are looking for to really grow their brands and their products. So I was like, okay, since I'm organically doing it already, and I want to do it on a larger scale of where I had issues finding management, I've had situations with management where they weren't working for me,

where I was being promised a lot of things, but they weren't coming through. And I was like, I want to be able to create a community where I'm helping them grow. I'm helping them, reassuring them in a trusted community that their management is working for them every day because I'm behind the scenes and making sure it's happening. And I know my bandwidth and I'm not going to be the one that's day-to-day managing or working on the traditional stuff, which is still called traditional soon, soon it won't be. But just on the back end, everything's just being done. That is what, what is promised. And then just really helping them grow their careers, just social media wise, brand wise, like grow them into an actual business. And one of my main focuses is on women, because I've noticed, especially from living in LA for so long, being a woman, a woman in LA

is a lot different than being a man in LA. And it's just like, it can be limiting in a sense of people not taking you seriously or just false promises. But I mean, men experience that here too. But that's why, like from my experience as a woman, I know what it's like. And then I kind of want to, you know, have these women that are with me that I'm helping grow, not have to go through or not have to make the mistakes or not go with people that are untrustworthy in the industry. And that they can really just feel at home here and grow into a large business of super talented women and men included like I'm representing men as well like we already have three different males signed to it also in different in

fitness like um we're signing a musician musician now who's super talented she's a writer also and she's great she's worked with a lot of big artists and just people that are just extremely talented, know what they're good at and just drive them towards that goal. And once they reach that goal, just branch out into everything that social media offers and branding wise. Do you want to do some kind of business and product with what you're doing too, eventually? Yeah. So I'm, i'm working on that right now i'm creating um because i'm huge into fitness i love it just a healthy lifestyle like which is great i have my guest campaign coming out um next year and it's for their active wear line which will be everywhere that is so cool i love guests like it's amazing i'm super excited congratulations like really

revamped that brand yeah like they pulled it. So what have you already like shot it and picked out everything? Yeah. Okay. So we have that coming out with them. And then on top of that, I'm doing, um, supplements that are, you know, vegan that are, um, super healthy for you, like natural ingredients and just actually work and things that I would use because, you know, through my experience of me doing brand deals, like beforehand, I'm, I know I only want to work with things that I actually believe in because like I said, if your audience sees you're not being organic, you're losing the trust of your audience and they mean the most to me. So anything and anything I'm doing, I want it to be a thousand percent true. So segmenting into that, what do you think the worst piece of advice you hear people giving to

new content creators or new influencers where it's like, you know, they want to monetize them early. And so they're giving them this advice. It's like, uh, don't do that. You're going to hurt yourself. Yeah. Just picking like low hanging fruit. That's what a lot of these companies do. I mean, a lot of the agencies and they're just like, okay, just grab whatever's easy and then, you know, kind of ring them out and then they're done. Like if you're doing a bunch of deals, a bunch of one-off deals all the time of things that you don't even use or don't even care about, you're just selling out your audience to the point of you're going to have an audience that doesn't trust you at all, eventually unfollows you and

just leaves you and then you have no brand. So if you're just and that's something that I was smart with in the beginning that I didn't do is that I didn't do a million brand deals, I would be offered so many brand deals every single day that I could have just cashed out on everything. And if that's your goal, just make your money real quick if you don't want longevity. But if you want a long career, you need to just choose the brands you actually enjoy, space it out, don't do a million, and then promote it in an organic and fun way for your audience so they appreciate the content that you're creating. Well, I think what both of you have done really well, you and Lauren, is that... I don't have like 400 million followers though. But it's not that... What I think you guys

have done well is at this point, you guys have the leverage because you have a community that'll follow you guys wherever you want to go, right? So it's not reliant on a platform and it's not reliant on a brand or a deal. You can say like, listen, guys, like we're going to go here and this is what we're going to do. And so at that point it flips, right? And a lot of these agencies or brands or whatever, they don't have the power of you. And I think it's interesting to watch people that have done it right.

And people are like, oh, like you're going to screw yourself over. How do you pick, like when you get approached by a brand, how do you know that it's a fit for your audience? Well, I see if it's a fit for me, if it's a fit for me, it'll be good for my audience. So how picky are you? I'm sure you're extremely picky. Yeah, I am. And it's, you know, I recently did, um, an ad with a brand that was like a hair vitamin and, but it's a love that video. That was amazing. But it's like a fun, so fun, but you're making the ads that are like super interesting still on like fun content for people to consume and they appreciate it. And the fact that you're disclosing it's an ad there, they appreciate it, appreciate it. Like they appreciate Super Bowl commercials they're like oh this is great that entertained me thanks yeah and I'll

check out that brand too because they make super cool content that was amazing that video what has been your most popular video and why do you think it's been your most popular video um I'm I don't know there's a lot of them because I've probably made like over 3,000 videos like in the past what's like a standout one that maybe stood out for you um probably so I did this couples one um that has over like 30 million views on on Instagram which is a lot for Instagram but I have videos that have more views on Facebook because it's all different platforms. But I think this one did so well because it was relatable content that, you know, every couple can relate to that. I was just poking fun at the situation. So the situation was, um, my boyfriend wanted to hook up with me and I'm just like, you know, just kind of sitting there next to him and he's just trying

to kiss me. I'm like, uh, okay, like not now. But I didn't want to turn him down. So I just like got up and then I put a face mask on and got an onion and apple cider vinegar. And then I sat next to him and ate that. That sounds like my night every night. Yeah. So see, it's relatable. Maybe not that part. That's a little creepy.

I eat garlic raw, so. it was gnarly though. Don't ever eat raw onions. Um, too late. So people like the relatable content. Yeah. That's the most important. I want to know more about your fitness and diet routine. Is there, I mean, I feel like you're traveling all the time. How do you keep consistent? Um, I just, a lot of home workouts that I kind of like created or like I've worked with trainers before. So I kind of just keep them in the back of my head of just different things. Like I love planks. Like I think those are great.

That's like a full body workout when you're doing them and you're not just being a crazy person jumping around your hotel room. But a lot of hotels have gyms, too. So it's easy just to like run there to the gym real quick shower and then get on with your day I try to do it every morning like early in the morning otherwise if I get into my day like as a girl once you put makeup on or whatever you're just like okay then I go to the gym put it back on I'm gonna go to my next meeting no so I try to do it in the in the mornings and then try to keep it consistent with every day take a day off a week that's fine and then try to keep it consistent with every day. Take a day off a week. That's fine. And then eating clean, I feel like is the biggest thing because you can do fitness like three times a week.

But if you're eating like shitty food, you're going to not see any results. How do you eat so clean when you're so busy? I think it's, I mean, in LA, it's super easy. Just here, it's like, and I think anywhere, it's super easy just here it's like and I think anywhere it's super easy now because we have those delivery apps all the time it's a lot easier than it was before and even like you know there's this app happy cow that I use sometimes that helps you like find vegan or vegetarian friendly restaurants that are around you like even when I'm in Europe I use it

so it's like and even in Europe, like the options have gotten way better than what they were when I started traveling like six years ago. I heard you say on a podcast that you, um, you don't, you used to run a lot or maybe you said really fast and now you do something different. Can you elaborate on that? Yeah. And I, I hated finding this out, but, um, yeah, I would do more high intensity cardio. So I would just do sprints. I would do, and I loved it because it felt like I was getting a good workout in, but then I started working with different trainers and then I'm working on like the supplement line that I'm doing and kind of discovered that as a woman, it's better to do

low intensity cardio and training just because when you're doing high intensity, it builds more testosterone in your body. So it actually has an aging effect. So, yeah, you're getting a good workout, but you're also aging yourself drastically at the same time. So I'm like, OK, I'm going to switch to low intensity cardio to where you're getting, still getting a good workout. Yeah. You have to spend a little bit longer in the gym, but, um, in the long run too, it's, it's just better for your skin. It's better for your, your boobs too. I feel like your boobs are moving up and down. Like everything. I don't want everything moving up and down all the time. So when you say low, do you just mean walk? Like, can you give an example if the audience wanted to go do your workout? What is it? Yeah, it would, I would say beyond the treadmill train,

changing up your incline, like doing a power walk or a light jog. I would say power walk more just because it's less impact anyway, or even the stair master I love, but doing, instead of doing the stair master at 20% difficulty level, which I was obsessed with, I had to change it to 14. And then sometimes I treated myself, myself by bringing it to 16. So it's like, you know, just bringing down, um, just keeping your heart rate like low instead of just like going to extreme sport mode. It makes sense. How do you shut off? I mean, I feel like you're, you're on social 24 seven. It seems like, how do you shut off? I mean, I feel like you're, you're on social 24 seven. It seems like, how do you take a minute for yourself and just close it down? I tried,

um, to go to Hawaii and do that, but then I was just like, there's so much content here. So then I started working and making content there. I think, I don't really think there's, it's necessary for me to shut off because I'm so passionate about it and I get inspired and it makes me feel good. And it's something that I love doing. And I think that's why it's doing so well. So for me, if I shut off, I actually get more stressed out. I feel the same way. Yeah, because you're not doing it.

See, Michael, take notes. No, but I mean, like we were talking about this today and I was like, I just want it shut off when we're in the bed right no i want to like have sex and post an instagram and he's like i told her i was like listen you don't want your man looking over and seeing your chin tucked in with the light illuminating up you know what i mean it's like you're telling a ghost story in the bed i'm like you gotta go i gotta do snapchat yeah and then they try to take your phone and you're like no no no you gotta do i feel like you need to do a whole video series on that. Yeah, good.

I'm taking notes. No, I wouldn't try to do that. I'll get like an elbow in the face. Yeah, see? I can't mess this up. They're the moneymaker. So you don't even go near it. No, I'm just kidding.

I have two more questions for you. And the first question is I want to know about your process of getting everything on paper to putting it on Instagram and doing a video. I can imagine that's like really elaborate. Yeah. On Instagram, I used to do a video every day as well. It kind of slowed down just because I've been focusing on this management

company and then just a bunch of meetings and the holidays are coming out. So it's like a lot. Um, and I'm going to Aspen for the first time. We just got back from there last week. It's the best. I'm going to send you a list. You're going to love it.

I'm going to send you a list. He dissects the whole entire city and does a whole itinerary on it. Oh, really? Yeah. I'll give you a list before you go. Go over here. It's the best. Awesome.

We just went shotgun shooting out there. No, you don't understand how obsessed with Aspen he is. He wants to name our firstborn Aspen. Really? I feel like it's not going to be good because then people will shorten his name or her name. Yeah. You know what I mean? Maybe it's like maybe do a middle name.

But no, Aspen's the best honestly if the wheels fell off everything and i was just like oh shit what do i do i'd probably go out there and be like a ski instructor okay you've talked about this like dream that you have a hundred times you know what fuck it i'm quitting i'm going out there you'll love it it's fun so you're going to aspen yeah for the first time with my family so i was setting that up as our first ever family vacation so um of going to aspen all together too for Christmas. So I'm excited, but that's been like something I was working on too. So, um, yeah, I've just been really busy. Um, but the process kind of is I have a list of notes of things that just kind of happen in my everyday life.

Just, and this is for Instagram content where I'll just like write it down. Like,'s funny like oh that situation's funny and I'll have like a whole list of notes and then I'll shoot like I'll call a couple different videographers or whoever's available or even shoot it myself like a few of my recent videos I just shot all myself just because I didn't feel like waiting on anybody to get there and I'm like I need to get something up because I have my next meeting um but then I'll shoot the video I'll direct direct it which angles I need because I kind of think in editing so when I'm shooting I'm just like this shot this this one this one and then I'll get the content done I'll edit it and then I'll post it to my page really what you are is a professional storyteller does anyone tell you that I feel like that's what you are is a professional storyteller. Does anyone tell you that? I feel like that's what you're like amazing at is telling stories. Thanks.

Which is, I mean, I think that's the most important thing you can do when you're an influencer is tell a story. Yeah, for sure. I want to know one book, resource, podcast, whatever it is that you look to, that you could recommend to the audience that has just really resonated with you. The Him and Her. um, what that you could recommend to the audience that has just really resonated with you? Um, the him and her. Well,

I mean that shit, I mean, that's, you can't stroke the ego anymore. That's helped a lot of people. We can't stroke the ego. Sorry, sorry.

Aspen, go to Aspen. Go to Aspen. Yeah. For those, just everyone head to Aspen. It's a town typically of 4,000 people, but we can get, maybe we'll get 18 million there. Michael, we get the obsession to Aspen it's a town typically of 4,000 people but we can get

maybe we'll get 18 million there Michael we get the obsession with Aspen yeah I'm telling you all I've heard about you're gonna be fired up about it I'm gonna eat garlic tonight and lay in bed next deal I have one I have one last thing along the way there's probably been a lot of hurdles like it's you don't just go from zero to 18 million without having some issues along the way of those hurdles what is one like crucial I don't want to call it failure because you think you learn something every time but what is something that was at the time glaring like oh shit I'm done like this is over I'm so discouraged that actually ended up being a huge blessing yeah I think uh just personal relationships like throughout the process

because it becomes more of a business in the beginning. That's pure friendships. And then once things start to turn into a business, that's when you kind of see the light of certain people that you were friends with. So for me, that was a big thing. What specifically? Well, like for instance, like I had different, different you know content like being deleted on my page that turned out to be a close friend of mine and i was like he or she was going in and yeah and then i thought i was like okay this is like i trusted you with myself i didn't even know

that they had my passwords and but why why does that occur because like jealousy or because competition or because competition okay like that's the only reason I could put behind it. But, you know, people have their reasons for doing things, even if they're horrible things. So at the end of the day, it was like, it was hurtful to me because it broke my trust. And that made it a little bit difficult for me to trust other people, whether it be in business, whether it be... So I had to like reset myself and just be like, okay, not everybody is out there to hurt you. Even though there's been multiple

circumstances with different people that you've helped and that you're genuine to, and then you're working on growing, but maybe they have underlying personal problems that I just don't know about that must've been happening or something or something. I don't, I don't, I can't explain. So imagine it's hard. Like if we were, you know, we're obviously great friends now, but if you come in and I say, Hey Amanda, I want to be in your video. Like we're friends and it's really their purposes is to use your platform to propel themselves. Yeah. Well now I see it the way, the way I kind of saved myself from that, um, even so recently is that now I see my platforms as a business. So whoever I'm working with on those platforms, unless they're like in my circle and a long

term friend, like, like us, yeah, like, like us, um, then, you know, I, I, I'm not open to doing as many collaborations like that. And if it's mutually beneficial, let's do one, like, you know, but I see it more, more as a business or somebody fits a certain role that I'm looking for. It's benefiting me too. So why not have them on there? Like, so that's, that's how I see it now. I don't see it as like, it's my best friend and that's why she's in all my videos or this is, or he's in my, all my videos. It's like, it's not how I see it anymore. Like my best friends are the ones that I'm calling every single day that I'm texting that are, have been there for me, like, you know, from the beginning. And

that prevents me from getting hurt as well. So it's like Will Smith. What does Will Smith say? If you're not there for my struggle, don't expect to be there for my success. Yeah. I feel like that's a great quote. Did it like taint the space a little bit? Um, it didn't really, I don't think it tainted it. What do you mean by tainted? Like meaning like you were like in the beginning you're doing this because you love creating content and it's just a thing you're passionate about. And then as it turns into a business, cause I think content creators struggle with this, especially now you start out to be to have a creative outlet and to connect with people. And it's fun and light. Yeah. I mean, we get into this too.

And then all of a sudden it turns into a business and you're like, shit. And it kind of, I don't want to say ruins it, but it kind of takes a little bit of the fun out of it. Well, for me, it didn't really taint that just because I control all the creatives for my content and I don't have to run it through anybody. So what I started with is wanting to get a message to people and getting a response from people. And I'm still getting that. That didn't change that by any means. It just changed the people that I surrounded myself with. So it kept my content genuine. It kept everything that I was doing, like feeling good and like wanting to do more of it every single day like I'm craving to make content and just get people's reactions

like I love that but I think you're a really good role model too for because you're doing your management company for bringing other people up instead of like you being the top and having people like I love how you're to grow more I love how you're showing people that it's possible to be extremely successful and they can also be successful with you. So I think that's incredible. This is a question I ask everyone at the end, but I don't even know why we're asking you this. Where can everyone find you? For the six people listening. For my dad who's listening right now, where can you find your dad?

Brad, stay out of the DMs. I know. It will not be. Yeah, it's just add Amanda Cerny on everything. So C-E-R-N-Y. And that's Snap everywhere. Yep. Love it.

Thank you so much for coming on. That was so cool. Thanks for having me. And have fun in Aspen. Yeah, I'm going to have to get that list. Yeah, he has a really good list. Okay, wait. Do you guys want to get a short email from me?

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