Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexandra Martin.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Sure! I started my YouTube channel during Covid in the “lockdown” phase of it all. Ever since I was a child, I knew that I wanted a career in TV. From elementary school to high school, I was the news anchor for the morning announcements, which is what helped me become comfortable in front of the camera.
I later earned my degrees in both marketing and broadcast journalism with the initial intent of becoming a news anchor. After a couple of internships at local news stations, I realized that the news world was not my jam and that I wanted to host fun TV shows instead.
As much as I wanted that, it seemed unrealistic to attain and had no clear path. So, I took the corporate route instead and built my career in marketing, but I always had the whole TV thing in the back of my head and that little voice telling me to “just do it.”
Fast forward to June 2020. Covid times. I figured that that was the moment to make things happen and to finally go after what I always wanted. Plus, I suddenly had all this free time in my hands since we couldn’t go out. I brainstormed what type of work I could do from home given the circumstance that could still help me build a portfolio as an on-air talent.
And so that’s when I thought of leveraging YouTube as a platform and created a channel that same day. I wasted zero time. I knew nothing about how YouTube worked. I just knew that I wanted to use my channel as a creative outlet to get discovered by Netflix, HBO, or some other large network. LOL.
Next thing you know, restaurants in Miami slowly started to open again, and that’s when my first idea came about. After the lockdown, I knew that restaurants needed exposure and help to get their businesses back up, so I thought, why not create videos at my favorite locations in which I not only focus on the food but highlight the owners and chefs by doing in-depth interviews about their life? It was a win-win because I was promoting them in ways that went beyond just their food, and creating engaging content for my channel at the same time.
I started reaching out to the owners of restaurants I really liked and was pleasantly surprised at how receptive most of them were to me coming in and doing these videos.
At the time, I didn’t have anything to show to give me credibility, but perhaps I pitched myself in such a way that made it seem like I knew what I was doing. Who knows. LOL. I’m thankful to all those restaurants at the beginning of my journey that gave me a shot – and to my friends and family who would help me shoot the videos.
That is in a short nutshell how I started, and I’ve been at this nonstop ever since. I started with the Miami restaurant scene, but have evolved to also create segments for events, local businesses, hotels, and fun activities all around.
These past two years have been amazing and so many doors have opened for me just by that simple decision to start a YouTube channel. Since then, I’ve met so many great people and have been presented with amazing opportunities that would have never crossed my mind two years ago.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
I learned a lot of this from scratch so there have been many learning curves. I pretty much just blindly threw myself into this from one day to another, so I didn’t know much of what I was doing, but I was clear on my desired outcome and worked solely toward that.
Having that goal in mind allowed me to create a path for myself and put me in a position to learn the skills necessary to achieve my goal. YouTube was my go-to source when learning how to edit videos, use a camera, and all facets of what a production entailed.
Time management is sometimes an issue for me. LOL. The struggle has been managing everything at once, and at times, wearing all the hats. Having my focus scattered over so many different elements at once sometimes hinders my creativity as the host of my videos, as well as my ability to push out content as quickly as I’d like to. Especially when it comes to editing the videos.
But… it’s ok. I really enjoy the entire process because I’m building something of my own from the ground up. I still have a lot to learn and I’m improving as I go. Real-life experience is the best form of practice. My best advice is that if there is anything you want to do, just do it.
You will 100% learn along the way and create opportunities for yourself that would not have presented themselves otherwise.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I currently do several different things – until what I really want to do with my life completely takes off. And that’s having my own travel and entertainment show on a large network – fingers crossed! In the meantime, I have my corporate “9 to 5” job in marketing and I also run social media accounts for a wide range of clients.
My true passion, and what I spend a large chunk of my time doing is as a content creator. I have a YouTube channel focused on travel, food, and the Miami lifestyle. For my food series, I visit top local restaurants/bars/lounges and conduct in-depth interviews with the owners, chefs, and bartenders, as well as highlight the food and venue. The lifestyle aspect is all about highlighting all types of fun things to do in the city and interviewing people who are making a difference in the community.
I also create travel videos in which I cover top things to do, places to eat, and local hidden gems across the world.
I’d like to think of myself as a vibe guide. I explore everything from hot spots to low-key locations and give you my full take on them and what you can expect when you go.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I don’t think this is too surprising, but I love food, of all types. LOL.
I’m very active and love to do fun, adventurous, and thrilling activities. I love to travel, explore all cultures of the world, and do things that are off the beaten path.
I’m working toward creating a career for myself that will allow me to do all those things that I enjoy doing while telling the story behind the new people I meet and the destinations I travel to.
I also want to help guide people on where I think they could go to have a great time.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexandramartin_tv
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/AlexandraMartinTV
Image Credits
@digilazo to the main photo
@npartistry_ headshot of me looking away
