Welcome to Creators on the Rise, where we find and profile breakout creators who are in the midst of extraordinary growth. You can check out previous installments here.
If you’ve seen Nick Norcia around on TikTok, it’s probably been with his shirt off and a Mount Doom-esque peak shooting off flames behind him.
Also, he was Satan. And he was probably calling a politician.
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But let’s back up. Before Norcia was the internet’s favorite devil incarnate, he was a “southern boy from Alabama,” he says. “Grew up in a very traditional conservative evangelical household, and felt I had to hide a lot of my truth and just what made me.” He ventured away from home for college, and “That’s when I came to terms with sexuality and embracing the things that I’ve always had hidden before.”
As part of embracing these things, he got on social media (primarily Snapchat, back then) and started posting little stories. He wasn’t out to become a creator, or to build an audience. He just wanted to entertain his friends. But then his friends started telling him he was funny, and that he should think about using that skill to do more than make 24-hour posts. He did think about it, but he wasn’t ready to be in the spotlight. So, when he graduated college, he went to work behind the scenes on TV and film sets.
Then COVID happened.
“That’s when I started to grow more,” Norcia says. With sets shut down, he put more time into content–including coming up with Satan, which accidentally became a series when people asked him to keep addressing pop culture happenings with his satirical phone calls to politicians who were (for better or worse; usually worse) trending in the news.
Now, Norcia is a full-time creator with nearly half a million followers on TikTok, and he’s accepted that what he’s always truly wanted is to be in front of the camera.
And now he is.
Check out our chat with him below.
@nick_norcia Satan giving his favorite president a call #nytimes #comedy #politics #750 ♬ original sound – Nick Norcia
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Tubefilter: I would love to start with just some background about you. Pretend somebody is reading this, they’ve never seen your stuff, they don’t know anything about you. Give me a little bit of background about where you’re from and what you did before getting on social media.
Nick Norcia: Absolutely. I am a southern boy from Alabama. Grew up in a very traditional conservative evangelical household, and felt I had to hide a lot of my truth and just what made me. Then in college, I went to the University of Georgia. That’s when I came to terms with sexuality and embracing the things that I’ve always had hidden before. And Snapchat was a thing. I started doing basically what I do on social media on Snapchat, and all my friends were like, “You’re really funny.” It was just 24-hour stories, so it wasn’t like I was creating an audience. It was just more like my friends telling me that it was funny.
Then I graduated and wanted to work in entertainment, so I moved up to LA. I worked on TV and film sets. In my free time I downloaded TikTok and started making TikToks at night and accumulated an audience. I think I had 30,000 followers, which at the time was huge for me. The pandemic happened, and that’s when I started to grow more. Then just within last year, I transitioned full-time as a creator, and I’ve absolutely loved it. I already live in LA. I did move here for entertainment, but now I’m full-time a content creator, and I do comedic content style like skits and things like that.
Tubefilter: What drew you to TikTok specifically?
Nick Norcia: What drew me to TikTok was that it was the Wild West where Instagram was already transitioning into more less aesthetic and perfect life vibes, like “Everything can be Insta-worthy” I think was the quote everyone would use. I just like how TikTok was so raw and real, and it honestly looked better if you did videos that were so authentically in the moment than curated and perfect-looking editing-wise. I loved that, and I just liked how simple it was. Obviously, the algorithm is a great tool as well because it pushes your content out to an audience that wouldn’t otherwise know who you are.
Tubefilter: Do you remember what the first video of yours was that really took off? Was there a particular one or was it a general rise?
Nick Norcia: The one that took off was my Satan series, and it was basically, the concept is, I was Satan, and I would call certain people. A lot of times they were political satire, but just current events. That was the concept. I didn’t mean for it to be a series, but people loved it and wanted more. That was when people would recognize me. They’d be like, “Oh, you’re TikTok Satan.” That was my most recognizable thing. I know it was always funny. People that didn’t know, they’d be like, “What are they talking about?” But that was my most well-known series.
Tubefilter: Was there a point you hit where you were like, “Okay, this is the thing I’m going to keep doing. This is working for me”?
Nick Norcia: Yes. It was last year, I was working on an Apple TV show, and this is my third year in the industry. It’s notorious that the entertainment industry overworks and underpays, especially young talent. I was working 12-hour days. I loved what I did, but I was exhausted, and I was making 50 cents above minimum wage.
Then I would get a brand deal. In that brand deal, which I loved doing and making, I realized I would make what I would make in three months in one brand deal. I was like, “What am I doing wasting all this time on a set when I could just pursue what I do with brands and what I love to do? It’s making content and I’m being creative versus having to do a system-type work.” That’s what made me make that switch of like, I’m just wasting my time when I should be pursuing what I love to do. That’s also lucrative as well.
Tubefilter: Were you working in production?
Nick Norcia: Yes. Physical production.
Tubefilter: Got it. I know you worked as a production assistant on some other stuff.
Nick Norcia: Yes.
Tubefilter: Very interesting. Then when you transitioned into full-time content creation, did anything change for you in terms of routine or amount of content you were putting out? How did things shift for you?
Nick Norcia: Things definitely did shift. Once you transition to full-time content creating, it is legit your job. It does add a lot of stress and anxiety that otherwise wouldn’t be there. Like, content creating when you have a full-time job, it’s purely joy and just a side hobby hustle that is just pure fun. It’s still fun, but there is that aspect of I have to do well, I have to make a lot of content. It just added a little bit of anxiety and stress to it, which didn’t necessarily tarnish it, but it definitely made it to where it’s not pure joy anymore.
There’s definitely stress and there’s time where I’m like, “I don’t want to make a video,” but I’m like, “I have to make a video,” vibes which I never had before because I didn’t have that pressure.
Tubefilter: I know it’s very difficult to take something you truly love or take something that’s your hobby and turn it into a job. It’s very hard and I feel like that’s a very un-talked-about part of content creation. Do you do anything to preserve your love for making things or to avoid burnout?
Nick Norcia: What I do to avoid burnout is I typically will sometimes take a week of just not making any content. In my experience, that’s enough for me to then just be hungry to put up a tripod, put my phone up, and create some type of idea. In that week, a lot of times is when I get my creative juices flowing for new content or new material. Sometimes when you’re just churning out content you’re so overworked and overwhelmed that you’re not thinking of anything new. That’s what I do.
Tubefilter: Do you have a regular production schedule?
Nick Norcia: I do, but the hardest part is that when you are a content creator, you’re basically your boss and so you have to have a lot of self-discipline. I make those calendars. Do I stick by them when I’m exhausted? Not always, but I do to answer your question. Enforcing it is another thing.
Tubefilter: I got you. I am very ADHD, so I love to make calendars and then absolutely never follow them, or I love to make lists.
Nick Norcia: I love a to-do list.
Tubefilter: I love a to-do list that I’m never going to cross anything out on. I totally understand. This may be a difficult question, but how much time goes into the average video for you behind the scenes from conception to upload?
Nick Norcia: I’ll take you through the process of making my sketch-style comedy. I come up with the idea and then I script out, almost like a shot list and an idea of what the dialogue will be. There isn’t necessarily a hard script, but I have an idea of what’s going to be said in each scene, and then I’ll order props if I need to. That might take two days for Amazon to get what I need.
Then I film, and especially if I do a collab and another creator is involved, I’ll film. The filming normally only takes an hour or two, but then the editing is when it’s sometimes 10 hours. I’ve had one video that was 10 hours, but most usually that’s the bulk of it, which might be three to five hours, I would say, on a two-minute video. I might have 30 minutes of content, and I have to get that down including.
Tubefilter: You’re very particular about your editing.
Nick Norcia: It’s my favorite part of it. A lot of creators have told me in the past, they’re like, “You can pay someone to do that.” I do know that. Once I do more YouTube-style content, I am planning on doing that, but I do love so much the editing process. That’s actually where you control the narrative and you control the story that I don’t want to hand that over to someone. Honestly, I think that’s where the comedic beats are put in the editing process.
Tubefilter: Completely and unironically, editing is an artform, and for people who are really passionate about it, giving up that control is just…It feels like hiring someone to create for you. With your YouTube-style content, is it longer-form?
Nick Norcia: Yes. It’s longer-form and those might be 10-minute videos. Then you would have way, way more content. Then at that point, if the content isn’t funny, I’m more comfortable paying someone.
Tubefilter: Giving it to someone else.
Nick Norcia: I just love the editing parts when it’s a fun thing.
Tubefilter: Like you said, it’s part of your comedic style, part of your beat, so absolutely. What’s the longer-form you’re planning to do on YouTube?
Nick Norcia: I am planning on curating more. The best way to put it is like Martha Stewart vibes, where I love being crafty and I love cooking. I love especially during the holidays making wreaths and making bows and doing things like that. I am planning on having more of a home studio set where I just record with a table and I’m either making something, and that’s that vibe. They’d be like 5 to 10 minute, maybe 3 to 10 minute videos on how to do X, Y, Z.
Tubefilter: Is TikTok your main focus for now?
Nick Norcia: Yes. Right now I would say TikTok, Instagram are equally my main focus. On the side, I’m taking acting classes and writing classes, but those both behoove me and my pursuit of content creating because the better actor I am, the better my skits will be. The better writer I am, the funnier my skits will be, things like that. I’m doing things in addition behind the scenes. It’s all in the purpose of being a better performer.
Tubefilter: Got you. Is this your full-time thing for the foreseeable future? Do you want to seriously get into acting or were you more production?
Nick Norcia: I love that question because originally I would say no, but it was because going back to my upbringing, I didn’t really allow myself to see any creative potential because I hid so much of me, but I always remembered wanting to be on stage and wanting to be an actor.
Tubefilter: It comes through in your TikToks.
Nick Norcia: Oh, thank you. I appreciate that. I just didn’t believe in myself when I was graduating college to pursue that. In my head, I had a business degree, so I was like, “Well, I’ll work on the business side of entertainment,” because deep down I wanted to be an entertainer. I did that and I got my first job.
Then literally once I started doing content creating and seeing that people enjoyed me in front of the camera, that was the jolt, the catalyst to give me the courage and the self-confidence to pursue more of a performing side of the industry than the business side.
Tubefilter: That’s something you would like to get into?
Nick Norcia: Yes. I guess to answer your question, yes, acting is. Sorry, I’m not the best at answering questions.
Tubefilter: No, you’re fine. No, no, no.
Nick Norcia: Yes, to answer your question. Acting is definitely something, especially SNL-style acting, I love.
Tubefilter: I do feel like TikTok is a good portfolio builder. Outside of acting, do you feel like content creation is your foreseeable career for the future?
Nick Norcia: Yes. I definitely, for the future–At this point I’m 28, so I love it. It’s paying the bills, I’m meeting a lot of people. I get to collab and it’s honestly so much fun that I just feel very fortunate.
Tubefilter: What’s the coolest brand deal you’ve been able to do?
Nick Norcia: Oh, that’s a good question. I think the coolest brand deal I’ve done to date was my one with Tinder. It was really fun just because there was– Most brand deals, you’re on your own. It’s like, here’s the brief, and go create the content. This one I actually had they produced a lot of the actual concept and they had this plan, this team, and I just came on and I was essentially more of just, okay, now we’re going to do your bit. It was really fun just because it was like, there was a Zoom meeting and it was way more collab from the brand and the creator coming together that it felt way more a level up of a brand deal. It was a really fun concept.
Tubefilter: That’s very cool. Are you consistently seeing brand deals come in?
Nick Norcia: Yes. This year’s definitely been great because I went full-time with Viral Nation and finally I have an agent now, and so that’s been very helpful in pursuing this as a career.
Tubefilter: How did you end up getting in contact with Viral Nation in the first place?
Nick Norcia: They reached out to me in summer of last year when I was working on that Apple TV show. We had a Zoom and I had mentioned to them, I was like, “Well, I do work 12-hour days, so it’s really hard for me.” basically I only had Saturday and Sunday to make content, which isn’t necessarily ideal if you have a Wednesday deadline for a brand deal. I had said I’m planning on going full-time, so once that show wrapped in November, I signed it in December.
Tubefilter: Got you. Cool. Getting management has been a major part in you being able to grow?
Nick Norcia: Yes. For sure.
Tubefilter: Perfect. Any cool plans or goals you have over the next year or so?
Nick Norcia: Yes! I’m going to try to answer this question without violating the NDA. I am working on a very fun comedic sketch show that’s going to be on TikTok. That’s being produced right now. I’m actually involved in the writing rooms part of it as well. It really is like SNL meets TikTok vibes. It’s just a lot of fun and there’s a lot of creators that I am friends with that are on board as well, and it’s going to be a lot of fun this next year to do that.
