This post was updated Nov. 6 at 10:24 p.m.
Brandon Bao is telling just one story on his social media page: his own.
The second-year computational and systems biology student said he began making short-form content online at the start of his first year at UCLA as a way to document his college experience. With over 59,000 followers on his Instagram @brandonbaobao, Bao said his videos are best described as college lifestyle content, with videos centered around study methods and his personal growth. Now, Bao said he sees content being a part of his life long term.
“When I first started, I wanted people to feel inspirational, I wanted people to feel motivated about their own work,” Bao said. “I’ve begun to see that … if you really want people to actually align with you and really like your content, you must display a wide variety of emotions – so you have to be vulnerable, you have to show happiness … and that’s what makes you full as a person.”
Although he had some experience with video creation in high school, Bao said his videos in college were still his first foray into short-form content specifically. Although he grew up watching long-form videos on YouTube, Bao said he thought there would be a larger audience through short-form videos. Bao added that he aims to have a balance between scripted videos as well as on-the-spot recordings.
Bao said he begins a majority of his videos by creating the script, where he focuses on how he can tell his story in a way that is understandable to his viewers. He then continues with the filming and editing processes, he said. While the filming does not take much time, Bao said the editing stage can be much more tedious. Bao added that over the course of the last year, he has honed his speaking style.
“I think one thing that people often neglect when they first start making content is the way they speak to the camera,” Bao said. “When I first started, I was very nonchalant, trying to just get through the words as fast as possible. In reality, it actually takes a little bit of effort to actually show some expression and actually just be a little more enthusiastic when you’re speaking because they make a big difference in how people perceive the way you talk.”
Bao said he has begun to vary the types of videos he makes, trying out more experimental content so as not to pigeonhole himself. For example, Bao said he tried multiple public embarrassment videos, which he enjoyed making but does not see himself continuing to do. On the other hand, he added that he enjoyed his videos of him talking about a topic in a public crowd. Bao said he believes that type of content resonates with him more because it displays his confidence and grit while also allowing him to share his thoughts on topics personal to him.
“I’ve been relatively patient about the way I approach content,” Bao said. “I’m being more intentional about what I’m experimenting with, the content ideas I have and seeing what I actually resonate with and seeing what people like.”
One of the most unique benefits of creating videos, Bao said, was the effect on his creativity. Prior to the beginning of his online content creation, Bao said he did not have many chances to tap into his creativity, but making content allowed it to grow over time. Now, Bao said he will write down ideas when they come naturally to him or will find himself thinking about a story idea while doing other things.
Bao added that one of the most influential impacts content creation had on his UCLA experience is the number of opportunities it made available to him. Bao said he has been able to talk to other content creators and startup founders from across the country. Bao’s future career plans, he said, have been heavily influenced by the connections he made through content creation.
“Around UCLA, people … can categorize me as a content creator, an influencer, whatever. But at heart, I’m still a normal college student,” Bao said. “I try to have the same experiences and try live through the same things as most other people.”
Tristan Huntley, Bao’s roommate and a second-year political science student, said Bao’s content is different from other student influencers’ because of his commitment to trying new things. Huntley added that Bao’s main reason for making videos is not viewership or popularity but instead his own enjoyment in the process.
“Brandon is probably one of the most determined content creators, and also he genuinely loves what he does,” Huntley said. “He could be sleeping but instead he’s up till 4 a.m. editing videos or prepping for new videos … they (other content creators) are constantly recycling … but he’s continuing to make his brand and his videos and his style of content better than the previous one.”
Bao said he hopes to continue making content about himself but finds himself gravitating toward startup lifestyle and entrepreneurship content. Natalie Tan, Bao’s close friend and second-year business economics and cognitive science student, said Bao sharing his story gives students comfort in their own personal life journeys.
“He is very willing to do anything, and I think he’s willing to put himself out there,” Tan said. “His content is very much breaking social norms or going out of his comfort zone to do this, and I think a lot of it is about testing his own abilities and testing how much he can grow, so I think people like to see that.”
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