In today’s engagement-first landscape, content creators and influencers make up the biggest piece of the pie. But this new normal comes with the age-old reality that making a name for yourself, organically, in this oversaturated space is much harder than it looks. Eric Sedeño is one of the few creators who’s managed to crack the code by building a loyal following off of originality and charm from the perspective of what he calls just “a friend being silly.”

This familiarity has led to him amassing over one million TikTok followers and collaborative videos with the likes of Bob The Drag Queen, Katya and, most impressively, his superstar dachshund pup Boogie. His secret: authenticity. With Eric, what you see is what you get — a refreshing approach to a space that’s otherwise often superficial and hard to read.

For So.Gay’s The Hottest Ever Digital Cover, Eric dishes on his self-pitching process, how he’s built his brand from the ground up, and what he thinks of other minority creators often getting overlooked on the massive platform where he earned his rise to internet fame. He also gave us a peek into his personal life, sharing his favorite gay bars, New York City hidden gems, and the nostalgic place he fully stepped into his “gayness” for the first time.

Read our conversation with the viral TikTok sensation below.

From the bobs to the skits, your signature humor is what made you an organic TikTok sensation. Why did you take that approach to standing out on TikTok?

At the beginning of my TikTok journey, I was kind of just talking to camera all the time and telling stories, and then I got obsessed with Love Island, back in 2020. I was obsessed with Love Island UK, and I had two wigs that I had owned, because I’m a gay person… and I, I just started doing the British accent with a wig on, so I feel like from the very beginning of my TikTok journey, I was, in a wig somehow.

I would have phases of it, and I think I just got… the bob, I don’t know, something about a bob was making me laugh, and I threw it on, and it made me feel so powerful. The easiest way to make a joke is with the wig on for me.

Can you give us the 4-1-1 on your new The Wild Wild Web podcast? Who are some guests we can expect and what are some of the topics you’re be discussing?

Wild Wild Web is based [on] the premise of having creators on to talk with me about the digital landscape that they experience, which I love [that the] Wild Wild Web is the place that we’re discussing it. I’ve already had [RuPaul’s Drag Race stars] Katya, Bob [The Drag Queen], [and] Monét [X Change]. I had Vanilla Mace and Drew Afualo on. I just had my episode with Good Children, Andrew Muscarella and Joe Hedges, and I’m gonna have Jake Jonez coming on [and] TannerTan36. 

We just finally finished our New York studio. So, we finally have a home base that we can really invite people to, and record episodes in New York. So, I feel like now that we have a concrete plan, it’s gonna be a lot easier to get more and more guests.

But, some highlights: With Jake Jonez, we were talking about gay culture, and how, sometimes, it gives you body dysmorphia just being online, and seeing all the different gay men who, all they do is work out and, post, and, I feel like I never hear anyone talk about on a podcast. That kind of stuff, and how being online all the time as a gay person can harm your mental state sometimes — just comparing yourself. So we even get into topics like that, and then with Tanner, we were just talking about that, and then we’re talking about, like, King Kylie’s return, you know?

There’s such a big range. The internet is everything, so in a way, we kind of talk about everything, but I think that makes it really fun.

What have you found to be the most surprising part about becoming a full time creator?

Being your own boss is hard, and I’m not a good boss sometimes. I am surprised by how rewarding it is, but also, not to sound like Michaela, like, “Try being an influencer for a day,” but, you really do have to push yourself to work. I could literally not work, and it’s crazy, because it doesn’t feel like a job. I think that’s the hardest part. It doesn’t feel like a job — it doesn’t feel like a real job. The work doesn’t feel like real work, if that makes sense.

So, it kind of messes with your head a little bit. And even [with] the podcast, it was all my idea. I made decks, I went to my management [team], and I was like, “Let’s pitch this out. I have all these ideas.” And so, sometimes you have to create your own opportunities, and I have never had to deal with that before this.

Being a full-time creator, you kind of have to sometimes think what’s next for you, because it’s not always just going to come to you naturally. So, I think that’s been the hardest part: Trying to figure out what I want. And, who the hell knows what they want?

What’s your content creation process from start to finish? How do you think of ideas?

I feel like I’m random with it. I don’t sit down and [say], “Let me think of a funny video today.” I’m kind of scrolling, or, if I do want to make a video, or if I kind of have a wig and a dream, I’ll go through sounds, and I’ll start [what I’d call] “researching.” It just really depends.

And sometimes, it just comes to me. But I do [use] the Notes app [on my phone], where I will write down the most random thoughts I’ve ever had about making a TikTok. It’s called ‘TikToks to Make,’ and I just write down one sentence.

My top two latest ones are [about how] I got thrown up on the other weekend, and I [wrote], “Tell the story of when you got thrown up on.” And, the other one below that is “Christian Girl Autumn Costume.” So, I was going to dress up as that meme with that girl with the pumpkin spice latte. So, I don’t know, my process is pretty sporadic. And you can see it in my content. It’s not the most consistent idea, back-to-back. I’m trying to find that consistency in myself… I mean, it is consistent in its own way.

I feel like that’s all I could ever ask for [is my followers] seeing me as a friend online versus someone who’s just pumping out content. I really just want to make people laugh. I just want to entertain. It’s my big goal, so I’m so happy that it comes across as a friend being silly.

Do you think there is enough diversity in the TikTok content creation space? How do you take up space on social media as a Latinx content creator?

The thing is, I do think that there is enough diversity in the space. [But] I don’t think that the diversity gets highlighted enough. I really think that there are content creators that have such high quality, good content, funny content, that don’t get the opportunities that white creators get. And I don’t know where that problem comes from. I don’t know why, but I will follow the funniest girl on TikTok, and she’s Latina, or a Black woman, and every video is a hit.

Everything is funny, but for some reason, they don’t get the brand deals and the opportunities and the highlighted moments that they deserve. Their flowers aren’t guaranteed.

So that’s one thing about the internet that does bother me. But, I feel so lucky that I feel like I’ve created a space where I do get to be celebrated, and I don’t know why, but I feel like I get my flowers more often than I deserve, so I’m really proud to be Latinx and gay, and to feel like someone’s friend online. I feel so lucky.

So, now a little more about you, personally. What are your favorite places to travel? And we need specifics! Bars, restaurants, hotels?

I just went to Austin! I’m from Texas, and I just had so much fun in Austin. I had some good barbecue — it was so good… I went to this barbecue place [called] Terry Black’s. And there’s one in Dallas, too, where I’m from.

But it was so good to be in Texas and eating good food. [But] my favorite place I’ve ever traveled to was in Japan. I went to Osaka, and we were walking around, and it felt like Japanese New York, in a way. I thought Tokyo would feel that way, but Tokyo’s way cleaner, and feels way more business-y. Such an experience! And I went to Nintendo Land at Universal. Toad’s Cafe was so good!

What’s your favorite gay bar in the world?

So, the first gay bar I ever went to was in Dallas. It’s called Round-Up.

I never, ever had a boyfriend and [did not go] when I lived there, but I went back last year with my boyfriend, and it’s so funny, because [it has] every type of gay person in one bar. There were pups, there were leather daddies, there were twinks in shiny suits and heels. I feel like in New York, it gets pretty compartmentalized. It was so fun to have every type of gay person in one place.

So that’s the first gay bar I’ve ever [gone] to that I think I loved. 

I used to go to [Pieces] all the time, and watch drag there, because it’s so fun, so I would say maybe Pieces is kind of where I found myself, like, my gayness in New York. Something about it — It’s nostalgic, and it has a [special] place in my heart.