How influencer Miguel Mendoza built an unfiltered brand
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Photo: Courtesy of Miguel Mendoza
From attending ICE protests to ranking Love Island contestants, Miguel Mendoza's TikTok page can feel a bit all over the place — but that's the point. "Being from the Bay ... I try to always be authentically me with no B.S.," he told Axios.
The big picture: This is "Made in the Bay," a series spotlighting content creators with ties to the Bay Area.
Zoom in: Mendoza, a Bay Area native who picks El Farolito as his go-to meal, was working in finance and tech when he met a content creator in Los Angeles and decided to give TikTok a try.
- Now with more than 77,000 followers, his social media posts range from a day at a San Francisco Giants game to what your eyebrows say about you.
- Fitness and satire are staples of his brand. His TikToks often spotlight workout regimens and commentary on his experience as a Latino man.
The following answers have been lightly edited.
How would you describe your work to people who don't know you?
I am a content creator that just posts whatever he feels like posting most of the time: my opinions, unsolicited advice, travel content, and Latino-focused content. I am to be a voice for my community, and the creative space is my true passion.
When did you realize you were starting to blow up?
I realized I was starting to blow up when friends and family were saying their friends were sharing ... videos of me through social media .... What kept me going was the community TikTok has allowed me to grow and my growth as an individual.
What's your favorite piece of content you've created?
This is one of my first satirical-style TikToks ... that got almost a million views. It was a political message, but with some humor.
If you took someone on a one-day tour of the Bay Area, where would you go?
I would start with Sunrise Bagels in Concord for breakfast. Then go to Berkeley and walk around near the campus area ... [and] do a nice morning/afternoon hike in Muir Woods. After, we head to ... the Golden Gate Bridge, probably ride bikes on it if we have time, and then cruise around the city for the rest of the day until sunset.