"Hitting Pan" Podcast Episode 2: Glamzilla Gets to the Bottom of Life on Social Media
In the second episode of IPSY’s Hitting Pan podcast, we delve into the remarkable 14-year journey of Stephanie Valentine (aka Glamzilla), the Internet's unapologetic big sister. Prepare to be enthralled as we uncover the twists and turns of her path, from childhood glam moments to becoming a beacon of authenticity and empowerment in the beauty community.
Why You Need to Tune In to This Episode
Glamzilla gets to the bottom of her 14-year journey to become the Internet’s no-BS big sister. From her childhood as a full-glam girl, to building trust with her community, forming IRL friendships from her comments section, and standing by her Hot Fire product recommendations—with the receipts to prove it—Glamzilla is playing the long game.
Key Takeaways: Success via the Glamzilla Method
Having Long-Term Vision: “[My career] has been one of the most beautiful experiences of my life because it wasn’t just about beauty, it was about me evolving as a human, as a girl, as a woman, as a creator, as just me, and finding out what Glamzilla actually meant to me, and what I actually wanted to bring to the beauty space. It’s been a journey so far. It’s been a beautiful one, and it’s been a hard one. It wasn’t fast like everyone else’s. It was a slow process for me. It took 14 years to get here, and with that I got to know who I was, I got to know my business, and I got to know what I represent and what I want to stand for in the beauty space. And now, it all aligned.”
Creating a Community: “People forget that social media is about being social. That’s the number one key to it. If you want to be successful on social media, you have to be social—on all levels. You can’t just be responding to your followers. You can just be responding to creators or just brands. It has to be a community, an ecosystem that you built. That’s the number one thing in creating a community that thrives and that can sustain itself even if you don’t post for a day, even if you are gone for a week…A lot of my friends in real life started out as people in my comments section because I connect to them, and I relate to them the most…I remember back in the day when I would message creators, nobody would respond. I was starting to gain traction, and I was like, I’m going to be the creator that responds.”
Building Trust: “A lot of people don’t know this, but I film like 15 videos a day. A lot of them don’t pass the Hot Fire test. If it’s not Hot Fire or if I’m not excited about it, that video is scrapped, and they only see the best of the best. I remember, as someone who consumes beauty content, at the end of the video and it’s a negative review, I think, ‘Why did I watch this? I’m not going to buy this.’...In a world where everyone is questioned for their integrity, I want to know at the end of the night when I go to bed, when I review something, is it because I think it’s Hot Fire.”
Additional Resources
Final Thoughts
Glamzilla’s unwavering commitment to transparency, trust, and genuine connections has not only cemented her status as an influential figure in the beauty space but also as a trusted ally and confidante to her audience. Stay tuned for more episodes of Hitting Pan, where we get to the bottom of all things beauty—no topic is off-limits.
New episodes of Hitting Pan drop every Thursday. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to catch the full video episodes, or listen on Spotify, Apple Podcast, iHeart, or wherever you get your podcasts. And don’t forget to follow IPSY on Instagram and TikTok for all the latest Hitting Pan news (plus so much more!).
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