The TikTok to Oscars Pipeline

Social media has transformed the way that we consume media. The Oscars aren’t just an award show, they’re an event that takes over the internet for days. Memes are made, opinions are posted, and TikToks are recorded. Every person on Twitter is currently talking about the 2022 Oscars and the slap that stole the show. However, so many other things happened on Sunday, such as the appearance of multiple TikTok “stars” Most notably, production assistant Reece Feldman and an undergrad from California named Emily Uribe. 

Feldman is a production assistant for several projects, and he posts about them on his TikTok account, @aguywithamoviecamera. One of his most popular TikToks features him setting up for a table read during the production of season four of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” Feldman has over 620,000 followers on his account and loves telling the behind-the-scenes stories. 

Another TikToker, Emily Uribe (@emilyuuribe), began on the app as a One Direction “updates account”, posting any information she had on the band. Later, she got popular when she started making skits. Her page features dozens of videos of her pretending as if she is being interviewed on Jimmy Fallon or on a red carpet, all in her living room. Posting to over 888k followers, Uribe gathered attention. As a former psychology major and now an entertainment and media major, Uribe became interested in the way that stars talked. They had specific coaching for the way they speak, and Uribe was fascinated with it. She mimicked this in her videos. 

Sunday, Uribe and Feldman were at the Oscars. Uribe’s fame on the internet led her to meeting and interviewering actors like Andrew Garfield and Timothée Chalamet. From the living room to the red carpet, she finally lived out those skits that she’s posted online. Feldman talked to Zendaya, Jessica Chastain, and many others and filmed behind the scenes content in both the show and the preceding nominees lunch. He filmed the red carpet and press interviews, posting all of it in real time. 

The Oscars viewership has gotten progressively lower over recent years, bringing TikTok to the Academy reaches new generations to elevate the movie industry. By combining the two, TikTok and Hollywood, it creates a new sense of intrigue. TikTok has become more important in popular culture and the Academy intended to capitalize on that. Due to that, we get to see Uribe and Feldman live out their Hollywood dreams.