Social media has increasingly become Hollywood’s hunting ground for the biggest and best talent as executives scout the apps for the next big stars.
That is how Tayla Stevenson was uncovered, with the 23-year-old Aussie trading Sydney‘s northern beaches for the bright lights of Los Angeles as top talent agencies scramble to get her on their books.
The 23-year-old’s success all stemmed from a TikTok account she began during lockdown, with only her second-ever skit video going viral and getting the attention of some of the biggest names in the industry.
The single video received more than two million likes and was seen 13.2 million times, with Ms Stevenson amassing a loyal following of nearly 600,000 people on TikTok.
Ms Stevenson told Daily Mail Australia she was studying film and digital media at university when Covid hit and decided to cure her boredom by starting a TikTok account, a decision that is paying dividends, with a lucrative acting contract on the verge of being signed.
Aussie TikToker Tayla Stevenson (pictured) says she has been scouted by Hollywood producers after her skits on TikTok went viral
The Tik Toker began playing around with the app before deciding to do a ‘funny little skit of meeting a cute boy in an elevator and everything went from there’.
‘Everyone really liked my first skit and they were like keep doing that so then I came up with this idea of an interaction between a bakery worker and a cute boy and added some humour and then it was like boom it really blew up,’ she said.
‘When that happened I was like I have to keep going with it and to date it is still my most popular video but everything has gone from there.
‘I’ve definitely had a lot of important people in the industry reach out to me on TikTok or my Instagram wanting to befriend me or from producers and actors wanting to work with me and pitching potential roles and all sorts of things.’
The 23-year-old posts mostly comedy and young romance skits which she says sets her up perfectly for a transition into rom coms.
Ms Stevenson moved from Sydney University to UCLA to do the final semester of her degree where she mingled with top talent in the industry.
Now she has finished her degree, she says she will be staying in LA to pursue an acting career.
The influencer says she was headhunted while in Australia and since arriving in LA has realised just how many social media stars are being contacted about acting roles.
Ms Stevenson herself says she continues to be contacted by Hollywood’s top talent agencies, producers and actors who voice how they want to work with her.
Ms Stevenson’s success all stemmed from a TikTok account she began during Covid lockdown, with only her second-ever skit video going viral and getting the attention of some of the biggest names in the industry (pictured: Ms Stevenson’s viral baker skit)
The 23-year-old has traded Sydney’s northern beaches for the bright lights of Las Angeles as she fields multiple acting roles
‘A person’s platform, in my case TikTok, is being used as a showreel ,’ she explained.
‘People in the industry are using these clips, in my case skits, to cast for roles, so the whole industry is evolving and adapting to the modern social media world.’
Ms Stevenson said she anticipates she will sign a contract with a talent agency in the coming weeks and believes she will be in a film or movie by the end of the year.
‘Most people in this industry now are coming right out of social media and so the execs are turning their attention to those who have made a platform themselves and shown they can engage an audience,’ Ms Stevenson said.
‘While I can’t say too much, I expect to have a role or two by the Aussie summer as I should have something signed off in the next week or two which is really exciting.’
Ms Stevenson says she was headhunted while in Australia and since arriving in LA has realised just how many social media stars are being contacted about acting roles
Covid has completely changed the entertainment landscape with many confined to their home turning to TikTok for their entertainment as the industry seeks actors from the platform for starring roles.
This was seen when social media star Addison Rae, 22, secured a multimillion-dollar deal with Netflix after starring in the film ‘He’s All That,’ a sequel to 1990s ‘She’s All That.’
Other stars born from TikTok such as Charli D’Amelio secured contracts for TV shows and for her own docuseries.
While these artists have undoubted talent it is their large following and social media engagement that Hollywood filmmakers see as a gold mine.
High-profile TikTokers are increasingly being eyed for roles in movie, TV shows and as brand ambassadors for beauty and fashion campaigns.
‘Hollywood executives are seeing the star power in the social media world based off their followers like Zendaya, The Rock and Charli D’amelia as people are wanting to see their favourite Tik Tokers and social media stars on the big screen,’ Ms Stevenon said.
‘I want people to know about the potential there and to tell those wanting to get into this industry to put themselves out there on social media as it is how more and more aspiring actors are getting their big roles.
‘You never know who will be watching.’
The budding actor says anyone with a passion for anything in the entertainment industry needs to get on a social media platform, even if it is not TikTok.
She says while her attention is on her Hollywood acting career she has her sights set on producing and writing her own films in the future and bringing what she has learnt from America back to Australian shores.
‘For me, I dream of producing films and writing my own scripts and I want to bring that back to Australia as the more we can learn from the US film industry the better,’ she said.
‘I know of so many Aussie entertainers on platforms like TikTok that are so talented and I see them and I know others in the industry see them and go “I want to work with them one day”, that is where the industry is continuing to go.’
