Brand
Michael Louie of Mikeys.Moments on Creating Magical Content & Disney Creators Lab 2022
Michael Louie of Mikeys.Moments has combined his passion for Disney and street style into a creative Instagram account filled with character-inspired streetwear and, more recently, cosplay outfits. He was recently invited to join the Disney Creators Lab program by Disney because of his growth online and creative content. Today, he shares his process for creating magical content and the challenges he’s faced as a creator.
About Michael Louie
Michael Louie is a digital creator making colorful self-portraits with a splash of magic. He creates all of his content on the weekends outside his nine-to-five job.
Michael shares, “I think the passion for Disney has always been there. I’ve loved Disney since I was a little kid, so that was easy and then just sharing about the parks is just something I happen to already be doing, and I happened to be sharing what I was doing already, so it kind of just flowed naturally into where I am now.”
Michael’s passion for Disney and his love of street-style fashion led to his Disney character-inspired outfits.
His talent for creating character-inspired outfits also allows him to show his love for new releases. For example, Michael posted Spider-Man character-inspired outfits when the new Spider-Man movies came out.
“It’s so exciting to see a movie that you love and are passionate about, and then it’s like how can I take the interest in the movie and bring it into regular street style clothing because it’s not always practical to put on a full Spider-Man costume and run around.”
Michael shares that adults visiting the Disney Parks are also not allowed to dress in full costume, except for select events, to prevent children from running up to the wrong individuals.
As a result, his Disney character-inspired street-style outfits are an excellent way for adults to participate in dressing up at the parks while adhering to the park’s guidelines.
Michael’s Magical Content
Michael shares that his video content receives the most engagement, likely due to the overall trend toward video content.
“It is fun to connect with a larger audience using reels, but I also do enjoy taking pictures myself in the parks.”
Currently, Michael’s content is a hobby, but he would love to do it full-time in the future.
“Like I said, I was already doing it [styling outfits]. Regardless, I’m just sharing what I enjoy, and it just happens that it’s kind of snowballed and gotten me the attention of Disney and things like that.”
Michael’s content is primarily inspired by movies, especially new releases, which generate a lot of excitement. He explains that he aims to make his outfits very recognizable so that someone can quickly read the character he is dressing like.
However, he always tries to bring well-established characters into his work as well because the love for these characters is neverending. A character he frequently wears outfits inspired by is Ariel from The Little Mermaid.
“I also do a little bit of cosplay. I’m just starting to dip my toes into it, where that’s the full costume, but it costs a lot more, so I don’t have as much experience, but it’s definitely something that I look forward to doing more of.”
His most popular post to date has been the original Spider-Man villain.
Michael shares, “The secret behind my growth and success, I think is my creativity has really helped me stand out, as well as there aren’t a lot of Asian males in the Disney space, so I think that also helps me stand out as well, but I would say my sense of style is really something that I take pride in.”
Disney Creators Lab 2022
Disney Creators Lab is a Disney-run program for smaller influencers with the potential for growth and a creative spark.
Michael shares that he didn’t apply for the program but was contacted by Disney about going through a brief interview.
“They [Disney] really wanted to find smaller micro-influencers with potential for growth and creativity and the spark that they’re looking for, so I was lucky that I fit the bill, and I made it into the second round.”
The Disney Creators Lab isn’t a direct partnership but a large informational learning session for creators over eight weeks. The sessions are conducted over Zoom and share lessons from various industry professionals and macro influencers.
“They’re teaching us about different things like branding and storytelling. It’s already started, and we’ve had a couple of sessions, and they’re really insightful to hear the experiences of both the industry professional as well as the macro influencer.”
Michael adds that he and the creators in the program will soon meet in person at Walt Disney World, which he is very excited about.
Brand Partnerships
Michael has done a few brand partnerships, most of which were initiated by brands reaching out to him.
He is most proud of the campaign with Disney Plus, where he created Instagram Reels to help them promote the new Pixar movie, Turning Red.
When asked about his dream collab, he shares, “That’s hard because working with Disney was a dream. So, maybe working with, because they have so many divisions, I think maybe one day working with Disney Parks would be really cool because I go to the parks all the time. So, to work with them would be really exciting as well.”
Overcoming Challenges as a Creator
Michael explains that the biggest challenge about being a creator is feeling alone at times and doing everything yourself.
“When I’m doing it, I’m doing it all by myself, including taking my own pictures, even in the parks. I literally go with a tripod, and I take my own pictures, and there are crowds of people all around me, and I have to be taking the pictures myself on a tripod, so it’s pretty challenging.”
Finding areas that aren’t busy to take pictures is a constant challenge for him. He shares that it’s often a lot of waiting for the right moment.
However, he shares that connecting with other creators online has made him feel less lonely, and he’s started meeting up with other creators in or outside the parks.
Michael shares that he would love to see more diversity and inclusion in the coming years.
“I think that we are starting to see that. I would say that the Creators Lab this year is a pretty diverse cast. Obviously, I always want to push for that as well, making sure that creators of color and disabled [creators are represented.].”
What’s Next for Michael
Michael shares that he is excited to continue learning more from the Disney Creators Lab program. Recently, he met the rest of the group in person at Disneyland and California Adventures for a Disney Creators Lab weekend.
“It was a wonderful weekend at Disneyland & we also got a tour of Walt Disney Imagineering and a bit of Walt Disney Studios. The Disney team really went above & beyond to give us a truly magical experience. The highlight of the trip was definitely getting to meet my cohort in person and spend time bonding. We also were lucky enough to have a brunch, where we got to mingle with some of the alumni from the first cohort last year”
He is also excited to continue working on more cosplay projects in the future.
