Today we’d like to introduce you to Gabrielle Ma
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Growing up, I’ve always and passion for 2 things: social media and food. I am passionate about both because they bring people together; they build communities and connects strangers to be new friends. However, these 2 passions were always thought of as a silly hobbies and if combined, it won’t produce a tangible career. Until I went off for university, I realized that I did not have to sacrifice one or the other to build the career I dreamed for myself. I started off by posting pictures and videos of when my family would go out to eat. Then, I would start to get emails reaching out with partnership ideas. Slowly but surely, a career built on social media started to seem more like a reality rather than just a dream. Recently, I gained 1.2 million views on a TikTok I made on a local business based in Athens, Georgia. I realized that I have hit my first milestone and took action to combine my accomplishment with what I am studying in school. That led to the start of @eatsnatl, my multimedia company focusing on good eats in Atlanta. @eatsnatl values in bringing people together by sharing the word of where to find good food.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has always not been a smooth road. I wish. The biggest struggle for me is reassurance. I would push content out to the internet to watch, just to only get a couple of views. “Why did it not do as well as the other one?” “What are others doing that I am doing wrong?” are questions that I would often ask myself. Because of this, I would feel insecure and doubted myself in my work because I felt like the feedback I received did not match my efforts. I often felt like I was putting so much time and effort into something that is not worth it. What I learned from this is to ignore that voice and remember why I had the intention to start this whole thing: it is because this was my passion. Once you have passion for something, the drive and ambition can not be taken away from you because it is embedded in you. It is you. It took me a long time to realize that. Luckily for me, I had an incredible support system. My family are my biggest cheerleaders. Even friends would send me my own videos, congratulating me on the feedback it received. I wish it was a linear, smooth journey, but with what I have learned so far from it I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything else.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Currently, I am a Journalism student attending at the University of Georgia. I am most proud of my accomplishments in building @eatsnatl and I am excited to see what it will grow to be. Among my friends, I am the person they go to when they need a eating out recommendation. I am set apart from my peers because I don’t think many can say that they started a multimedia company while they are still in their undergrad.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
My favorite childhood memory has to be when both my brother and I were still in grade school, my mother would make us dinners in these plastic Halloween trays. Every time she pulled out those trays, I knew that night would be a treat. Not that her cooking was not delicious (it always was), the experience of eating it would be a good, fun time. It excited me to see how each food group was in it own little section. This style of eating is very different from my family’s traditional way of family styled dinners. So to young me, this was a treat.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://eatsnatl.my.canva.site/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eatsnatl/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabrielle-ma-222366227/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@eatsnat
Image Credits
all images are from @eatsnatl on Instagram except the headshot. The headshot is from my Linkedin= www.linkedin.com/in/gabriellexma
