Leigh McClendon is one of the many newfound fame stories on the social media juggernaut Tiktok. The elementary school teacher has found his niche in recent months as a fresh-faced content creator and comedic presence on the social media platform, cultivating a slew of new fans who’ve connected with his down-to-earth style and approach to his comedic endeavors.
Still juggling both his newfound fame and his full-time job, he was able to have a chat with us as we delved a little deeper into what brought him to the platform, the responsibilities of content creators and the best pieces of advice he’s given and received.
Hey Leigh, thanks for taking the time to sit down and have a chat with us today. We’ll start off with a little background. How’d you get into TikTok?
Thanks for this interview! I am currently a fourth grade science and social studies teacher in Shreveport, Louisiana. My career in Tiktok started out by accident. A friend of mine made a tweet that he had a video blow up on the app, so I downloaded Tiktok just to see it. Eventually, I made a video related to some issues I had with deer hunting and I sort of solidified myself on the app.
You cover a wide range of video styles with a distinct focus on comedy, any aspirations to follow through on comedy outside of social media?
I would love to bring my vision, ideas and creativity to the big screen one day. I have always wanted to pursue acting as a career but never saw it possible. I think now it seems pretty crazy that my desire to act is actually going as I had always wanted.
Congrats on cracking a million followers recently! Do you feel there’s a responsibility on influencers and social media personalities to set certain examples, or is it fairly free-flowing in your opinion?
I feel the creator has all of the decision on how he/her portrays themselves. Personally I like to see a creator with a bit of personality outside of their content focus. But I do realize that is not always something people are good.
How long would your average skit take to feel ready for filming?
Honestly they take around 25-30 minutes to record. The longer part, most of the time, is the editing. But honestly I enjoy doing both of these parts.
Being a schoolteacher, we can see a lot of similarities with some of your characters and your career, would you say there’s more truth than fiction in the characters you’ve written?
I think the situations are there. These are real scenarios, maybe just exaggerated a tad bit. You always have to throw some humor into things but often times, I believe that many of my viewers can relate.
You thinking of branching out to other forms of social media to spread your videos and comedy?
Absolutely. I do have an Instagram account that I post to. I also started to stream video games on Twitch to engage with viewers on a closer level and to attempt to bring my comedy there. As for the video beast, YouTube, Im still attempting to decide what I want to focus on for this platform.
Being a teacher and now a social media creator, you’ve seen a bit of both worlds. What would be the best piece of advice you’d give to your students?
Focus on yourselves. In class and social media have very similar functions. Everybody wants to be the cool kid, trendy kid, you name it. But many kids and young adults lose themselves by following the paths made by other people. Stick to yourself and learn about your own life.
On that same token, what is the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
I think the best advice I have received was “Your fans are always here to support you.” Sometimes I find myself down in the dumps when a video doesn’t go right or if I encounter writers block, and it sucks. Ill start to feel like I let my viewers down, but in the end this saying is right, My fans always have my back.
On a final note, what’s next for Leigh McNasty?
Whats next for me is to keep pushing out great content and collab with some positive people on the app. I want my name to be known. I don’t want to be known for just teacher skits, but I want to have a name.
Thank you Leigh for your time!
You can follow Leigh McClendon at https://www.tiktok.com/@leigh_mcnasty
