How Social Media Has Affected My Career (8 years later)
Can you imagine trying to start a career in music and film composing without knowing a single person in the industry?
That was me in 2018 when I realized that I wanted to pursue a creative career instead of one in medicine.
March 2019
I had just started this website, and I was slowly learning about music production while going to school full-time.
I knew early on that social media would help me connect with people in the industry, but the effects it would have on my career weren't obvious back then. I honestly just thought it would make filmmakers hire me to compose for their projects.
Turns out, that was just one of the many things I was naïve about because in reality...
I had no idea what the hell I was getting into.
Fast forward to 8 years later: I've worked on over 20 independent films that taught me how to score films on the job. I've started collaborating with an Emmy-winning composer. And I've helped musicians all over the world enter the world of film composing by landing their first gigs.
But the funny thing is... I've never had more than 2k followers on Instagram or YouTube.
In 2018, I believed that the key to success was to create content on social media that would attract filmmakers and wait for the opportunity to come. Today in 2026, I realize that social media has benefited and challenged me in many ways, and the ways it has impacted me are deeper than I expected.
Let’s start with the positive stuff.
The Benefits
Made connecting with like-minded artists (including clients) much easier, both online and in-person.
Helped me get better at expressing myself through speaking and writing.
Gave me another creative outlet.
Out of all the benefits, you're probably most interested in how social media helped me connect with people in the industry. But looking back, I think that came as a result of treating social media like another creative outlet, which allowed my personal voice to attract like-minded artists.
I sometimes tried to engineer things, and create content with specific people in mind, but in the end, it was just being myself and sharing my journey that brought the right people into my circle. The one time I reached over 100k views on an Instagram reel came from something I repurposed from an old YouTube video, and looking back, I think it did well because the editing was so out of context.
Here’s some girl saying they make $500/min like she thinks she’s Oprah?! (I was really talking about my experience charging for my music as a film composer, but it didn’t matter: the algorithm loved it).
Ultimately, this minor blessing from the algorithm gods didn’t lead to anything because the new people I reached had no idea who I was.
I know now that it’s actually the filmmakers and composers who quietly get a sense of who I am over time and connect with me privately that lead to real conversations and relationships. That wouldn’t have happened unless I learned how to express myself through my content.
May 11th, 2023
Me and Matt Oflas, one of the first filmmakers I ever connected with through social media. Clowning Time, the capstone film we worked on together, just screened at USC.
These days though, I constantly remind myself to embrace the "social" part of social media, and put less pressure on myself to post online for the sake of "staying relevant" because sometimes, I honestly have nothing to say.
When I’m not posting, I’m experiencing all the things that I can share later- if I want to.
And now for the sucky side of social media…
The Challenges
Sometimes I feel guilty spending more energy talking about my work/ideas than actually doing it.
The pressure to "stay relevant."
Comparing myself to others and maintaining a healthy mindset while creating content.
Chasing vanity metrics to reach more people instead of nurturing existing relationships.
When I first thought about this, I thought that these were all negative things that I could just blame on social media. Oh, how easy it would be to say social media is great for my career, but it’s also a terrible place to be if you’re not in a good place mentally, and not even the billionaires who work at these companies will let their kids use it.
This is hard to admit, but I think that social media just magnified the insecurities I was already feeling, and I was in a bad headspace in a bad environment, especially when I was trying so hard to get my career off the ground.
I wanted validation that my music was good.
I wanted someone to reassure me that I was doing everything “right.”
I wanted to feel like I belonged in this industry.
But more than anything else, I wanted some authority figure, a professional composer or filmmaker, to tell me that my future was certain and that I had a place here.
If I got that, then everything would be good, right?
Wrong. Even when I crossed paths with a AAA game composer who told me that I had talent and a personal voice, and basically made me feel like I could do anything… it didn’t matter.
And the countless times I checked to see how a piece of content was performing, I was trying to get that hit of dopamine: I’m doing everything “right”, people still think I’m smart, talented, a great composer, etc.
However, the biggest challenge isn’t all this insecurity-based stuff.
It’s the fact that all this time and energy I spent trying to build a career where I could write music I love, the less time I was actually spending doing it.
The more people started paying attention to me because of the advice I gave about finding work as a composer, the harder it was to stop. At the same time, especially once I left my healthcare career, I also didn’t want to be labeled as a coach and forgotten as a composer. So on top of the advice content, I pushed myself to release content about my music.
And then, of course, actually working on client projects, trying to keep up with meetings, writing a newsletter, reaching out to filmmakers I was interested in working with- the list goes on.
In the middle of all this chaos I realized was social media.
So beginning spring of 2025, I stopped posting on Instagram as much. I tried to keep up with posting on YouTube once a month or so, but eventually I stopped and realized that instead of creating content, I could be making music about whatever I want.
The film composing projects will always be there. The composers who need help finding clients will always be there.
I already have a good reputation, tons of relationships in the industry, and have gotten paid to write music for film.
How did I forget over the last 8 years that all I wanted to do was make music I’m excited about?
