Ian Eastwood (YouTube | Instagram) captivates audiences online and off with his ease, authenticity, infectious energy, and unique urban dance style. Starting out sharing his dance moves on YouTube in 2006, he has since choreographed for and danced alongside top artists like Justin Bieber, Chance the Rapper, and Childish Gambino to name a few. He has also performed on some of the biggest stages in the industry.
Eastwood is a member of the BENlabs Creator Community, where creators and brands are matched in authentic content partnerships.
Alongside all his ongoing projects, he took a moment to answer a few of our questions.
Q: Can you tell us a little about how you got started making content?
As dancers, we have never had a concrete and clear way to package our medium, until YouTube.
As an independent creator coming out of Chicago in the early days of YouTube, I made my account and started to upload in 2006, the year after YouTube started. I was 12 years old at the time!
I was still learning how to take footage from video tape and convert it to digital, I even taught myself how to edit! It was the wild wild west for kids like me, so I took advantage of the opportunity and became one of the most frequently watched “dance creators.” As social media evolved, I evolved too and can now be found doing various types of content for all mediums and platforms at a professional level.
Q: How did you find your audience?
Through trusting my gut on the things that really interest me and sharing them or framing what I do in a particular way that connects with how people feel when they genuinely like things and not just because they are told by “an influencer.”
Q: How do you connect to them?
I relate to people with how things impact me on a daily basis. I try to be an example of how that physical item or information might benefit them in the future.
Q: What is the most exciting campaign/partnership you’ve ever done?
My partnership with Sony Electronics, through BENlabs. My first collaboration with Sony was in 2021 with the SRS-XG500.
Q: What advice would you give to someone who wants to start creating?
Stay true to what you believe in, whether it’s trending or not. Don’t get discouraged by numbers associated with any individual post. Any video might only take one single view to open up new opportunities for you and change your life.
Q: What do you wish brands knew about content creation?
I wish more brands knew that if a creator chooses to use higher production quality with a small crew instead of doing selfie style phone videos, that influencer is essentially docking their own pay to have a better looking end deliverable for the client. When a small percentage of production cost isn’t offered on top of the final fee (paid) to talent, it encourages some influencers to work less creatively and settle for the bare minimum.
Where Creators Get Paid
Take the guesswork out of influencer partnerships. The BENlabs AI matching program analyzes your content and audience, and suggests your profile to brands looking for the right creators to promote their products and stories.
