Content Creator Joe Sadowski steals the Spotlight

By Kwesi Caldwell and Pulse Staff

Content creation has become a hot activity on the University of Findlay campus. Students have started tuning into accounts such as Findlay Talks and Findlay Rap on Instagram and of course, the 88.3 WLFC the Pulse YouTube page; which has been burning up with creative and fun podcasts from students this school year.

But one student has been using Snapchat as not just a creative outlet, but a way to pay for school.

Joe Sadowski a junior Business Administration-Marketing Emphasis Major who is on the men’s track and field team knew he wanted to help his mom financially and pay for his own college education.

“One day I just started thinking like what can I do to help my mom out with some of this money,” Sadowski said. “I looked on Snapchat and I heard that they were giving out payments if you could make viral videos.”

Snapchat is a popular social media app in which people are allowed to either send videos or pictures of what they may choose, within certain guidelines. One tool within Snapchat is Spotlight.

Waystowealth.com reports Snapchat pays out more than $1 million per day through its Spotlight program which launched in November 2020. Spotlight mirrors Instagram Reels and TikTok.

Sadowski decided to put his media skills to the test and it seems to be working for him.

“You know my friends and I just kept making videos and one day, I’m not sure why, but, this really random video we made went viral and it was just kind of on-going from there,” Sadowski said. “People really loved it.”

Sadowski gets thousands of views and hopes to continue growing his personal brand. A look at his most recent Spotlight posts show a video that received 432,000 views, one that received 1.4 million, another for 2.4 million.

“Content creating is so much fun because you can just be yourself there is no one to tell you how to run your life which is the best thing about making my own content,” Sadowski said.

Though Snapchat does have a few guidelines for posting to Spotlight. Its website states be creative, avoid copyright infringement by only posting original content, stay safe, and no soliciting.

Snaps should be vertical videos with sound not less than five seconds and no more than 60 seconds long. Content has to be appropriate for a 13+ audience and no gambling, tobacco, weapons, controlled substances, and excessive or underage alcohol consumption are allowed. Creators cannot sell or solicit products or services and can’t submit sponsored or paid-for Snaps.

For now, Sadowski is not working with any companies as a brand influencer.

Sadowski also posts on YouTube and thinks about expanding his brand.

“You know I would always love to do that,” Sadowski said. “I think when it comes to content creating you always want to grow with the things you are creating. Sometimes it’s a good thing to take things slower. I’m happy where I am at the moment but who’s to say in the future I don’t try and go bigger.”