Megan O’Kane is a 31 year old virtual assistant from Bangor with a love for all things Disney, travel and pop culture.
In a bid to be able to share all her holiday photos from her Disney holiday without annoying her ‘IRL’ friends, she decided to start an Instagram account Megan Loves Magic back in 2019. When she was furloughed during the pandemic, she started putting more time and effort into the account which has since grown tremendously.
Nowadays she spends a lot of time sharing her Disney trips and helping others with theirs, offering tips, tricks and advice. She offers more of the same on TikTok, although she not only shares her Disney experiences but all of her travel adventures and gives her audience a bit more behind the scenes of her day-to-day life.
Tell us something your followers might not already know about you?
I am obsessed with reality TV. My favourite TV show is Selling Sunset, but anything that could even loosely be described as “trashy” – I watch it.
What would you consider your biggest achievement as a blogger/influencer?
I’ve had the opportunity to work with some of my favourite brands including Fly Mickey, Superdrug, Attraction Tickets, Howard Johnson Hotels. I have also been interviewed by CNN to talk about LGBTQ representation and inclusion at theme parks.
What would you consider the biggest lesson you’ve learnt in the industry?
No matter what you do, you won’t please everyone. Channel your energy into creating great content that will serve YOUR community, instead of worrying about faceless User3485945 – I promise you’ll sleep a lot better at night.
What has been your biggest challenge to date?
My biggest challenge to date has been stopping comparing myself to other creators. It’s so easy to fall into that trap and become hyper-focused on numbers. As soon as I started to see my biggest competition as myself, it allowed me to enjoy what I was doing even more.
Do you feel that bloggers are unfairly judged at times, if so why?
Yes, I think a lot of people have the impression that influencers are lazy, need to get “real jobs” and are only in it for the freebies. I think this is because people only see the “finished product” which is a 30-60 second video and they don’t see all the hard work behind the scenes (editing, negotiating, learning all the ins and outs of social, community building). I always say, “If it was that easy, everyone would be doing it”.
What advice would you give to someone wanting to start a Tiktok/Instagram page?
Just start it and don’t overthink it. You never know what will happen until you try. If you had told me when I first started my socials that I’d be getting the opportunities that I get now, I wouldn’t have believed it!
What local blogger do you look up to and why?
@charisoliviaa – She’s an all-round lovely person and I love her commitment to supporting and celebrating local NI businesses.
What international blogger do you look up to and why?
@mrcheezypop – Max is my favourite vlogger. Not only does he produce super entertaining vlogs, he also uses his platform to raise awareness of important social issues.
If you would like to keep up with Megan’s adventures, you can find her on Tiktok(@meganlovesmagic) and Instagram(@meganlovesmagic).