Today we’d like to introduce you to Alex Luna.
Hi Alex, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, let’s briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I’m just a foodie at heart. From early childhood, I was always interested in different foods. I learned a lot about cooking young; while both my parents were at work making ends meet, I was alone in the kitchen experimenting. In my teenage years, I remember my father BBQing outside with his Old Smokey BBQ pit, and I took an interest. As I matured and had a family of my own, my kids also became foodies and encouraged me to try different things on the BBQ pit. Eventually, I began looking up recipes on YouTube and saw how many other people were involved in the BBQ community. I wanted to be a part of this, representing foods from our south Texas culture and our Texas heritage. Now I shoot these videos while I’m experimenting & cooking for my little family. Although we all come from different walks of life, good food brings us together.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been smooth?
Lol! No, it hasn’t! A lot of it has to do with yourself. The big hump is getting over your camera shyness and not liking the sound of your voice! Once you deal with that, you have to think about how to present your cook – the camera angles, the music, and all the creative juices accompanying content creation. Getting views and subscribers when you’re first starting is a struggle. Nobody knows you so it’s hard getting your name out there. Eventually, you get in your groove and things begin to happen. People begin to comment. Your views increase with your followers – then companies start to contact you and start sending you their products. That’s when the fun really starts. But before that – you can’t give up! You have to keep pushing content out and try getting better at it.
Thanks for sharing that. Can you tell us more about your work next?
I work full-time as a Customs and Border Protection Officer, so work can sometimes be hectic. CBP Officers are responsible for enforcing laws and regulations related to importing and exporting goods into and out of the United States. We inspect people and merchandise entering the U.S. to ensure compliance with customs, immigration, and agricultural regulations. So when getting home from work my hobbies are a great de-stressor. Now of course my main hobby right now is my Bbq channel on YouTube = Al Lunacy Q’ing. Cooking and bbqing is something I would be doing anyway if the camera wasn’t there. South Texas has some great food. I try to represent some of that on the channel as well as my own take on other types of recipes. That eventually led to making our own bbq rubs that we sell on Etsy. We also do product reviews of different grills, smokers and everything that’s bbq related. It’s a lot of fun.
What would you say has been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Nobody owes you anything. If you do anything that requires some effort – do it for yourself foremost. Forget about pleasing someone else’s expectations because that will only lead you to disappointment. Don’t be afraid to change it up. Don’t be afraid to take the journey. Get out there! Make things happen! Your life does not get better by chance; it gets better by change.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/al_lunatic
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/al.lunacy
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/AlLunacyQing
