This week on Hooked, we sit down with Anna Greene, PlayKit’s Head Strategist, crochet YouTuber with nearly 100K subscribers, and the Gen Z marketer behind hundreds of millions of TikTok views.

Anna’s journey is anything but traditional: she went from being a teenage photographer working with brands like Vogue, to running a viral crochet channel in high school, to studying computer engineering (before realizing she hated it), to finally leaning into social media and marketing. This path that’s now made her one of the sharpest strategists in UGC.

In this episode, Anna shares what it’s like to build authority as a Gen Z creator, how she battles imposter syndrome, why “just post” is lazy advice, and why authentic content always beats perfect aesthetics.

If you’re a founder, marketer, or young creative looking to break into content, this conversation is your blueprint.

Highlights

00:00 – Intro banter & Anna’s first podcast appearance

01:00 – Favorite podcasts & crocheting while listening to true crime

02:00 – Anna’s role at PlayKit and viral strategy background

06:30 – Starting a crochet channel during COVID & going viral on YouTube

08:30 – Monetizing crochet tutorials vs. patterns vs. ad revenue

10:30 – Why crochet (and “grandma hobbies”) became cool again

12:00 – The power of evergreen tutorial content

13:30 – Switching from computer engineering to marketing

16:00 – Teenage photography business, Vogue features, and early brand work

20:00 – First sponsorship deal with Locket & entering the UGC world

22:30 – How Julia’s cold DM got Anna onboarded to PlayKit

26:00 – Building confidence as a young strategist & battling imposter syndrome

31:00 – Why “just do it” is the cure for perfectionism and paralysis

33:00 – Being Gen Z as a superpower for marketing

38:00 – Why “just post” isn’t enough & the importance of authenticity

39:30 – The death of aspirational influencers and rise of relatability

42:30 – Why content creators are salespeople (and what that means)

44:30 – The “bangs TikTok” story & how the internet reshapes self-image

50:00 – The dark side of influence: overinflated presence & mental health risks

57:00 – The fleeting nature of influencer fame & burnout cycles

01:01:00 – UGC vs. influencer: how to monetize without the downsides

01:04:00 – Why UGC works better than polished brand ads

01:08:00 – Where content formats are headed & staying ahead of consumer fatigue

01:14:00 – How to turn being “chronically online” into a career skill

01:18:00 – Anna’s live breakdown of how she’d market a hypothetical app

01:30:00 – Relationships, self-belief, and why support systems matter

01:34:00 – Anna’s growth after leaving a relationship that held her back

01:35:00 – Closing reflections & where to find Anna online

Alexis Hedley went from posting one viral TikTok in college to managing 200+ creators and millions of views as Playkit’s Campaign Manager.

In this episode, she pulls back the curtain on what it actually takes to succeed as a creator or land your first role in the UGC space. From monetization frameworks to horror stories of creator outreach, Alexis shares the tactical insights every founder, brand, and aspiring creator needs to know.

What you’ll learn:

• How Alexis went from creator → strategist → campaign manager.• The 4 monetization “buckets” every creator should know.• Why you don’t need a huge following to make money.• The right way (and wrong way) to pitch brands.• What creators get wrong about “finding a niche.”• Why startups are the best place to launch a content career.

Timestamps:

0:00 – Cold open: Alexis on content & monetization

0:09 – Intro to Alexis Hedley, Campaign Manager at Playkit

2:00 – The For You Page, TikTok Lives & how algorithms influence behavior

14:00 – Alexis’ background: small-town California → Ole Miss → first viral TikTok

23:00 – Breaking into startups with no experience (and first big lessons)

26:00 – The money behind UGC: what creators actually charge

30:00 – Creator outreach horror stories & how to stand out

35:00 – Why startups are the best way to break into content + taking initiative

46:00 – Running her first campaign, making $10K in bonuses, & helping friends quit jobs to create full-time

56:30 – How Playkit structures creator pay: weekly payouts + bonuses

1:02:00 – Finding your niche: what you love to create vs. consume

1:06:00 – The 4 monetization buckets every creator should know

1:13:00 – The evolution of UGC: hook + demo → skits → founder-led content

1:23:00 – Rapid fire: craziest excuses, proudest moments & final advice

If you’re a founder or creator who wants to grow your engagement and eventually monetize your accounts, you’re going to love this. Tune into this episode of Hooked on Spotify, Apple, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts!

Garrett Rothstein (founder of Queue, ex-Snapchat, Bird, Quibi) shares how he turned TikTok into a growth engine, engineering features for virality, building a captions matrix, and iterating 100+ times before hitting his first breakout video.

If you’re a founder, marketer, or creator, this is a masterclass in how to design products and content for distribution.

Timestamps:

0:00 – Cold open: 100 TikToks before the first viral hit

1:15 – Intro: Who is Garrett Rothstein & how Q + Playkit teamed up

4:00 – Building Q & engineering the “swipe with a friend” feature for TikTok virality

9:20 – The captions + iteration matrix (inspired by MrBeast)

12:00 – Why some videos flop & others go viral: hooks, pain points, and couples content

19:20 – Triggering comments, planting Easter eggs, and why shares matter most

25:30 – The comment section as the new Reddit

31:10 – Lessons from Snapchat, Bird, and Quibi

36:00 – Gamification, streaks & consumer psychology that drive growth

39:00 – Founder life: balancing CEO duties with content creation

44:30 – Staying sane: health, habits & mental resilience

48:20 – Advice for students + how to get hired as a creator

56:30 – The future of AI in content: slop vs. real utility

1:07:00 – Rapid fire: biggest flop, consumer psych tricks, daily routines

Whether you’re scaling a startup, running campaigns, or just curious about how virality actually works, this episode will leave you with playbooks you can apply right now.

Don’t forget to listen, subscribe, and share Hooked on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube to catch every new drop.

Chris Josephs (founder of Autopilot and the Pelosi Stock Tracker) joins us for a no-BS breakdown of what makes each platform tick, and why creators and brands keep getting it wrong.

We cover how Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter actually work, why authenticity always beats polish, and the creator strategies that scale. If you’ve ever felt lost about what to post and where — this episode gives you the playbook.

Timestamps:

0:00 – Intro: who is Chris Josephs

6:00 – Why DMs are still the most underrated growth channel

12:00 – The origins of the Pelosi Tracker

18:00 – Instagram vs TikTok vs Twitter: what creators miss

25:00 – Authenticity vs polish: why raw TikToks win

32:00 – How to find the right type of creator for your team

41:00 – The right (and wrong) way to use AI in content

51:00 – Organic vs paid: where the real growth comes from

1:02:00 – The Third Door mindset for creators and founders

1:10:00 – Advice for anyone trying to break into startups or content

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