O’Neil Thomas is a content creator, social influencer, actor, and fashion expert. He chatted about his inspirations and latest endeavors in the industry.
What inspires you each day as a content creator, actor, and fashion icon?
I often get inspired by creativity. There’s something truly special about witnessing art in any medium.
As an actor, I get inspired anytime I leave the movie theaters or find a new show to binge! Not only am I admiring the art before me, but I’m always in awe with the process and village it took to make the movie and so many people get to consume it.
I feel the same way as a content creator. While creating my own content is fun, I honestly love consuming the content I see more.
People are so creative! You can’t help but feel something when you stumble on a great piece of content.
For me, that can be 10 minutes of stomach laughter from a hilarious video, Main character energy from a well-edited fan-cam with a great song at the hip, or a sense of human connection when someone is ranting (or yapping) about a date that went horrible and it feels like you’re Facetiming your best friend.
I constantly get inspired by fashion in so many ways. My favorites are all the yearly Fashion Weeks in New York and Europe, Awards Season Red Carpets, and of course, The Met Gala, which is the Superbowl of Fashion.
An honorable mention goes to my favorite fashion icons Coleman Domingo and Cynthia Erivo.
I always love seeing how many different silhouettes we can play with and incorporating that in my own styling to see how I can pull off my next look.
How does it feel to be a part of the digital age?
Honestly exciting! I grew up during a time where you had to make sure you were home at a certain time to catch an all-new episode of your favorite TV Show, or going on Google and sifting through five different articles just for one answer to your question.
Now, everything’s digital and search engines have multiplied. I also watch way more Television on streamers now which wasn’t even widely popular 10+ years ago.
This digital age is exciting also because it actually gives the average person visibility that they rightfully deserve!
We’re finally getting to experience more artists and creatives thriving as entrepreneurs!
What do your plans for the future include?
Being on more sets. I thrive when I get to act so I’m excited to continue putting in the work now so my future self is prepared for my next project. I also plan on producing my own projects.
I’ve been getting bit by the creative bug lately to do something bigger so I’ve been actively writing and polishing my own scripts to finally bring them to life.
So, I definitely plan on being on your TV screen in the future!
Were there any moments in your career that have helped define you?
One moment in particular that further defined my why was my recent family vacation last year.
My family is from Jamaica and my parents moved here decades ago to give my brother and I as good as a life as they could.
We didn’t have much but I’ve seen my parents work tirelessly so my brother and I could sleep sound at night.
After my father unfortunately passed in 2022, I realized just how short life is.
My mother has longed to go back and visit her home country of Jamaica but life happens and we couldn’t find the means to take a trip back over there. Because of that, we haven’t been to Jamaica in 17 years.
Last year, while I was gaining success in my career, I decided to surprise my mother and brother with an all-expense paid trip to Jamaica to celebrate my mother’s birthday.
We stayed at this beautiful resort, relaxed on the beach, caught up with family, and they got to fly first-class for the first time.
It was one of the proudest moments I could have ever given my mother. She deserves that and the world.
What is your advice for hopefuls that wish to go into content creation?
Create content because you love it. We can now see how many benefits there are in the world of content creation but like many other career paths, it ebbs and flows.
People tend to only show the good side of this career path but you have to be prepared for the bad side.
I’ve had my fair share of missed opportunities and seeing life-changing contracts fall through due to circumstances out of your control.
It took me months before I made one penny creating content, but I made a video every single day because I loved it.
My goal was to always try my best to make at least one person laugh or feel joy today.
If I did that through a like, comment, or share, then my job was done and anything beyond that is simply just an addition, not an expectation.
What does the word success mean to you?
It means being able to create the life I dreamed of while doing the job I dreamed of. Being a full-time artist is rare and far from easy.
You go through so many no’s there comes a time where you get tested for your limits.
To be a successful creative, you have to be both delusional and have the audacity to keep showing up for yourself.
I knew in the third grade that performance is what I’m destined to do. I’m listening to my heart and my inner child. I’m doing this for us.
What would you like to say to your fans and supporters?
I say this to them all the time and I’ll never stop… Thank you and I love you! My fans and supporters mean the world to me.
They provide so much love, laughter and comfort. Without a doubt, they make my job so much more enjoyable.
To learn more about O’Neil Thomas, follow him on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
