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.
“I think Celine Dion is the reason I’m still here.”
That’s what Alexander Joe (aka @alexbegs on TikTok) tells us when we ask him how content creation ended up becoming his career.
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But let’s back up a sec. Alex–for those not familiar–is a self-described “little Midwest girly-boy” from Missouri who grew up in the ’90s and got his first taste of Being Online with OG YouTubers like Jenna Marbles. As a kid he’d film joke videos with his cousins and friends, and was thrilled if they hit a few hundred views. He always wanted a platform, he says, and he always liked entertaining, but he never thought he’d be able to grow a real following online.
Until TikTok. He was in nursing school, working a nine-to-five, and had no time for anything else. But when a professor told him he should check out TikTok…
Well, his first response was “Eh, not really feeling that.”
“Because it was very much during like, the dancing era. It had just gotten started and I was like, I don’t really know if that’s my vibe,” he says. He decided to try it anyway, and when considering what he could upload, went back to his roots as a gay guy who grew up in a conservative, Christian small town in the Midwest. He started uploading videos about “a campy version of living here,” and found that people were really into it. “People get that,” he says.
The series grew his account to around 100,000 followers. Then Celine happened.
“One night I came home and I was drinking some wine and I was listening to Celine Dion. I was like, I should really film this,” he says. Almost overnight, the video surged to 10 million views, and he realized as much as people like suffering-in-the-Midwest relatability, they like ’90s nostalgia even more. He threw himself into creating videos about both topics, and throughout 2023 grew his account to nearly a million followers.
The breakneck pace, however, wasn’t great for him. He recently took a break from content to reduce screen time, shore up his mental health, and reconnect with family and friends. Now, heading into 2024, he’s refreshed and ready to do everything from long-form YouTube videos to podcasts to live shows and more.
Check out our chat with him below.
@alexbegs Celine never gets old. (iB: @chrisdstaples) #90s #viral #fypシ #funny #millenial #celinedion #BenefitOfBrows #TakeTheDayOffChallenge ♬ It’s All Coming Back to Me Now (Radio Edit 1) – Céline Dion
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Tubefilter: Hello! Excited to chat with you. I’m a ’90s baby and I’m also queer, so it’s a natural meshing here.
Alexander Joe: I love that! Thank you for speaking with me. I’m here for it.
Tubefilter: I’m expecting there will be people reading this who are familiar with you, but also people reading this who aren’t familiar with you. I’d love to start with like, imagine somebody’s reading this has no idea who you are. Give me a little bit of introduction to you and where you’re from and what led to you getting on social media.
Alexander Joe: Well, I’m a little Midwest girly-boy. I’m still currently living in St. Louis, Missouri. I have always really wanted to just have some platform. I never really knew what that entailed, necessarily. I think everybody– Well, I don’t want to speak for everyone, but as far as the TikTok community goes, I think during like 2020, during the pandemic years, a lot of creative people were like, What are we doing? I was one of those people. I was just like, I was working like a 9 to 5 corporate job, also going to school full-time at the time.
I had a professor who was like, “Hey, I really think you should like, discover this social media app. It’s called TikTok.” I was like, “Eh, not really feeling that.” Because it was very much during like, the dancing era. It had just gotten started and I was like, I don’t really know if that’s my vibe.
I just wasn’t even really thinking about it, but I hopped on the app and then I just discovered a whole new creative outlet for me. I guess, people who don’t know me necessarily I would say that all in all, I really just want to make people laugh and make people feel good and whether you relate to my content or not, I think that there could be some humor there regardless. I think it’s just a matter of that.
Does that answer your question? [laughs]
Tubefilter: Yes, absolutely. Were you ever interested in making content before that or was it just your professor suggesting that?
Alexander Joe: That’s a good question. Because growing up, I was very much here for the OG YouTube era of content creators. I would obsess over YouTube and stuff like that, and I would make YouTube videos with my cousins and with my besties and it really wouldn’t go anywhere. We weren’t expecting to like, go viral necessarily. I don’t even know if virality was a thing at that point.
Even if like a video that I posted on YouTube back in like 2008, if it would get like 500 views, I was like, We have made it, like this is the peak. I think it just happened, like as cliche as that sounds, it’s like I just started posting and I couldn’t stop posting and I just became obsessed with it. It was just super exciting for me.
Tubefilter: Do you remember what the first video that took off for you was?
Alexander Joe: Yes, so I started making a series about living in the Midwest because it’s just so lovely here. (That’s very much sarcasm.) I was like, well, I don’t know what to talk about. I don’t know who wants to listen to it. At the time, I didn’t necessarily want to live here, so I was just like, I’m just going to make a campy version about living here. I started this series about living in the Midwest, and then that really took off. I was like, Oh god. People get that. That led me eventually to, I think 100,000 followers. At that time I was like, I don’t even understand what this means, all these numbers. I just kept going with it.
It also motivated me too because I was like, “I can do so much with this.” It felt like I was just getting started, so I started posting random things. I think for me–as queer as this sounds–I would like to thank my entire career to Celine Dion. Because I think she really helped me out a little bit. I started this like ’90s mom series and I didn’t even have, usually I script things out, but this is one of those nights where like, I had worked 9 to 5. I was also a server at restaurants for a hot sec, and I was also going to school. One night I came home and I was drinking some wine and I was listening to Celine Dion. I was like, I should really film this.
I started filming it, and then I posted it and it got like 10 million views and I was like, Oh god, wow. People really resonate with people from the ’90s. I’ve always been a music person and a nostalgic person. Also just like a happy/sad person. Just to have people resonate with that was so special. Once that took off, honestly, I’m still confused. I’m still like, What’s going on? I think Celine Dion is the reason I’m still here. That’s pretty good. That sounds great.
Tubefilter: I feel like there’s a lot of queer people out there who could send her a collective thank you card.
Alexander Joe: Yes. She’s sick right now, and I worry about her. I’m like, what’s going on? Are you okay? We need some updates, Celine, because I don’t know if you’ve seen this, and not to get too off-topic, but like, every year she posts a video where she’s like, “Here we are another year. I’m sorry to delay this tour.” It’s been like four fricking years, and I’m like, Celine! We need to know what’s going on! I just saw an article a few weeks ago where I think it was her sister who shared something that she has stiff bone syndrome or something like that. Her sister was saying like, she’s not doing the best. I’m like, girl, we are here for you, Celine. Whatever you need, we are here. Listen, like, especially me, whatever you need, I’m here for you.
Tubefilter: It’s time for the get well cards.
Alexander Joe: Yes. It’s time for the campaign, honey, let’s go.
Tubefilter: So aside from Celine, what inspired you? What was your Midwest momspiration?
Alexander Joe: My “momspiration,” wow, that is a beautiful word. I think a lot of it related to my actual mother who is just a riot and she’s my best friend. Honestly, realistically, I grew up in a very Catholic household. I hid myself until I was 20. Then when I did come out, well, it wasn’t a shock to anyone obviously, but it was like, it was more so like, Okay, now we have to navigate this. From my parents’ perspective and when I did come out, they were like, “Okay, well, you can be gay, but we just don’t really want to see it.” I was like, “Okay, I’m going to do the exact opposite of that.”
That’s what I did. They just ended up accepting it because that’s all they could really do. Essentially, it made my relationship with my mom grow even greater than it ever has been. I started to just know who she was personally. I always saw her as my mom. Then I started seeing her as my friend and I was like, wow, she’s really cool. I was like, she has this own personality.
When like social media, during the pandemic, watching, just scrolling and watching TikTok videos, I was like, okay, like this is a character. I just tapped into, I guess, a Midwest mom, a single mom who works too hard, who loves her kids and never stops, to quote Reba McEntire, and just comes home from a hard day, has a glass of wine.
Really Reba’s music is therapy. In a way, that’s also me too, which is weird. My friends always make fun of me for this too, but it’s just like, I’ve always been such a music girly. To tap into like, and I vaguely remember also like my mother just wearing all denim all the time. I just put on denim and get into my Midwest accent, like dance moves vibe. It would just be a flip of the switch. Then obviously like putting on a wig. I feel like once you, as a queer person, once you put on a wig, it’s like, well, all bets are off. You can’t stop them from there.
Tubefilter: The possession happens.
Alexander Joe: Yes! It’s like, I’m not here. Now I am transformed.
Tubefilter: What is your current like production schedule like?
Alexander Joe: That’s a good question. Honestly, over the past few months, I’ve just been taking a step back from it because I realized towards the end of the year that my screen time was 13 hours a day. I was like, okay, girl, this is getting unhealthy. I was like, I need some time to really figure out like reevaluate things. I wasn’t necessarily like creating as much. Because I went through a phase where I was creating every single day. I was like, I have to post every day or else I will never succeed. Honestly, like looking back, it did benefit me because I was just so driven and I was just like, I have to keep posting. I have to keep like sharing content. But it was also not really the healthiest viewpoint because I would get to a place where I was just like, all I would think about every single day was like, Okay, well, after I get off work or After I do this, I have to film a video. But it was my outlet and it was my source of joy at the time.
I wasn’t in necessarily a good headspace so content creating at the end of the day was my way of just like letting myself be me, and letting myself like perform. Growing up queer, and in a very small town, Catholic school, we had like a drama theater department, but it wasn’t necessarily like a huge production. I never even had an exposure to like theater or all that. This was my way of doing theater. I just really tapped into that.
Now my production style, I guess I would say that I probably create, like maybe I used to do every single day, and now at this point, it’s like, maybe like two or three times a week, I will have just a day of just fully content creating. But I would like to get back to doing it more consistently because I have taken some time off, which I feel like did benefit me so much.
It was around the holidays and stuff. My sister got married. I was so tapped into social media and everything that was going on. I was like, I’m really not present with my life currently. To just take a step back and limit my like screen time from 13 hours to 10 hours, or 13 hours to like nine hours or something like that, like it helped a lot just to be more present with the people who I have in my life, because I was like, it got to a point where I was like, I don’t know what’s going on. I’m also in the middle of America here, like a lot of people.
Tubefilter: There’s a lot happening there!
Alexander Joe: Yes, I have like a lot of influencers who I know like live in LA or New York. I’m just here, a little Missouri boy. I love visiting those places, but it feels secluded. I’m also such a family boy too. I felt like I neglected that for a second. I was just like, well, I need to tap back into like what’s the most important thing to me, which will always be my family and my friends. That has benefited me and helped me so much more with my mental health.
Now it’s like, I think once 2024 started, well, it’s January 23. We’ve only got 23 days here, but once it started, I was like, Okay, I’m ready to dive back into content creating. I needed like a month or two just to settle and figure out what it was exactly. Because social media can be really intimidating. I know that a lot of people don’t necessarily think of it like that. When I tell somebody “Oh, I do social media,” it’s like, they think it’s like–pardon my French, I’m Italian–it’s like a half-assed compliment.
Tubefilter: Yeah, I feel that. I’m very glad you took some time to focus on your health. I wish the industry as a whole talked to creators more about slowing down and taking time for yourself.
Alexander Joe: Yes. Yes, for sure. I’m also a Virgo. It’s just very much like, I’m just very articulate with how I work and stuff. I really get in the groove of things. I was so into it that that’s all I was thinking about was just how I’m performing, how the numbers are doing, how many followers I have. Is this video performing well? Why is this video not performing well? I would just obsess over it.
It got to a point where I was like, I’m focusing so much on this. I’m really not enjoying my own life. It’s like, I’m in a position that I’ve always wanted to be in because I have a platform. I’ve always wanted to have some sort of platform. I never really expected it to be in this way. That’s not a bad context, necessarily. It’s just like, I don’t think anybody ever even visualized something as far as like TikTok goes, when I was growing up. I always knew of YouTube and stuff like that. Once TikTok happened, I was like, whoa, this is like a whole new world.
Tubefilter: With you trying to mitigate your screen time and do production a little more intentionally, protecting your health, how are you changing things for this year?
Alexander Joe: I think, one thing I’ve realized just with being your own boss babe. You really have to hold yourself accountable for things and you really have to be consistent. I’ve just been writing everything down. I got like a dry-erase board in my room. I would show it to you, but I feel like that would be inappropriate, but it’s just like a whole thing on my wall. I just write everything down, goals, things I want to accomplish this week, as far as like creatively, mentally, physically. That’s helped me tremendously.
I’ve gotten so big on like, and I know that this is trendy or whatever, but I’ve gotten so big on manifesting. I journal so much. I write so much. When I was in college, I was going to school for marketing and advertising, my source of release was writing. I’ve written like three books, and I’ve done nothing with them. I’ve just put them on the shelf. I’ve only given them to my family to read.
I tapped back into different things that have stimulated me creatively rather than just social media. That has helped me realize why I started this to begin with. Because I feel like with content creating, one thing that isn’t really said a lot is, and I think I said this a little bit earlier, but it can really mess with your head a little bit, because it’s just on a little device, and you don’t really know how much it’s impacting you, and then you go out in the world.
I think, for me, one thing that shocks me a little bit is I would go out in public, and people would recognize me around this area. Then also when I would travel to LA or whatever, people would know who I was, and it was just like, Whoa. Because I’m a small-town boy so I was just like, “Wow, this is really cool, but also confusing. How is this happening?” You obsess over the numbers and everything, but then you get to a point where you’re just like, is it real? Does this work? What’s the longevity of this?
Tubefilter: Totally. Any other cool plans for this year? Any other projects you’re working on?
Alexander Joe: Yes. Oh my gosh, I’m going to do so much this year. I really want this to be my year of creating. I feel like last year was like, I was in my healing girl era. This year, I really just want to dive in more to content creating and do a lot of different series. I would love to really focus more on longer videos and YouTube. I would love to eventually start a podcast. I’m really excited.
I think that I’m in a good place now. A year ago was when I got signed with Viral Nation. I’m so grateful for them because I was in such a dark place mentally. When they met me, I was like, “Oh my god, this is perfect.” They really carried me through last year, Viral Nation did, and now I’m at a point where I’m like, I feel like I can carry myself now and feel good about it and be excited for what’s next to come.
Tubefilter: To wrap up, what has been your favorite part of this whole being online journey?
Alexander Joe: I would say connecting with people has probably been my favorite. I remember–and this is so specific, so my apologies–I went to the Taylor Swift Eras Tour this summer.
Tubefilter: How did you get tickets?
Alexander Joe: I didn’t, my bestie did. She got tickets, and she was like, “You’re coming with me.” I was like, “Obviously, yes.” I went with her. We were at Denver, and I remember walking through the crowd–and granted I was in a leotard so it was very obvious, like, he’s a homosexual. He’s here for the party. I was walking through a crowd, and I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t have any expectations, but I got recognized so much. One woman in particular pointed at me, and I can’t even make this up, but one woman was pointing at me. She’s screaming, just screaming at me. I was like, “Hi!” I knew what she meant. She was like, “I love you so much!” She started crying, and then I started crying because I’m just an emotional girl. She was like, “I love what you do. I’m so grateful to meet you. I’ve been following you since you first started.”
Little moments like that really make me realize like, okay, well, I want to keep going and keep doing this. That was one of those things where it was a little psuh.
I think that at the end of the day, regardless of where my content goes, or the numbers or anything, I really just want to connect with people, and I want to help people and make people feel good. I want to make people laugh, and I want to have a sense of community. Whether that’s people who grew up in a small town, or people who are having a stall jerk, or happy sad mindset, or whatever. It’s just like, I’ve always–
Before this, I was a nurse. I was a full-time nurse, and so it’s just like, I’ve just always wanted to help people regardless. To do it in a way that I have a platform where I can help people or make people laugh, or make people feel good, or make people dance, that’s my vibe.
