Today we’d like to introduce you to Julie Gutierrez.
Hi Julie, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
I was born in Queens, New York, and my parents would bring me to visit Walt Disney World since I was one year old. It became an annual tradition for my family to vacation at Walt Disney World since then. Needless to say, I grew fond of Mickey Mouse and all things Disney.
My family and I moved to Central Florida when I was 11 years old. Needless to say, it was very exciting for me to live near my favorite Mouse. As I grew older, I visited Disney more, and my passion for the Magic of Disney and all that came with it blossomed. From visiting the parks as a teenager with friends to getting married and having a Disney honeymoon, it was something that I absolutely loved, and could not get enough of.
Fast forward to my adult life. I was in and out of college because it was what I thought people my age did. I had to follow that path. Go to school, get a degree and get a prestigious career. But I could never find anything that I was passionate about. We eventually moved from Florida to Virginia, and now I had to decide what to do since my kids are both in school and I was just waiting out the clock. That is until I decided to turn my talent of creativity and makeup artistry into a cosmetology career. I graduated cosmetology school and just as I was awarded my license, the Pandemic happened.
I was able to start doing what I called “Concierge Cosmetology.” I would take precautions and visit my clients in the comfort of their home and that lasted a little while, but then I stopped altogether. The pandemic came into all of our lives, and for me, it brought pain, realization, and reflection. In the midst of everything that was going on in the world, and in my life, I realized that I found joy in content creation-after all, we were stuck at home for the most part.
I started a TikTok account and began posting old videos from past Disney vacations. At the same time, I revived my old Disney Instagram and started posting old photos from my park visits. I grew my TikTok to over 10K followers in just under a year. When we started to learn more about the pandemic, I decided that living away from Disney wasn’t going to stop me from doing what made me happy. I finally found it. It was Disney.
I began to travel back and forth to Florida because living out of state would not stop me from doing what makes me happy in this life. My content creation was getting better and I started getting more followers and I continue to grow. My TikTok is family-friendly, informative, and made to make people laugh. My photos on Instagram capture the beauty of Disney through my eyes, and I am so happy to be able to share it with the world.
So, present-day. I was able to achieve my goal of being able to join the TikTok creator fund, and now I can do what I love, and actually monetize my content. My dream would be to be a part of Disney’s social media list and get invited to special events so that I can create exclusive content and share it with my followers. I work hard every day in hopes that Disney will one day notice my work.
Even if that were to never happen. I am finally doing what I love, and the journey is well worth it.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Some struggles that occur frequently are the fact that I have to travel to Florida to create the content I want, and since I have a family, I have to juggle around the needs of the family and orchestrate how to make my travel possible each time.
It’s also hard seeing lots of content creators with massive followings get noticed and exposed. It’s hard to not get discouraged when I see that: but it just acts as fuel to motivate me to work harder. Also being able to fund these trips are a struggle.
But when there is a will, there is a way.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a Disney content creator. I create park content for TikTok which includes informative videos, funny videos, dining reviews, etc.
The content I create on Instagram is what I’m actually most proud of, which is funny because of the smaller following on those platforms. I just love the Disney photos that I am able to capture and share.
What sets me apart from other creators is that I am a Latin Disney creator. There isn’t much representation for Latin Disney creators. I am also a mom, and an adult and my content is more raw than the content of many others.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
Versatility. When I started content creation, it was when the pandemic first started and everything was shut down.
Even though I couldn’t travel at the time, I took old videos, photos, etc, and brought life back to them. I also realized that due to Covid, people needed joy in their lives and an escape. My work provided just that.
There is always a way to do what you love, even if there are obstacles along the way.
Contact Info:
- Email: povdisneywithjulie@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/pov_disneywithjulie/
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/POVDisneywithJulie/
- Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/POVDisneywJulie/
- SoundCloud: https://www.instagram.com/pov_foodieatdisney/
- Other: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMRfPMcC8/
