TikTok Millionaires: TheRealSnowWhite Turned Classical Theatre Training Into Transformative TikTok Videos

By 06/30/2020
TikTok Millionaires: TheRealSnowWhite Turned Classical Theatre Training Into Transformative TikTok Videos

Welcome to TikTok Millionaires, where—in partnership with influencer marketing business Fanbytes—we profile creators who have crossed the one million subscriber mark on TikTok. Each week, we’ll chat with a newly minted Millionaire about their life, their content, and their creative goals for the days to come.


Transfiguration might be the stuff of myths and magic, but if you tune in to TheRealSnowWhite‘s TikTok videos, you might believe, just for a moment, that it’s real.

Snow White, aka Lois Mia Chapman, is a classically trained stage actor with a background in musical theatre and a passion for art. All of that comes through on her TikTok, where she transforms herself into Disney villians, fey folk, demons, dolls, zombies, and much, much more. Like many makeup artists and cosplayers, she was drawn to TikTok because it lets her condense the often lengthy process of creating a look into a bite-size video that shows off the finished product with a backdrop of trending music.

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Something she doesn’t often talk about, though, is the fact that she also joined because she was lonely. As a student at a top theatre college, she often spent long breaks between classes alone–so when she found TikTok, it seemed like an easy way to help pass the time. And eventually, she figured that if watching was soothing for her, wouldn’t making videos be nice, too?

Flash forward to almost exactly one year later, and Chapman isn’t lonely anymore. She’s amassed 1.2 million followers, and her original music, makeup, and fashion content has netted 47.3 million likes. For her, TikTok has been freeing–a place with “no set rules,” where there’s always “new angles and creativity to be explored.”

Check out our chat with her below.

@therealsnowwhite##pov : you go to buy a doll then realise it’s not what it seems ##doll ##loismia ##PositiveEnergyChallenge ##cosplay♬ EGO – kakaski_hab

Tubefilter: How does it feel to hit one million followers? What do you have to say to your fans?

Lois Mia Chapman: It honestly feels insane! One million is such a huge number, and when you put that into perspective of how many people follow and support me, that’s the craziest part. I would love to say a huge thank you to everyone who follows me, and especially to the ones who also support me on all my other social media platforms, too!

Tubefilter: Tell us a little about you! Where are you from? What did you do in the days before TikTok?

LMC: My real name is Lois Mia Chapman. I am from Essex, in the U.K. Since I was tiny, I’ve always loved being creative—singing, acting, dancing. I just graduated from training at a prestigious musical theatre college in London, so before TikTok, my life was pretty much musical theatre-oriented.

Tubefilter: How did you first find out about TikTok? What made you decide to join and start posting videos?

LMC: I kept seeing TikTok advertised whilst I was on the Tube to get to college every day. I had a hard time at college, and had hour breaks where I felt very lonely, so I one day downloaded and used it to just sit and scroll. When I got home from college in the evenings, I would usually be extremely down from the day I had; this is when I started uploading. It gave me something creative to do to take my mind somewhere else. I named my account “TheRealSnowWhite” so that no one from college could find me.

Tubefilter: When did you start collecting followers? Was there one specific video that went viral or hit the For You page and brought people in, or has your audience been growing steadily over time?

LMC: I first blew up on TikTok with a video from my Angel and Devil series set to the song “When I Rule the World” by Liz. It was all over the #foryou page, Thousands of people were dueting it, and I was the number one video for the sound, ahead of huge creators such as Charli D’Amelio, Addison Rae, and more for a long time! I’m now second to Charli, which I am still so proud of. My growth and views shot up overnight, and I’ve had a steady growth since. However, since recently being shadowbanned, my videos and audience have not been growing as much—but I’m still incredibly grateful, and I look forward to when I’m able to hopefully “blow up” again!

Tubefilter: What do you think draws creators and viewers to TikTok? What makes it a unique and engaging platform?

LMC: I personally was drawn to TikTok back in summer 2019 because it was a fresh, new, friendly, safe platform when you could be creative and share so much through one short video. The fact that the app is simple—it’s not complicated, you just swipe—makes it easy to use for all ages.

It’s great to catch and keep someone’s attention because the videos are so short. I’ve loved being able to meet new people and make friends on it, too!

@therealsnowwhite##pov : you meet a light fairy who is very taken by your charm ##fairy ##loismia ##wearefamily ##wfhhacks ##designercheck ##cosplay ##duet♬ original sound – ernurse77

Tubefilter: Have you worked on any collaborations with other creators or any sponsored content with brands?

LMC: I have worked on a few collaborations/duets with other creators such as @georgegaraway, @cameronj0yce, @hanamartinx, @xobrooklynne, and more. They are all amazing and you should definitely check them out. I’ve also collaborated with some brands, such as Minga London and Motel Rocks, and have promoted some big artists’ music, such as Melanie Martinez, Bazzi, Alec Benjamin, Christina Perri, and more.

Tubefilter: Where does TikTok fit into your average day? How much time do you spend brainstorming/creating content? What else do you get up to?

LMC: On weekdays, I have a slot from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. This isn’t just for filming, this is my time to be able to get all my different requirements done. On Sunday evening, I map out what I have to do throughout the following week; as TikTok’s trends are always changing, I find this easier than having one set timetable. From 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., I answer important emails, messages, DMs, and work inquiries. This then allows me to get any filming and editing done during the day. I usually go through the recent list of trends and trending sounds and work through them.

Tubefilter: Are there any TikTok creators who inspire you with their content?

LMC: There are so many Tiktok creators who inspire me. The first few creators I followed and still look up to are @avivasofia, @cameronj0yce, @caleb.finn, and @georgegaraway. They are all so talented, kind, and amazing. Their content really attracted me to their accounts, and I admit I was—and still am—obsessed with them all! Aviva and Caleb probably don’t know I even exist, so if they ever noticed me I would definitely love to become friends!

Tubefilter: How did you get into theatre, music, and makeup? Did you find them all at the same time, or did you get into theatre and then discover makeup…? How did you decide to take those interests digital?

LMC: I have loved singing since I was a toddler. I definitely got my singing voice from always watching Disney movies and Barbie. I enjoyed it in primary school and joined a few musical theatre clubs outside of school.

Whilst in secondary school, I decided that singing was my passion, and I wanted to do it as a career. In order to do so, having acting and dance training is extremely important. Between the ages of 13 and 17, I got involved in many amateur productions with theatre companies, performed in shows which were all over the country, and was a part of NYMT (National Youth Music Theatre). I’ve also taken private singing and acting classes since I was 12. Along with performing, wearing stage makeup is a huge part. This is where I feel in love with the ability to be able to characterise yourself with makeup and face paint. I’ve always loved art, and makeup just tied the creative side and performing sides together.

@therealsnowwhite##pov – Zombie apocalypse in DisneyLand. Do you trust the princesses or not? Make a chain 💜 ##disney ##rapunzel ##loismia ##greenvspurple♬ B3AKY Let Us Adore You Remix – shiinykanari

Tubefilter: TikTok is hugely popular among special effects creators, cosplayers, and MUAs who do things like your intricate face paintings. Why do you think TikTok draws this kind of content? What does it offer you as a creator that other platforms don’t?

LMC: TikTok is an amazing platform for you to be creative and change it up. There are no set rules. Of course, there are always trends, but they are there for you to put your own twist on them. Watching people do makeup or art is extremely satisfying; however, when the process is so long, people tend to lose interest. But with TikTok, you can show the whole process of a look within seconds! It is open for different ideas, with new angles and creativity to be explored.

Tubefilter: What’s next for you? Any plans looking to the future?

LMC: I am super excited to be able to hopefully attend some meet-and-greets and events such as TokFest U.K., which I’ve been invited along to after quarantine. I will hopefully grow my TikTok audience as well as my Instagram and YouTube! I will be making more music, I’m just waiting for that amazing unwritten song to pop off on TikTok to then be able to release it onto music platforms.

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