Social media trends are constantly changing, but 22-year-old Cameron Dallas has managed to maintain an enormous online fan base even as the platforms have evolved. The newest medium he's taking on is television, with the Dec. 27 premiere of his Netflix series, Chasing Cameron. But make no mistake, it's not luck that has caused Dallas' career to grow over the past few years. As the internet star tells Bustle, he views his career as nothing less than a business and has succeeded because he knows how to capitalize on specific platforms.
“When I speak about Vine and hopping on the platform early, I was understanding the platform as a whole — like their algorithms and stuff like that,” Dallas says about the early days of his career. “It's not really about knowing what the fans want.” Chasing Cameron shows how he used the analytics of his social media platforms to understand what was working and what wasn't, and built up a fan base from there. Now, those fans follow his every move online.
“I feel like what's cool about the new generation is that they get to pick who they follow, and they're choosing to follow me for me being me and it's really humbling,” Dallas says. “It's really authentic... Basically, I just get to do what I like doing and they like that.”
Social media is a business just like any other and as Chasing Cameron shows, Dallas has really grabbed his career by the horns, creating conventions and expanding his brand. “I think the show covers how I'm switching from being a businessman and then being talent," he says. "Let's say the talent is giving someone trouble, then I have to put my business hat on and talk to them that way. It definitely covers that whole dynamic. In general, I've learned a lot, and I want to continue to run in the business world.”
To do that, Dallas will need to evolve along with social media, but he already has an idea of where things are headed. “As far as the social space as a whole, it's definitely bridging the gap between social media and traditional media," he says. "They're kind of cutting into one vicinity and they're merging together, so it'll be really interesting to see how everyone adapts to that."
Clearly, there is more to becoming a social media star than creating funny memes and videos, and Dallas understands that better than anyone. “I think the biggest misconception is that I'm just some guy that posts like selfies and stuff like that," he says. But with Chasing Cameron, viewers will get to see all of the work that goes on behind the scenes to turn selfies and everything else Dallas does into an empire.
Additional reporting by Samantha Rullo
