Katie Feeney -- a social media influencer who, at 19, had already earned some $2 million on Snapchat and TikTok, is now the NFL's first crew social media correspondent, for the Washington Commanders.
Scott Suchman for NY Put up
In January, Katie Feeney nervously waded throughout the turf at FedEx Discipline, house stadium of the Washington Commanders (previously Redskins).
The Maryland native, 19, had been invited by the crew to unofficially check out for a task that didn’t but exist — the Commanders’ social media correspondent. And although she is one thing of a content material savant — having amassed practically seven million followers on TikTok and 900,000 on Instagram, and earned an eye-popping fortune — this was an entire different problem.
“I used to be taking pictures behind-the-scenes content material of the gamers warming up, hanging out with the followers, something they did earlier than the sport, basically,” Feeney stated.
She handed with flying colours.
The crew’s posts on Instagram usually usher in a number of thousand likes and 100 or so feedback. Feeney’s, nonetheless, earned greater than 42,000 likes and 730 feedback.
“After she got here to the house finale final season, our dialog developed into how she and the crew may mutually develop their partnership in 2022,” stated Kevin Kline, the Commanders’ social media director.
Now, she is the crew’s official social media correspondent, and the primary particular person to carry such a task within the NFL.
“There aren’t lots of people my age within the skilled sports activities trade — and there undoubtedly should not plenty of girls — so having the ability to do that feels actually cool,” Feeney stated.
Plus, “My older brothers and I've at all times been big Commanders followers. We liked going to video games rising up.” She even introduced them and her dad and mom together with her to the sport that landed her the NFL gig.
“It was surreal,” Feeney stated. “However I used to be in a position to ask the gamers for footage with out feeling shy and embarrassed.”
The primary one she approached? Terry McLaurin, the crew’s extensive receiver: “It was past cool and my brother was freaking out.”
The youngest of three youngsters — her dad is a deputy state’s lawyer; her mother, an occasion planner — Feeney launched into her social media journey at age 13 on Musical.ly (which later morphed into TikTok), posting quick movies together with her after-school dance teammates performing to in style songs.
“I made comedy movies, too,” she added. “I hadn’t gotten into a distinct segment but, however I had enjoyable. However Musical.ly wasn’t cool in any respect — particularly not in the way in which that TikTok is cool [now].”
A lot so, it made her a goal.
“In center college, I stop for a few 12 months as a result of youngsters have been giving me such a tough time for it at school,” Feeney stated. “I’d come house crying, saying ‘I don’t need to do that. I don’t need to be the bizarre social media lady.'”
After a breather, she downloaded Snapchat after which TikTok and commenced posting once more.
However then the COVID-19 lockdown occurred and Feeney, like many different People, was stressed and bored. She used her newfound downtime to movie Amazon product evaluations of all the pieces from skincare to mini cake-pop makers. “I had plenty of time throughout that lengthy span so I’d movie a number of occasions per day,” she stated.
The golden rule of social-media success is to submit not less than as soon as a day to develop your following, and despite the fact that development wasn’t Feeney’s objective, she gained greater than three million followers on TikTok inside just a few months.
After which an excellent crazier factor occurred.
In November of 2020, Snapchat launched its now-popular Highlight function, which lets customers submit clips of as much as one minute. Feeney was an early adopter, posting movies of her favourite merchandise, with unboxing clips and demonstrations. Instantly, a few of her movies have been garnering hundreds of thousands of views per day.
On the finish of her first week, Feeney obtained a Snapchat notification that her content material had earned her greater than $200,000. In simply six weeks, she made greater than $1 million on the app.
“I used to be completely shocked. My dad and mom and I didn’t assume it was actual at first,” she stated.
Moderately than splurge on a lavish new way of life, she opened a 401K, invested, and paid for for her schooling at Penn State, the place she simply completed her first 12 months as a broadcast journalism main. She didn’t purchase a brand new automobile or an condo, or perhaps a purse.
“I made this loopy amount of cash and don't know what to do with it,” Feeney stated. “I’m not an enormous spender.”
In 2021, she made one other $1 million-plus from model offers and creator funds throughout Snapchat Highlight, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.
Feeney stated her household, with whom she resides with for the summer time, pokes enjoyable at her for complaining about Uber surcharges: “My mother will joke, ‘You possibly can afford to spend an additional $5 on an Uber. You simply made 1,000,000 dollars.'”
Final 12 months, she interned for Penn State’s soccer crew, doing social media, which is how Kline found her.
“At first, she’s a Maryland child and her household are Washington followers, and that … authenticity was what mattered most,” Kline stated. “She’s [also] extraordinarily versatile and is aware of the way to actually slot in and adapt to any scenario.”
Feeney admitted she will get acknowledged on a regular basis, totally on campus.
“Folks have been good and respectful. For essentially the most half, I’ve obtained plenty of optimistic responses, and it’s at all times a enjoyable factor when somebody notices me after I’m out,” she stated.
And he or she’s come a good distance since highschool, when she may hardly abdomen the detrimental feedback.
“If somebody is taking day trip of their day to say one thing imply, they’re in all probability going by one thing so I strive to not take it personally,” she stated, including that it’s a legislation of averages: “When you've got an enormous following on social media, you’ll get plenty of imply folks in your feed. But when social media and selling one thing you're keen on on social media is one thing that brings folks pleasure, hold at it. If I can unfold that message … then I’ve succeeded.”
Though she already has her dream job, Feeney plans to complete her schooling — and isn’t so certain she’ll keep in the identical subject.
Social media, in any case, is an ever-evolving trade and Feeney realizes that it’s powerful, if not unattainable, to guess the place it could be in just a few years. So she’s not decided to construct her profession round it, despite the fact that she does need to keep in sports activities.
“I’ve at all times liked going to video games, and being on the sphere with Penn State soccer is so thrilling. [Social media] has helped me understand the trail I would like take,” Feeney stated. “I'd like to be a sports activities broadcaster.”
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