Photoshoot / Interview
Ellie Zeiler is an 18-year-old American TikToker, actress, social media influencer, model and content creator. Zeiler started her TikTok journey during quarantine and blew up on the platform immediately. Since then, she has had 10.6 million followers on Tiktok, over 1 million followers on Instagram and 118K subscribers on Youtube where she collaborates with other social media celebrities. Besides her social media career, Zeiler has also been featured in several shows and television series. Her most recent appearance was in the TV series Crown Lake where she played the role of Ari.
You have gained enormous recognition on TikTok in such a short period of time. Where did it all begin?
I started posting on TikTok at the beginning of quarantine in March 2020. My first few videos went viral and from there, I just started posting consistently and put a ton of time into making content and learning the business of working on social media.
Why do you think your content is successful?
Success on social media always involves some luck met with consistency and hard work. I feel like whenever someone sees a “viral” moment on social media, they have a choice to dive into making more content right away or it can fizzle out pretty fast. When I saw my first few TikToks gain traction, I was lucky I had the time to devote to growing my following and I really did fall in love with TikTok. Once I got started, I figured out that I needed to show my followers more facets of who I am and how I live. I didn’t want to only make trending videos that didn’t involve showing my life or how I feel so I started showing my personal style, what I ate, what I did in a day, my family, the sports I played, etc.
Tell us about your journey with acting?
I have always wanted to be in front of the camera. I did theater and made short videos all the time while growing up. I shot my first role in a series earlier this year and I loved every single thing about the experience. I’m auditioning on a regular basis and working with an acting coach as well. I’m planning to start group classes soon and really want to try whatever helps me learn and grow on camera.
How do you deal with negative feedback/comments on the internet?
The answer to this question has changed so much in the last two years. When I got started on TikTok and decided to really dive into social media, the hate comments were so overwhelming. There were days when I would just close up and not want to post anything. I think when I realized that anyone who says something mean on social media is obviously in pain or even just clueless that a real person is reading their comments, it helped me start to ignore it. It still hurts sometimes, but over time it just gets easier to block it out and not take it too seriously. And if there’s anything I’ve learned as a content creator, it’s that things can change quickly, including the days when the internet seems to hate you.
What is your favorite thing about being a content creator? What is your least favorite?
They may actually be the same thing. I’m so grateful for the freedom that comes with being a content creator but the freedom can also be super scary. When I imagined growing up and working, I just figured I would work for a company and have structure. I would have to do the work assigned to me, I would have to meet the deadlines and I would have to report to someone. But now my work life is really entirely up to me. I’m incredibly grateful I get to do something that I love and make a living doing it, I just don’t know if anything can prepare you for the independence of all of it.
Who is your style inspiration?
Sarah Jessica Parker as herself and as Carrie Bradshaw would definitely be my biggest style inspiration.
What was your dream job as a kid?
After watching “The Holiday” movie with my mom in middle school, I started dreaming of becoming a movie trailer editor and planned on going to film school one day.
What other hobbies or activities do you enjoy outside of work?
I play golf to clear my mind, I love watching movies and spending time with my family doing anything together.
What are your goals or hopes for the coming years?
My short and long-term goals are probably pretty similar…to continue to grow my platform and get closer with my followers, to become a working actress and to build a meaningful podcast that helps people.
What are your socials?
@elliezeiler on all socials and my new podcast “I’ll Be Your Sister” can be found on Spotify’s Megaphone platform.