Today we’d like to introduce you to Aerial Robinson.
Hi Aerial, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My journey began as a pandemic graduate. In May of 2020, I earned my B.A. in Mass Communications with a concentration in Broadcast Media. Upon starting my new journey in difficult times, I was applying for several media jobs back to back in hopes of landing my first career job. Anything ranging from Multimedia Reporter & news anchoring, to on-air personality & social media management. I just wanted to get my foot in the door of the entertainment industry.
While I was waiting for that one yes, I went through a couple of jobs. I worked at City Gear, then Amazon, and then ended up working at a bank starting March 2021. All the while, I was still creating content on platforms such as Instagram, YouTube & Tiktok where my content did its best numbers. Even though I was getting rejection letter after rejection letter, I didn’t want to lose sight of my media girl dreams. In the fall of 2021, I decided to apply for an internship at Streetz 94,5 radio station. I got called back for an interview I’m December 2021 & began the internship in January 2022. Up until August 2022, I was interning on The Fly Guy DC show with Fly Guy DC & MiAsia Symone. I then became working and assisting on some of their projects along with Ferrari Simmons. They’ve helped me so much in teaching me the ropes of the industry and allowing me to gain personal experiences. That alone has opened up another world of opportunities.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Some days are better than others. Sometimes I get in my head & overthink about all of the things I should’ve done, or how I’m not doing enough. I used to have a really bad habit of comparing myself to other people on social media & wondering why I wasn’t doing as well and just having this feeling of being so far behind. November & December 2021 was the worst for me because I had fallen into a deep depressive state. As I got farther along in the internship, sometimes I would be at the station 4-5 times a week right after my 9-5. Even though I was extremely grateful to have my first step in getting my foot in the door, sometimes I would be physically exhausted. All the while I’m still trying to find a media job to replace my 9-5 and going through so many rejection letters can get discouraging. Also, sometimes I fall into a creative rut & mental block which sometimes hinders me from putting out content.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Currently, I am a Digital Content Creator in the Beauty & Lifestyle niche. I’m located primarily on TikTok, Instagram & YouTube. However, out of all three my TikTok does the best. My content consists of protective hairstyle videos (wigs, braids, etc.), vlogs surrounding the things that happen throughout my day and also relatable videos about life. I think what makes me stand out the most (especially on TikTok) is my authenticity. A lot of my viral videos consist of me ranting about things that happen in my day-to-day life & just expressing my personality throughout the various trends. I love the content that’s not always the most perfect or aesthetically pleasing because my life is not perfect or aesthetically pleasing. It’s more on the chaotic & funny side, so I like showing that to people as well because we all go through things good and bad, and that’s why people can relate. I am also learning how to incorporate Brand marketing throughout my content as well.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
I really love the Instagram pages @blackgirlsinmedia, @thefemalehustlers, and @bossbabe.inc. Whenever I’m feeling down I can always go to these pages for various inspiration & motivational quotes to help take me out of a funk. The Black Girls in Media page gives me amazing tips on how to branch into the media industry & how to land jobs. I love using the app GoodNotes on my iPad because with some digital planners I bought from Flourish Planner because it really helps me to not only organize what I need to do but helps me plan out my content & give structure and order to everything.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.itsaerialrobinson.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sincerelyaerial/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/nothingbutaer
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCkfBYvKxIgyn64GjuRIRu4Q
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@sincerelyaerial
Image Credits
Cam Kirk Studios – @camkirkstudios James Wakefield – @_itswake Troy Williams – @troywilliamsphotos
