Interview withTezzitoo from Tweetupmellers

Photo by Neilcreek.com

In this interview, I talk to Terri Coad. I met her at a local tweetup and she instantly became a favourite. Her enthusiasm is contagious and she has made a real impression on many of my friends there.

You can check out her videos at Tezzitoo's Channel on youtube or follow her on twitter.

You have started doing weekly vlogs on youtube. What were your motivations behind these?

I love YouTube as an online space. I love the community it generates, and the amazing array of talent you can find there. And the fantastic thing is that that talent comes from regular people just like you and me. I just love that concept. I've been a YouTube participant for a long time - mainly as a viewer, but uploading the odd video here and there. These weekly vlogs are my attempt to become a more active member of the YouTube community. I love making videos anyway, but in the hustle and bustle of life I often use the excuse that I just don't have time to make them. A weekly vlog is a reason to make the effort to create something every week. And hopefully that routine will eventually become something more creative and entertaining! Plus, it's just good on-camera practice. Vlogging is pretty much just talking to yourself, so it can take some getting used to!

You did an AWESOME clip for the kids hosting competition on the ABC. What tips do you have for creating a video that stands out?

Why thank you! And I honestly wish I knew! I think the success of that video came from the fact that it was on a subject I know most about: myself! I was very excited about the ABC3 hosting opportunity too, so I put a lot of work into it. Essentially I think it comes down to a) having compelling content, b) being able to sustain your audience's attention and c) just being yourself. Admittedly, understanding you need those first two notions is a lot easier than actually carrying them out!

Why did you start using twitter?

I think I actually started using it because there were a few celebrities and popular YouTubers I wanted to follow. As soon as I started tweeting myself, I was quite surprised at how I took to it! I've tried writing online journals and blogs in the past, but I always stopped because I either lost interest or lost heart because no-one was reading. It's so easy to connect with people on Twitter and maximise the space you have there. I get out of Twitter what I think I failed to do with all those old journals and blogs - the ability to get my thoughts and ideas out there, and to have people interact with them. And then there's the added bonus of being able to interact with everyone else's thoughts and ideas! Twitter really is such an engaging space, and there really is so much opportunity to be had from that.

You are really interactive on twitter. Do you have any tips to connect with others?

I suppose the most important thing to remember is that Twitter should never be a one-way street. You should never expect to simply be able to broadcast and expect the crowds to suddenly follow. Unless you're Miley Cyrus or Britney Spears. Which you're probably not. Replying to other's tweets and engaging in discussion, plus re-tweeting tweets you consider worth perpetuation are good places to start. The biggest thing for me in connecting with people on Twitter was joining the TweetupMellers movement - a real-life monthly gathering of avid tweeps from Melbourne and surrounds.

I've met you at a couple of tweetups. Would you recommend that people go to tweetups?

Absolutely! I've been to the past couple of @tweetupmellers tweetups and they have been extremely enriching experiences (say that one ten times fast!). Tweetups add a whole new level to your Twitter experience - there's such a feeling of community that comes from involving yourself in these kind of events. And I've met such a diverse, succesful and motivated group of people through TweetupMellers that I would in no way have interacted with before. Twitter has really allowed me to broaden my horizons that way.

You love working in front of, and behind the camera. What have you been doing to get experience at this?

Well, my weekly vlogs for one. There are also a few video competitions running at the moment I'm eager to enter - not just for the prospect of winning, but for the chance to produce something for a particular purpose. I like being challenged that way, and when I find a challenge that excites me it's such a blast to carry through a creative video project from beginning to finish. I'll also be doing some video interview work at an upcoming convention in Melbourne, which I'm really looking forward to throwing myself into. Basically it's all about putting yourself out there and building up confidence, skill and experience. I'm hoping so anyway!

You have recently completed your studies. What did you major in at uni?

I completed my Bachelor of Creative Arts last year at the University of Melbourne, and I actually majored in creative writing. I truly came to university with the notion that I'd become a writer of some description upon leaving. But over my three-year course I'll admit I kind of became a bit jaded with the whole system when it came to creative writing. It made me lose my passion for it a little bit. But I guess that's when I discovered a real love for film and television. It was too late in my course to complete enough subjects to achieve a double-major in both creative writing and film/television studies, but I'm glad at least I got to study what I could. Writing will always play a role in whatever I do anyway - it's a natural thing for me - I just hope I can combine it with my passion for the moving image in my future endeavours!

Do you think that social media has changed how people can enter the industry?

Well, the unfortunate thing about the industry is that it's most usually all about who you know, not what you know. So it can be a bit of a downer that way, especially if you're a girl from the country whose closest connection to the film and television industry is an old school friend's ex-boyfriend who installs cable TV. Twitter, however, provides a whole new gateway through which to make industry connections. The video interview project I'm doing at a Melbourne convention later this month is something I owe entirely to a Twitter connection, so I already feel I owe a lot to the service and the wonderful people I've met through it!

I would like to thank Terri for agreeing to do this interview. She is a fascinating person and I highly recommend getting to know her.