The Southern Miss College of Business and Economic Development recently hosted an event titled ‘Coffee with an Entrepreneur’ with Southern Miss alumni Jamie Messengale and Drew Wooton. The event had a relaxed environment with sandwiches, muffins, and coffee. It was attended by 20 students from different majors, including Marketing, Computer Science, and Chemistry. 

At the event, Messengale and Wooton talked about their experiences as content creators. Messengale and Wooton used to be talk show hosts on a 5:30 a.m. show. They later started their joint podcast, The Hardy Street Boyz, in February 2021 and experienced many highs and lows which they shared at the event. They talked about how the podcast started and what it ultimately led to.

Wooton, who used to be a teacher in a private school, said that he became a content creator when a teacher’s salary was not enough to sustain himself while Messengale had always been interested in content creation and was developing content even when in college. Wooton used to interview kids while Messengale’s content included the use of humor to educate. Wooton and Messengale explained that when they finally collaborated, they found each other to be like-minded and decided to continue collaborating. 

When businesses could not promote in-person during the pandemic anymore, they looked for content creators who could do that for them. That was when Messengale and Wooton made it as content creators and started earning more.

They then reflected on whether content creation is worth it. They started off explaining the differences between the expectations and reality of content creation. They talked about how everybody expects immediate success with content creation and how frustrating it is to work hard on a video for it not break a hundred views. 

Explaining the disappointment that sometimes comes with content creation, Wooton said, “Just because everyone is able to see it doesn’t mean anyone will see it.” 

They also shared the positive sides of being a content creator. They talked about how they had creative control over their work and how not every job would allow that. They also acknowledged that they did not “hustle enough” and someone who is more willing to self-promote would have a higher chance of being successful.

Wooton and Messengale then advised aspiring content creators on unnecessary feedback from other people. They explained how people with no experience in content creation are the first ones to give feedback and how the feedback, while sometimes useful, should be taken with a grain of salt. They also gave examples of some situations where the guests on the show would want creative control in a way that did not align with the show. 

Messengale and Wooton then ended the event with some open floor questions where they continued to advise aspiring content creators and shared their experiences. There were some questions from students that Messengale and Wooton were happy to answer.

The event takes place on Nov. 29 in Scianna Hall again for the students who missed it the first time and want to attend the event.