UGC Pro

Over a decade ago, I was a college dropout with zero experience, no connections, and absolutely NO idea what I was doing. 💀

I didn’t have a mentor. I didn’t have someone showing me the ropes. I just knew I wanted more for myself, and I was willing to figure it out along the way.

Fast forward 12 years, 20,000+ UGC Pro students later, and now my fiancé Shane Murphy | Technical founder ✨◻️ and I are literally building the app I wish existed when I was starting out. 🥹

An app that actually gives you the tools to DO it. And the craziest part? We’re building it together. I dream it up, Shane figures out how to make it real, and somehow this is what our weekends look like now. 😂❤️

I think about the person I was 12 years ago a lot. And I think about all the people who are exactly where I was back then.

This one’s for you. We made it. And now we’re building what we wish we had. 🥹

P.S. We’re getting SO close to launching. 👀

UGC creator app | UGC Pro | Content creator education | How to become a UGC creator | Teleprompter app | AI video editing | Content creation tools | Creator economy | UGC mentorship

Before someone twists my words, I’m not saying college is pointless. I’m saying it’s not the ONLY path to a successful career, and if you can’t afford it, taking on tens of thousands in student loan debt shouldn’t feel like your only option.

I dropped out of college in 2014, and everything I’ve built since has been self-taught. Video editing, content production, direct response marketing, creative strategy… all of it.

And 12 years ago? There weren’t nearly as many YouTube tutorials, online courses, AI tools or mentors teaching the skills I wanted to learn. I figured it out through trial and error, real-world experience and a LOT of repetition.

By the time my friends were graduating college, I’d spent those same years building skills, a portfolio and actual case studies that helped me qualify for opportunities and salaries they were just beginning to pursue.

Obviously, certain careers require degrees. But in creative industries like digital marketing, content creation and video editing, your ability to actually DO the work can matter a whole lot more than where you learned it.

And with today’s job market? I think one of the most underrated career strategies is learning a valuable skill, documenting your work and making yourself visible online.

AI has made learning more accessible than ever, but access to AI isn’t your competitive advantage. Your perspective, experience and ability to apply what you’ve learned are.

My fiancé and I literally landed leadership roles at the same company without applying. We shared what we were building, demonstrated our expertise and let the right people find us.

We cut the line by making ourselves visible.

So if you’re struggling to find a job, trying to break into marketing, learning a new skill or building a freelance career, don’t underestimate the opportunities that come from putting your work out there.

I linked the video explaining exactly how we got hired without applying. 👀

Yesterday this Reel had under 10 likes and every part of me wanted to archive it. 😭

I left it up anyway… I honestly forgot about it until just a moment ago and genuinely couldn’t contain my excitement so I filmed this reel on the fly to show you the outcome a day later.

24 hours later:
19K+ views
15K+ viewers
100+ saves
and a skip rate that was lower than my avg.

This is your reminder that early engagement is not always a verdict on your content!! Just like ads, sometimes Instagram needs time to distribute a Reel, test it with different audiences and figure out who actually wants to see it, which is exactly why constantly deleting or archiving posts too early can work against you.

Post it. Leave it alone. Let the algorithm do its job.

This video would have never reached 19K views if I had listened to the embarrassment I felt when it had 10 likes. 🫡

Instagram growth, Instagram Reels strategy, social media strategy, content creation tips, creator growth, personal branding, organic reach, engagement strategy.