Tom McGovern, the latest talent to join Additive Creative Partners, shares his excitement about joining their high-profile roster of creators. Tom discusses his journey as a content creator, starting from his background in acting to his foray into music and comedy. He highlights his challenges and opportunities in the digital landscape, emphasizing the importance of staying true to oneself and being consistent in content creation.

Congratulations on being signed by Additive Creative Partners. How does it feel to join their roster of high-profile creators?

“It feels amazing. It’s a high honor. It’s very cool to be in the company of people, creators, and teams that reaches as far as some people in the roster,” Tom shares. 

Can you tell us a bit about your background and journey as a content creator? How did you start, and what inspired you to pursue this path?

Tom McGovern attended Temple University in Philadelphia, where he studied acting. After touring with the musical called Once, Tom moved to New York with the hopes of working as a stage actor, film or TV actor, or musical theater actor. He auditioned non-stop for one year but was never booked for any acting gig. 

At the end of the year, he realized that maybe acting wasn’t for him and saw himself creatively dry and uninspired. He decided to make fun videos to alleviate his situation — and thanks to the rise of Snapchat during this time, it was easy for him to do so. 

He started making short-form sketches, using Snapchat filters to play characters, and editing and shooting them. It was the first time he started using Snapchat and would share his videos on Facebook. His friends received his videos very well, telling him they were funny and even encouraging them to continue making more.

His friends’ reactions gave Tom a sense of satisfaction and excitement, which he hadn’t found since he moved to New York. This also filled a void for him, so he continued making videos.

At that time, Tom played in piano bars as music has always been a large part of his life. It wasn’t long before short-form comedy and music found their way to meet each other, and he started writing his musical comedy songs and then shooting videos for those songs.

“And that’s when I started to feel both like the inauthentic synergy of all the things that I love,” Tom explains. This was also when more people started to connect with the content he was making. And since then, he hasn’t looked back. 

The press release mentions that Additive Creative represents creators across various areas of entertainment. How would you describe the type of content you create and the niche you cater to?

Most of Tom’s content is under the music umbrella — whether that’s within the music industry, thematically anything that has to do with music, or writing songs. His MO is making the best and catchiest sounding songs about the dumbest things, like cooking salmon in his apartment or about rotisserie chicken. 

He also does a series called “Good Band Name, Bad Band Name,” where he just rates band names. Tom feels this series is still within his voice or niche because there are all about music.

As someone who loves to play and listen to music, Tom wants to create more content that caters to musicians, fans of music, fans of comedy, and everyone else in between. 

With the rise of the creator economy and influencer marketing, how do you see your role as a content creator evolving in this digital landscape?

“I don’t think there’s been a better time to be a content creator in this regard,” Tom says. Today, brands and advertising agencies are seeing influencers and content creators as new opportunities to connect with a wider amount of people.

And for creators, this status quo is the best-case scenario for them because they’re not being asked to fit the mold of a brand like a traditional commercial audition. On the contrary, brands are reaching out to creators and letting creators do what they do best. “And so, all we have to do is keep being ourselves, and we have the ability to promote and amplify the messages of a brand that we believe in,” Tom adds. 

Could you share some insights into the challenges and opportunities you’ve encountered as a content creator? How have you managed to stand out in such a competitive space?

Staying consistent is one of Tom’s biggest challenges as a content creator. He admits that it gets tough sometimes, and being a content creator feels like being on a treadmill. 

Tim and his friend, Josh Harmon, who’s also a successful content creator, call it a “content treadmill” because it’s easy to find themselves challenged in consistently making engaging content that’s honest to their voices and resonates with their audiences. 

Another challenge is the algorithms of all these different platforms. Tom would often spend eight to nine hours crafting a song and music video but gets buried when he shares it. 

On the other side of the coin, Tom acknowledges the opportunities that come from consistently putting the hard work in and continuing to make all sorts of content. These traits paved the way for him to be on American Idol in 2020. 

Tom considers being consistent as a double-edged sword. “You must keep making stuff, which can be exhausting and unrewarding sometimes. But also, when you keep making stuff, there’s a higher probability that you’re going to connect and have an opportunity like that,” he explains. 

What’s the thing that made you stand out from the rest of the people doing similar content?

Tom takes a lot of pride and works very, very hard to make his audio production sound. Although he’s not a professional producer, he’s proud of the songs he wrote. 

Another thing that sets Tom apart is although he makes silly tunes, his content sound really good. He puts a lot of attention into making sure that these songs sound and feel like real songs anyone could listen to anywhere — whether they’re walking around Trader Joe’s or killing time waiting in line in a supermarket. 

As a part of Additive Creative’s talent roster, what are your expectations in terms of content development, production, and distribution? How do you envision working with the team to further your career?

Before Tom signed with Additive Creative, he was arbitrarily making videos whenever he got an idea. Sometimes, his idea would work, and sometimes, it wouldn’t.

Although he has been working with Additive Creative for a few months only, the agency has tremendously helped him strategize and focus his output and plans. The agency has aided him in developing a more significant vision content-wise. 

Today, thanks to the agency, Tom has been laser-focused on the things that make him unique, mapping out the different types of content he’s good at, unifying his own brand, and many others — things that he never thought about as a content creator.

In the future, Tom would love to scale up some of the ideas he has in mind into higher production-value versions. For instance, he started using ChatGPT in writing songs. He would love to use the app more extensively, like using it in streaming his entire process, interacting with people, generating lyrics, and bringing a song to life in real time. 

Collaboration and brand partnerships play a significant role in the influencer marketing space. Are there any specific brands or industries you’re interested in working with, and why?

“I think that the music industry is probably the most aligned with me and the content I create,” Tom says. As such, he’s looking forward to working with brands in the music and fitness industries. 

Tom has worked with brands he personally loves, like Taylor guitars and Roland keyboards. These brands have been iconic in the industry for many different reasons.

In the future, he would love to work with brands in the music industry space, particularly on the digital side. He mentions Waves Plugins as he uses it on every single session he records. He’s also a huge fan of Universal Audio, particularly their Apollo interfaces. 

In terms of fitness brands, Tom would love to work with Athletic Greens or any other clothing brands in the future. He finds these brands interesting and relatable, as health and fitness are something that he sincerely aligns with his day-to-day routine. 

“It’s kind of fun to see which brands feel like taking a swing with a comedy creator to try to do something a little different,” Tom adds. 

The press release mentions that Additive Creative helps creators monetize their content. Could you elaborate on the various revenue streams available to content creators today and how you plan to leverage them?

For Tom, it’s all about consistency and making videos that reach a large audience, which will allow him to get a small sum of money from different platforms because of the number of views his content garnered. 

Despite this, Tom thinks that the most lucrative opportunities for creators are brand deals and brand sponsorships. Getting more of the two will be his target goal this year, as well as continuing to work with brands he personally believes him. He also looks forward to working with brands that see and enjoy his unique voice and trust him as a creator to amplify their brand message. 

In your experience, what are some effective strategies for engaging and growing an audience in the digital space? Are there any specific tactics or platforms you’ve found particularly successful?

Although staying consistent is one of Tom’s biggest challenges, he also admits that it’s also one of the most effective strategies that contributed to his growth. By posting consistently — three videos per week, to be exact — he has seen exponential growth in his numbers.

In terms of platforms, Tom explains that each has different algorithms. “A video that will connect on YouTube shorts or Instagram will flop on TikTok, and then all of a sudden, I’ll post another video on TikTok, and it’ll have this massive bonanza of growth,” he says. He even describes the experience as playing the lottery.

He advises aspiring creators to put a lot of energy into TikTok because, unlike other platforms, it places content in front of people. And then it’s up to those people whether they want to stop or continue watching certain content displayed in their FYPs.

Creators should ensure that their content is engaging enough within the first six seconds to have someone outside of their circle and bring them into their community. 

With the rapid evolution of social media and content consumption habits, how do you stay ahead of the curve and ensure your content remains relevant and resonates with your audience?

Whenever Tom makes content, he just makes whatever feels good and authentic to him and trusts that his audience will respond to that. He’s not in the trenches with what’s trending or what’s popping up as of the moment on any platform. Instead, he just focuses on making videos that he enjoys. He finds it stressful and ineffective to constantly think about making content that people will like or will go viral. 

In short, he doesn’t pay as much attention to the trends and just makes things that feel good to him or make. 

The press release highlights the diverse group of creators represented by Additive Creative. How important do you think diversity and inclusion are in the influencer marketing industry, and how does it shape your approach to content creation?

“The exciting thing about the influencer marketplace and the creator economy is that there’s never been a wide net or more opportunities for people from all walks of life, all over the world,” Tom states. Regardless of the location, it’s easy to find and build a community for one’s self. 

In addition, it’s never been more accessible for people from diverse backgrounds to build their businesses and presence online. Tom also believes that brands are responsible for helping creators amplify those voices in some way. 

“I hope that I can inspire someone from a different circle or a different walk of life to be true to themselves and say, ‘Hey, if that silly, dumb kid can make things like this, maybe I can take a chance and make something for myself, that feels true to me,'” Tom says. 

What advice would you give to content creators trying to thrive in the industry?

Instead of easily feeling discouraged and comparing themselves to others, Tom advises anyone who wants to make it big as a content creator to focus their creativity, time, and energy on making content that they personally enjoy. 

Everyone can make different content, but the priority should be content that makes them feel good. Once they’ve figured out what that content is, they need to trust themselves and trust that their voices will resonate with their audiences. And the only way to find these audiences is to take a chance and make stuff. 

Also, Tom advises aspiring content creators to remain consistent because it’s only through consistency that they’ll reap the most rewards.