Today we’d like to introduce you to Sydni Dupre
Hi Sydni, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I started posting videos on Tiktok back in 2020, just for fun, because like everyone else, I was just bored! Overnight seemingly, a few of my silly little that I made just for myself started to blow up and get thousands, to ten thousands, to millions of views! With that amount of exposure, the natural curiosity of seeing a seemingly “normal” 20 year old in a wheelchair came to light through hundreds or thousands of comments, and the assumption and of why I was “paralyzed” or what “happened to me”. That was not the case though. I’m not paralyzed and I wasn’t in an accident. I was born with a degenerative neuromuscular condition called Friedreich’s Ataxia. It’s a very rare disease, so I wasn’t shocked that no one had any idea what I was talking about when I mentioned my life with FA. I quickly realized with the millions of views and thousands of questions I was getting, that I could use this as not only an opportunity to raise awareness for my rare disease, but also to share my life as a disabled young adult and wheelchair user. So that’s what I started doing just that and still do today. I love using my social media platforms to share my life with the world, and expose more of the disability lifestyle and how people with physical disabilities are just like everyone else. I have the same interests and hobbies as anyone else my age might!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It’s not always an easy road being in the public eye with a disability. With getting millions of views, I’m exposed to so many different types of people, including the not-so- nice ones. I’m used to getting a lot of hate comments or “jokes”, usually referring to the way I look or talk with my disability, or the endless “vegetable” jokes when they see my wheelchair. It doesn’t bother me too much, though, because I also get an overwhelming amount of support from the people who actually follow me and get to know more about me as a person.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a disability lifestyle content creator and influencer on all social media platforms. I’m mainly known for my videos on TikTok where I have over one million followers. I also make content regularly on Youtube, Instagram , and Facebook. My content is based on sharing my lifestyle as a young-adult in a wheelchair, so my work-life is very natural for me. I get to the normal things that I love to do, like going shopping or going to different coffee shops and doing my hair and makeup, or even just going grocery shopping, and making videos doing things to show the extra struggles of doing tasks while being disabled. Of course, making these videos for social media and posting comes along with planning videos ideas, editing the videos, analytics on those videos so that I know the best ways to monetize my content. I sometimes make videos with different brands highlighting certain products that I like to use, so that requires extra attention in planning and filming with quality lighting and equipment. I’m lucky because I’m currently able to monetize my content, that I already enjoy making, and make it my career!
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
I think that finding a mentor or someone who has been doing social media content creation is so important, because social media is very fast paced and can be challenging to someone who is new to it, especially someone younger. My best advice would be moving to Austin like I did! I used to live in a small town where there was not much to do and there were not many people my age on social media, so I moved to Austin about two years ago. Being in Austin allowed me to go to more exciting and trendy places, and mostly everywhere has been accessible to me! It also gave me the opportunity to meet a lot of other young-adult content creators similar to me, and make friends in my community!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sydnidupre-merch.myshopify.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sydnindupre?igsh=MXNkbWp3YjFyOHhwag%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SydniDupreFB?mibextid=LQQJ4d
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC43_oLmz1fhglEmbEgSo4Ug
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@sydnidupre?_t=8pJPEcLx15i&_r=1
