Joseph Arujo Talks Social Media & Diversity

Joseph Arujo was born in Southern California and has always enjoyed performing. Throughout grade school and middle school, he enjoyed theater performing in plays and musicals such as High School Musical, Our Town, and Peter Pan. When he reached high school his exploration into social media was when his career really took off when he began posting educational and lifestyle videos. It wasn’t long before his small fan base grew to more than 800,000 followers, amassing over 25 million views on his social platforms. Joseph soon caught the eye of Tik Tok and was recently nominated to be 1 of 10 Community Leaders in the just announced Tik Tok Creator Diversity Collective. With his outgoing, high-energy personality, this Tik Tok Partner is bringing diversity and inclusivity to an even larger number of fans. Believing everyone can make a difference, Joseph uses his skills to bring hope to families in need through such organizations as The Children’s Hunger Fund. In his free time, this bilingual, Social Media Influencer enjoys creating content and streaming video games on Twitch for his thousands of fans.

HI! THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO CHAT WITH US! CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF, WHO IS JOSEPH ARUJO IN YOUR OWN WORDS?  
Thank you so much for having me! As you know, my name is Joseph. I was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA, and have recently taken up a career in content creation. A fun fact about myself is that I love to pursue random hobbies. One day you’ll find me learning photography and the next day I’ll be in the kitchen cooking up a new recipe. I try to make the most of every day!

AT WHAT AGE DID YOU REALIZE THAT YOU WANT TO JOIN THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY
I would say the day I popped out of the womb I knew I was meant for entertaining. My performance as an infant, crying on the hospital bed, was my best one yet! On a serious note, I’ve loved performing ever since I was a kid. I took up theatre in elementary school and began pursuing social media once I entered high school.

WHEN YOU INITIALLY BEGAN POSTING VIDEOS ON YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES, DID YOU EVER IMAGINE YOU’D BECOME ONE OF THE MOST PROMINENT SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS IN SUCH A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME?
Not in a million years. Of course, I dreamed of becoming the next big social media star, but I never thought it would happen to me! It took a lot of hard work and energy but I wouldn’t trade it for anything else in the world.

HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE CONCEPT TO SHARE EDUCATIONAL AND LIFESTYLE VIDEOS ON YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS? AND WHY CONFINE YOURSELF TO EDUCATIONAL AND LIFESTYLE FILMS WHEN MANY INDIVIDUALS YOUR AGE ACTIVELY GENERATE HUMOROUS CONTENT?
Mental health awareness has always been important to me, and I wanted to find a way to help Gen-Z fight some of the anxiety and depression that has come from the pandemic. After putting two and two together, I began reading stories to my audience every night on TikTok LIVE to give my viewers a break from their day-to-day stresses. Ever since then, my series has taken off and I have grown over 800,000 followers in less than two years. I use TikTok for my storytime content and Instagram Reels for my comedy sketches.

WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE SETS YOU APART FROM OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS?I would say my niche is super unique and sets me apart from a lot of other social media influencers. I love having a loyal group of viewers that support all my endeavors. I wouldn’t be where I am today without my fans.

NOW YOU ARE ONE OF TEN COMMUNITY LEADERS IN THE NEWLY ANNOUNCED TIK TOK CREATOR DIVERSITY COLLECTIVE. HOW DO YOU ENVISION YOURSELF CONTRIBUTING TO THE GREATER GOOD?
I am incredibly honored to be part of the TikTok Creator Diversity Collective. I frequently reminisce on the fact that I was nominated by TikTok to lead this initiative and I can advise the company on equity and inclusion. I’m always sharing innovative ideas on how we can diversify TikTok and create a community that is inclusive to people of all backgrounds.

DO YOU EVER FALL SHORT OF IDEAS OR CONTENT FOR YOUR FANS? WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPENS? HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHAT TO DELIVER? ARE THERE ANY SPECIFIC CRITERIA OR JUST RANDOM THOUGHT-BASED CONTENT?
All the time. As a creator, it’s hard to post consistently on all the social media platforms. Whether it be a short-form video or a highly edited production, I try to create at least one piece of content for Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube every single day. Because new ideas are being pushed out daily, I often find myself facing creative block that prevents me from making new content. If that ever happens, I take a break from posting during the day and find myself drafting content in batches throughout the night. Although working late is best for me, it may not be the solution for everyone. If you ever find yourself facing a creative block, take a break and come back to it later!

WHAT’S SOMETHING WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT YOU THAT MIGHT SURPRISE US?
I love talking to strangers. Getting to know someone’s life story can be fascinating, and I always try to introduce myself to new faces whenever I can. Whether I’m introducing myself to a new neighbor or complimenting someone’s outfit on a red carpet, I love making friends with those around me.

ANY UPCOMING PROJECTS YOU CAN TALK ABOUT?
I have a lot of projects in the works right now. As I near a million followers, I promised my supporters that I would create a merchandise line and release my own children’s book. I’m working with an illustrator to bring my project to life, and I’m super excited for how the final project will turn out. I’ll keep you posted on that in the coming months!

WHAT IS ONE MESSAGE THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO GIVE TO YOUR FANS?
If you have a dream, take action. Instead of hoping for opportunities to come in the future, start now! Don’t be afraid to ask others for help along your journey and always work your hardest to get to where you want to be. Anyone can do anything if they put their mind to it, all you have to do is find the right network and work towards your dream every single day.

To know more about Joseph Arujo don’t forget to follow him on TikTok, Instagram and Twitch