Meet the Creator: Steven Spence

Steven Spence goes by just @spence on Instagram and TikTok, where he respectively has 1.6 million and 2.7 million followers. The creator took time out from a number of projects, including creating his own social media platform, to sit down with Casting Networks and share about his journey to where he is today. Keep reading for a window into the person behind the content.

Nice to meet you Steven, and I’d love to start right at the beginning. Can you share the @spence “origin story” that led to your current status as a mega-influencer?

I was always passionate about creating, and it started with music for me. I was drawn to it at a really young age and grew up with a piano in my house. I never got lessons or anything like that, but I stuck with it. And then in high school, the guidance counselor asked us what we wanted to do with our lives. I told her that I wanted to make music for a living, which she didn’t take seriously. But then a few months later, my band got signed to Interscope Records, which was such a crazy experience for me. Right out of high school, I went to Chicago and lived there for six months while making my first album with my best friends at the time. Then we toured all over the world and got to perform in 30 different countries with different idols of mine like Metallica. It was a dream come true for me.

Photo Credit: King Ali

Wow! I can’t imagine doing all that right out of high school. And where did you go from there?

You know, seeing that come to fruition made me realize that if I could do that, I could do anything. I wanted to make more of an impact and went out on my own as a creator. I decided that the next step for me meant coming out to Los Angeles to pursue my dreams fully. In addition to music, I wanted to put out into the world a little bit more of everything that I do and show some more of my personality. So I started to create comedy videos and put out fitness content because I wanted to inspire people to live healthier lives. A few videos took off, and throughout my entire come-up on social media, I’ve tried to do a little bit of everything. That’s not necessarily recommended because, especially these days, it’s really good to have a niche. But I just wanted to be myself.

That leads right into my next question because I was wondering when you have time to sleep! Besides regularly putting out comedic content, you run the @spencehealth Instagram account for all things fitness, you release music like “Coming Back to You,” and you recently appeared in the HBO thriller Huracán. How do you balance all of your creative outlets?

Fortunately, they all come naturally to me, and I’ve figured out and defined what I want to do. Without that focus, it’s hard to accomplish anything. So it’s important to have an idea of what you’re aiming for, and for me, that includes inspiring people to live the lives that they want to have. I don’t think a lot of people have really been encouraged to do that. And especially now with the pandemic and current state of the world, a lot of people have been laid off. So these days, why not attempt something that you really want to do? You might as well give it a shot.

I’m feeling inspired! And how do you try and motivate people when it comes to fitness?

I think it’s important to live a healthy life, and fitness covers a lot of physical and mental aspects of that. Plus, the ripple effect is real. You can see it tangibly happen when you’re walking outside and someone smiles at you. That makes you feel better, and chances are, you’re going to smile at the next person you see. It goes on from there, and I apply the same principle to health. That’s why the next big thing I’m working on is creating a social media platform designed to help people feel better about themselves through fitness.

That’s an exciting undertaking. And before we wrap, I have to ask about the wolf because it shows up in a lot of your content. What does it represent?

Photo Credit: Galfry Puechavy

To me, it signifies leadership, and everyone can be a leader. Plus, it serves as a reminder to have a good pack around you. The people you surround yourself with have a big impact on you. And you want to lead them well, too, so it’s important to keep things in perspective. I think everything in life is about your mindset and how you look at something. Take fear, for example. Fear is a very real thing, but there are two different ways you can react to it. You can keep it at the forefront of your life, which stops you from moving forward. Or, you can put fear behind you and only allow it to push you ahead. So check your perspective because there may be a lot of challenges in this world, but there are just as many possibilities and opportunities.

This installment of Meet the Creator includes an ample dose of inspiration, which may come as no surprise considering the person it features. From encouraging people to go after their own dreams to motivating them to live healthy lives, Spence uses his role as a creator to encourage others. And when asked for one last insight into the person behind the platform, he gave an answer that many of his followers might not expect. “I’m a pretty simple guy, despite trying to do all these different things,” Spence shared. “I just like to enjoy life and spread good energy to the people around me. There’s not much more to it than that.” 

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This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. 
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