Millennials these days always seem to be getting criticised. Having been born in 2001 I find myself on the end of the barrage of abuse that comes our way and it’s simply not fair.
I fall into now infamous ‘Generation Z’ category. The Generation that is always bombarded with negativity. As we have grown up with social media all we are told is that we are ‘snowflakes’ who lack resilience, creativity and dedication to make it to the top. Yet in many instances that is far from the truth, millennials are not weak but brave, more willing to express themselves, and hungrier than ever to succeed.
The real ‘Generation Z’ is typified by 19 year old Belfast teenager Cameron Glasgow who has shown plenty of resilience, creativity and dedication to make it to where he is today. His life at the minute it seems, couldn’t really get any better.
For those who don’t know of Cameron he’s often labelled ‘an Instagram influencer’, yet he is so much more than that. Whilst he is a growing presence on the site with his street wear profile surpassing over 50,000 followers, remarkable for someone from our small city, Cameron is a local lad with an abundance of talent.
He has already worked with the likes of JD Sports in promotional deals as well as setting up his own marketing agency. Add to that the fact that he has own clothing brand Eternal Youth and is now trying his hand at DJing and it soon becomes clear that Cameron has achieved a lot in a relatively short space of time.
A friend of mine, I recently caught up with the growing digital entrepreneur as he opens up about his so far modest rise to prominence, how his drive to be the best allowed him to channel his creativeness and just how much life has changed in a few whirlwind years. Here is Cameron Glasgow, Belfast’s latest rising star.
So Cameron do you want to just briefly outline who you are and what you do?
Sure. So for those of you reading this that don’t know me, my name is Cameron, I’m 19 years old and from Belfast, Northern Ireland. When it comes to what I actually do it’s hard for me to say exactly, but its along the lines of a digital entrepreneur.
I pretty much do as many things as I can associated with the internet as there’s opportunities everywhere, they’re endless. I started out doing fashion influencing on Instagram and one thing lead to another, bringing a clothing brand, dropshipping, digital marketing and graphic design into the picture. So yeah as you can imagine life is busy, but balanced.
What was it was like for you growing up in Belfast?
Growing up in Belfast for me was both a great thing and a negative thing. What I’d say definitely is that whilst I was growing up, the creatives industry over here was so so small and barely anybody was utilising what was there for them online. I was quite an early bloomer when it came to picking things up with social media so I would’ve always been creating content for the likes of Facebook and Instagram, growing my accounts just with any spare time I had.
As the industry was so tight in Belfast whilst growing up, a lot of people didn’t understand, they couldn’t see what I was trying to do and a lot of people would’ve passed comments and whatnot. There were times this pulled me down to the point I didn’t even want to go out.
We all know what it’s like online sometimes, people are hurtful, but I didn’t give up, I was resilient and came back. There were positives too about growing up here, if I flip what I just said the other way round it works just as well, because Belfast creatives industry was so small I was one of the very few doing social media so it was easier for me to make a name for myself.
When I was about 15/16 a few videos on my page had went viral, over millions of views and I started seeing a lot of things taking shape. I started taking Instagram seriously, using more professional content and I would focus on it more than just in my spare time, I’d always be thinking of new ideas I could use, and just as Facebook did, my Instagram also began to grow.
It was only until a few years ago when I was about 17 that I began to make money on social media and this is when myself and people I grew up around were maturing. Interestingly, a lot of the people who used to make fun of me doing social media started seeing I was making bank and changed their views drastically, now it’s always a “well done” or “you’re doing well mate”, and I feel now the industry has developed so much, I got in just at the right time!
What would you say it was that sparked your interest in creating and influencing?
It was seeing other people do it from different countries that inspired me. I saw stories & headlines of people making a living and doing all this crazy stuff all thanks to their social media accounts. In terms of creating though, I’ve always been quite creative from a younger age so when I seen this opportunity I instantly knew it was for me to get on to it.
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Were there any people from Northern Ireland or afar who inspired you?
Seeing as I focus mainly on fashion it was all these streetwear niche accounts that inspired me to do it, to name drop one would be my pal John Melchico (@blvckmvnivc). He was one of the originals, every post I saw I just thought how could I get to this level and from there it was all about working towards this.
More recently though, with my new ventures into social media marketing and maybe even DJing I’m able to draw a connection much closer to home, with my good friend and DJ Caolan Patrick being a key motivator for me. Caolan and I first spoke at a night he helps to manage at The Art Department in Belfast called OCD, we spoke about everything from social media to clothes, to events and quickly it was very clear to me that we were both two highly motivated people with strong ambitions.
From that conversation we ended up working together on an event called MASQ and I was introduced to a lot of new people in the industry, it was from all this I was able to push what I was already doing in social media and take it to completely new heights. I definitely can’t thank Caolan enough for his support and motivation and there’s plenty more to come with us! If you want to support him his social media handle is @caolan.patrick and hopefully you’ll see a B2B (back to back) one day in the future!
What then led you to create Eternal Youth, your own clothing brand?
The love of fashion, the need for money and to be honest I’d always dreamed of owning a clothing brand. Started it when I was 16, no job, still in school and wanted things I couldn’t have. By 16 I’d grown my Instagram to about 20,000 followers and as it’s fashion related I saw an opportunity and decided to grab it.
I had previously run a small clothing brand in the past with a friend but it never worked so I thought let’s do a take two the right way and see what happens, and the results I think speak for themselves.
Why the name ‘Eternal Youth’?
It was actually a random online name generator. I couldn’t think of any name so I stumbled upon a site that takes random words that you want associated with the name and gives a random result, took me so many tries before I saw Eternal Youth and it just stayed with me and it matched the plan I had for the business perfectly so I went with it!
I wanted the brand to represent a vision for the youth, to be able to speak on certain issues through clothes.
What was then the creative process of making and marketing the clothes?
When it came to making the clothes, it all began using blank t-shirts, then I would create designs on Photoshop or Illustrator then get them printed locally. Once the brand began to grow feet I began working a lot harder to keep up with the growing demand.
With new research, I managed to get in touch with suppliers that were able to provide better quality at better prices. As I was able to now to pay a little more, I could afford to make the step up.
Marketing was all free through social media, I was able to use my audience to market the clothes but I’ll have to admit it was harder than I first thought to start pulling in good profits, because it’s a process, and it’s one that must be genuine especially when people who follow and admire your work are involved, so it did take time. I thought about throwing it in but something inside me told me to persevere and thankfully it paid off.
Through the brand, I was able to get in touch with some global figures who I can’t name right now as I’m working on bringing the brand back and having these people on board but I did also manage to get in touch with friends of the Biebs (Justin Bieber), Lil Za and Lil Twist who ended up rocking the brand, even wearing it to Mally Mall’s birthday where the likes of Lil Wayne and Trippie Redd were guests, crazy!
When did you begin to reap the rewards of your hard work?
I’d say it was close to my 18th birthday I began getting a lot more support with my online ventures. I think it came with maturity, I got to a stage where I realised this shouldn’t just be a mess about and that I should take it all more seriously. I was able to essentially monetise everything that I’d already been doing and when brands started approaching me to work it motivated me to aim higher and higher and higher.
Where are you now with Eternal Youth and your other business ventures?
For the meantime, Eternal Youth is at a stand still due to my other ventures. As I mentioned earlier, a successful clothing brand has been a dream of mine for so long so it will come back I just have my focus elsewhere at the moment. I’m currently starting up a digital marketing business (@tgmrkt) called The Guru Marketing which at the moment is completely 1 to 1, all work is done by me so my hands are full with managing clients and creating strategies.
I’m also growing some niche pages as a side thing, to hopefully monetise, all is good and I’m excited for the future!
What has been your biggest achievement to date?
This one is hard. I would have to say it was getting my first collaboration with JD Sports. It of course may not be very big but with a 50,000 following I’m still considered a ‘micro-influencer’ in the grand scheme of things so when I got that email that they had noticed me and wanted to run multiple campaigns I was chuffed.
To receive an email from arguably one of the biggest sports retailers in the world to run campaigns with them was a very proud moment for me and testament to the hard work I had put in.
What do you believe makes Belfast so appealing to creators and influencers like yourself?
I think what is so good about Belfast and it’s scene now is that the community is still small and growing (faster than ever) and there’s so many new people to connect with. Even though I said earlier my advantage of beginning so long ago was that barely anyone was doing it and now there is loads, I still believe now is a crucial time if you live in Belfast to get involved because if you don’t before you know it, it’ll be way too saturated so get inspired and get to it, ACHIEVE YOUR DREAMS.
What are your plans for further growth and expansion for the brand and yourself?
All I can say for the foreseeable future is I plan on working extremely hard and collaborating with as many people as possible. The brand will be back, mark my words. For now I’ll be travelling, lots so follow me on my travels as I share them with you on Instagram, my username is @cameronglasgow
What would be your tips for anyone looking to venture down a similar career path as you?
Do it.
An ispiring story for any young creators out there aspiring to follow in Cameron’s footsteps and pursue their dreams. Let’s he continues his remarkable rise and puts our city firmly on the map as a hub for innovators striving to reach the top.