Who are you and what kind of content do you create?

My name is John Tigno, based in Winnipeg, Canada. I have full-time work here as a pharmacy assistant, and as a side hustle, I am also doing YouTube and post videos once or twice a week. I do all the scriptwriting, content creating, shoot videos, and I do all my edits. I am a pharmacist by profession back in the Philippines. I moved with my wife and started a new life here in 2013. I began creating videos back in 2017. Life in Canada is complicated at first. So I decided to create content that will showcase my life in Canada in video form. 

“Buhay Canada” YouTube channel is about sharing how life goes around here. I intend to create a video to guide my siblings if they decide to migrate here, too. I also started a step by step guide and showed them more options. And that is the start of this content creation. People found it, and they now ask questions. Making content keeps me going, significantly as my family is also growing. We want to make more videos and watch our life unfold, and it is so lovely to watch your videos to bring back some memories. It also is a great way to get information and guide people can use in the future. 

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How do you brainstorm ideas for your content and your advice in getting the creative juice flowing.

I get my inspiration from all my audience. What benefits me benefits my viewers. I do my research, discuss, and present it to the audience in the most understandable way. I brainstorm and do my research early in the morning. I wake up around 4:30 am - 5:00 am. This is the best time since my kids are sleeping, and I can concentrate on what I do. I must admit that I also experience a mental block. The best way to resolve it, based on my experience, is to take time off of what I am doing and try to rest for the day. 
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What are the tools and platforms you use to help with your brand?

I use Canon SL2 as my primary camera. For video editing, I use Premiere Pro CC. All my content is posted on YouTube only. I want to grow my community on one platform. 

What were your fears starting out? How did you handle it? 

At first, I was scared of what people would think, but when I see some people appreciate it, it feels good to upload more. There is no doubt that there will be negative comments. At first, reading it gets into my nerves, but I thought, what should I do? Until then, I just decided to IGNORE it and just think of it as constructive criticism to be better and prove that I can do even more.

Initially, I was shy about being in front of the camera because it is not my thing. But as you practice and talk more, it becomes natural, just like talking to a friend with no response. Hahaha! Anyway, I do the edit, and I can remove clips that I don't want.

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How did you build your brand to where it is now, take us through your process.

I am trying my best to post once a week. In the beginning, I didn't have any funds. I started filming myself using an iPhone 5. Pinoypinoypinoy, whom I consider my mentor, helped me build the brand. I have zero knowledge when it comes to video editing. He helped me with that, too. The hardest part when starting out is the time - having a full-time job, being a dad and a husband. I only do content and edit when my family is sleeping. Sometimes I ask my wife to give me three hours uninterrupted to finish filming.

I saw the traction in my content when I started to upload more information videos. When I uploaded the “STEP BY STEP GUIDE IN EXPRESS ENTRY IN CANADA” video, I think that was my channel’s bread and butter. Getting the first one hundred loyal subscribers is tough to get. I need to upload more and be consistent every week so subscribers can follow and expect more videos in the succeeding weeks. 

For someone who wants to get into content creation, what is your advice?

If I am given a chance to go back when I start to put up content, I will be more consistent in everything. There are lots of mistakes. I am thankful, though, that I experienced it. Every content creator has challenges. For me, one challenge is to get more views in a video.  I give all my best effort every time I upload, even my energy drains. I want my videos to be a hit instantly. But then frustrations come along, sometimes even if I put all my energy and time, nobody watches. That is part of being a content creator. I push myself to create more and upload videos and keep in mind that I will upload regardless of the views, and upload like nobody's watching. 

Consistency is the key to success. The more we fail, the more we learn and correct our mistakes in the future. Challenges for me are created for me not to surrender. Instead, I should keep moving to find solutions to every problem.

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How did you finally commit to X platform rather than your regular day job?

I still do my full-time job as a pharmacy assistant. That is my passion. But I also wanted to create more opportunities and learn new things. The only way I will quit my job is to have my own business with this social media platform’s help to explore new options in life to generate a passive income.

Tell us your best milestones in being a content creator.

Being a content creator, the best milestone is buying my gear in video creations and putting up my studio at home that I never imagined I could have. The best thing that happened is I met people in the community and thanked me for all the videos I uploaded. That is something that I did not expect - to impact other people’s lives and be motivated to migrate to Canada.

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What are your marketing strategies to grow your brand?

Content creation is all about preparation and seeing things forward what kind of outcome you want to see. Before I begin any uploads, I research what my audience wants to know, as I fondly say it, “RESEARCH before hitting RECORD.” In that way, there is a flow in the content before I even start filming.

It is all about the experience that teaches me a valuable lesson in improving the content. As I said, I am a one-person team on my YouTube channel and do most of the work. I collaborate with people who want to share their experience in Canada. Most of them are ordinary people who watch my channel and want to share more inputs for the community. I also post videos on my Facebook page, “John Tigno,” since not everyone is on YouTube. That makes it easy for other people to follow every time I have a new upload. Some of my subscribers also share my content on their pages so other people can watch. I always believe in “A Lesson Learned is Always a Lesson to be Shared.”

How do you handle brand deals and sponsorships?

As of now, there are few inquiries about brand deals and sponsorships in my channel, but I am looking forward to getting traction of it in the future. Maybe because I use my native language, Tagalog, in my videos, that is why there is some sort of limitation that other sponsors skip. Anyways, my channel is open to sponsorships, and as per request, I can speak English or add some subtitles. There are many Filipinos worldwide, and who knows, they might be the best target to market the sponsors’ brand.

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