FL:First off Welcome to Season 2 of Carnival Influence, for those who may not know tell us who you are and which island you are representing!
C: I’m Cinelli, representing the island of Saint Lucia and I am a Travel, Carnival and Lifestyle content creator.
FL: Let’s talk youtube, what inspired you to create the channel & how has it helped you to grow your brand?
C: For some time I created mini recap videos, which I shared on Instagram and Twitter just because I liked summing up my little adventures and looking back at it. My recaps covered travel, workouts, family celebrations etc. and as I traveled more, and got more active, I created threads on twitter with photo/ video footage, keeping everyone up to date on my adventures. Creating a YouTube channel made the most sense for me to bring it all together. It’s helped grow my brand in many ways as people now got carnival/travel/lifestyle content in more than just pictures and words. Vlogs made people feel like they were there and they appreciated my creativity working with video content.
FL: One thing we notice about your channel, you actually do a lot of post carnival relief in the island you are visiting. Tell us why that is so important to you and how you go about choosing the activities on the island you are visiting?
C: I love post carnival relief and I do my best to make time for it. Carnival is not a vacation, not to me; at least not the unwinding, relaxing type of vacation. I’d hate to say, “yeah, I’ve been there” and unable to share anything I learned about the island, because all I did was play mas. Travel is a big part of me, and I like sharing that, so spending a little extra time before or after carnival to learn a thing or two makes me happy. I choose activities based on my personal interests, or something new and unique to that place, but water activities and local food must be included!
FL: What are some tips you would give an up and coming creative trying to make it on YouTube?
C: Do it, don’t be hard on yourself and be consistent. I spent months settling on a name, and I think I thought about it a bit too much and too long. Just get started and you’ll learn things along the way. You definitely don’t need expensive equipment to get started. I still use my phone to film everything, until I’m ready to invest in a camera. Believe in your content, pay attention to what your audience is interested in, but make sure you are passionate about it and stay true to yourself.
FL: Being an avid travel, what were some of the best countries you have visited thus far and why, also can you gives us a few travel hacks you have learned over the years?
C:Saint Lucia, Indonesia(Bali), Mexico(Tulum) and Portugal(Lisbon) are all amazing destinations that are beautiful, affordable and filled with welcoming/hospitable locals. As for travel hacks, I’m grateful to have discovered packing cubes, because it helps with organization and saving space. Traveling light is the way to go; I do most of my travel in a carry-on bag. Book shorter trips or multi-city trips; you’d be surprised how much you can get done in 24hours, giving you more time to see other places.
FL: Moving on to carnival, fresh out of Trinidad 2020 how was your carnival experience overall, what was the Bess fete, and how was the road experience?
C:My Carnival experience for Trinidad 2020 was a little bittersweet. I definitely enjoyed myself, as I was determined to, but there were a lot of external forces making things a bit challenging for me. That brings us back to Carnival not being the chill kind of vacation. It requires a lot of planning and pace, and sometimes things don’t run smoothly, but you roll with it. Soca Brainwash: Treasures of the Far East was my favorite event, I loved the theme and the venue. My road experience was fun! I got to visit other bands since I had a media pass, so I got a little sample of everything and I absolutely loved my costume!
FL: What are somethings you think can improve the Fete experience overall?
C:There are so many moving parts that go into make a fete experience great. The venue and its versatility makes a difference to me; I like visiting different stations and finding other ways to engage besides standing in front of a stage. Shorter wait times at entry, at bars and food stations are significant to me. Also, having different amenities available and a variety of DJs that appeal to more of the crowd all help with improving the fete experience.
FL: Let’s just call it, everything in St. Lucia Carnival is official sold out, why do you think the demand is so big this year and what are your thoughts on that?
C:I think with the aid of social media, how much I’ve been pushing our carnival over the years(I’ll give myself some credit) and our music (Dennery Segment) gaining popularity, people started paying attention and wanted to join the fun. I’m excited for the growth, but also nervous about the pace. It’s the most anticipated carnival for 2020 and I’m expecting an amazing experience.
FL: With Your Growing Carnival Influence, how do you plan to help push the culture forward?
C: I plan on expanding my platform, and working more closely with tourism boards across the region to showcase what Caribbean culture has to offer. I’m excited for this journey!
FL: Let people know where they can see your amazing carnival and travel vlogs and also where can they find you on social media?
C:Check out my YouTube channel Cinelliverse! YouTube.com/c/cinelliverse. You can find me on Instagram @Themaneater_ and Twitter @Lafleurrrebelle, but maybe one day I’ll streamline everything. In the mean time, enjoy my content and tell me what you think of it
