An influencer who got paid to promote TV and movies is pivoting to music content and more UGC on TikTok and Snapchat to earn money as the Hollywood strikes continue

• As actors and writers continue to strike, some influencers are standing in solidarity.
• Creators who were paid to attend TV and movie premieres are trying to make money in other ways.
• One influencer is now posting sponsored content for music artists and festivals instead.

When Joseph Arujo, a fashion and lifestyle influencer, posted a TikTok about attending a movie premiere in July, he had no idea he’d get so much backlash.

A few days earlier, actors from the film industry joined writers on the picket line, marking the first time in more than 60 years that both groups were on strike against Hollywood studios at the same time. SAG-AFTRA, the actors union, and the Writers Guild of America each have their own set of demands, but they all share concerns about issues like pay and artificial intelligence.

The strike has halted production on most TV shows and films, and union actors and writers are barred from promoting new films or series.

Influencers hoping to join SAG-AFTRA have been advised to do the same.

Insider spoke with several social-media personalities and influencers who have joined the digital and physical picket lines, vowing not to attend movie or TV premieres, promote them, or sign contracts with studios like Disney or NBCUniversal that are negotiating with the guilds.

Arujo, who has 861,000 TikTok followers and has worked with brands ranging from Netflix to the Recording Academy, began declining sponsorship work in July to support the writers and actors on strike. He did, however, make an exception because he was contractually required to.

“I had already started canceling everything else, like the ‘Barbie’ premiere, but I decided to do one that I had agreed to prior to the strike because I was under contract,” he explained.

That premiere was unlike anything he’d experienced before; the actors didn’t show up, the crowd was smaller, and the atmosphere was tense.

The TikTok video he posted of the event received negative feedback from his followers, so he removed it and stated in an Instagram story that he supported the unions despite not being a member of either guild. He also stated that he would not attend any more premieres or post any more TV or movie-related content until the strike was resolved.

“It was at that point that I decided it might be better to just completely shift away from that kind of content,” Arujo explained.

While the labor disputes are being resolved, Arujo is attempting to supplement his income by focusing on creating content for the music industry and participating in user-generated-content challenges on TikTok and Snapchat.

His new go-tos have been Snap stories, TikTok challenges, and music festivals.

During the strikes, the 19-year-old has shifted his content focus from TV and film to music.

Instead of posting TikToks about attending premieres, meeting actors, and preparing for events, he’s being flown out to music festivals and documenting his experiences.

Arujo obtained these deals by DMing the people in charge of the experiences on Instagram. He expressed an interest in attending and offered to post content that would give his followers an inside look at what the festivals were like.

He filmed TikTok videos onstage with artists such as Omar Apollo at a recent festival.

“I’ve shifted to music because it has nothing to do with the strike,” he explained. “I’ve never done anything like this before, but I see it as a springboard to bigger music festivals like Coachella.”

Snapchat, along with TikTok, is one of Arujo’s most popular platforms. Since the strikes, he’s decided to use the platform more to compensate for the income he would have earned by promoting TV shows or movies.

Arujo is a Snap Star, a title bestowed by the platform on influential creators. It provides benefits such as ad revenue sharing and direct communication with Snapchat.

He attended a “Snap School” for creators hosted by the company last month, where he and others were encouraged to participate in a type of user-generated content known as Spotlight Challenges — trends that creators can jump on and submit to the platform in exchange for a lump-sum cash prize.

The creator from Los Angeles recently won $2,000 in a challenge, which Insider confirmed with the documentation he provided. He intends to participate in others in order to earn more money.

He’s also producing user-generated content with TikTok’s Creative Challenge, a new in-app feature that allows TikTok creators to submit videos as part of brand challenges and earn money based on video performance.

“It’s been pretty fun to play around on the apps I’m already on and see how I can make more money that way,” he explained.

Arujo stated that he has been able to compensate for lost income through these ventures, allowing him to stand firm with those striking, but he has heard that there is confusion in influencer circles about the proper protocol for entertainment-focused content.

Insider spoke with three creators who asked to remain anonymous due to the sensitive nature of the strike and expressed confusion about what the Hollywood guilds expected of them as nonmembers. Some influencers who have chosen to continue working in TV and film have been “soft canceled,” as one creator put it, which means they have seen drops in video engagement and negative comments from followers on their posts.

This is why some entertainment industry influencers, such as Arujo, are considering permanent or long-term changes to their content strategies. Arujo anticipates that the strike will last until at least December, which is why he’s concentrating on finding new, financially stable avenues as a creator.

“It would definitely help to be able to go back and make that income, but I’m staying away for now,” he explained.